Kate Bush 'Never Imagined' Stranger Things Would Turn 'Running Up That Hill' Into A Megahit
Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill has absolutely blown up since it literally saved someone in Netflix's Stranger Things 4, and the artist says she's utterly stunned to see her 1985 song atop the charts again.
In a rare interview with BBC, Bush gushed about her single being used in a very dramatic scene from the Netflix show. She also opened up about how "exciting" it's been to see it become a pop-culture hit some 37 years after it was released.
"It's quite shocking, really, isn't it?" she said in a radio interview with the BBC. "I mean, the whole world's gone mad."
In the show, hero Max Mayfield escapes from the evil Vecna by using the sound of her favourite song to ground herself in reality. That song just happens to be Running Up That Hill, and it plays throughout her thrilling escape from the baddie.
The series dropped in late May and Bush's song has been climbing the charts ever since, reaching No.1 in the U.K. and the U.S. top 10 for the first time since its release, reported Pitchfork. It was also the No. 4 song on TikTok last week.
Bush is now enjoying her first No. 1 single in the U.K. since 1978, and she admits she never saw this coming.
"It's such a great series," she told the BBC. "I thought that the track would get some attention, but I just never imagined that it would be anything like this. It's so exciting."
\u201cExclusive: Kate Bush reacts to her chart-topping success with #RunningUpThatHill.\n\n@KateBushMusic joined @emmabarnett to react to getting to Number One, after it was featured in @Netflix\u2019s #StrangerThings. Listen to the full interview here: https://t.co/5Y8OOvJpTY\u201d— BBC Woman's Hour (@BBC Woman's Hour) 1655897351
The song is not only capturing its original audience but reaching younger people through the retro-style Stranger Things show.
I, for one, have had the song on repeat since watching the new season, and I can honestly admit I'd never heard it before then.
Bush acknowledged this in the interview and said: "What's really wonderful, I think, is this is a whole new audience who, in a lot of cases, have never heard of me, and I love that. 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."
Bush also thanked the show's creators, the Duffer Brothers, for using her song in the episode.
"By featuring Running Up That Hill in such a positive light - as a talisman for Max (one of the main female characters) - the song has been brought into the emotional arena of her story," she wrote on her website. Fear, conflict and the power of love are all around her and her friends."
You can see Max's dramatic scene below:
"I salute the Duffer Brothers for their courage," Bush continued. "I want to thank them so much for bringing the song into so many people's lives. I'm overwhelmed by the scale of affection and support the song is receiving, and it's all happening really fast as if it's being driven along by a kind of elemental force."
You can watch the original music video, which now has over 74 million views on YouTube, below.
Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill - Official Music Videowww.youtube.com
During her interview with the BBC, Bush admitted that up until recently, she hadn't listened to her old single for a while.
"I never listen to my old stuff," said Bush.
The last time she performed the song was during her theatrical London concert series in 2014, reported the Guardian.
Narcity spoke to Stranger Things star Sadie Sink about Max's big moment in an interview ahead of Season 4 earlier this year.
The final two episodes of the season are due out on Netflix July 1.
And if you're looking for a preview with an emotional Kate Bush remix, you can check it out now.
