Kate Bush Christmas message 2022: what did Running Up That Hill singer say about striking nurses and Ukraine?

British songwriter Kate Bush released her annual Christmas message to her website this week. She looked back over the ‘roller coaster’ year and the huge events that have changed the world, as well as personal milestones from her own life.

In her message she discussed the war in Ukraine which sent shockwaves around the world, the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and the resurgence of her own song, Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) which rose to the top of the charts more than three decades after it was first released. She also voiced support for nurses who went on strike over the Christmas period.

What did Kate Bush say in her Christmas message?

Bush spoke about the huge events which have taken place in 2022 - she wrote on her website: “I don’t think any of us have ever known a year like this one. Life became incredibly frightening in the pandemic, but just as we think it might be over soon, it seems to keep going. It’s a bombardment - the horrific war in Ukraine, the famines, the droughts, the floods…  and we lost our Queen.”

She also spoke about moments that affected her personally over the year: “I still reel from the success of RUTH (Running Up That Hill), being the No 1 track of this summer. What an honour! It was really exciting to see it doing so well globally, but especially here in the UK and Australia; and also to see it making it all the way to No 3 in the US. It was such a great feeling to see so many of the younger generation enjoying the song.”

Bush’s track, which was first released in 1985, shot to number one in the UK following its inclusion in the soundtrack of Netflix hit show Stranger Things. The song appeared on episode four of the latest season - Netflix viewers have watched more than 1 billion hours of season four of the series.

She ended her message, which was shared alongside the image of a robin, by writing: “I‘d like to think that this Christmas when joy is so hard to find, hope will perch in all our souls. Merry Christmas!”

What did Kate Bush say about striking nurses?

Bush also spoke about her hopes for 2023, stating that she hoped the war in Ukraine would end, and that nurses would be appreciated, adding ‘they should be cherished’.

NHS nurses are taking part in the largest strike action in NHS history, with an estimated 100,000 members believed to have taken out. Strike action took place on Thursday 15 and Tuesday 20 December as nurses complained over poor pay in the wake of rising inflation and a cost of living crisis.

Newly qualified nurses earn £27,055 to £32,934 per year, and the Royal College of Nursing has argued that staff have experienced a real terms pay cut of 20% since 2010. Strike action could continue into 2023 if a deal is not reached between the union and the government.