After almost four decades since its release, ‘Running Up That Hill’ has found renewed favor among a younger generation

If you’ve been hearing Kate Bush’s 1985 single Running Up That Hill in random places lately, it’s not just a coincidence. The track is “being given a whole new lease of life,” as the English singer herself puts it, due to its prominence in the latest season of the wildly popular Netflix series Stranger Things. 

The track forms a pivotal part of the show’s storyline, which repeats as a motif throughout the season. Heard in the first episode of season 4 when Sadie Sink’s Max Mayfield listens to the song on her Walkman, it would become a key for escaping certain doom in later episodes.

Photo: Courtesy of Netflix

After the release of the latest season of Stranger Things, Running Up That Hill quickly became the most-streamed song on Spotify in both the UK and the US and also climbed up to the top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. Apart from its surge in streams, the song’s official music video now has nearly 59 million views on YouTube. Running Up That Hill has been used in 500,000 short videos on TikTok and has inspired memes scoring thousands of likes.

The resurgence of the anthem has been so powerful that even the songwriter herself has given Stranger Things her blessing:

“You might have 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. Best wishes, Kate.”

Jeremy Erlich, Spotify’s global head of music also expressed his opinion: “It’s incredible to watch iconic songs get rediscovered and have global moments with new listeners. Running Up That Hill is one of those ‘perfect storm’ examples. It’s a classic song that has been introduced to a wide fandom and has now taken on a whole new meaning.”

Another track from about four decades ago that has found renewed popularity among the younger generation rather recently is Dreams (1977) by Fleetwood Mac, due to a viral TikTok video. 

Now that we’ve reminded you about Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill, you can jam to it right here: