Acclaimed British rock singer-songwriter Kate Bush is a true musical force of nature. She truly is the Fairy Godmother of British Pop-Rock and Roll. She is back on the charts thanks to her song “Running Up That Hill” being featured in the hit Netflix series “Stranger Things.”
“Running Up That Hill” went No. 1 on the U.K. singles charts and it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. In the U.K., she even knocked out Harry Styles’ “As It Was” from the No. 1 spot.
On the success of “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” topping the charts, Bush remarked in a rare interview, “It is just extraordinary. It is such a great series and I thought the track would get some attention but I never imagined it would be anything like this.”
“It is so exciting and quite shocking, isn’t it? The whole world has gone mad,” she added.
Three months ago, her 1985 hit single “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” was first heard on the popular Netflix series “Stranger Things,” and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. It was ubiquitous all summer long all over the globe.
Kate Bush remains in the Top 5 in the United States with “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” and on September 2nd, her American record label, Rhino, released a two-track CD single version, along with the fan-favorite tune “Under The Ivy.” This marks the first time that the song has been issued in a CD format. It is available via the Rhino Records homepage by clicking here.
This achievement comes 44 years after Bush last reached the top spot on the charts, with her breakthrough single “Wuthering Heights,” when she was 19 years old.
Bush is now the oldest female artist, at age 63, to top the U.K. singles charts. When “Running Up That Hill” was first released, it peaked at No. 3.
Many fans and viewers were introduced to “Running Up That Hill” in the fourth season of “Stranger Things,” which premiered at the end of May.
This classic tune is featured as a recurring motif, obsessively played by one of the teenage protagonists, Max Mayfield (portrayed by Sadie Sink), as she struggles to come to terms with her brother’s death in the hit Netflix show.
“It’s all so exciting!” Bush exclaimed. “‘Running Up That Hill’ has gone to No. 1 in Norway and Austria. This is such great news and we just heard today that it’s up from No 8 to No 4 in the US. The track is being responded to in so many positive ways. I’ve never experienced anything quite like this before!” she acknowledged.
“I just want to say a really big thank you to everyone in the U.S. who has supported the song. It’s the first time I’ve had a Top 10 single over there and now it’s in the Top 5,” she expressed.
“Thank you so much again to the Duffer Brothers – because of their latest, extraordinary series of ‘Stranger Things,’ the track is being discovered by a whole new audience,” she added.
This year, Kate Bush was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the third time in her career. It is only a matter of time before she gets yet another well-deserved nomination, and hopefully, that will be the one that will lead to her subsequent induction. Her influence on the contemporary pop-rock music landscape is too huge to be ignored.
“Running Up That Hill” is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
These days, Kate Bush’s music is kept alive thanks to Mandy Watson of the revered U.K. Kate Bush tribute band Cloudbusting.
