Stranger Things Season 4: Kate Bush Salutes Creators In Emotional Post

As 'Running Up That Hill' continues to dominate charts around the world, Kate Bush salutes the Duffers for their work on Stranger Things season 4.

Stranger Things Season 4: Kate Bush Salutes Creators In Emotional Post

Kate Bush salutes the Duffer Brothers’ work on Stranger Things following season 4’s incredible revival of her 1985 hit, “Running Up That Hill.” Matt and Ross Duffer’s masterful blend of 80s nostalgia and sci-fi debuted in 2016, introducing audiences to the inhabitants of Hawkins, Indiana. After a nearly three-year hiatus (largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Stranger Things season 4 dropped its first episodes on Netflix last month.

Stranger Things season 4 picks up three months after the events of season 3, with a powerless Eleven and the Byers family in California, Hopper in a Russian prison, and Hawkins plagued by Vecna. The show’s latest Upside Down villain is akin to A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger, invading the minds of his victims and preying on past trauma. In “Chapter Four: Dear Billy,” Vecna sets his sights on Max Mayfield following her step-brother Billy’s death in season 3. The episode sees her friends able to free her from the villain’s clutches using her favorite song, Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.” While Stranger Things’ soundtrack has always been comprised of 80s hits, its use of “Running Up That Hill” has resulted in the song going viral four decades after it first hit the charts. In addition to reaching the #1 spot on iTunes last month, the track reached No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 list last week.

Over the weekend, Bush posted a new statement to her website titled “On Top of That Hill,” thanking the Duffer Brothers for Stranger Things season 4. The 63-year-old singer-songwriter called the series “extraordinary” and praised them for “featuring Running Up That Hill in such a positive light,” saying the song has been brought into the emotional arena of Max’s story. Bush goes on to salute the series’ creators for taking Stranger Things to a darker and more mature place in season 4, before admitting she is moved by the unique revival of her song. Check out Bush’s full statement below:

The Duffer Brothers have created four extraordinary series of Stranger Things in which the child actors have grown into young adults. In this latest series the characters are facing many of the same challenges that exist in reality right now. I believe the Duffer Brothers have touched people’s hearts in a special way, at a time that’s incredibly difficult for everyone, especially younger people.
By featuring “Running Up That Hill” in such a positive light – as a talisman for Max (one of the main female characters) – the song has been brought into the emotional arena of her story. Fear, conflict and the power of love are all around her and her friends.
I salute the Duffer Brothers for their courage – taking this new series into a much more adult and darker place. I want to thank them so much for bringing the song into so many people’s lives.
I’m overwhelmed by the scale of affection and support the song is receiving and it’s all happening really fast, as if it’s being driven along by a kind of elemental force.
I have to admit I feel really moved by it all. Thank you so very much for making the song a No 1 in such an unexpected way.
Kate

Bush previously took to her website to react to Stranger Things’ use of her 37-year-old song, thanking fans and the series for giving her song a “new lease on life.” Indeed, the Duffer Brothers have long been widely praised for taking a time period that Hollywood has left unexplored recently, riddling it with pop culture references, and making the old seem new — from Stranger Things‘ realistic characters, set designs, and costumes, to its thoughtful music choices. Within a month of its debut on Netflix, Stranger Things season 4 became the streamer’s most-watched English-language series of all time, and Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” is now its unofficial theme song.

“Running Up That Hill” has become so synonymous with the show, in fact, that it was the central track used in the recent Stranger Things season 4, volume 2 trailer, which teased a showdown between Eleven and Vecna. “Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab” expanded the mythology by revealing Vecna’s true identity as Eleven’s powers were seemingly (fully) restored. With Nancy, Steve and the Hawkins gang still in danger, and Hopper, Murray, and Joyce trapped in Russia, Stranger Things season 4 still has plenty of action to come. Given this, it’s likely that audiences haven’t heard the last of Bush’s iconic 80s tune, which may prove the soundtrack to Vecna’s demise.