Following its inclusion in the new season of Netflix's Stranger Things, British singer Kate Bush's 1985 single "Running Up That Hill (Deal With God)" has been given a new life and new placement on the charts.
LISTEN NOW: Switched On Pop: Kate Bush
Kate's single is prominently featured Netflix's newest episodes of Stranger Things, along with a few other classic favorites from Dead Or Alive, the Talking Heads, The Cramps, The Beach Boys, a new version of Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” Ricky Nelson, Falco, and KISS, to name just a few. Check out the full tracklist right here.
The single, which has already seen its fair share of cover versions over the years, is now performing even better than its mid-eighties release, bringing the brooding track to a new generation of fans. But its success is owed to more than just repetition. Stranger Things composers Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, tell Switched On Pop that like the song which switches between major and minor chords, the show's score itself also “has moments of darkness and lightness in it, constantly trading places."
Dixon and Stein even cite Bush as an essential influence for the season's overall sounds, saying they “directly referenced very obviously Kate Bush -- there’s these little melodies that we always refer to... and then the Kate Bush part comes in.”
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Listen to the full episode to hear just how "Running Up That Hill" is an exquisite song placement, and how it blends seamlessly with the Stranger Things soundtrack now on Switched On Pop, a podcast all about the making and meaning of popular music with musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding as they pull back the curtain on how pop hits work magic on our ears and our culture.
While you're in the mood, browse and favorite more of your favorite music on Audacy's all-new New Wave Mix Tape, '90s and Chill, Punk Party, 80s Underground, Alt Now, Drivin' Alt, Alterna 00s, and ALT Roots stations -- plus check out our talent-hosted Kevan Kenney's Music Discovery, Megan Holiday's My So Called '90s Playlist, and Scott Lowe on the Go's Post Modern Music Box!
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