I totally remember this song and it was a favorite of mine to play percussion along with. I of course thought the lyrics were suggestive, but that perhaps they weren’t as directly sexual as they appeared? Maybe it was a metaphor I wasn’t picking up on?
Perhaps the lyrical content being more heterosexually oriented had a dual purpose. One, to expand the disco appeal beyond the gay community. And second because clearly same-sex gendered lyrics would limit the song to the clubs only..
I’m not quite sure where I would always hear this song. Maybe it was just disco compilations that I would play. But I am both surprised and not surprised that it had been banned.
It’s part of my explanation on the B-side, Steve. In this particular case, it simply comes down to the fact that Patrick Adams, the composer/producer, was straight (and not a club-goer). He had to deliver an album, and sex sells.
But the whole story of gay-straight lyrics goes much further than that. It turned out to be a fascinating subject to dive into, and it’s still a work in progress. I’ll probably do more episodes on it. As a historian, my research connected so many dots between recent American and European social history.
As for the track, it ended up on countless compilations because, at one point, Marvin Schlachter, who owned Prelude, sold the catalogue to Unidisc. They were extremely active in the compilation market. I negotiated with them a few times when I was putting together compilations, and they weren’t the easiest people to work with. They always tried to push more tracks on you than you actually needed, and they never gave you a choice: all or nothing. 😁
Thanks for reading and reacting, Steve. Have a great weekend!
Thanks for the detailed breakdown, Pe! I look forward to finding out more about why straight/gay lyrics are chosen, intentionally or otherwise. I’m not surprised that it was as simple as Patrick Adams being straight, though the picture is certainly more colorful than that, and if anyone is equipped to paint that picture, it’s you! I’m amazed at how deep you go to get to the bottom of the stories you tell here! You leave no stone unturned and no compilation assembled with any missing pieces.
I’m travelling at the moment and didn’t bring my new 🇨🇦 chart book with me. I do remember it was a (small) pop hit on the Canadian Top 100, so radio must have picked it up. 😁
One of the things Patrick Adams said later was that he never really cared much about the lyrics at the time, but that he came to regret them because kids would have heard the song too. I always thought that was a bit exaggerated. I don’t think any kid who heard it ended up traumatised. 😁
Then again, maybe that’s just my own openness and liberalism speaking.
I wasn't traumatized. I grew up in a remote community where other kids hid Playboy magazines in the woods near the elementary school. So, make associated inappropriate jokes related the the song title as you see fit...
You have a knack for finding great stories, Pe. So many fun elements to this one with the lyrics, manufactured group, and the producer poised and ready for greatness.
I do remember this being on the radio, being surprised at the lyrics, and singing it over and over again because the melody and lyrics were both so catchy. I'm sure I danced to it as well. It's one of those memorable songs you can never forget, so I'm not surprised it's become a dance floor classic.
Was that when you were living in the UK, Ellen? Because, funnily enough, it reached No. 16 on the UK charts, so it did get plenty of radio airplay. Strange when you consider that, only a few years later, Frankie Goes to Hollywood were banned for much less.
Anyway, it really is a catchy song, a pure earworm. I caught myself singing it all day long while I was writing the article this past week. 😁
Thanks for reading and reacting, Ellen. Have a good one!
That was when I was in college in the US. With radio stations local to an area, I'm betting where I was the DJ liked it and played it. I remember hearing a lot of dance music on radio.
This was great, Pe! Like you, I don't think there's anything shocking or offensive about this song. In fact, I love how suggestive it is. The question you raise about gay vs. straight stories as portrayed in disco songs is very interesting. I really look forward to reading more about your theory in due course. I always say this, but it bears repeating: what I love most about your work is the well-rounded, 360-degree view you always give us—history, society, culture, music, record industry considerations, your personal connection to the music, and your insights into what makes a record move. All this in a voice that is so unmistakably you. Great job.
You always honour me with your comments, Andy. ☺️ I think the fact that neither of us found it offensive also says something about our lives and the way we see things. 😁 I always get the feeling we have a lot in common.
I hope you enjoy the B-side. It’s a fascinating subject, and I’m far from finished talking about it. Thanks for reading, reacting, and sharing. Have a great weekend!
What a record! The groove is definitely unstoppable. I'm always so pleased when I have a copy of your feature record, and this one is in my collection, of course, I wish you had written this years ago so I would have known about the history too. Also glad to see Class Action, "Weekend," getting a mention, that one I love also.
The "Weekend” in the Phreek/Class Action version will definitely get its own episode somewhere down the line. It’s such an important record. Thanks for reading and reacting, Jonathan. Have a great weekend!
I have a question about the music rather than the lyric (which, like yourself, I don't find remotely offensive, although it did make me nostalgic for those days when everyone actually had a bush!)
I got out my bpm tapometer and clocked In The Bush at 131, pretty fast I'll think you'll agree, but I found an advert for the UK 12" which stresses that it includes "a special disco version remixed at 135bpm" by no less than Francois Kervorkian. So one of the selling points for an already speedy track is that the remix is even faster! Could that be because the track was a favourite on the Gay Disco scene despite being from a hetero pov?
Hahaha, Paul, your comment genuinely made me laugh out loud. 😁 I didn’t really focus on François K’s work on this one. As it was one of the first Prelude releases and he had only just started doing mixes and remixes, he ended up working on this track as well. The UK 12-inch, which, remarkably, was the only European 12-inch pressing of the song, contains the album version on one side and a François K remix on the other. I have both in my collection.
The François K remix is a little faster (around 133 BPM), but not 135. That said, this record predates sequencers, so the drums and percussion were played by real musicians. 😁 And we all know that only Giorgio Moroder seemed to have a drummer, Keith Forsey, who was the human equivalent of a metronome. Everyone else had a bit more natural fluctuation in tempo.
Whenever I use records from this era, I usually have quite a bit of work to do to get them to sit nicely with the tracks before and after them. So it’s entirely possible that In The Bush speeds up slightly in places, and depending on where you take your BPM sample, you’ll get a different reading.
Records above 130 BPM were definitely aimed at the gay dancefloor. By 1978, Hi-NRG was in full swing, and Marvin Schlachter at Prelude was gay and only just getting the label off the ground. So it makes perfect sense that he encouraged Patrick Adams to go for faster tempos. Both Musique albums clearly lean into that Hi-NRG sound.
Thanks for reading and reacting, Paul. Have a great weekend!
I got the 135bpm from the press ad. It was the early days of bpms, so perhaps accuracy was not what it should have been, but the major consideration seems to have been fast is good, but faster is even better! I was struck by this as I didn't think Hi-NRG was that significant in 1978 (Record Mirror, the publication in which the ad appeared, didn't start their gay/Boystown disco chart until July 1982). However, I hadn't appreciated that Marvin Schlachter was gay which helps explain the marketing approach
The Hi-NRG of 1978 was quite different from the Hi-NRG that emerged in the early and mid-1980s. Back then it was very much a dancefloor phenomenon, largely confined to clubs in New York and San Francisco. After the disco backlash, it gradually merged with pop and reached a much broader audience. It also became a business, driven by producers such as Bobby Orlando and Ian Levine.
It’s surprisingly difficult to find reliable information about the BPMs preferred by DJs in clubs like The Saint in New York. We know they generally played records above 125 BPM, but where exactly was the sweet spot? It may well have been around 135 BPM.
One thing is certain: In The Bush doesn’t maintain a constant tempo. It speeds up and slows down throughout the track, so I always have quite a bit of sequencing to do before I can use it in a mix. That’s simply the nature of records from that era, when the rhythm section was played by musicians rather than locked to a sequencer.
Yes, it is. Absolutely. 😁 I’ve been singing it constantly for the last three days while finishing this week’s articles. Thanks for reading and for your reaction, Dan. Have a great weekend!
I totally remember this song and it was a favorite of mine to play percussion along with. I of course thought the lyrics were suggestive, but that perhaps they weren’t as directly sexual as they appeared? Maybe it was a metaphor I wasn’t picking up on?
Perhaps the lyrical content being more heterosexually oriented had a dual purpose. One, to expand the disco appeal beyond the gay community. And second because clearly same-sex gendered lyrics would limit the song to the clubs only..
I’m not quite sure where I would always hear this song. Maybe it was just disco compilations that I would play. But I am both surprised and not surprised that it had been banned.
It’s part of my explanation on the B-side, Steve. In this particular case, it simply comes down to the fact that Patrick Adams, the composer/producer, was straight (and not a club-goer). He had to deliver an album, and sex sells.
But the whole story of gay-straight lyrics goes much further than that. It turned out to be a fascinating subject to dive into, and it’s still a work in progress. I’ll probably do more episodes on it. As a historian, my research connected so many dots between recent American and European social history.
As for the track, it ended up on countless compilations because, at one point, Marvin Schlachter, who owned Prelude, sold the catalogue to Unidisc. They were extremely active in the compilation market. I negotiated with them a few times when I was putting together compilations, and they weren’t the easiest people to work with. They always tried to push more tracks on you than you actually needed, and they never gave you a choice: all or nothing. 😁
Thanks for reading and reacting, Steve. Have a great weekend!
Thanks for the detailed breakdown, Pe! I look forward to finding out more about why straight/gay lyrics are chosen, intentionally or otherwise. I’m not surprised that it was as simple as Patrick Adams being straight, though the picture is certainly more colorful than that, and if anyone is equipped to paint that picture, it’s you! I’m amazed at how deep you go to get to the bottom of the stories you tell here! You leave no stone unturned and no compilation assembled with any missing pieces.
haha thanks Steve. Really appreciate the compliments. ❤️❤️🙏
I know radio here played it. Not a lot. But enough that my very young ears caught it!
I’m travelling at the moment and didn’t bring my new 🇨🇦 chart book with me. I do remember it was a (small) pop hit on the Canadian Top 100, so radio must have picked it up. 😁
One of the things Patrick Adams said later was that he never really cared much about the lyrics at the time, but that he came to regret them because kids would have heard the song too. I always thought that was a bit exaggerated. I don’t think any kid who heard it ended up traumatised. 😁
Then again, maybe that’s just my own openness and liberalism speaking.
I wasn't traumatized. I grew up in a remote community where other kids hid Playboy magazines in the woods near the elementary school. So, make associated inappropriate jokes related the the song title as you see fit...
Hahaha… “Push, push, in the bush” indeed. Priceless! 😂
You have a knack for finding great stories, Pe. So many fun elements to this one with the lyrics, manufactured group, and the producer poised and ready for greatness.
I do remember this being on the radio, being surprised at the lyrics, and singing it over and over again because the melody and lyrics were both so catchy. I'm sure I danced to it as well. It's one of those memorable songs you can never forget, so I'm not surprised it's become a dance floor classic.
Was that when you were living in the UK, Ellen? Because, funnily enough, it reached No. 16 on the UK charts, so it did get plenty of radio airplay. Strange when you consider that, only a few years later, Frankie Goes to Hollywood were banned for much less.
Anyway, it really is a catchy song, a pure earworm. I caught myself singing it all day long while I was writing the article this past week. 😁
Thanks for reading and reacting, Ellen. Have a good one!
That was when I was in college in the US. With radio stations local to an area, I'm betting where I was the DJ liked it and played it. I remember hearing a lot of dance music on radio.
Have a good weekend, Pe!
This was great, Pe! Like you, I don't think there's anything shocking or offensive about this song. In fact, I love how suggestive it is. The question you raise about gay vs. straight stories as portrayed in disco songs is very interesting. I really look forward to reading more about your theory in due course. I always say this, but it bears repeating: what I love most about your work is the well-rounded, 360-degree view you always give us—history, society, culture, music, record industry considerations, your personal connection to the music, and your insights into what makes a record move. All this in a voice that is so unmistakably you. Great job.
You always honour me with your comments, Andy. ☺️ I think the fact that neither of us found it offensive also says something about our lives and the way we see things. 😁 I always get the feeling we have a lot in common.
I hope you enjoy the B-side. It’s a fascinating subject, and I’m far from finished talking about it. Thanks for reading, reacting, and sharing. Have a great weekend!
What a record! The groove is definitely unstoppable. I'm always so pleased when I have a copy of your feature record, and this one is in my collection, of course, I wish you had written this years ago so I would have known about the history too. Also glad to see Class Action, "Weekend," getting a mention, that one I love also.
The "Weekend” in the Phreek/Class Action version will definitely get its own episode somewhere down the line. It’s such an important record. Thanks for reading and reacting, Jonathan. Have a great weekend!
We are listening to the mix on the road trip and it's awesome! Everyone listen!
Wow Pe, this was quite the deep dive. Fascinating.
Thanks Tamara! Glad you liked it. Have a great weekend!
I have a question about the music rather than the lyric (which, like yourself, I don't find remotely offensive, although it did make me nostalgic for those days when everyone actually had a bush!)
I got out my bpm tapometer and clocked In The Bush at 131, pretty fast I'll think you'll agree, but I found an advert for the UK 12" which stresses that it includes "a special disco version remixed at 135bpm" by no less than Francois Kervorkian. So one of the selling points for an already speedy track is that the remix is even faster! Could that be because the track was a favourite on the Gay Disco scene despite being from a hetero pov?
Hahaha, Paul, your comment genuinely made me laugh out loud. 😁 I didn’t really focus on François K’s work on this one. As it was one of the first Prelude releases and he had only just started doing mixes and remixes, he ended up working on this track as well. The UK 12-inch, which, remarkably, was the only European 12-inch pressing of the song, contains the album version on one side and a François K remix on the other. I have both in my collection.
The François K remix is a little faster (around 133 BPM), but not 135. That said, this record predates sequencers, so the drums and percussion were played by real musicians. 😁 And we all know that only Giorgio Moroder seemed to have a drummer, Keith Forsey, who was the human equivalent of a metronome. Everyone else had a bit more natural fluctuation in tempo.
Whenever I use records from this era, I usually have quite a bit of work to do to get them to sit nicely with the tracks before and after them. So it’s entirely possible that In The Bush speeds up slightly in places, and depending on where you take your BPM sample, you’ll get a different reading.
Records above 130 BPM were definitely aimed at the gay dancefloor. By 1978, Hi-NRG was in full swing, and Marvin Schlachter at Prelude was gay and only just getting the label off the ground. So it makes perfect sense that he encouraged Patrick Adams to go for faster tempos. Both Musique albums clearly lean into that Hi-NRG sound.
Thanks for reading and reacting, Paul. Have a great weekend!
I got the 135bpm from the press ad. It was the early days of bpms, so perhaps accuracy was not what it should have been, but the major consideration seems to have been fast is good, but faster is even better! I was struck by this as I didn't think Hi-NRG was that significant in 1978 (Record Mirror, the publication in which the ad appeared, didn't start their gay/Boystown disco chart until July 1982). However, I hadn't appreciated that Marvin Schlachter was gay which helps explain the marketing approach
The Hi-NRG of 1978 was quite different from the Hi-NRG that emerged in the early and mid-1980s. Back then it was very much a dancefloor phenomenon, largely confined to clubs in New York and San Francisco. After the disco backlash, it gradually merged with pop and reached a much broader audience. It also became a business, driven by producers such as Bobby Orlando and Ian Levine.
It’s surprisingly difficult to find reliable information about the BPMs preferred by DJs in clubs like The Saint in New York. We know they generally played records above 125 BPM, but where exactly was the sweet spot? It may well have been around 135 BPM.
One thing is certain: In The Bush doesn’t maintain a constant tempo. It speeds up and slows down throughout the track, so I always have quite a bit of sequencing to do before I can use it in a mix. That’s simply the nature of records from that era, when the rhythm section was played by musicians rather than locked to a sequencer.
Anyway, it’s a fascinating part of the story.
I vaguely remember this song as one that would occasionally get played in the 80s. Kind of an earworm!
Yes, it is. Absolutely. 😁 I’ve been singing it constantly for the last three days while finishing this week’s articles. Thanks for reading and for your reaction, Dan. Have a great weekend!