“A Kind of Elemental Force”

“A kind of elemental force” . . . That’s how British singer-songwriter Kate Bush describes the phenomenal resurgence of interest in her 1985 song “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” since its inclusion last month in Netflix’s popular Stranger Things series.

You know, as a longtime admirer of Kate Bush, I’ve always thought there was something of the elemental, the archtypal, the mythic in “Running Up That Hill.” I mean, it’s in the very sound of it, as well as conveyed in its haunting lyrics. So Kate’s choice of words to describe how the song is taking the music world by storm is very appropriate.





Tonight I have some wonderful news to add to this story, and I do so by sharing the following from Nadia Khomami’s Guardian article published earlier today.

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Kate Bush has scored an improbable and inspiring No 1 in the UK singles chart, with “Running Up That Hill” reaching the top 37 years after the song was released.

The 1985 track has stormed domestic and global charts after its inclusion in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things last month, introducing it to a new generation of fans.

Bush has broken three UK chart records with her No 1 placing. She is the oldest woman to top the chart, while 37 years is the longest time a song has taken to get to No 1, beating Wham!, whose “Last Christmas” finally made it in January 2021.

Bush also has the longest gap between No 1 singles, with 44 years elapsed since her debut, “Wuthering Heights” (Tom Jones was the previous record holder at 42 years). “Running Up That Hill” reached No 3 when it was originally released.

“It’s hard to take in the speed at which this has all been happening,” Bush, 63, said in a statement on her website earlier this week. “So many young people who love the show [are] discovering the song for the first time.

“The response to ‘Running Up That Hill’ is something that has had its own energy and volition. 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!” The song is currently at No 4 in the US, her highest-ever placing there.

The UK chart success of “Running Up That Hill” – currently achieving about 575,000 plays a day on Spotify in the UK and more than 6 million a day on the platform globally – was aided by the waiver last weekend of a rule that determines how streams for older songs are tallied, sparking speculation that Bush has opened the gates for more vintage songs to return.

“‘Running Up That Hill’ has itself changed things as we know it,” pop chart analyst James Masterton told The Guardian. “This is the first time in the streaming era that a back-catalogue track has not only been spontaneously resurrected but has maintained its popularity over an extended period.”

While football anthem “Three Lions” hit No 1 again during 2018’s European Championship, “it was gone from our lives a week later as a passing fad,” Masterton added.

“The Kate Bush song has become a genuine sustained smash hit, and for that reason it is appropriate that the rules are waived so it joins contemporary releases on a level playing field. That’s the true game-changer, as it lays down a precedent for other classics to do the same if circumstances merit.”

– Nadia Khomami
Excerpted from “Kate Bush Reaches UK No 1
With ‘Running Up That Hill’ After 37 Years”
The Guardian
June 17, 2022

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And here (with added links) is Kate’s response to the latest news about “Running Up That Hill” . . .

The Duffer Brothers have created four extraordinary [seasons] of Stranger Things in which the child actors have grown into young adults. In this latest [season] the characters are facing many of the same challenges that exist in reality right now. I believe the Duffer Brothers have touched people’s hearts in a special way, at a time that’s incredibly difficult for everyone, especially younger people.

By featuring “Running Up That Hill” in such a positive light – as a talisman for Max (one of the main female characters) – the song has been brought into the emotional arena of her story. Fear, conflict and the power of love are all around her and her friends.

I salute the Duffer Brothers for their courage – taking this new [season] into a much more adult and darker place. I want to thank them so much for bringing the song into so many people’s lives.

I’m overwhelmed by the scale of affection and support the song is receiving and it’s all happening really fast, as if it’s being driven along by a kind of elemental force.

I have to admit I feel really moved by it all.

Thank you so very much for making the song a No 1 in such an unexpected way.

~ Kate

Related Off-site Links:
Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” Hits No. 1 on UK Singles Chart – Matthew Strauss (Pitchfork, June 17, 2022).
How Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” Became a No.1 Contender: Inside the Biggest Chart Story of 2022 – Andre Paine (Music Week, June 16, 2022).
Kate Bush Is the World’s Biggest Independent Artist Right Now. She’s Owning It – Music Business Worldwide (June 16, 2022).
Kate Bush Climbs the Charts Worldwide – KateBushNews.com, June 10, 2022).
Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” Is Her First U.S. Top 10 Single, Thanks to Stranger Things – Evan Minsker (Pitchfork, June 6, 2022).
The Story Behind Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” – the Song Everyone’s Talking About – Chris Roberts (LouderSound.com, June 2, 2022).
It Took More Than Stranger Things to Make Kate Bush’s First Top 10 Hit – Chris Molanphy (Slate, June 10, 2022).
Kate Bush Lands First Ever Billboard Number One Album Thanks to Stranger Things Feature – Martin Guttridge-Hewitt (DJ Magazine, June 9, 2022).
“Running Up That Hill”: How Stranger Things and TikTok Pushed Kate Bush’s 1985 Pop Classic Back to the Top of the Charts – D. Bondy Valdovinos Kaye (ABC News, June 7, 2022).
Kate Bush Solely Wrote, Produced and Performs “Running Up That Hill”: How Rare Is That for a Hot 100 Top 10? – Gary Trust (Billboard, June 9, 2022).
Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” Is a Lesson About Empathy – Cam K. (Medium, June 7, 2022).
Ethereal, Evocative, and Inventive: Why the Music of Kate Bush Spans Generations – Lorna Piatti-Farnel (The Conversation, June 14, 2022).
The Story of Kate Bush – James Purtill (DoubleJ, June 16, 2022).

UPDATES: Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” Sets Three Chart Records and Hits UK Number 1 – Bruce Haring (Deadline, June 18, 2022).
Kate Bush Continues to Set Records With 1985 Song Featured in Stranger Things – Jesse O’Neill (Page Six, June 18, 2022).
Cher Lauds Kate Bush for Breaking Her Record as Oldest Woman to Reach No. 1 – Niomi Harris (Daily Mail, June 18, 2022).
Kate Bush Gives Rare Interview on “Running Up That Hill” Resurgence – IMN Music News (June 22, 2022).

For more of Kate Bush at The Wild Reed, see:
• The Kate Bush Renaissance of 2022
• “A Dark Timelessness and Stillness Surrounds Her Wild Abandonment”
• Celebrating the Unique and Influential Kate Bush
• Ben Hewitt on the 40th Anniversary of Kate Bush’s Never for Ever
• Happy Birthday, Kate!
• Quote of the Day – July 20, 2018
• “Can You See the Lark Ascending?”
• Quote of the Day – August 17, 2014
• Wow!
• Scaling the Heights
• “Oh, Yeah!”
• Celebrating Bloomsday in St. Paul (and with Kate Bush)
• “Rosabelle, Believe . . .”
• Just in Time for Winter
• “Call Upon Those You Love”
• A Song of Summer
• “There’s Light in Love, You See”