Kate Bush has reportedly made £1.9million from her hit song Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) after its popularity rose in Stranger Things.
The singer’s 1985 song broke records, topping the UK Singles Chart last month after appearing in the fourth season of Netflix’s supernatural thriller.
The song – written by Bush from her legendary album Hounds of Love – also topped the Australian charts and reached number one on the iTunes chart in the US.
Wow: Kate Bush (pictured in 2014) has reportedly made £1.9million from her hit song Running Up That Hill after its popularity rose when it was starred in Stranger Things
And entertainment data company Luminate has estimated that Kate, 63, has earned £1.9million in streaming royalties since resurrecting her hit as she owns all copyright in her music.
Rob Jones, Luminate’s CEO, told CBSMoneywatch, “While we’ve seen a remarkable surge in catalog music streams in recent years — with annual growth of 20 percent in 2021 alone — the story of Kate Bush encapsulates the phenomenon just lifted a new level.’
He also revealed that Running Up That Hill has become the most-streamed song both in the US and worldwide after being featured in Stranger Things.
M has reached out to Kate’s rep for comment.
Popularity: The singer’s 1985 track broke records, topping the UK charts last month after appearing in the fourth season of Netflix’s supernatural thriller
On the show, “Running Up That Hill” happens to be grieving teenager Max Mayfield’s (Sadie Sink) favorite song, which unexpectedly saves her life in episode four.
The 1985 title then topped the UK charts last month after appearing in the popular Netflix sci-fi series and going viral on TikTok.
It reached the top of the Australian charts, for the first time since 1978 when her debut single Wuthering Heights took number one, Kate had a number one in the country.
The singer-songwriter recently told BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour about the renewed interest in her music: “It’s so exciting, it’s really quite shocking, isn’t it?
‘The whole world has gone mad!’
Tense Scenes: On the show, Running Up That Hill happens to be grieving teenager Max Mayfield’s (Sadie Sink) favorite song, and it unexpectedly saves her life in episode four
She added, “The thought of all these really young people hearing the song for the first time and discovering it is, well, I think it’s very special.”
The singer also admitted that she hadn’t listened to her track for quite a while as she doesn’t tend to replay her “old stuff”.
Elsewhere in the rare interview, Kate revealed that her son Albert, 23, thought it was “pretty cool” after her song Running Up That Hill was featured on the show.
Presenter Emma Barnett asked the musician what her son Albert McIntosh – known as Bertie – thinks about a new generation discovering her music.
She said, “I think he thinks it’s pretty cool.”
Earnings: And one company has estimated that Kate (pictured 1979), 63, has earned £1.9million in streaming royalties since the revival of her hit as she owns all copyright to her music
When asked if Bertie was a fan of the show, Kate replied, “We all are! Our friends kept saying, “Have you seen Stranger Things?” We ended up watching the first series when it came out and have watched it ever since.
After welcoming a legion of new fans thanks to Max’s fight against villain Vecna in Stranger Things, Kate opened up about how she thinks it’s “beautiful” that her song was used as a backdrop for the character’s survival and praised the show’s creators for doing it in a ‘positive way’.
She explained: “I think they put it in a very special place. The Duffer brothers created the series and we watched them from the beginning of the first series so I was already familiar with the series.
“I thought it was nice to use the song in such a positive way, as a kind of talisman for Max. It’s really very touching.”
Kate’s song – the lead track on her album Hounds Of Love – peaked at number two behind Harry Styles As It Was, but it was later revealed that the ’80s song put the former One Direction star on the spot.
She is now the oldest singer to have a No. 1 single in the UK, taking the record set by Cher, who reached the top spot with 1998’s Believe.
It’s Kate’s first time at number one since her debut single Wuthering Heights, which hit number one in 1978 at the age of just 19. That means she also set the record for the longest gap between number ones at 44.
Running Up That Hill is also number one in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland and has reached a new high in the US charts with number four.
Family: Kate recently revealed in a rare interview that her son Albert (pictured in 2014), 23, thinks it’s ‘pretty cool’ after her song ‘Running Up That Hill’ was featured on the show
It originally peaked at number three in the UK on release, and charted again at number 12 in 2012.
Sharing her excitement at seeing her song reach new audiences, she gushed, “Yeah! What I find really wonderful is that it’s this whole new audience that in many cases has never heard of me. And I love that!
“I find it very special to think of all these really young people hearing the song for the first time and discovering it.”
Explaining what her song, originally titled “Deal With God,” is about, she said, “I really like it when people hear a song and they take what they want from it. But originally it was written as the idea of a man and woman swapping places with each other just to feel what it’s like on the other side.’
Success: The song – written by Bush from her legendary album Hounds of Love – topped the US and Australian charts and reached number one on the US iTunes chart