Running Up That Hill: Kate Bush Reaches Global Spotify Number 1

Strange Things are happening

Thanks to TikTok and the Netflix smash hit horror series Stranger Things, Kate Bush’s Running Up the Hill is currently the most played song on the planet. But, as Gen Z are starting to jump on the Kate Bush bandwagon, many original fans are seizing the opportunity to bring more of her material a new lease of life.

Kate Bush from American Songwriter

Running Up the Hill was written by Kate as the first single for the album, Hounds of Love. The track, which was released over 38 years ago, touches upon the emotional differences between men and women and how a “deal with god,” would allow a swapping of places and thus, a greater understanding of one another. Kate’s adventurous and far-fetched use of lyrics has always been one of her strong points. This quirkiness meant that her music was a perfect fit for the outlandish series Stranger Things, in which, the entirety of the track was used for one of its main scenes.

Astonishingly, Kate, who is notoriously shy, made a rare public announcement, “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.”

The statement shocked fans of Stranger Things and new fans of Kate Bush – mainly because they (kind of hilariously) thought she was dead. One Twitter user shared, “I wish Kate Bush was alive to see all the love and praise she is getting…so tragic we only appreciate artists when they are gone.”

Now, Running Up the Hill is topping the charts in most countries around the world, beating the likes of Harry Styles, Bad Bunny and Camilla Cabello. Let’s hope that Kate’s other material gets through to her new audience of young fans. Could another tour or album be on the horizon?

Whatever your opinion on Tik Tok, it has an incredible ability to shine a light on smaller artists and quality music that never had its time in the spotlight. Although Kate Bush’s music – mostly in the UK – has a legendary status, its reach across the pond hadn’t really taken off. Running Up the Hill is a masterpiece of pop and lyricism and it very much deserves its 5 minutes of fame.