Kate Bush’s 1985 classic ‘Running Up That Hill’ (A Deal With God) has surged again in popularity following the release of the fifth and final season of ‘Stranger Things’. The track, which played a pivotal role in saving the character Max (Sadie Sink) during season four, has now surpassed 1.5 billion streams on Spotify.
Bush celebrated the milestone on Facebook, noting the song’s renewed popularity and its position at Number 146 globally on Spotify. The single, from her ‘Hounds of Love’ album, also climbed to Number 12 on the iTunes chart thanks to its inclusion in the new season.
The 66-year-old singer first saw a major resurgence in 2022, when the series’ fourth season introduced the song to a new generation. At the time, streams jumped 153%, helping the track earn $2.3 million (£1.9 million) in revenue and cementing its place as a TikTok favourite.
Bush last performed live in 2014 during her Before the Dawn residency in London. She recently hinted at new material, saying she has “lots of ideas” and is eager to return to the studio after completing archive projects, including a lyric book and a website redesign.
Over the past year, she released ‘The Best of the Other Sides’, directed an animated short ‘Little Shrew’ and collaborated with 52 visual artists on Running Up That Hill-inspired works for the 2025 Sound & Vision fundraiser, benefiting War Child.
