Kate Bush running up that hill to the top of the charts

In a rare interview with Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour today, Kate Bush described how she is ‘overwhelmed’ by the astonishing success of her 1985 hit song Running Up That Hill which is currently top of the UK charts. Speaking to the show’s host Emma Barnett, Bush said the situation is “just extraordinary… quite shocking really, isn’t it? I mean, the whole world’s gone mad.”

Running Up That Hill has made history as the song with the longest journey to No. 1, achieving the accolade 37 years after it was originally released in 1985. In doing so, Bush has usurped previous holders Wham!, who saw Last Christmas top the Official Singles Chart in 2021, 36 years after it was initially released. 

What’s more, at 63, Bush has become the oldest female artist to score a UK number one, prompting a public congratulations from the previous record-holder, Cher, for her part in fighting through “the testosterone curtain.”

Running Up That Hill has broken back into the mainstream as a result of the award-winning Netflix series Stranger Things, where it is used as a plot motif for the character Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) as she grieves her brother’s death and tries to escape the evil crutches of the villainous Vecna. “It’s such a great series, and I thought that the track would get some attention. But I just never imagined anything like this,” said Bush earlier this morning.

She went on to commend the way Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers used the song as a form of musical escapism for Max: “I thought, what a lovely way for the song to be used in such a positive way. You know, as a kind of talisman almost really for Max. And yeah, I think it’s very touching, actually.”

The song has also claimed the number one spot in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland since the show aired and achieved a new peak in the US charts at number four. 

In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush smashed barriers for female musicians in pop as she topped the UK Singles Chart for a month with her debut single Wuthering Heights. Her pioneering method of ethereal storytelling, experimental sound and lyrical structure transformed the English singer-songwriter into a trailblazer who would inspire talents such as Tori Amos, St. Vincent, Perfume Genius and Mitski. 

Now, at 63, Bush prefers to spend her days gardening rather than gallivanting in a red dress and tries to avoid the limelight where possible, making today’s interview a surprising delight.

Speaking to Barnett, Bush expressed how she was “overwhelmed by the scale of affection and support” from newfound fans as a result of the song. 

“What’s really wonderful, I think, is this is a whole new audience who, in a lot of cases, have never heard of me and I love that. The thought of all these really young people hearing the song for the first time and discovering it is….well, I think it’s very special.”