Acclaimed singer-songwriter Kate Bush has rocketed back to the top of the streaming charts according to both Billboard and Spotify after her 1985 hit Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) was featured in the hit supernatural series, Stranger Things. According to The Hollywood Reporter, after the show’s initial release the song received “an 8,700 percent increase in global streams on Spotify on May 30 compared to its total on May 25, the day prior to the premiere.” And Bush has some thoughts about this... well, strange phenomenon.
In season four of Stranger Things, Max, who saw her brother get consumed by the Upside Down last season, has been targeted by the antagonist of this season, Vecna. The Hellfire Club has figured out that one of the best ways to resist Vecna’s nightmare control is by concentrating on music. Max’s favorite song? The Kate Bush anthem about a man and a woman switching places.
In an interview with the BCC Radio podcast Women’s Hour, Bush said that she has been a fan of Stranger Things for a while, and specifically mentioned that the Duffer Brothers have done a great job with the song’s inclusion in the narrative. “I think they’ve put it in a really special place,” Bush said in the interview. “I thought what a lovely way for the song to be used in such a positive way... As a kind of talisman, almost, for Max. And yeah, I think it’s very touching, actually.”
While many have heard about the pittance that artists receive from Spotify, Bush actually owns the rights to this song—it’s currently held by her own company, Noble & Bright, which means that she’s making roughly $250,000 a week on streaming success alone. And good for her!
The first volume of Stranger Things’ fourth season is currently available on Netflix. The final two episodes, a.k.a. Volume 2, will be released on July 1.
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