"Rubberband Girl" is a song by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush released on 6 September 1993 by EMI Records. It was the lead single of her seventh album, The Red Shoes (1993). The single peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart and charted for five weeks. It was Bush`s last top-20 hit in the UK until "King of the Mountain", which peaked at No. 4 in 2005.[3] The song was a moderate success worldwide, reaching the top 40 in Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand. In the United States, it peaked at No. 88 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Versions

Three versions of "Rubberband Girl" were released commercially: an LP version, an extended mix and a remix by American DJ Eric Kupper called the US Mix, which was released towards the end of 1994 on the "And So Is Love" single. The B-side is "Big Stripey Lie" in the UK and "Show a Little Devotion" in the US.

In 2011, Kate Bush recorded a new version of the song that was included on her ninth studio album, Director`s Cut.[4]

Critical reception

Alan Jones from Music Week gave the song four out of five and named it Pick of the Week, writing, "With Kate at the helm any single would be quirky but by her own otherwordly standards this is Ms. Bush at her most direct." He added, "It`s a rhythmic, almost raunchy, workout with the occasional outburst of rock guitar, strange lyrics—`if I could twang like a rubberband, I`d be a rubberband girl` is as ordinary as it gets—and a weird vocal impression of said office accessory being stretched. It is also a very commercial rejoinder and will probably be Kate`s first Top 10 solo hit since `Running Up That Hill` hit the spot eight years ago."[5] Everett True of Melody Maker felt that the song is "a little too uptempo for my tastes" and noted that he prefers Bush when she is "all dreamy and mysterious". Despite this, he added, "It still has enough kookiness to draw me under, and she`s still the only artist for whom the word `kooky` isn`t an insult."[6]

Another Melody Maker editor, Chris Roberts, praised it as "a gorgeous, daft, groovy single with a bassline to shame Bootsy Collins".[7] Terry Staunton from NME wrote, "Kate`s self-doubt emerges right from the beginning on `Rubberband Girl`, the relentless one-chord single where she wishes she could learn to give, learn to bounce back on her feet."[8] Parry Gettelman from Orlando Sentinel said that "Bush waxes positively perky as she struggles to forge a `Sledgehammer` out of a flimsy tune, dopey lyrics and bouncy dance-floor beat."[9] Richard C. Walls from Rolling Stone noted the "pure pop" of "Rubberband Girl".[10] Tom Doyle from Smash Hits also gave the song four out of five, saying that it`s "a bit of a shock because she`s gone all funky with Prince-ish drums all over the shop".[11]

Track listings

Personnel

• Kate Bush – vocals, keyboards
• Danny McIntosh – guitar
• John Giblin – bass guitar
• Stuart Elliott – drums, percussion
• Nigel Hitchcock – tenor and baritone saxophones
• Steve Sidwell – trumpet
• Paul Spong – trumpet
• Neil Sidwell – trombone

Charts