This Is How Much Kate Bush Is Making From The Running Up That Hill Resurgence

Kate Bush is one of the most beloved and influential British musicians of all time. Born on July 30, 1958, Bush started out as a precociously gifted child, playing violin and piano at a very early age and even writing musical compositions at the young age of 14. As Britannica notes, Bush's first breakout single was "Wuthering Heights," which instantly launched her into fame and propelled her career into music stardom. With immensely popular albums like "Hounds of Love," "The Dreaming," "The Sensual World," and "Aerial," Bush cemented her label as queen of art-pop (via Complex). Her influence is immeasurable, as female musicians like Enya and Björk have been inspired by her, and music critics continue to be wowed by her lyrical range and unique talent. 

With a career as illustrious as Bush's, it's hard to see her artistic fire ever burning out. However, as NME says, she actually stopped touring for 35 years. That is, until her reemergence in a 2014 tour, and then again in 2022, when Kate Bush was yet again topping all of the charts. And the reason for that, as you may have guessed, is because of the hit Netflix show "Stranger Things." 

If some aren't already familiar with it, Netflix's "Stranger Things" is a supernatural streaming show created by the Duffer brothers. As IMDb states, the show is immensely popular right now, having won 7 Primetime Emmys, along with 77 other awards and 216 nominations. Odds are, if someone watches Netflix, they probably have seen "Stranger Things." The show is a love letter to old 80s movies and games like "The Goonies" and "Dungeons & Dragons." It stars a delightful gang of young kids who go on supernatural adventures filled with monsters and psychic powers. 

So, just how did Kate Bush and "Stranger Things" suddenly become connected in the pop culture consciousness? Though the song is featured throughout Season 4, Episode 4 is the big, dramatic moment tied to the number. In the episode, the song "Running Up That Hill" plays during a very pivotal and emotional moment for the character Max Mayfield (via Collider). This all culminated in what was one of the biggest high points of the show so far. As one could guess, fans immediately started playing Bush's song on repeat on various streaming services. As Billboard says, the song became a No. 1 hit across the world for a week, smashing records and putting Bush's name back in the spotlight. 

Almost every music chart that exists was pretty much demolished by Kate Bush for a whole week. The pop queen accumulated a whopping 57 million streams over the week, blowing away music fans everywhere (via NME).

And what does Bush herself think of all of this? She loves it. In fact, she has made multiple statements praising the show "Stranger Things" for its use of her music. The fact that an entirely new generation was experiencing her music for the first time also moved her emotions. "I'm overwhelmed by the scale of affection and support the song is receiving, and it's all happening really fast, as if it's being driven along by a kind of elemental force," she said in a statement (per NME). "I have to admit I feel really moved by it all. Thank you so very much for making the song a number one in such an unexpected way."

On top of all the respect and love from fans, Bush herself accrued a sizeable fortune from streaming platform revenue. As The Sun reports, Bush will make at least £1 million from all of the streams, making this, perhaps, one of the most profitable moments of publicity in her career. 

It's probably a fair assumption to say that "Running Up That Hill" is currently Kate Bush's most popular song, thanks to the Netflix show. What's even more impressive is that Kate Bush is basically receiving big weekly checks from the song, and she gets to keep almost every penny.

As The Sun notes, Bush was taking in £250,000 a week at the height of the song's popularity, which might continue well into the future, as long as "Stranger Things" continues to be popular. What's important to note here is that Bush has unusual control over her music. She owns licensing, publishing, and songwriting rights to the track, and thus most of the profits basically go to her bank account. 

Noble & Brite is the company behind Bush's music, which also belongs to her, as reported by IOL. Warner Music Group is the official distributor of the song, but Bush still retains recording rights. Talk about a huge win for the queen of art-pop herself.