Kate Bush

Stranger Things' use of her 1985 track "Running Up That Hill" gave Kate Bush her biggest hit ever and sparked a deep connection with a new generation of ...

The track was “Creature Fear” and I still listen to it to this day when I need to chill or calm down. But first I want to say what a great point about the way the meaning of the song flips as her mentality changes and she begins to heal from that trauma toward the end of the season. Another, much older song, is Billy Joel’s “Vienna.” I discovered and fell in love with it at a point where my anxiety was at an all-time high and the lyrics just resonated deeply and helped calm me down oddly. And the turning point in her journey of guilt, as Cindy eloquently phrased it above, is when “Running Up That Hill” reminds her not only of the dark places but also of the good things in her life. and The Vampire Diaries playing it (or a version of it). I love that we hear her listening to it when the season begins and she’s pushing everyone away, using only the song as her solace. Similarly, I was so happy to see this is the song that resonates with Max the most—it just fits with who Max is. GS: I think what was more marvelous about this whole thing, greater than the inclusion of the song in Stranger Things, was the fact that a reclusive woman who’s done zero work in the last few years landed at the top of the charts for a song she originally released in 1985. CW: It is universal, as you say, but it also fits the character of Max so well in this season of Stranger Things. It speaks somewhat to the reach that Stranger Things has, sure, but it’s also because “Running Up That Hill” really is so timeless and wonderful. In 2022, thanks to a combination of music streaming and Stranger Things, the track became Bush’s first Top 10 hit, climbing up that Billboard Hot 100 chart to number three. Kate Bush’s song “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” initially came out in 1985, when it became the artist’s first Top 40 hit in the United States.