Kate Bush’s 1985 classic “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” has been streamed 1 billion times on Spotify.To celebrate the occasion, the reclusive artist thanked her fans for listening in a new message posted to her website.
“Billion streams! I have a picture of a river suddenly flooding and becoming many tributaries — a billion streams — on their way to the sea,” Bush said. “Every one of these streams has been one of you… Thank you! Thank you so much for sending this song on such an incredible and amazing journey. I’m blown away.
‘Running Up That Hill’ re-enters the cultural consciousness after its fourth season aired last year Stranger Things. After the Netflix series introduced the song to a new generation, it shot to the top of the US and UK charts and inspired Bush to give a rare interview about its success. Following its revival, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Read our ranking of Bush’s 10 best songs here, then revisit our feature story on the joys of discovering music through film and television.