Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' tops charts after Stranger Things feature
Kate Bush's 1985 single 'Running Up That Hill' reached number one in the UK and number five in the US after being featured in a key scene of Stranger Things season four. The song went viral on TikTok, with daily streams jumping from 20,000 to 2.5 million in the US. The article analyzes the phenomenon through nostalgia marketing, the show's 1980s aesthetic, and the thematic resonance between Bush's music and the series' horror elements. Bush, discovered by David Gilmour in the late 1970s, is known for her four-octave soprano and eccentric style, influencing artists like Björk and Tori Amos. The song's use in the show as a means to escape the villain Vecna parallels Bush's recurring themes of weirdness, eeriness, and female monstrosity, as discussed by critic Mark Fisher. The article also notes that 'Running Up That Hill' was previously used in series like 'It's a Sin' and 'Pose' without similar impact, attributing the success to Stranger Things' massive popularity and the song's narrative importance. Additionally, Metallica's 'Master of Puppets' saw a notable but lesser streaming increase from another scene.
Key facts
- Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' (1985) reached UK number one and US number five after Stranger Things season four.
- Daily US streams jumped from 20,000 to 2.5 million after the episode aired.
- The song went viral on TikTok with thousands of user videos.
- Stranger Things uses nostalgia marketing with 1980s music, including songs by The Bangles, Joy Division, Devo, and Duran Duran.
- Previous Stranger Things music placements (The Clash, Cyndi Lauper, The Police) did not achieve similar chart success.
- Metallica's 'Master of Puppets' also saw a streaming increase from another season four scene, but less than Bush's.
- Kate Bush was discovered by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and debuted in 1978 with 'The Kick Inside'.
- The article references Mark Fisher's concepts of 'weird' and 'eerie' to connect Bush's music to Stranger Things' themes.
- Bush's music has influenced artists like Björk, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Joanna Newsom, Bat for Lashes, St. Vincent, and Mitski.
- The song was previously used in TV series 'It's a Sin' and 'Pose' without similar chart impact.
Entities
Artists
- Kate Bush
- David Gilmour
- Björk
- Tori Amos
- Fiona Apple
- Joanna Newsom
- Bat for Lashes
- St. Vincent
- Mitski
- Mark Fisher
- Jude Ellison Sady Doyle
- Ann Powers
- Fabrizio De Palma
- Ray Parker Jr.
- The Bangles
- Joy Division
- Devo
- Duran Duran
- The Clash
- Cyndi Lauper
- The Police
- Metallica
- Limahl
- Emily Brontë
- Lindsay Kemp
- Freddy Krueger
Institutions
- Netflix
- Artribune
- Pink Floyd
- Hammer Film Productions
Locations
- United Kingdom
- United States
- London
- New York
- Netherlands
- Efteling
- Olanda