Bush said it is “all very amazing”, adding, “The music is receiving so many wonderful responses.” I’ve never before encountered anything like this!”
Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush has achieved number one over 37 years after its initial release.
This has shattered the record for the longest time between release and chart-topping status.
Wham! previously held the record for the longest-running sleeper hit in the United Kingdom.
Last Christmas by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley topped the Official Singles Chart 36 years after its debut.
Running Up That Hill is presently number one in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, and Switzerland, and has reached a new high of number four in the United States.
Max Mayfield, portrayed by Sadie Sink, listens to the eighties classic on her Walkman in the fourth season of the Netflix blockbuster drama Stranger Things.
Running Up That Hill was presented “in such a favorable manner, as a talisman for Max,” according to Bush.
On TikTok, fans of the song, many of whom were not even born when it was released in August 1985, have given it new life.
The lead single from Bush’s fifth studio album, Hounds of Love, debuted at number three the first time around and then at number 12 in 2012.
The 63-year-unexpected old’s number one makes her the artist with the longest gap between number-one singles; she also topped the charts with her 1978 debut, Wuthering Heights.
And she is now the oldest female artist to ever reach number one in the United Kingdom, surpassing Cher, who was 52 when Believe topped the charts in 1998.
Everything is so exciting! The last time Bush performed live was in 2014, she writes on her website.
“The track is receiving numerous great responses. I’ve never before experienced anything like this!
“Once again, I’d want to extend my gratitude to the Duffer Brothers; as a result of their most recent, fantastic season of Stranger Things, the song is reaching an entirely new audience.”
She went on: “I’m blown away by the amount of love and support the song is receiving, and it’s all happening so quickly as if it’s being propelled by some sort of elemental force.
“I must admit that I am extremely moved by everything. Thank you so much for unexpectedly making the song the No. 1 single.”
Bush would have topped the charts sooner if not for record industry streaming guidelines designed to prevent the UK top 10 from being dragged down by older songs that are frequently played on subscription platforms.
To ensure this is not the case, the “accelerated decline” rule stipulates that a new record earns one “sell” for every 100 times it is streamed on a subscription service.
Older songs must be streamed 200 times before they are considered “sold.”
Even though Bush had the most streamed song in the UK last week with 2.5 million plays, Harry Styles was ranked number one due to a more favorable ratio of streaming to sales.
Nonetheless, record companies may seek a “manual reset” under “extraordinary circumstances”; EMI did so to level the playing field.
