Friday, November 8, 2024

Kate Bush Hit, “Running Up That Hill,” Closes in On 1 Million in Sales Thanks to “Stranger Things”

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For Kate Bush, everything happening now must seem like the Upside Down.

The cult British singer’s 1985 hit, “Running Up That Hill,” is closing in on 1 million copies sold including streaming. Prior to the invention of Soundscan, Musicconnect, etc, “Hill” was a non starter.

On Spotify there are 265 million streams (which have been converted into sales equivalents for chart purposes).

Most of the people buying the single or streaming were not alive in 1985. Or maybe even 1990.

All of this is because “Hill” is the theme song for “Stranger Things Season 4” on Netflix. The series is a monster hit. The song would be hitting a nerve because it’s used as the theme for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) who’s bullied by fellow students in junior high school. The Duffer Brothers cut the song perfectly so that the emotions of the bullying spike while the song becomes Eleven;s anthem.

One sign of the “Hill” success: there are remixes all over YouTube. The single is headed for 2 million in sales, which is extraordinary. The fact is, it’s the best song and record of 2022. The Grammys should give it a special award.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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