On June 22, 2023, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” reached one billion streams on Spotify. In celebration of the milestone, revisit the 2022 moment the song went viral after it appeared in Stranger Things 4.

Here’s a Stranger thing for you: The No. 1 song on iTunes right now is a Kate Bush song from 37 years ago. It’s also climbing the Spotify charts, with streams increasing more than 8,700% globally this week (9,900% in the US alone). Why? Well, we can all thank Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), who makes “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” her personal anthem in Season 4 of Stranger Things. 

On the show, the song is more than just Max’s favorite tune. When telepathic new villain Vecna targets the Stranger Things crew, it’s music that turns out to be the teenagers’ secret weapon, helping them shatter the psychic hold the monster has over them. For Max, the musical key proves to be Bush’s synth-driven 1985 hit — the season is set in 1986 — that’s all about switching places with a loved one to achieve a new level of understanding.

The show’s music supervisor, Nora Felder, tells Netflix that her “personal interpretation” of the song, in relation to its connection with Stranger Things, is “how it could capture the emotional disconnection Max feels from her friends.” Adding that Max’s “need for ‘a deal with God’ could represent her desperation for care and understanding from the people she cares about, the kind of mutual connection that allows us to switch places and see through the lens of our loved ones. It’s a gift that guides and pushes us as we run up those hills in life.”

In Episode 4, “Dear Billy,” Max literally runs up a hill away from Vecna while the song plays, but she’s also running “from an evil representation of the absence of love, and towards the overwhelming care and understanding so powerfully shown by her friends,” says Felder. “This scene shows Max’s strength as she battles an actual demon as a metaphor for the strength we need to conquer our own private demons.”

Finding the right song for Max’s arc this season left Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer in a bit of a psychic mind-meld of their own. “We locked in on it,” Matt tells Tudum. “It’s weird, Ross and I were looking on Spotify, we had our music supervisor, Nora [Felder], looking — she doesn’t really have to; she knows all these songs — and I’ll never forget, she sent an email that was like, ‘I think it’s “Running Up That Hill,” Kate Bush.’ And that was [Ross and my] top choice, completely separately.”

Felder recalls that she initially sent the song to the Duffers, along with some alternate choices, though this was her “clear favorite.” She had also reached out to Amy Coles at Sony Music Publishing and pre-vetted the song as an extra measure. “Amy, at that time, told me that although Kate was very particular about allowing the use of her music, she was open,” says Felder. “That was good enough for me to move forward.”

To make sure Bush felt comfortable with how her music was being used, Felder and her clearance coordinator gave the singer as much context as possible. “We spent a lot of time fleshing through the scene descriptions.,” says Felder. “We really wanted her to understand The Duffers’ vision and the creative depth behind Max’s story, both of which were so important in showing her that this was the perfect song.” 

Despite the lack of guarantees, Felder didn’t focus on a backup plan. “I was committed to doing everything in my power to make this happen,” she says. “We were on the edge of our seats waiting for her feedback, and we were so thrilled to finally hear that she not only approved of the usage, but is actually a huge fan of the show!”

It’s no surprise that “Running Up That Hill” came to mind for Felder and the Duffers all at once. While Bush wrote the song about the specific difficulties that come with trying to understand your partner’s perspective in a relationship, let’s be real: It’s also perfect running-through-a-hellscape-of-falling-debris music. And based on the song’s chart resurgence, it seems like many are connecting to “Running Up That Hill” right now. Even if they don’t need to escape a literal monster, it’s still not bad to have some musical motivation to navigate the problems of our upside-down world. 

One newly minted Bush fan is Sink herself, who hadn’t heard of the artist before filming this season of Stranger Things. “[N]ow I’m a mega fan,” Sink tells Tudum. “Like the ‘Wuthering Heights’ music video, [where] she’s like doing the things with her arms? Big fan.” In preparation for the season, Sink played “Running Up That Hill” on repeat to get into the headspace of a Kate Bush–obsessed ’80s teen. As a testament to its staying power, though, Sink says, “Honestly, I can still listen to it today and I really like it.”

Felder, who still has Bush’s CD today, is amazed to see the song charting so many years after its release. “I’ve always felt that this song was so timeless and deserves to be heard for years to come,” she says. “I think it’s struck a chord for so many people because it really touches on the alienation and emotional struggle that so many of us go through at one point or another in life, especially as teenagers. Music gives us validation and strength, especially when we aren’t feeling supported or understood by others. That’s the power of this song in particular.”

There’s a lot more for Bush fans to like in this season of Stranger Things. “There’s an epic Kate Bush moment in the finale [Episode 9] that we weren’t expecting, that we kind of discovered as we were editing,” Matt Duffer says. “The sequence was really cool and we were happy with it, but it was missing a little something. And I was like, ‘Well, let’s try Kate. Because when has Kate let us down?’ And it just took it to this new height.” Bush gave permission for the team to use “Running Up That Hill” again, and the Duffers were off to the races. “It’s arguably the most epic Kate Bush moment,” Matt said. “It comes back in a major way.” So, newly christened Kate Bush fans: Stay tuned when Volume 2 of Stranger Things Season 4 drops on July 1. 

Additional reporting by Ariana Romero.

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