Experiment IV
"Experiment IV" is a song by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush, released as a single on 27 October 1986 to promote her greatest hits compilation album The Whole Story, for which it was specially written as a new track.[1] The song tells the story of a secretive military experiment aimed at creating a sound capable of killing, drawing on themes of science fiction and horror.[2] The track was produced by Bush at her Wickham Farm Home Studio in Welling, Kent, with engineering by Del Palmer, and features her distinctive layered vocals and atmospheric instrumentation.[2] Upon release, "Experiment IV" entered the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 23 and spent four weeks in the top 40.[3] It was backed with a new vocal version of "Wuthering Heights" on some formats, tying into Bush's earlier hit from her 1978 debut album.[1] The accompanying music video, directed by Bush herself, was filmed in a derelict military hospital in London, incorporating set designs influenced by Florence Nightingale's work and featuring actors including Dawn French as a nurse, Hugh Laurie as a soldier, and Peter Vaughan as a military official.[4] Released in October 1986, the video's narrative visually expands on the song's plot, depicting the experiment's deadly consequences, and has been praised for its innovative storytelling and production despite challenging filming conditions in the unheated, damp location.[5]Background and development
Conception and writing
"Experiment IV" was composed by Kate Bush in 1986 specifically as an exclusive new track for her greatest hits compilation album The Whole Story, released on 10 November 1986. The song emerged during a transitional period in Bush's career, following the critical and commercial triumph of her 1985 album Hounds of Love, which had solidified her artistic evolution toward more conceptual and narrative-driven work. Seeking to infuse the retrospective collection with a forward-looking element, Bush crafted "Experiment IV" to provide a fresh addition that bridged her established style with innovative storytelling.[4] Bush's creative inspirations for the track drew heavily from horror and science fiction genres, centering on the chilling notion of sound weaponized for destruction. Bush's inspirations included a nightmare in which scientists' benign sound research was corrupted by the military into a weapon, as well as a true story she heard about a French scientist who built a giant steam-powered whistle, the sound of which killed him and others.[6] This concept resonated with her interest in the dual nature of sound—its capacity for beauty and harm—transforming it into a cautionary tale about the perils of scientific overreach.[7] The writing process unfolded as Bush envisioned a compact, story-like narrative to encapsulate the theme of a "sound that kills," mirroring the experimental ethos of the title while aligning with The Whole Story's mix of introspection and experimentation. By structuring the lyrics as a dramatic vignette of clandestine research gone awry, she aimed to evoke tension and unease, ensuring the track stood as a dynamic counterpart to the album's earlier hits. "Experiment IV" was ultimately released as the lead promotional single on 27 October 1986, underscoring its role in revitalizing interest in Bush's catalog.Recording and production
"Experiment IV" was recorded during the summer of 1986 at Kate Bush's home studio, East Wickham Farm in Welling, Kent, as an additional track for her compilation album The Whole Story.[8][9] Bush handled production herself, with longtime collaborator Del Palmer serving as engineer.[10] The session featured contributions from drummer Stuart Elliott, guitarist Alan Murphy, and violinist Nigel Kennedy, whose orchestral playing added to the track's dramatic tension.[10] The production emphasized a cinematic horror atmosphere through multi-layered vocals and synthesizers, including the Fairlight CMI for eerie sound effects that evoked the song's narrative of a deadly sonic experiment.[11] Bush's own choir-like backing vocals were overdubbed extensively to simulate the unsettling "experiment" sounds, with mixing techniques focusing on audio layering to gradually build suspense and immersion.[10] These elements were refined through a rapid turnaround process to align with the single's October 27, 1986, release deadline.[8]Composition and themes
Musical style and structure
"Experiment IV" exemplifies a fusion of synth-pop and orchestral pop genres, embodying the mid-1980s UK chart sound with a cold, clinical production that conveys a horrifying tone.[12] The track runs for 4:21 and follows a structured verse-chorus form augmented by a dramatic bridge, which builds to an intense climax simulating escalating tension.[13][6] This arrangement prioritizes accessibility while incorporating art rock sensibilities through layered dynamics and thematic sonic drama.[12] The song maintains a steady tempo of 136 beats per minute, facilitating a metronomic pulse that gradually escalates via crescendos in the chorus and bridge sections.[13] Prominent strings provide an orchestral foundation, starting with swaying motifs before shifting to shrill, ominous sawing that evokes the edginess of horror film scores, while percussion—primarily programmed Linn drums—adds a militaristic snare drive during heightened moments.[12][14] Instrumentation centers on synthesizers to craft eerie soundscapes, complemented by Bush's vocal harmonies that layer into a choral intensity, mimicking a "weaponized" effect in the climactic bridge.[12] The production briefly references layering techniques to integrate these components, achieving seamless transitions from subtle builds to explosive drama.[12] Drawing from Bush's earlier experimental influences like her 1982 album The Dreaming, the overall form adopts a more pop-oriented accessibility for single release appeal.[6]Lyrics and narrative
"Experiment IV" unfolds as a narrative-driven song, inspired by Kate Bush's nightmare of a secret military project perverting sound research into a weapon, drawing on historical concepts of sonic warfare from 1940s and 1950s government experiments.[7] The lyrics are structured around verses detailing the clandestine endeavor to engineer a deadly sonic weapon from recordings of human emotions, interspersed with a recurring chorus that evokes escalating dread. The opening verses introduce the project's secrecy, with lines such as "We were working secretly / For the military / Our experiment in sound / Was nearly ready to begin," portraying a team developing what starts as pleasurable music but becomes a tool of destruction under orders: "They told us all they wanted / Was a sound that could kill someone / From a distance."[2] Subsequent verses describe the creation process, capturing "From the painful cry of mothers / To the terrifying scream" and feeding them into a machine, pushing "the meters ... over in the red." The chorus reinforces the ominous intent: "They told us all they wanted / Was a sound that could kill someone from a distance / So we go ahead, and the meters are over in the red / It's a mistake in the making," highlighting the ethical peril.[2] At the heart of the narrative is the scientists' realization of the creation's dual nature, where the sound "could feel like falling in love" or "sing you to sleep / But that dream is your enemy." The story builds to a sense of helplessness, with the creators hoping "someone there / Can hit the switch," culminating in a warning to the public to "stay off the streets." This arc serves as a cautionary tale about the perversion of artistic creation like music into deadly technology, with the sound's power turning beyond control.[2][7] The lyrics explore themes of scientific ethics and the unintended consequences of innovation, contrasting sound's capacity for pleasure and thrill with its weaponization. Bush critiques how benign pursuits can be co-opted for harm, evoking moral unease through the team's detachment: "We only know in theory / What we are doing." Her vocal delivery amplifies vulnerability, emphasizing the helplessness against militaristic demands.[7][2] Poetic devices enhance the song's psychological depth, with repetition in the chorus mimicking the relentless push of the experiment and the inescapable sound. Abstract imagery, from the overload of "meters over in the red" to the sound's seductive yet deadly allure, evokes primal fears and sound's manipulative power. These elements underscore the cautionary essence, portraying creativity's dark side when harnessed by authority.[2]Release and promotion
Single formats and track listing
"Experiment IV" was released on 27 October 1986 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom as a 7-inch vinyl single, a 12-inch vinyl single, and a limited cassette single, serving to promote the compilation album The Whole Story.<grok:render type="render_inline_citation">UK 7-inch single (EMI KB 5)
This standard edition featured the following track listing:| Side | Track | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| A | Experiment IV | 4:21 |
| B | Wuthering Heights (New Vocal) | 4:56 |
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UK 12-inch single (EMI 12KB 5)
The extended-play version included remixes and additional tracks:| Side | Track | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| A | Experiment IV (12" Mix) | 6:38 |
| B1 | Wuthering Heights (New Vocal) | 4:56 |
| B2 | December Will Be Magic Again | 4:50 |
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