Kate Bush has claimed a space at the top of the charts thanks to Season 4 of Stranger Things significantly featuring her 1985 hit “Running Up That Hill” in the new series. The song appears in the first episode of the series, and by episode four, we learn that “Running Up That Hill” is character Max Mayfield’s favourite song. The English singer-songwriter first released this single on the 5th August 1985 in her album “Hounds of Love”. It was Bush’s most successful single released that decade, entering the UK Singles Charts initially at number 9, and then soon reaching number 3 (which was her second-highest ever single spot). The single also had a positive effect in the United States, getting Bush her first chart hit there since 1978 and reaching the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was also featured as the main theme tune for the 1986 BBC children’s series ‘Running Scared’.
In a 1985 interview, Bush spoke about the meaning of the song, saying, “Well, it’s about a relationship between a man and a woman. They love each other very much, and the power of the relationship is something that gets in the way. It creates insecurities. It’s saying if the man could be the woman and the woman the man, if they could make a deal with God, to change places, that they’d understand what it’s like to be the other person and perhaps it would clear up misunderstandings. You know, all the little problems; there would be no problem.”
Adding, “It’s very much about two people who are in love, a man and a woman, and the idea of it is they could swap places… The man being the woman and vice versa and they’d understand each other better. In some ways talking about the fundamental differences between men and women, I suppose trying to remove those obstacles, being in someone else’s place; understanding how they see it, and; hoping that would remove problems in the relationship.”
‘Stranger Things’ star Winona Ryder told USA Today that she had pushed for Kate Bush to be included in the series soundtrack, stating, “I’ve been obsessed with her since I was a little girl. I’ve also for the last seven years been dropping hints on set wearing my Kate Bush T-shirts. I don’t know if you did this, but in my school you had to dress down for P.E., and sometimes I just wouldn’t. I’d just sit there with my headphones listening to her. She’s a hero of mine.”
Watch the trailer for ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 below
