Kate Bush is topping music charts worldwide with a song released decades ago thanks to its importance in the latest season of Stranger Things.
Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) debuted in 1985, making it to number three in the UK charts and into the top 30 in the United States.
But now it's been given a whole new lease of life after Netflix dropped season four of Stranger Things on May 27.
As people across the globe binged the horror sci-fi drama, Bush smashed her way into the charts.
The song plays in a pivotal moment that is not only one of the best scenes in the entire show, but an outstanding example of how good TV can be when everything lines up perfectly.
The build-up to that moment, the acting, the set, the cinematography, the fact that the past few years have been more than a bit rough — all of that set to Bush's ethereal vocals — it just works.
So while it's 37 years later than expected, Running Up That Hill is now:
- #1 on the ARIAs singles chart
- #1 on the Spotify Australia chart
- #2 on the Spotify global chart
- #1 on the Apple Music Australia chart
- #2 on the Apple Music Global chart
- #2 on YouTube Music Videos Australia chart
This is the first time Bush has topped the ARIAs singles chart.
Her debut 1978 single Wuthering Heights did reach number one in Australia, but that was pre-ARIAs.
Bush's song is also experiencing unprecedented success in the United Kingdom and the United States thanks to its new lease on life.
Earlier this week, Bush released a statement on her website thanking everyone who had supported the song.
"How 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.
"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.
"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!
"Thanks so much to everyone who has supported the song and a really special thank you to the Duffer Brothers for creating something with such heart."
The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever
Running Up That Hill isn't the first time Kate Bush has had a second wind in her career with early songs.
Her 1978 single Wuthering Heights has grown in popularity over the past decade thanks to The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever.
It started in 2013 when a flash mob in the UK re-enacted the dance Bush performed in the UK version of the music video.
Since then at various locations around the world, fans in red dresses have gathered to perform the dance.
The event is often held on July 30 to mark Bush's birthday.
Bush was only 18 when she wrote the song, which is inspired by the Emily Bronte novel of the same name.
