This song from the soundtrack of the new season “Stranger Things” is a real catchy tune: “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush plays a big role in the Netflix series. And now, more than 30 years later, it’s storming the charts again.
It is probably the best-known song by British singer Kate Bush: “Running Up That Hill” from the album “Hounds of Love” was released in 1985 and climbed to number three in the German charts at the time. The power ballad was also a hit in Great Britain, and the song is considered an 80s classic. Now he’s suddenly storming the charts again – thanks to the Netflix show “Stranger Things”.
In the retro horror series, “Running Up That Hill” is lead actress Max’s (Sadie Sink) favorite song. She constantly listens to the classic on her Walkman, it comforts her over the loss of her deceased half-brother Billy. At the latest in the fourth episode of the current fourth season, the song becomes an absolute catchy tune: it accompanies Max in the fight against evil and on the run from the underworld, and can be heard for minutes during a key scene.
Kate Bush ist “Stranger Things”-Fan
Because many younger Netflix viewers are now discovering “Running Up That Hill” for the first time, it is back on the charts 37 years later. For the first time, Kate Bush has even made it into the top ten of the US charts. On her website, the now 63-year-old is delighted with the new popularity: “‘Running Up That Hill’ was breathed new life into by the young people who love the series – I love them too!”, She wrote there.
Stranger Things music director Nora Felder recently told Variety that she went to great lengths to get Bush’s approval to use the song. It helped that the singer was a fan of the series. In particular, Felder found the line “Make A deal With God” appropriate for Max’s development. “Kate Bush’s lyrics can mean different things to everyone. For Max, who is painfully isolated and alienated from the others, ‘a deal with God’ means making her sadly believe that only a miracle, an unlikely support can help her continue to climb the mountains of life,” Felder explains.
The fourth season of “Stranger Things” will be broadcast in two parts, Netflix has announced the finale for July.
