Kate Bush Scores First U.S. Top 10 Hit, 37 Years After the Release of ‘Running Up That Hill’

https://variety.com/2022/music/news/running-up-that-hill-kate-bush-first-top-10-hit-1235286159/

Although Harry Styles’ “As It Was” maintains its run atop the Billboard Hot 100 for the fifth week, it’s Kate Bush’s 1985 classic “Running Up That Hill” that’s the talk of the town as it has re-entered the chart at No. 8. The revival of the track on the new fourth season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” became the launching pad for the song to outpace its 1985 No. 30 peak and became Bush’s first top 10 breakthrough on the chart.

“Stranger Things,” which is set in the late ’80s, released the first volume of the new season on May 27 and incorporates the song in multiple episodes. It serves as a focus in the plotline of the character Max Mayfield, played by actress Sadie Sink.

The entire negotiation came as a surprise for Bush fans as the English singer-songwriter seldom approves of the usage of her songs in other media. In a recent Variety article, Wende Crowley, Sony Music Publishing’s senior VP of creative marketing, film and TV, said Bush approved the song’s participation in the series after reviewing script pages and footage outlining how it would be incorporated. Bush also published a rare statement on her website stating she was a fan of the show and shared her gratitude for the resurgence.