Warning! SPOILERS for Stranger Things season 4, volume 1.
The song Max listens to repeatedly in Stranger Things season 4 has a special meaning. At first, the song seems like just another one of the show's signature '80s needle drops. However, Max's favorite song ends up being more significant than one might think.
Max (Sadie Sink) first moved to Hawkins in Stranger Things season 2 and slowly became a part of the Party by befriending Will (Noah Schnapp), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin). In season 3, she grew even closer to Lucas and started dating him, while also striking up a friendship with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). However, in Stranger Things season 4, Max has drifted away from her friend group and broken up with Lucas. Eight months after the Battle of Starcourt, she's still grieving Billy's death and is pushing away the people closest to her as a result. Music seems to be a form of escape for her, as she's seen listening to her Walkman in seclusion in the Stranger Things season 4 premiere episode "Chapter One: The Hellfire Club."
Max's favorite song is "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)," a new wave track by the English singer-songwriter Kate Bush. Stranger Things has featured many memorable songs from the '80s (and sometimes even earlier) in pivotal moments, such as season 1's recurring usage of The Clash's "Should I Stay Or Should I Go," a favorite song of Jonathan's (Charlie Heaton) that Will uses to communicate with his mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder), when he's trapped in the Upside Down. In Stranger Things season 4, "Running Up That Hill" is pivotal to the plot. Here's what Max's song truly means in the context of the show.
Why Max's Favorite Song Is Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill"
"Running Up That Hill" makes sense as Max's favorite song. It's a single from Kate Bush's 1985 album Hounds of Love, and it's understandable that people would still play it a few months later in March 1986. In 2018, the Outkast rapper Big Boi talked about "Running Up That Hill" in a video (via Pitchfork), discussing how the song makes listeners feel like they can envision their own world they can run to, which fits Max perfectly. In addition, Kate Bush's voice in the song is very angelic, which Max is probably drawn to as a source of comfort.
What Stranger Things' Kate Bush Song Really Means For Max
At first, the song seems to speak to Max's relationship with Billy, who was redeemed in Stranger Things after risking his life to save his stepsister and Eleven. The chorus sings, "And if I only could / I'd make a deal with God / And I'd get him to swap our places." This speaks to the guilt Max feels over Billy's death and how she feels responsible for it. In "Chapter Four: Dear Billy," Max, aware that she's Vecna's next victim, writes letters to her friends and family–including Billy. She reads Billy's letter at his gravestone, telling him, "Sometimes I imagine myself running to you, pulling you away," revealing that she has fantasized about running to Billy to save him from death. If things had been different and Max could save Billy, perhaps they could actually be friends. "Running Up That Hill" is a song about the power of connection and how it can lead to greater understanding in relationships.
However, after Max is possessed by Vecna while visiting Billy's grave, "Running Up That Hill" takes on a different meaning. After talking with Victor Creel (Robert Englund), Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Robin (Maya Hawke) realize that Vecna's spell can be broken with the power of music. Victor was the only member of his family spared from death because he heard Ella Fitzgerald's "angelic" voice singing "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" over the radio. Steve, Dustin, and Lucas learn from Nancy and Robin how to break Vecna's control and figure out that "Running Up That Hill" is Max's favorite song, playing it for her on her Walkman. While trapped at Vecna's altar in the Upside Down, Max hears the song and is able to "run up that hill" towards her friends, opening up a portal that allows her to escape Vecna and save herself from death.
Stranger Things season 4 fixes its Max problem by giving her character arc more meaning after Billy's death through the use of her favorite song. She starts off the season by running away from her emotions and bottling up her pain from anyone who tries to get close to her, whether it's her guidance counselor, Ms. Kelly (Regina Ting Chen), or her ex-boyfriend, but soon learns to run towards the people who love her instead of away from them. "Running Up That Hill" is more than a beloved song for Max, as it has a meaning that's very special and touching in Stranger Things.