“Running Up That Hill” And 16 Other Songs That Were Reintroduced To Audiences By A Movie Or TV Show
Spoilers ahead.
Last month, Netflix gifted us with Season 4: Volume 1 of Stranger Things. It introduced us to Vecna, Steve’s chest hair, The Hellfire Club, and of course, Eddie.
But most importantly, it introduced Kate Bush to a whole new generation. In the fourth episode, “Dear Billy,” Bush’s 1985 song, “Running Up That Hill,” played a crucial role in saving Max from Vecna, and it was…emotional, to say the least.
The show’s use of “Running Up That Hill” resonated with audiences. And after peaking at No. 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1985, this year, the song peaked at No. 4.
This isn’t the first time a movie or TV show has given an older song a second life. So let’s look back at these 16 songs that had a resurgence in popularity due to being featured in a popular movie or TV show:
1. “I Think We’re Alone Now” (The Umbrella Academy)
2. “Stuck in the Middle With You” (Reservoir Dogs)
3. “Come and Get Your Love” (Guardians of the Galaxy)
4. “Where is My Mind?” (Fight Club)
5. “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Wayne’s World)
6. “Head Like a Hole” (Black Mirror, “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too”)
7. “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” (Benny & Joon)
8. “Stand by Me” (Stand by Me)
9. “Carry on My Wayward Son” (Supernatural)
10. “Unchained Melody” (Ghost)
11. “Orinoco Flow” (Eight Grade)
12. “Don’t Stop Believin'” (Laguna Beach)
13. “My Girl” (My Girl)
After charting at No. 1 just one month after its release in 1964, The Temptations’ “My Girl,” saw renewed success almost thirty years later. The 1991 coming-of-age film My Girl, set in 1972, featured the song introducing it to its very young audience. In the weeks following the success of the movie, the song made its way back onto the charts.
14. “Crash into Me” (Lady Bird)
For years after its 1996 release, Dave Matthews Band’s “Crash into Me” was seen as a bit of a joke; it’s overly sappy, a little trashy, and definitely a bit creepy and perverse. But when it appeared in 2017’s Lady Bird, the meaning had completely changed. The way that the director, Greta Gerwig, used it in the movie as a turning point for the main character, Lady Bird — her moment of realization of who she is as a person — resonated with audiences.
15. “Lust for Life” (Trainspotting)
In 1977, Iggy Pop released his song “Lust for Life” which was co-written by David Bowie. Almost twenty years later in 1996, the Ewan McGregor-led British film Trainspotting used the song, and also featured it in the trailer. The song regained popularity and even peaked at No. 26 on the UK Singles Chart that same year.
16. “Pink Moon” (“Milky Way” Volkswagen ad)
And finally, in 1972, two years before his death, English musician Nick Drake released his final album Pink Moon. In 1999, Volkswagen debuted a commercial for their Volkswagen Cabriolet featuring a song from the album, also titled “Pink Moon.” In the weeks following the ad, Pink Moon album sales increased by five hundred percent.