Netflix didn’t just revive a song—they resurrected a legend. “Running Up That Hill” exploded across streaming platforms in 2022 after Stranger Things Season 4 wove Kate Bush‘s 1985 masterpiece into its emotional climax. The result? A 37-year gap between chart dominance shattered, with Kate Bush becoming the oldest female artist to top the UK charts while earning £2.37 million in streaming royalties, according to industry analysis.
The irony cuts deep. Bush achieved this nuclear cultural moment without lifting a finger. No PR blitz. No social media campaign. No comeback tour announcement. Her decades-long retreat from public life became her greatest marketing strategy.
The Algorithm Finally Found Its Match
Perfect sync placement bypassed the entire music industry machinery.
Music supervisor Nora Felder recognized what streaming algorithms couldn’t: emotional resonance. Bush personally approved the sync because she loved the show, creating an authentic connection that no marketing budget could manufacture. The song hit number one in multiple countries including the UK, Australia, Sweden, and Switzerland, becoming the most-streamed track on Spotify while introducing three generations of fans to Bush’s theatrical genius.
This wasn’t your typical nostalgia cash grab. Gen Z discovered Bush as a “new” artist, longtime devotees felt vindicated, and Stranger Things fans now claim the song as their emotional anthem. That cross-generational collision rarely happens organically.
Digital Natives Embrace Analog Authenticity
TikTok users celebrated Bush as the antithesis of manufactured pop.
Social media exploded with reactions, covers, and testimonials about the song’s “life-saving” impact. Comments flooded YouTube and Instagram, creating a “cult of Kate Bush” among listeners who’d never heard of art-pop. They embraced her as a symbol of uncompromising creativity in an era of algorithmic music creation.
Bush’s silence spoke volumes. While other artists desperately chase viral moments, she remained enigmatic. Her authenticity became magnetic to digital natives tired of performative online personas and manufactured relatability.
The Stranger Things phenomenon proves that perfect cultural placement beats traditional promotion. Bush’s catalog now lives alongside contemporary playlists, showing how genuine artistry transcends generational boundaries when the moment aligns perfectly with emotional need.
