An appearance in Stranger Things has given Kate Bush’s Running Up that Hill a huge surge in Spotify streams.
Streams of Kate Bush’s ‘80s classic Running Up that Hill have jumped by 153 per cent thanks to an inclusion in the latest season of Stranger Things.
Volume one of season four debuted on Netflix last week and featured Bush’s song in the first episode and then some in subsequent episodes, pared with key character moments of Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink).
The surge in streams has resulted in Running Up that Hill to bypass Bush’s Spotify streams for her most revered track, Wuthering Heights. It’s a whopping 153 per cent boost, with Spotify officials describing the jump as “the biggest gainer on the Global Spotify chart”. Over the weekend it also went to No. 1 on iTunes, before settling at 42 on iTunes Top 100: Global, as well as No. 10 on the Top 100: UK.
When Bush released the song in 1985, it peaked at 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, with it’s first resurgence in 2020, when Meg Meyers’ cover placed it at No. 1 on the Billboard’s Rock Airplay chart – Bush waited 35 years for the well-deserved top spot: the moral of the story… patience!
The long-awaited success is perhaps partly owed to long-time fan, Winona Ryder, who pushed for the inclusion of Bush’s music in the Stranger Things series. The actress told USA TODAY:
“I’ve been obsessed with her since I was a little girl. I’ve also, for the last seven years, been dropping hints on set wearing my Kate Bush T-shirts.”
And Kate Bush still has milestones to come – the alt-pop artist has been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame three times, with her most recent nomination coming this year. Perhaps the latest growth in popularity will be enough to see her officially immortalized amongst the greats.
