Kate Bush Loves That New Fans 'Never Heard of Me' Before Stranger Things : 'Really Wonderful'
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Kate Bush knows that many of her newest fans had likely never heard of her before Stranger Things — and she's more than happy to welcome the next generation into her fan base.
The singer-songwriter, 63, reflected on her career resurgence in a new interview with BBC Radio 4's Women's Hour on Wednesday, and said she finds her renewed popularity thanks to the Netflix show's use of "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" "just extraordinary."
"I thought that the track would get some attention, but I just never imagined that it would be anything like this," she said. "It's so exciting, but it's quite shocking, really, isn't it? The whole world's gone mad."
The song, which came out in 1985 on the album Hounds of Love, is prominently featured in a standout season 4 episode of Stranger Things, which premiered in late May.
In the weeks since, the song topped the U.K. charts and hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Bush her first Top 10 hit in the United States (the song originally peaked at No. 30).
"What's really wonderful, I think, is that this is a whole new audience who, in a lot of cases, they'd never heard of me and I love that," she told the BBC. "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."
Despite her enduring success, Bush said she "never" listens to her own music, and because of that, hadn't heard the song "in a really long time."
Still, she praised the way Stranger Things showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer chose to utilize the track as a mechanism through which the character Max (played by Sadie Sink) is able to escape the death grip of the supernatural villain Vecna.
"I think they have put it in a really special place," she said. "I thought, 'What a lovely way for the song to be used in such a positive way, as kind of a talisman, almost, for Max. I think it's very touching, actually."
Bush said that she's been a fan of Stranger Things since the first season, and has enjoyed watching as the actors have grown up on screen over the years.
Dave Hogan/Getty Kate Bush
"It's lovely because, in a similar way to Harry Potter, where in those early films, they were just little kids," she said. "And then as the films progress it becomes heavier and darker and those little kids turn into really talented young adult actors, and you have a different connection with something that's moved through years of watching them grow."
The "Wuthering Heights" singer previously expressed her gratitude for the song's renewed popularity in a pair of posts she shared on her website, first after the episode aired, and then after it charted in the U.S.
RELATED: Kate Bush Raves About 'Running Up That Hill' Getting a 'New Lease of Life' Thanks to Stranger Things
"The track is being responded to in so many positive ways," Bush wrote. "I've never experienced anything quite like this before! I just want to say a really big thank you to everyone in the US who has supported the song."
In addition to its re-entering the charts, "Running Up That Hill" has also been covered by stars like Kim Petras and Halsey.
Part two of season 4 of Stranger Things will drop on July 1.
