Watch: Driven by 'Stranger Things,' 1985 Kate Bush Classic Cracks the U.S. Top 10

Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.

37 years after its release, a Kate Bush classic has cracked the U.S. Top 10 – the first work by the British singer-songwriter to do so. Chalk it up to "Stranger Things."

UK newspaper the Guardian reported that "Running Up That Hill," the lead single from Bush's 1985 masterpiece "The Hounds of Love," originally climbed to #30 on the U.S. charts – the highest spot any Kate Bush song has ever achieved.

Until now, that is.

"The song is a key plot point in the new series of Netflix's supernatural drama 'Stranger Things,'" the Guardian noted, "and has exploded in popularity since the show debuted on 27 May. It is now at No 8 in the US, and reached the same position in the UK singles chart last Friday."

The song has been covered numerous times and used on other television shows – most notably "Bones" – but has never caught on the way it has now after being featured on the popular Netflix series. On "Stranger Things," the song is associated with a storyline in which the character Max (Sadie Sink) comes to terms with the death of a family member.

The worldwide response was enough to prompt a statement from the normally reclusive Bush, the AV Club said.

"You might've heard that the first part of the fantastic, gripping new series of Stranger Things has recently been released on Netflix," Bush posted on her website. "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 went on to add that she's awaiting the fourth season's second batch of episodes – referred to as Volume 2 by Netflix, and dropping in July – "with bated breath".

The song's resurgent popularity has sparked new interest in other songs by Kate Bush, the AV Club added, detailing that "three of Bush's other songs are currently on the Spotify Viral Chart, including 'Cloudbusting,' 'Hounds Of Love,' and 'Wuthering Heights.'"

The song's reemergence also prompted the Guardian to compile a list of 10 essential Kate Bush songs, curated from across the recording artist's 44-year career. The selections range from 1978's "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" (from Bush's debut album "The Kick Inside") to "This Woman's Work" (from 1989's "The Sensual World"), which was featured in the John Hughes film "She's Having a Baby," as well as "Top of the City" (from 1993's "The Red Shoes") and "Somewhere in Between" (from her 2005 double album "Aerial").

Watch the clip from "Stranger Things" below to see (and hear) what the buzz is about.


by Kilian Melloy , EDGE Staff Reporter

Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.

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