Hammer Horror (song)

"Hammer Horror"
Single by Kate Bush
from the album Lionheart
B-side	"Coffee Homeground"
Released	27 October 1978
Format	7" single
Recorded	1978
Genre	Art rock
Length	4:39
Label	EMI
Writer(s)	Kate Bush
Producer	Andrew Powell
Kate Bush singles chronology
"The Man with the Child in His Eyes" (1978) "Hammer Horror" (1978) "Wow" (1979)
Music sample Hammer Horror

"Hammer Horror" was Kate Bush's third single release and first single from her second album Lionheart. It was released on 27 October 1978. Following the top ten success of her first two singles, this charted at a much lower #44 in the UK singles chart. The parent album released a few weeks later was unaffected however as it entered the top ten. "Hammer Horror" proved to be a temporary blip as Bush's next single returned her to the top 20. In other countries it fared better, such as Ireland where it reached #10.

The song is a tribute to Hammer Films, a company specialising in horror movies. The story of the song concerns an actor who gets thrust into the lead role of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and ends up being haunted by the jealous original actor, a friend of the song's narrator until the re-casting. A promotional video was made for the single featuring Bush and a black-masked dancer performing the song against a black background.

The B-side of the song was "Coffee Homeground", which also featured on Lionheart.

Charts

Chart (1978)	Peak position
Irish Singles Chart	10
Australian Singles Chart	17
New Zealand Singles Chart	21
Dutch Single Top 100	25
UK Singles Chart	44