Released as the sole single from Kate Bush’s 2005 album Aerial, “King of the Mountain” is an art rock song which describes Kate’s wondering if the late Elvis Presley is still alive someplace. Written in F major, and nearly 10 years before most other tracks, it follows a chord progression of F-Ab-Bb-Eb in the verses and choruses with an alternative Ab-Eb-F in the refrain.

The song was Kate Bush’s 2005 surprise return after a hiatus of 12 years. It premiered on BBC Radio 2 on September 21st 2005 and was released on CD, 7" and digital download formats with artwork drawn by Kate’s son Bertie. It eventually scored a hit in the UK, landing in the Top 5.

Like the writing process, the vocal is older than most of the final production too. Intended as a throwaway, Kate returned to the record 2 or 3 years later only to find that she couldn’t replicate its feeling no matter how hard she tried. The song was later performed live in Act One of the Before the Dawn residency and a live recording was released on the album of the same name in late 2016.