‘Stranger Things’ Ran Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” to Number 1

Netflix’s Stranger Things aired its fourth season over the long Memorial Day weekend. Film and TV producers, The Duffer Brothers, revamped the show with a mid-’80s feel while its main characters enter high school. The show was a big hit, to say the least, and even shot Kate Bush’s 1985 hit “Running up That Hill” from her album Hounds of Love to number one on the iTunes charts. 

Since the show’s premiere on May 27, Bush’s song has received large amounts of publicity, and even called attention to the cover versions of “Running Up That Hill.” Today, the song has moved to No. 11 on iTunes. 

Kate Bush’s new wave song was one of her more successful songs in the 1980s. When it was released, the song entered at number nine on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number three. “Running Up That Hill” also provided Bush fame in the United States as it hit the top thirty on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was her first chart hit since 1978. 

Additionally, Stranger Things features Sadie Sink, who also appeared in Taylor Swift’s short film for the song “All Too Well.” Bush’s song, though, is Sink’s character’s favorite song in the show. “Running Up That Hill” plays in the first episode when she walks through her high school hall. The song later saves Sink’s character, Max, and the tune becomes a constant on her Walkman in the first half of the show. 

Strangers Things’ new season is split into two chapters with the first seven episodes released on May 27 and the last two on July 1. The show has not aired since 2019 due to COVID. In previous seasons, the show reminded viewers of other hits like The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” DEVO’s “Whip It,” and Madonna’s “Material Girl.”

You can watch the full scene with “Running Up That Hill” below.

Photo by Pete Still/Redferns