Kate Bush shares her joy as her 1985 hit Running Up That Hill climbs into US top five

Kate Bush has shared her excitement after her 1985 hit Running Up That Hill has climbed to the top five in the US charts after appearing in Stranger Things.

The singer, 63, admitted she has ‘never experienced anything quite like this’ after her song was given a ‘whole new lease of life’ in the hit Netflix sci-fi series.

After going viral on TikTok and reentering the charts in a number of countries, the track has seen Kate achieve her first ever top five single in America.

Running Up That Hill has climbed all the way up to number four in the US charts almost four decades after its release, with the single originally only reaching number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The popular tune has also hit the number one spot in Norway and Austria, with her album Hounds Of Love reaching number one on Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums Chart in the US.

Speaking about the milestone achievement, Kate gushed: ‘It’s all so exciting! Since the last post, ‘Running Up That Hill’ has gone to No. 1 in Norway and Austria.

‘This is such great news and we just heard today that it’s up from No. 8 to No. 4 in the U.S.

Comeback: The singer, 63, admitted she has ‘never experienced anything quite like this’ after her song was given a ‘whole new lease of life’ in hit Netflix sci-fi series Stranger Things

‘The track is being responded to in so many positive ways. I’ve never experienced anything quite like this before!’

She went on to thank her fans and Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers for featuring her music in the popular supernatural thriller.

‘I just want to say a really big thank you to everyone in the U.S. who has supported the song,’ she added.

‘It’s the first time I’ve had a top ten single over there and now it’s in the top 5! Thank you so much again to the Duffer Brothers – because of their latest, extraordinary series of Stranger Things, the track is being discovered by a whole new audience.’

In the fourth season of the hit show, Running Up That Hill happens to be grieving teen Max Mayfield’s (Sadie Sink) favourite song, and it unexpectedly saves her life in episode four.

Tune: In the fourth season of the hit show, Running Up That Hill happens to be grieving teen Max Mayfield’s (Sadie Sink) favourite song, and it unexpectedly saves her life in episode four

Since the much-anticipated latest instalment of Stranger Things hit Netflix in May, streams for Running Up That Hill have surged by 153 per cent on Spotify.

The music video, directed by David Garfath, has amassed a staggering 67.6million views on YouTube, a jump from 56.5million at the end of May – which was a nearly 15,000% rise from the previous week.

Earlier this month, Kate broke her silence and issued a rare statement thanking fans of Stranger Things for the surprising resurgence of her hit.

‘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 wrote on her official website.

Impressive: The music video for the track, directed by David Garfath, has amassed a staggering 67.6million views on YouTube, a jump from 56.5million at the end of May

‘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.’

Speaking about the song’s success, Sony Music Publishing’s Wende Crowley previously said that Stranger Things’ music supervisor Nora Felder discussed using it as Max’s song pre-pandemic.

She told Variety: ‘She wanted to make sure it was within the realm of possibility before she got the Duffer Brothers on board with the idea, since the song was going to be “such a focal point to Max’s storyline”.

‘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.’

Success: Running Up That Hill has climbed all the way up to number four in the US charts almost four decades after its original release. Pictured: Kate Bush in 1978

The show’s supervisor Nora said she chose the track because it resonated with Max’s pain and loss.

‘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,’ she told US journalists.

Nora approached Kate for permission to use it, but was nervous about the response because of the singer’s reputation for being fussy how her music is used. But she was already a fan of the drama and happily consented.

It is not the first time that Kate has recruited a new generation of young fans as her 1980 single Babookshka went viral on TikTok last year and was harnessed in thousands of videos.

Overjoyed: Earlier this month, Kate broke her silence and issued a rare statement thanking fans of Stranger Things for the surprising resurgence of her 1985 hit

Running Up That Hill has inspired many artists such as Kim Petras, Placebo, Alanis Morissette, Ellie Goulding, Charli XCX, k.d. lang, Grimes, Solange Knowles, Adele and Coldplay.

The reclusive raconteur with the four-octave soprano pipes hasn’t released new music since her 10th studio album 50 Words for Snow in 2011.

She may be worth an estimated £30million and live in a £6.4million Oxfordshire mansion but she shuns the spotlight.

In March, Kate was nominated for the third time to be inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this November, but she did not receive enough votes from fans.

Career: The reclusive raconteur with the four-octave soprano pipes hasn’t released new music since her 10th studio album 50 Words for Snow in 2011