Kate Bush has been enjoying a huge resurgence in popularity in the past few weeks after her hit song “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” featured prominently in the fourth season of Stranger Things. The song is a favorite of Max Mayfield, who listens to the emotional melody to process her feelings of grief and depression following her brother’s untimely passing.
The use of “Running Up That Hill” in Stranger Things is arguably the most memorable example to date of a Kate Bush song being licensed for film or television, but it’s far from the first. Bush’s records have been used to evoke all kinds of emotions in movie and TV scenes.
“Cloudbusting” In The Handmaid’s Tale
Adapted from Margaret Atwood’s seminal dystopian novel of the same name, The Handmaid’s Tale has been praised as one of the bleakest yet timeliest TV dramas on the air. Atwood’s disturbing near-future vision eerily reflects some of the biggest problems in the world today.
The series has utilized an original score by composer Adam Taylor since the beginning of its run, but the producers have also included a few needle-drops on the soundtrack. Kate Bush’s “Cloudbusting” recurs throughout season 3, and “This Woman’s Work” was previously featured in season 2.
“This Woman’s Work” In Alias
One of J.J. Abrams’ many hit TV shows, Alias, subverted the usually male-centric spy genre with a female lead. Sydney Bristow is a badass secret agent played by Jennifer Garner in a star-making performance.
In the second episode of the series, Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” plays over a heartbreaking scene in which Sydney mourns the death of her fiancé, Danny, who died mysteriously after she made the mistake of revealing her top-secret line of work.
“Hounds Of Love” In Shadow In The Cloud
Although it slipped under the radar upon release, Shadow in the Cloud is well worth checking out. It’s a pulpy steampunk World War II actioner with spooky horror elements that carries a strong feminist message. Chloë Grace Moretz stars as a fighter pilot who has to contend with a sinister gremlin during a flight.
“Hounds of Love” plays over the closing montage, which features footage of women in the military. The empowering images in this final montage hammer home the movie’s message that women are just as capable of fighting wars (and gremlins) as men.
“Running Up That Hill” In Pose
Before Max escaped from Vecna’s clutches in Stranger Things, the most memorable use of “Running Up That Hill” in a TV show was in the pilot episode of Pose. In Pose, the song was used as the official soundtrack of Stan and Angel’s love story.
Played beautifully by Evan Peters and Indya Moore, Stan and Angel are two of the show’s most beloved characters. Pose fans will forever associate “Running Up That Hill” with Stan and Angel’s relationship, not Max Mayfield’s grief.
“π” In The Simpsons
Throughout its three decades on the air, The Simpsons has dropped the needle on a bunch of classics, from Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” to the Beach Boys’ “All Summer Long.” The season 26 episode “Mathlete’s Feat” is notable for having a Rick and Morty crossover in the couch gag, but it also has some great musical moments.
Kate Bush’s math-themed hit “π” (taken from her album Aerial) plays during the second scene at the Mathlympics. Later, the Busted song “Year 3000” plays over the sequence of the new technology being brought into the school.
“This Woman’s Work” In It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Whenever It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia sets up an honest dramatic moment, it’s only a matter of time before the writers pull the rug out. At the end of “Dee Gives Birth,” after the guys have gone on an emotional rollercoaster of surrogate fatherhood, Dee comes out with the baby.
In true Sunny fashion, the heartwarming drama – punctuated by “This Woman’s Work” – is quickly deflated. The guys are out in the waiting room, genuinely excited to meet the new addition to the Gang, and then Dee immediately hands the baby over to a pair of adopting parents.
“Cloudbusting” In Palm Springs
Max Barbakow’s debut feature Palm Springs is one of the funniest, smartest, and most emotionally engaging comedies in recent memory. A perfectly matched Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti anchor the movie in the roles of two strangers who find themselves trapped in a time loop at a Palm Springs wedding.
At the climax of the movie, when Sarah has figured out how to escape the time loop by destroying a cave, she brings Nyles so he can escape with her. Kate Bush’s “Cloudbusting” adds a ton of dramatic weight to this climactic sequence.
“Running Up That Hill” In Stranger Things
The reason why Kate Bush is all the rage again is because her song “Running Up That Hill” was used so perfectly in Stranger Things. The song is Max’s favorite, and she can be heard listening to it in just about every episode of season 4.
When Max is captured by the villainous Vecna, her friends play the song in her ears. This opens up a portal from her supernatural prison back to the real world, and she races toward it to outrun Vecna. This sequence is a deeply moving visual metaphor for Max’s struggle to escape from her grief.