Kate Bush tops iTunes thanks to emotional Stranger Things needle-drop
NetflixSadie Sink cast as Max Mayfield
Stranger Things didn’t just dominate the streaming landscape over the weekend – the show also got Kate Bush back to the top of the music charts, thanks to an amazing sequence that used Running Up That Hill.
First released in Summer 1985, Running Up That Hill was taken from Bush’s hugely successful Hounds of Love album. The song peaked at number three on the UK singles chart, while it also cracked the Top 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in America.
Running Up That Hill was used as the theme tune to BBC1 children’s series Running Scared in 1986.
And now it’s back as a TV theme, playing a prominent role in one of the most dramatic moments in all of Stranger Things.
EMIHow does Stranger Things use Running Up That Hill?
The emotionally-charged Running Up That Hill needle-drop comes at the end of Episode 4 of the new season.
BEWARE OF STRANGER THINGS SPOILERS AHEAD…
Max (Sadie Sink) is trapped in the Upside Down, and about to become the monstrous Vecna’s next victim.
Her friends realize they can bring Max back by playing her favorite song, so pump Running Up That Hill into the Upside Down.
A portal opens up, and as Kate Bush sings, Max sprints for the opening, narrowly making it through to survive.
Is Running Up That Hill back in the charts?
The success of Stranger Things often has a knock-on effect when it comes to the music used. NeverEnding Story by Limahl played at the end of the last series, and according to Deadline, searches for that music video spiked by 800% in the aftermath.
Kate Bush is now seeing similar interest in her nearly 40-year-old song, with Running Up That Hill now number one on iTunes, the song’s highest-ever chart position.
The likes of Rock Me Amadeus by Falco, Psycho Killer by Talking Heads, and You Spin Me Right Round (Like a Record) by Dead or Alive all pop up in the new episodes, so expect to see some of those songs potentially charting in the next few days.
