Kate Bush proved that she was a true pop powerhouse when she released the lead single from her fifth album Hounds of Love in 1985.
But we were told that if we kept this title that it would not be played in any of the religious countries, Italy wouldn't play it, France wouldn't play it, and Australia wouldn't play it! The dance is intercut with surreal sequences of Kate and Hervieu searching through crowds of masked strangers. Kate also spoke about the song has been misinterpreted, saying: "I was trying to say that, really, a man and a woman can't understand each other because we are a man and a woman. And I thought, 'well, no, why not a deal with God!' You know, because in a way it's so much more powerful the whole idea of asking God to make a deal with you. They love each other very much, and the power of the relationship is something that gets in the way. Kate Bush explained in 1985: "It's about a relationship between a man and a woman.
David Gilmour – who discovered Kate Bush when she was a teen – performed alongside the British vocalist for a rendition of her 1985 hit.
As for their main collaborations, Gilmour produced Bush's debut album, The Kick Inside, as well as her 1978 release Lionheart, Never For Ever in 1980, The Dreaming two years later, and, of course, Hounds of Love, featuring Running Up That Hill, in 1985. While Bush was still at school as a teen, her family produced a demo tape with over 50 of her compositions. The latter saw Bush join Gilmour again for another rendition, this time to sing Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb at the Royal Festival Hall.
Kate Bush's 1985 single "Running Up That Hill" was played during Max's (Sadie Sink) storyline in the season four premiere of "Stranger Things."
The fourth season of "Stranger Things" released its first volume of seven episodes on Friday. The second volume, which includes episodes eight and nine, will be released on July 1. The English singer's 1985 single is ranked no. 1 on iTunes and in Spotify's top five as of Tuesday after being featured in the season four premiere of Netflix's hit series "Stranger Things."
The 1985 song is sitting at the peak of the iTunes charts after being featured in the Netflix hit show.
And it's mostly thanks to the release of Stranger Things season 4, which features her classic hit Running Up That Hill prominently in the very first episode. Also contributing: The fact that the song is a timeless banger. It's played frequently throughout the entire season, which could have contributed to the song going viral.
Kate Bush's 1985 song "Running Up That Hill" has made a resurgence after last Friday's premiere of Stranger Things.
The hit series returned to Netflix last Friday, with the season 4 premiere episode featuring Kate Bush's song "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)," released 1985. Google-search traffic for the track is also up after the premiere, peaking on Saturday night. Released on her 1985 record Hounds of Love, "Running Up That Hill" hit No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was first released and peaked at No. 3 in the U.K. The track trended again when Meg Meyers' covered it in 2019, sending it to No. 1 on Billboard's Rock Airplay Chart.
The Kate Bush song Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) is back in the charts, but what is the meaning behind this classic hit from 1985?
But we were told that if we kept this title that it wouldn't be played in any of the religious countries, Italy wouldn't play it, France wouldn't play it, and Australia wouldn't play it! And I thought, ‘well, no, why not a deal with God!’ You know, in a way it’s so much more powerful the whole idea of asking God to make a deal with you," said Kate. 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, I thought a deal with the devil, you know. In a 1985 interview with The New Music Kate explained, "It's about a relationship between a man and a woman. Kate Bush's song plays a key part of the series set in the 1980s and plays during one impactful scene during episode four.
Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill was considered 'too esoteric' for audiences by MTV, who chose a lip synced live performance instead.
However, she pours until they overflow and also puts in the milk first! makes you think." While the video is certainly artfully done, it wasn't particularly outrageous.
Film and TV producers, The Duffer Brothers, revamped the show with a mid-'80s feel while its main characters enter high school. The show was a big hit, to say ...
“Running Up That Hill” plays in the first episode when she walks through her high school hall. The show was a big hit, to say the least, and even shot Kate Bush’s 1985 hit “Running up That Hill” from her album Hounds of Love to number one on the iTunes charts. Kate Bush’s new wave song was one of her more successful songs in the 1980s.
“It's incredible to watch iconic songs get rediscovered and have global moments with new listeners,” says Jeremy Erlich, Spotify's global head of music, in a ...
“Running Up That Hill” currently sits at No. 2 on Spotify’s top 50 U.S. chart and No. 4 on its top 200 global chart. Upon its 1985 release, “Running Up That Hill” became the highest-charting Hot 100 single of Bush’s career, reaching No. 30 on the tally. “It’s incredible to watch iconic songs get rediscovered and have global moments with new listeners,” says Jeremy Erlich, Spotify’s global head of music, in a statement to Billboard. “‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) ‘ is one of those ‘perfect storm’ examples. Max / Sadie Sink and the Stranger Things crew have great taste!” Per Spotify, Bush’s full catalog has seen a 1,600% uptick in global streams since the Stranger Things premiere. “More than ever, Stranger Things is a cultural phenomenon that resonates with fans all over the world,” says Alexandra Patsavas, Netflix’s director of music/creative production for series, in a statement.
A song from the 1980s is making a resurgence thanks to its use in 'Stranger Things' season 4. Here's everything to know about Kate Bush and her song.
Those included "The Man with the Child in His Eyes," "Babooshka," "Running Up That Hill," "Don't Give Up,” and "King of the Mountain.” She was the first female artist to have a self-written song to hit No. 1 on that chart, per Yahoo! Life. It’s a song that would have been playing on the radio around the same time as Max’s fight with Vecna, so it also definitely fits the time period. The song also appears at the beginning of the season when Max listens to it while walking down the hallway at school. Vecna gets into the person's minds and then kills them, until the Stranger Things stars discover that playing a person’s favorite song can wake someone up and prevent Vecna from killing them. Stranger Things is back for a fourth season with all kinds of new drama—and some pretty amazing throwback music—to explore.
U.K. singer Kate Bush's 1985 hit "Running Up That Hill" was featured in 'Stranger Things' Season 4, and it's topping the charts yet again.
“They love each other very much, and the power of the relationship is something that gets in the way. "This seemed completely ridiculous to me and the title was such a part of the song’s entity. “It's about a relationship between a man and a woman,” Kate Bush explained in a 1985 interview. It's Max's (Sadie Sink) favorite song, and the first episode showcases her listening to the '80s pop hit on her Walkman, as the tune is significant to her storyline. "Italy wouldn’t play it, France wouldn’t play it, and Australia wouldn’t play it! You know, all the little problems; there would be no problem.” Ever since then, '80s tunes like "Babooshka" (oh hey, TikTok!) and " Running Up That Hill" have cemented her as an international pop culture icon. And considering Netflix's cherished sci-fi series Stranger Things is set in the mid-'80s, it's not super surprising that 1985's "Running Up That Hill" was featured in Season 4. Some have, too, compared her to Tori Amos, but when it comes down to it, Grammy-nominated artist Kate Bush is in a realm of her own. I’d just spent two, three years making an album and we weren’t gonna get this record played on the radio, if I was stubborn." Let's catch up on our herstory. The pop culture icon embraced her oddities, her mime-like dance moves, and her almost ghostly quirks and applied them to her songwriting and singing gifts, creating a legacy that continues to resonate with people from all walks of life (especially the LGBTQ+ community).
Music supervisor Nora Felder explains how “Running Up That Hill” became a pivotal part of the series: “I realized this was something that could be special.”
After season four of Stranger Things debuted on Friday, “Running Up That Hill” climbed back up to the top of the charts, quickly hitting number one on iTunes. For Felder, it’s thrilling to think that the show’s legion of young fans might be getting to know Bush’s work for the very first time after watching the episode. “I really wanted her to understand the creative depth of Max’s story that the Duffers had envisioned and why this was ultimately the perfect song,” Felder said. Felder sent the song choice to the Duffers, along with a few alternates, hoping they would go with her first pick. The song was originally released on Bush’s critically acclaimed fifth album, Hounds of Love, considered by many to be her masterpiece. The more the song marinated in my conscious awareness, I realized this was something that could be special.” She needed something that would realistically be a young teen’s favorite song in 1986, but would also express Max’s sense of isolation and depression after the violent death of her brother, Billy.
An overview of the music of Kate Bush, made popular by "Stranger Things" season 4 use of "Running Up That Hill.
Her songs resonate with a rich inner life, even if, like the "Stranger Things" kids and their love of fantasy and games, many of her early songs were heavily influenced not exactly by living but by reading – the kind of things kids write about when they're well, kids. I hope that "Running Up That Hill" is a similar gateway for its newest, youngest listeners. For me, like El mind-busting her way through walls, she opened the door to a kind of Upside Down: to a different world of creativity and art. After Bush, I listened to Peter Gabriel, PJ Harvey, OutKast, St.Vincent. I fell in love with movies like " Mandy" and books like that of Octavia E. Butler and Terri Windling. I learned to make my own world through art. The song is distinctive with a melodic chorus like all of Bush's songs – but with an arrangement of spooky keyboards and pounding drums all its own. But from " December Will Be Magic Again" to " King of the Mountain," her work shines with emotion and earnestness. The 1985 song, from Bush's album "Hounds of Love," is dramatic, desperately sad and catchy, longing so much for empathy from a lover — which isn't going to come — that the singer is willing to swap places, to make a deal with a divine power. Listening to the song now, it feels both old and like the future, like something that has never happened before and also keeps happening. It's the embodiment of powerlessness and hope in the face of hopelessness. Bush had been "discovered" even younger, when a cassette tape demo she had made with over 50 songs, turned down by multiple record labels, found its way into the hands of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. She had taught herself the piano at age 11 and used to play an organ in her family's barn. A recorded remix of her song "Running Up That Hill (Deal with God)" was used in the performance. If we had just heard the song through Max's headphones as the character pushes through the high school hallways, if the music was only used once as an indicator of her emotional turmoil, that would have been fine.
Her songs were quite unique with experimental sounds, genre blending, and sometimes cryptic lyrics, making her stand out from the crowd. However, Kate Bush ...
Kate Bush deserves all the love and Max’s love for her reaffirms how awesome she is as a character. The song eventually saves her life from the clutches of Vecna… at least, for now. For those who don’t know, Kate Bush is an English performing artist who rose to fame in the UK during the New Wave era.