A 37-year-old Kate Bush track has surged back into the pop consciousness, hitting No. 1 on iTunes and seeing streaming numbers explode — Spotify plays jumped by thousands of percent after its appearance on Stranger Things season 4.

The song in question, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),” passed the billion-stream mark on Spotify on June 22, 2023, and then enjoyed an enormous week-on-week spike in listenership once the show aired.

Stranger Things made the song into more than background music: it became Max Mayfield’s anthem and a literal plot device against the season’s villain, Vecna, whose psychic hold is weakened when the group links the tune to emotional connection and protection.

In episode 4, “Dear Billy,” Max runs up a hill as the song plays — a visual shorthand for fleeing a monstrous force and moving toward the care and solidarity offered by her friends.

Music supervisor Nora Felder viewed the track as a perfect fit for Max’s loneliness and yearning for understanding, interpreting the song’s “deal with God” as a metaphor for wanting empathy and the ability to see things from another’s perspective.

The show’s creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, arrived at the same choice independently, with Felder recommending Bush’s synth-led 1985 hit as her top pick and even pre-clearing it through Sony contacts to see if Bush would consider licensing it.

To secure approval, the creative team provided detailed scene descriptions and context so Bush could grasp Max’s storyline; the effort paid off when the singer agreed to the usage and revealed she enjoyed the series.

Sadie Sink, who plays Max, had not been a Kate Bush fan before filming but embraced the music while preparing for the role, playing the song repeatedly to inhabit the mindset of an ’80s teen obsessed with that sound.

Felder — who still owns the artist’s CD — says the track’s enduring appeal lies in its ability to voice alienation and emotional struggle, especially resonant for teenagers seeking validation and connection.

The series didn’t stop with one placement: the song returns in the season finale in a heightened sequence the creators discovered during editing, and Bush granted permission for that additional use as well.

As a result of the show’s exposure, new generations have rediscovered the song, and longtime fans have seen its emotional weight amplified by visual storytelling — proof that a well-placed piece of music can change how a track is heard decades after its release.

Volume 2 of Stranger Things season 4, which includes the finale moment, arrived on July 1, further fueling interest in Bush’s catalog and bringing the song back into public conversation.

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