Kate Bush has issued a rare statement about the use of her 1985 single ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ in the latest season of Stranger Things.
The track features prominently in the new run of the popular Netflix show, which debuted on the platform last week. As a result, the track has seen a 153 percent increase in streams to take it back into the Top 10 of the Official UK Singles Chart.
Taking to her website, Bush said: "You might’ve heard that the first part of the fantastic, gripping new series of Stranger Things has recently been released on Netflix. It features the song, ‘Running Up That Hill’ which is being given a whole new lease of life by the young fans who love the show — I love it too!"
She continued: "Because of this, ‘Running Up That Hill’ is charting around the world and has entered the UK chart at No. 8. It’s all really exciting! Thanks very much to everyone who has supported the song. I wait with bated breath for the rest of the series in July. Best wishes, Kate."
Bush has rarely allowed permission for her tracks to be used in film and TV in the past, and reportedly only allowed for ‘Running Up That Hill’ to appear on Stranger Things as she is a fan of the show. Her publisher Wendy Crowley recently said about the use of the track: "Kate Bush is selective when it comes to licensing her music and because of that, we made sure to get script pages and footage for her to review so she could see exactly how the song would be used."
In a further statement about how the use of the track came together, Bush said: "When the first series came out, friends kept asking us if we’d seen Stranger Things, so we checked it out and really loved it. We’ve watched every series since then, as a family. When they approached us to use ‘Running Up That Hill’, you could tell that a lot of care had gone into how it was used in the context of the story and I really liked the fact that the song was a positive totem for the character, Max.
"I’m really impressed by this latest series. It’s an epic piece of work – the shows are extremely well put together with great characters and fantastic SFX. It’s very touching that the song has been so warmly received, especially as it’s being driven by the young fans who love the shows. I’m really happy that [executive producers] the Duffer Brothers are getting such positive feedback for their latest creation. They deserve it."
The latest season of Stranger Things has been split into two parts, with the second instalment of episodes set to debut on Netflix on July 1.
