Kate Bush has said it is “really exciting” that her song Running Up That Hill has reentered music charts around the world, 37 years after release, due to it appearing in an episode of Stranger Things.
Issuing a rare statement to thank her legions of new fans, the musician wrote on her website on Sunday: “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!
“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. I wait with bated breath for the rest of the series in July.”
Running Up That Hill plays a key role in the latest season of Stranger Things, being the favourite song of the character Max, played by Sadie Sink, and appearing as a motif throughout. The song has become a particular hit among Gen Zers, who were not born when the song was first released in 1985, appearing in TikTok after TikTok since Friday.
After the song appeared in the Netflix show last week, Running Up That Hill reached No 8 in the UK charts, based on streams and downloads, three decades after it reached No 3 on its initial release. Running Up That Hill also re-entered the UK charts in 2012 after it was used in the closing ceremony of the London Olympics.
Running Up That Hill is also the most-streamed song on Spotify in the US and the UK, just shy of Harry Styles’ As It Was in Spotify’s global chart, and in the same No 2 position on Apple Music. The song is also expected to place highly in the US charts, which are announced on Tuesday.
