Lerner & Rowe Music News

‘Stranger Things’ have happened: Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” hits top five on ’Billboard’ Hot 100

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Courtesy of Netflix

The “Running Up That Hill”-aissance doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Kate Bush‘s 1985 single, which has been on a tear since being featured in the newly premiered fourth season of Netflix’s Stranger Things, has now reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100, coming in at #4 this week.

Last week, “Running Up That Hill” reentered the Hot 100 at #8, nearly 40 years after it first peaked on the chart at #30 the year of its original release. The track’s resurgence also gave Bush her first top-10 Hot 100 hit and now her first top-five.

The week following Stranger Things‘ premiere on May 27, Bush issued a public statement — a rarity for the often press-shy artist — commenting on the newfound popularity of “Running Up That Hill,” writing, “It’s all really exciting!”

As “Running Up That Hill” continues, to, well, run up the charts — including reaching #1 in Australia and tracking to hit #1 in the U.K. — Bush has since posted a follow-up statement calling the song’s success “utterly brilliant.”

“It’s hard to take in the speed at which this has all been happening since the release of the first part of the Stranger Things new series,” Bush writes. “So many young people who love the show, discovering the song for the first time.”

“The response to ‘Running Up That Hill’ is something that has had its own energy and volition,” she adds. “A direct relationship between the shows and their audience and one that has stood completely outside of the music business. We’ve all been astounded to watch the track explode!”

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