Kate Bush has issued a rare statement acknowledging the renewed interest in her song “Running Up That Hill” thanks to its inclusion in Season 4 of Stranger Things.
“You might’ve heard that the first part of the fantastic, gripping new series of Stranger Things has recently been released on Netflix. It features the song, ‘Running Up That Hill’ which is being given a whole new lease of life by the young fans who love the show – I love it too!” Bush wrote in a brief message posted to her website.
“Because of this, ‘Running Up That Hill’ is charting around the world and has entered the UK chart at No. 8. It’s all really exciting! Thanks very much to everyone who has supported the song,” Bush added. “I wait with bated breath for the rest of the series in July.”
Update: Bush has issued a second statement through her publicist. When the first series came out, friends kept asking us if we’d seen Stranger Things, so we checked it out and really loved it. We’ve watched every series since then, as a family. When they approached us to use ‘Running Up That Hill,’ you could tell that a lot of care had gone into how it was used in the context of the story and I really liked the fact that the song was a positive totem for the character, Max. I’m really impressed by this latest series. It’s an epic piece of work – the shows are extremely well put together with great characters and fantastic SFX. It’s very touching that the song has been so warmly received, especially as it’s being driven by the young fans who love the shows. I’m really happy that the Duffer Brothers are getting such positive feedback for their latest creation. They deserve it.”
Bush rarely licenses her music for film and television, but her fandom of the Netflix sci-fi series led her to make an exception. The decision is paying off big time for the UK singer; in the days immediately following Season 4’s premiere, “Running Up That Hill” jumped 8,700% in global Spotify streams and topped both Spotify’s US Daily chart and iTunes’ sales chart.
Inspired by the success of “Running Up That Hill,” Consequence Senior Entertainment Editor Liz Shannon Miller recently penned an essay on the joy of discovering music through film and television.
