Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ has given the artist a massive payout for royalties generated due to it’s appearance in Stranger Things.
The music data tracking site Illuminate has recently revealed that Kate Bush has received a windfall of cash to the tune of 2.3 million dollars due to the popularity both Stranger Things and TikTok generated for the 37-year-old song.
The song took off after it appeared in the fourth season of Stranger Things as the song that liberated Max from Vecna’s curse. The actress who plays Max, Sadie Sink, took a practical approach to the song, as she reportedly listened to the song for 24 hours straight. This is similar to what her character, Max, had to do in the show to keep Vecna’s curse at bay.
Some Stranger Things cast members recently sat down for an interview with Pedestrian while they were in Australia where they talked about Season 4 and what’s to come. During the interview, Sink revealed exactly what she had to do to get herself in the mindset for this listening extraveganza.
Max had to listen to the song for hours to avoid being haunted by Vecna, which became somewhat of a meme in the days following Season 4 Vol. 1’s release. It turns out that not only did Max have to listen to the same song for hours on end, but Sink did as well to prepare for the part.
What was your reaction when you picked up the Season 4 script and saw what was to come?
Sadie: It’s crazy, reading the scripts is always different. It feels different on paper until you’re in the moment doing it and then realise ‘Oh wow, this is really cool!’
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Gaten: The table reads are the closest we get to seeing the show for the first time. We have the same experience that the fans get when it’s released. It’s always cool seeing who you’ll be sitting next to because it’s always a good indication of who you’ll be spending time with this season.
Volume 1 was wild! Which moment freaked you out the most? I think I already know yours, Sadie.
Sadie: Yeah… Vecna. That was crazy. Seconds before we were rolling was the first time I got to see Jamie [Campbell Bower] in his get-up.
Gaten: I only saw Jamie once on set. He had gotten ready for a 3D animation scan and he was just sitting there with his top half done up but legs completely human. And he was just drinking coffee and talking with an American accent. He likes to really sit in the character. We hadn’t met each other and I was just like: “How are you?” And he’s like: “Exhausted!” It was just the funniest thing. He was sitting in like a soccer mum lawn chair in the hot Atlanta sun, it just looked miserable.
Obviously you guys can’t spoil too much, but what can you tell us about Volume 2?
Sadie: Volume 1 is just setting up for Volume 2.
Gaten: It’s so long and it’s so much of a season. Volume 1 feels like it was just as long as any season we’ve ever made.
Sadie: Honestly, you guys aren’t ready… There are scenes that I wasn’t in that I really wanna see!
I have to ask: Are you sick of Kate Bush yet?
Sadie: No! I’m not sick of it. I want to hold onto it for as long as I can. When I first heard the song I wanted to experience and see what it would be like just to listen to it all day so I just put it on repeat and I listened to it God knows how many times, but I just can’t get it out of my head. And the Chromatics did a cover of it and I’ve been listening to that too.
Gaten: It is a better song than “Neverending Story.”
Sadie: It is.
Gaten: It’s a profoundly better song! So that’s great for you.
Stranger Things Season 4 Part 2 was released on Netflix today, July 1st, 2022.
