"How utterly brilliant!" Kate Bush responds to global success of Running Up That Hill

Kate Bush performing on TV in 1985 (Image credit: United Archives GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo)

Katre Bush has made a statement regarding the surprise global success of her 1985 smash Running Up That Hill. The song has reached the number one spot in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland, and is a top 10 hit in 14 more countries, reaching #2 in the UK and #8 in the US (the singer's first US top 10 hit).

"How utterly brilliant!," says Bush on her website. "It’s hard to take in the speed at which this has all been happening since the release of the first part of the Stranger Things new series. So many young people who love the show, discovering the song for the first time.

"The response to Running Up That Hill is something that has had its own energy and volition. A direct relationship between the shows and their audience and one that has stood completely outside of the music business. We’ve all been astounded to watch the track explode!

"Thanks so much to everyone who has supported the song and a really special thank you to the Duffer Brothers for creating something with such heart."

The statement is the second in a week from the notably reclusive singer, who posted an earlier message expressing her initial delight at the song's renewed popularity.

The UK success of Running Up That Hill marks the third occasion the song has entered the charts. Upon its release in 1985 it reached number 3, and in 2012 it hit the number 6 position after being featured in the closing ceremony of the London Olympic Games.

Last week Stranger Things' producers revealed how much preparation work they'd undertaken to ensure that Bush would approve the use of Running Up That Hill in the show’s fourth season.

“I have a running expression I use when my showrunners feel strongly about a song select,” music supervisor Nora Felder said. “Which is, ‘I’m not going to sleep until I get it cleared.’ For me, as a music supervisor, I always feel an incredible responsibility to do everything in my power to ‘get it done,’ and this was no different.”

“Knowing the challenges, we proceeded to create elaborate scene descriptions that provided as much context as possible so that Kate and her camp would have a full understanding of the uses. When we finished, we were on edge, but excited and hopeful.”

Stranger Things continues on Netflix.

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.