Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill Tops UK Chart Thanks To Stranger Things

Stranger Things is working its magic once again, as Kate Bush's classic 'Running Up That Hill' has broken a record decades after its first release.

37 years after it was first unleashed on the world, the single – from the 1985 album Hounds of Love – has landed in the top spot, breaking the record for the longest time taken for a single to reach number one.

The new-wave track has had a global resurgence in popularity after it was featured in the fourth series of Stranger Things.

The title for the longest-running sleeper hit in the UK was previously held by Wham!, who saw 'Last Christmas' top the Official Singles Chart in 2021, 36 years after its release.

'Running Up That Hill' is also currently sitting in the number one spot in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland, and has achieved a new peak in the US charts at number four.

It originally reached number three in the UK on its release and it charted again in 12th place in 2012.

Since the song's recent upswell in popularity, Bush has made a rare public comment on the matter, saying she has been 'overwhelmed by the scale of affection and support' for the song, and thanking fans for making the track number one.

As for its use in Stranger Things, Bush praised the show's creators, the Duffer Brothers, for 'bringing the song into so many people’s lives'.

“I believe the Duffer Brothers have touched people’s hearts in a special way at a time that’s incredibly difficult for everyone, especially younger people," she said.

EMI

“By featuring 'Running Up That Hill' in such a positive light, as a talisman for Max (one of the main female characters), the song has been brought into the emotional arena of her story.

“Fear, conflict and the power of love are all around her and her friends.

“I salute the Duffer Brothers for their courage – taking this new series into a much more adult and darker place. I want to thank them so much for bringing the song into so many people’s lives.

“I’m overwhelmed by the scale of affection and support the song is receiving, and it’s all happening really fast, as if it’s being driven along by a kind of elemental force.

“I have to admit I feel really moved by it all. Thank you so very much for making the song a No 1 in such an unexpected way.”

To claim the top spot, Bush has overtaken Harry Styles’ smash hit 'As It Was', which now sits in second place.

Topics: Music, Stranger Things

Charlie Cocksedge

Charlie Cocksedge is a senior sub editor at LADbible Group. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.