Stranger Things has caused a 37-year-old song by singer Kate Bush prominently featured in the new season to chart on iTunes. Stranger Things—which follows the adventures of a group of kids in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana as they battle horrifying creatures that emerge from a parallel dimension known as the Upside Down—is a retro throwback series set in the 1980s. The series has featured many popular songs of the time to help establish the setting, from "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash and "Hazy Shade of Winter" by The Bangles in the premiere season through "Baba O'Riley" by The Who and "Material Girl" by Madonna in Stranger Things season 3, which had an even more '80s vibe thanks to its mall setting.
Stranger Things season 4, which has been split into two parts, premiered its first part this week on May 27, 2022. The soundtrack includes many hit songs from the time, including Kiss' "Detroit Rock City" and Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)," but one particular standout is Kate Bush's track "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" off her 1985 album Hounds of Love. The song is used in a prominent scene involving Sadie Sink's character Max in the premiere episode of season 4, and it becomes an important recurring musical motif throughout the remaining seven episodes.
Just two days after the release of Stranger Things season 4, "Running Up That Hill" has become the #1 most downloaded song on Apple's iTunes music store. It has outperformed other songs from the Top 5, including Lizzo's viral track "About Damn Time," Harry Styles' ubiquitous anthem "As It Was," and Lady Gaga's "Hold My Hand," which is from the soundtrack of the new hit film Top Gun: Maverick. Another '80s throwback, Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" from the original Top Gun, is also on the chart thanks to Maverick, though it settled at #9.
It's important to note that the iTunes chart and the popular Billboard chart are not the same thing. The Billboard chart, which is generally received as the foremost resource in tracking music sales, pulls from many different sources to aggregate its chart rankings. However, if fans have been seeking out this song across the board rather than just on iTunes, it is entirely possible that the song could chart higher than its original peak at #30 in the Billboard Hot 100, nearly four decades after its release.
This song's reemergence is proof of the fact that the Netflix series still has the power to captivate a general audience. There was some doubt about the show's performance, considering the fact that it has been nearly three years since Stranger Things season 3. However, it has met that mark and clearly exceeded it, thrilling viewers yet again and intoxicating them with its retro charms.
Source: iTunes