In the Stranger Things rift between Kate Bush’s new fans and her storied supporters, the artist herself has decided to weigh in with the final word: Who cares? Bush is enthused about young people recirculating her 1985 smash hit, and seems to have no care in the world that it was through Netflix’s fantastical TV series.
The notoriously reclusive singer made a once-in-a-lifetime appearance (if one would even call it that) on her website, posting a personally-written note thanking her new fans for the outpouring of support. Moreover, Bush revealed that she’s a dedicated viewer of Stranger Things.
“You might’ve heard that the first part of the fantastic, grimming new series of ‘Stranger Things’ has recently been released on Netflix,” Bush wrote. “It features the song, ‘Running Up That Hill’ which is being given a whole new lease of life by the young fans who love the show—I love it too!”
A whole new lease of life! Anyone tweeting snarky comments about youngsters discovering the song through Max’s (Sadie Sink) arc in Season 4, cut it out. Bush seems more than pleased about the role her song has played in the current pop culture zeitgeist. The singer shared that her song has re-entered the charts around the world, hitting No. 8 in the UK.
“It’s all really exciting! Thanks very much to everyone who has supported the song,” she continued. “I wait with bated breath for the rest of the series in July.”
There you have it. Back when the series released in late May, Kate Bush fans found themselves in a division of-sorts: While some fans were pleased the new series introduced younger audiences to the musician, a handful of folks weren’t so pleased that Stranger Things had introduced them to the artist, rather than, say, a record store.
The whole debacle sent “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” soaring not only to the top of the Billboard charts, but on the trending pages of Twitter and the top songs of TikTok.
If Kate Bush is pleased with the outcome and her legacy is living on in younger generations, really, what more could we ask for? Well, maybe “Babooshka” in Season 4 Part 2.
