For the last 37, actually, 40 plus, years UK music artist Kate Bush, who many have considered brilliant and has a cult following, has remained in obscurity.
Her only hit, back in 1985, was “Running Up That Hill.” And when I say hit, I mean, some people liked it and it was played on FM radio. It didn’t sell more than a few copies.
But now, “Stranger Things” has happened. Bush has received an unexpected gift from the producers of Netflix’s hit series. In episode one of Season 4, the main character, Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, is bullied in school. “Running” starts playing, and plays through to the end, as her theme song.
The result is startling. “Running” has rocketed to the top of every chart. It’s number 1 on iTunes, and the most streamed song on Spotify. On every Spotify chart. The album it comes from, Bush’s “Hounds of Love,” has hit the top 20 as well on all these charts, where it’s battling with Harry Styles and the “Top Gun” soundtrack.
Bush’s fans always knew she was ahead of her time. And now it’s been proven. For the “Stranger Things” music supervisors, who are using music from the early 80s, “Running” was inspired choice. I’ll bet we’ll be seeing Kate Bush on American TV pretty soon– seems a no brainer for Jimmy Fallon or Stephen Colbert.
And you know what? It’s a great song. Bush is a little like the British Patti Smith. She should have been acknowledged 35 years ago. At least she’s getting her due now.
