Kate Bush’s song “Cloudbusting“ was released with the Hounds of Love. The song’s release was 14 Oct. 1985. The song and music video portray the relationship between father and son . . . psychologist Wilhelm Reich and his son Peter . . . the song describes Reich’s arrest through the eyes of his son and is based upon Peter Reich’s 1973 biography of his father, A Book of Dreams. Reich was one of Freud’s direct disciples who had a break with Freud and pioneered the concept of release and orgasm in psychotherapy. He developed the cloudbuster (shown in the video and featured on the cover of the single) and the orgone accumulator. He was persecuted by the FDA in the US for his orgone developments and former connections to the communist party – this was the McCarthy era – and arrested by the FBI and his books burned (yes, actually banned). He died in prison, a broken man. While some of his later conclusions and developmetns may seem spurious and perhaps even fringe, his kernal work is extremely valuable and led to the birth of a number of extremely powerful therapeutic processes.

CLOUDBUSTING
Kate Bush

Yes, that is Donald Sutherland playing Reich while Kate Bush plays his son Peter.

CLOUDBUSTER
Brief Reich Drama

This is an extremely brief docudrama portraying the arrest of Reich.

CLOUDBUSTING INTERVIEW ONE
Kate Bush

In an interview, Bush explains what she was trying to accomplish with the video in regard to the book the material is based upon.

CLOUDBUSTING INTERVIEW TWO
Kate Bush

Another interview with Bush from 1985. It starts more about her work in general as she first begins making inroads into the US market and then has more details about the story of the video.

All the best,
Brian