Kate Bush Talks About Her Renewed Popularity: Thanks to Stranger Things

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English singer-songwriter Kate Bush is enjoying the success of her 1985 song “Running Up That Hill” nearly four decades after its first official release. It tops the UK Songs billboard, dethroning Harry Styles’ “As it Was,” and reached No 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts last week. It is also currently No 2 on the Official UK Singles Chart.

The original 1985 release was able to reach no. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, back in the day. Never would she have imagined her now-iconic song to reach the top in both the UK and the US, forty years after the original release. 

According to the UK Billboard, Kate Bush is the youngest and the oldest woman to have a self-written song ruling at No.1. The singer-songwriter has been giving interviews regarding her reclaimed fame and sharing her thoughts about Stranger Things.

Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” is featured in Netflix’s original show Stranger Things Season 4 in which the song plays a key role in one of the most impressive scenes of the season. The song has become a fan favorite specifically for Generation Z kids for they seem to have discovered a hidden gem with the song. Its fame has spread like a wildfire as it is now one of the top choices for TikTok videos as of late.

Bush knows many of her new fans hadn’t even heard of her prior to Stranger Things, but she’s more than happy to welcome them wholeheartedly into the fandom. The 63-year-old singer talked about the fame she has been getting lately in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour on Wednesday. She said how she owes the renewed popularity to Stranger Things very cleverly using her song, and found it “just extraordinary.”

“I thought that the track would get some attention, but I just never imagined that it would be anything like this,” she said. “It’s so exciting, but it’s quite shocking, really, isn’t it? The whole world’s gone mad.”

“What’s really wonderful, I think, is that this is a whole new audience who, in a lot of cases, they’d never heard of me and I love that,” she told the BBC. “The thought of all these really young people hearing the song for the first time and discovering it is, well, I think it’s very special.”

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Bush also revealed how she “never” really listens to her own songs, so she hadn’t heard Running Up That Hill “in a really long time.”

She also went on to praise the showrunners of Stranger Things Matt and Ross Duffer for that particular scene where the song is featured and helps [Spoiler Alert!] Max escape the clutches of Vecna.

“I think they have put it in a really special place,” she said. “I thought, ‘What a lovely way for the song to be used in such a positive way, as kind of a talisman, almost, for Max. I think it’s very touching, actually.”

Bush said she has been a fan of Stranger Things since it started and thoroughly enjoyed it as the actors have grown up on the screen over the years. 

“It’s lovely because, in a similar way to Harry Potter, where in those early films, they were just little kids,” she said, “and then as the films progress, it becomes heavier and darker, and those little kids turn into really talented young adult actors, and you have a different connection with something that’s moved through years of watching them grow.”

The ”Wuthering Heights” singer has expressed gratitude on her website multiple times in the past month, once when the episode aired and then after the song topped the US chart. 

“The track is being responded to in so many positive ways,” Bush wrote. “I’ve never experienced anything quite like this before! I just want to say a really big thank you to everyone in the US who has supported the song.”

Apart from topping the charts, “Running Up That Hill” has also caught the attention of stars like Halsey and Kim Petras. 

Halsey went on to perform the song at Governors Ball Music Festival: 

Kim Petras will be releasing a cover of “Running Up That Hill” in her latest album:

The song has taken the world by storm. Fans all over the world are streaming it on every music platform. According to a report recently released by Spotify, there has been an 8700% increase in global streaming for the song. There has been an outpour of love for the singer and song alike:

Ali (@lcstmycool) stated how she can’t stop listening to the song on repeat:

Zuha Khan (@Zuha_Wave) appreciated the resurgence of the song:

@PopCultureAI shared a majestic painting in the honor of Kate Bush and her iconic song:

Despite getting a ‘graphic violence’ warning before its airing, the show has performed far better than in its previous seasons. Executive producer and director Shawn Levy teased how the stakes are higher than ever and storylines will be much darker than its counterpart.

Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 lands on Netflix on July 1st.

Joshua Garner

Joshua calls himself nerd+geek who is also passionate about rugby. He enjoys comics, animes, and science fiction. He finds his comfort in writing about suspense, thrillers and science fiction shows and movies.


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