The Season Premiere of ‘Stranger Things’ Just Sent This 1985 Kate Bush Song to the Top of the Charts
A 37-year-old record from Kate Bush is currently sitting atop the charts thanks to the season premiere of 'Stranger Things.'
I promise you no spoilers if you haven't dived into the Netflix show just yet, but Kate Bush definitely woke up to a brand new audience this week as 'Stranger Things' has sent her 1985 single "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" to No. 1 on the U.S. and UK iTunes charts.
Streams exploded due to the song's feature in the season four premiere of 'Stranger Things' and it's also enjoying success at #4 on the Spotify Top 200 chart thanks to an insane amount of streaming over the weekend that will only continue to climb as fans watch the latest installment of the Netflix classic.
According to data collected by Spotify on Monday (May 30), “Running Up That Hill” posted an 8,700% increase in global streams compared to its total on Thursday (May 26), the day prior to the Stranger Things season four premiere on Netflix. Meanwhile, the song’s U.S. streams increased by 9,900% over the same time period. “Running Up That Hill” currently sits at No. 2 on Spotify’s top 50 U.S. chart and No. 4 on its top 200 global chart.
Not only did Kate Bush see a 153% increase in streams on the song, but it is now her most-streamed track of all time.
'Stranger Things' is a supernatural/sci-fi horror that is set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana during the 1980s. Now in its fourth season, one of the most appealing parts of the show (especially for those who grew up with any memories of that time frame) is the specific way the entire series is cradled in a warm nostalgia that pulls you in along with characters that are perfectly developed for the era.
Of course, to Gen Z (10-25 year-olds) this is all brand new, so Kate Bush has a new audience that will hopefully be discovering the rest of the songs on her classic album, 'Hounds of Love' this week for the very first time.
Again, no spoilers, but the first time we hear the song in episode one of season four is through the Walkman of one character.
The song then reappears at multiple key moments during the episode—which is what undoubtedly has led to the explosion in its popularity as fans have flocked to check out the new season on Netflix over the holiday weekend.
This isn't the first time this has happened in movies or television, and it definitely won't be the last (probably not even in this particular series) but I'm certain that Kate Bush is having the best week ever.