Stranger Things: Kate Bush “Never Imagined” How Much Attention Season 4 Would Bring Her Music

As if Stranger Things itself isn’t a popular enough phenomenon, virtually all elements of each episode ultimately earn a bump in popularity, including the musical choices from creators Matt and Ross Duffer. In Season 4, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” is featured in a way not only to help establish the tone of the ’80s, but also comes with narrative significance, resulting in the track topping a number of charts more than 30 years after its debut. The artist recently reflected on the surge in popularity in recent weeks and the shock of how much attention she and her music has earned.

“It’s just extraordinary. I mean, it’s such a great series, I thought that the track would get some attention, but I never imagined that it would be anything like this,” Bush shared with BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, per Billboard. “It’s so exciting. It’s quite shocking really, isn’t it? The whole world’s gone mad … What’s really wonderful is that this is a whole new audience who in a lot of cases haven’t heard of me, and I love that. The thought of all these young people hearing this song for the first time and discovering it, well, I think it’s very special.”

The song is first heard in Season 4, Episode 1 of the series, being used as music that Max (Sadie Sink) is listening to on her headphones. In Episode 4, when Max’s mind is caught in the Upside Down and she’s about to fall victim to Vecna, her friends put her headphones on her and play the song to help her reconnect to her body in Hawkins, helping her escape the deadly threat. In subsequent episodes, Max is listening to the song virtually on a loop to prevent Vecna from taking control of her mind once again.

Bush added, “I think they put it in a really special place. I thought, ‘What a lovely way for [“Running Up That Hill”] to be used,’ in such a positive way. As a kind of talisman almost, for Max. I think it’s really touching, really.”

Stranger Things Season 4 – Volume 2 will be landing on Netflix on July 1st.

What did you think of the use of the song? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!