Stranger Things season 4 music supervisor Nora Felder explains how she went about convincing Kate Bush to let the show use her 1980s hit song, “Running Up That Hill.” After first premiering on Netflix in 2016, the Duffer Brothers’ fantasy/ horror series became a massive hit, transporting audiences back to the 1980s in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. Stranger Things recently returned for season 4, enveloping viewers in more ’80s staples, including costumes, cars, technology, and music.
Still reeling from her brother’s death, Sadie Sink’s Max is more solitary in season 4, choosing to keep to herself and shut out the outside world by way of her Walkman. She plays her favorite song, “Running Up That Hill,” on repeat as she goes about her daily life, but the song soon comes to represent far more. After a standout sequence in episode 4, “Running Up That” ultimately saves Max’s life, acting as the character’s tether to the real world after she becomes trapped by Vecna. The song’s prominence in season 4 of Stranger Things has led to a massive resurgence in Bush’s real-world popularity, with “Running Up That Hill” topping the music charts decades after it was first released.
In a new interview with IndieWire, Felder explains how she approached Bush about using the song in the show and why Bush ultimately agreed. After being tasked by the Duffer Brothers with finding the perfect song for Max and deciding on “Running Up That Hill,” Felder set about crafting a pitch to present to Bush. Aware that Bush is somewhat particular about what movies and shows use her music, Felder reveals that she wrote an essay about how the song would be used and why it’s thematically resonant with Max’s character journey. Check out Felder’s full comment below:
“I feel like I was back in college doing a thesis but I really zoned in on not only explaining the uses, but we were really trying to provide context with what Max is going through, from what it meant for the scene and how it helped her friends try to understand what she was going through to try to save her. I think it really resonated with her because the premise of that song, it’s about switching places and it’s like me saying, ‘Hey, God,’ in this spiritual sense, ‘I wish men could switch places with women to better understand what we go through.’ And that’s exactly what these characters do. They had to understand their friends. They really had to get inside to understand what Max is going through and the support she needed in order to save her. That song encapsulates all of that. So we sent it out, and we were really nervous. She loved the show, she’s a huge fan, and she loved the concept. We were really excited.”
Since her introduction in Stranger Things season 2, Max has quickly become a fan-favorite character. Season 4 sees Max in a much darker place, however, and much of her journey, as Felder explains, is attempting to reforge her bonds with her friends from a place of loneliness and solitude. In addition to having a more literal significance in that Max’s journey in season 4 is an uphill battle, the song also clearly holds a much deeper meaning in terms of the relationships between characters under the surface.
Now, “Running Up That Hill” is constantly used on social media, and several weeks ago, the music video for the song surpassed 100 million views on YouTube. Many elements of Stranger Things season 4 have been a hit with fans, but Bush’s song has taken on a life outside the show. Although it’s now hard to imagine certain moments in Stranger Things season 4 without “Running Up That Hill,” Felder’s comments make clear that bringing those moments to life took a lot of thoughtful and hard work behind the scenes.
