Kate Bush Reacts to ‘Running Up That Hill’ Success in ‘Stranger Things’ – Billboard

Kate Bush is thrilled about the use of her classic 1985 song “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” in the fourth season of Stranger Things.

In a rare public statement, the British art rock legend shared her excitement about renewed interest in “Running Up That Hill” after it was featured in the recently premiered season of the 1980s-set Netflix sci-fi series.

“You might’ve heard that the first part of the fantastic, gripping new series of ‘Stranger Things’ has recently been released on Netflix,” Bush wrote in a statement on her website. “It features the song, ‘Running Up That Hill’ which is being given a whole new lease of life by the young fans who love the show — I love it too!”

The singer-songwriter added, “Because of this, ‘Running Up That Hill’ is charting around the world and has entered the UK chart at No. 8. It’s all really exciting! Thanks very much to everyone who has supported the song. I wait with bated breath for the rest of the series in July.”

“Running Up That Hill,” the lead single to Bush’s 1985 album, Hounds of Love, soundtracks the story of Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), still reeling from a family death, in the fourth season of Stranger Things, which premiered on May 27. Max plays the track on her Walkman in the first episode of the season, and the song serves as a recurring theme for the character leading up to a pivotal sequence in the fourth episode.

Last week, Billboard reported that “Running Up That Hill” had experienced a particularly overwhelming spike in streams on Spotify, with the song rising by 9,900% in U.S. plays from Thursday to Monday (May 30). Indeed, despite pulling in daily streams in the 20,000s as recently as May 26, “Running Up That Hill” has since netted millions of U.S. streams on a daily basis, according to Luminate — while also selling thousands of copies daily. It should all add up to the song debuting on a number of Billboard sales and streams charts (dated June 11) and potentially re-entering the all-genre, multi-metric Billboard Hot 100, as well.

Upon its 1985 release, “Running Up That Hill” became the highest-charting Hot 100 single of Bush’s career, reaching No. 30 on the tally. The song has been covered numerous times since its release, including a Placebo version in 2003 that was synched on The O.C., and a Meg Myers version in 2019 that topped Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart. Per Spotify, Bush’s full catalog has seen a 1,600% uptick in global streams since the Stranger Things premiere.

Read Bush’s full statement on her website here.