This article contains spoilers for season four of Stranger Things.
Kate Bush is storming the charts with a 37-year-old song after Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) following a feature in the latest series of Netflix’s Stranger Things.
The supernatural horror series takes place in Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980s and includes memorable music, haircuts and fashion from the time.
In season four, Nancy and Robin realised that victims of villain could be freed if they heard their favourite song. For Max (Sadie Sink) that happened to be the Kate Bush hit.
In an epic sequence that sees Max run through the crumbling Upside Down from the monster, Running Up that Hill is the anthem that motivates her to keep running and eventually escape.
It’s led many viewers to turn to TikTok to share ‘the songs that would save me from the Vecna’ with Max’s song in the background.
As new listeners dive into the world of Kate Bush for the first time, fans are searching for her other biggest hits to add to their playlists.
Cloudbusting
Running up That Hill was the lead single of one of Bush’s most iconic albums (and hit number three when it was first released in 1985), Hounds of Love; Cloudbusting also appeared on this album and it is reminiscent of the number one hit with its synthesised beats and powerful vocals.
The song is written from the point of view of a young boy Peter about the games he plays with his famed psychologist father, Wilhelm Reich.
It got to number 20 on its release the same year as Running Up That Hill.
Hounds of Love
Hounds of Love is the title track of her iconic album and another fan-favourite which made it to number 18 on the charts in 1985.
With a strong drum beat, reminiscent of folklore mixed with elements of nostalgic pop, Bush offers another fast-paced hit with a catchy chorus.
The first line of the song ‘It’s in the trees, it’s coming!’ was taken from the horror film Night of the Demon, released in 1957.
Wuthering Heights
Bush also took inspiration from TV series including the BBC’s Wuthering Heights which led her to write the song with the same name.
The refrain ‘It’s me, I’m Cathy, I’ve come home now’ is one of the most memorable lines from her work.
The pop record, released in 1978, became one of her most successful tracks for its ethereal quality as Bush moves effortlessly through high octaves.
Wuthering Heights was also Bush’s first number one and it made her the first woman to top the UK charts with a song written and performed by herself.
The Man with the Child in his Eyes
The Man with the Child in his Eyes is one of the earliest songs that Bush wrote at just 13 years old, and was released in 1978.
The intricate and complex song reached number six and defined her as a young artist with great promise, who caught the eye of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour.
He was so taken aback by the singer-songwriter that he funded her first band so she could record the first version of the song at just 16 years old.
Babooshka
Babooshka from Bush’s Never for Ever album spent 10 weeks in the UK chart.
The pop hit peaked at number five when it was released in 1980 and was the 20th best-selling single that year.
The song centres around a wife’s desire to test her husband’s loyalty as she sends letters under the pen name Babooshka pretending to be a younger version of herself.
This Woman’s Work
If you’re in the mood for a softer, slower melody then This Woman’s Work is for you.
This single was originally written for the 1988 movie She’s Having a Baby and added to Bush’s The Sensual World album released the year later.
It’s an ethereal melody that captures a montage of happy and dramatic moments with breath-taking vocals and reached number 25.
Other favourites include Breathing which was one of the most popular songs on her Never for Ever album, as well as less well-known song, Hammer Horror that featured on her debut LP Lionheart.
Stranger Things season four is streaming now on Netflix.
