You may not know it by name, but you’ve definitely heard it if you’ve been online lately. After 37 years, “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush is trending. As a result, this viral ’80s song is breaking record after record. 

Despite being released in 1985, “Running Up That Hill” has achieved mega-hit status. The song climbed to #1 on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the Official U.K. Singles charts. 

Additionally, the viral ’80s song has become the number one streamed song globally.

As if that weren’t enough, at the time of writing this article, it has been the #1 Hot Alternative Song for four consecutive weeks.

Overall, the now chart-topping tune has earned Kate Bush $2.3 million in royalties. 

Impressive as that is, it’s also breaking world records.

Stranger things have happened

Bush’s 37 year old hit became popular after being featured in the season four finale of the Netflix series “Stranger Things.”

The popular show is set in the ’80s. Therefore, it uses music and other media to set a nostalgic atmosphere. 

As a result of the strategic approach, “Stranger Things” grabbed the attention of new audiences and ’80s babies alike. 

“What’s really wonderful I think is that it’s this whole new audience who, in a lot of cases, they’ve never heard of me, and I love that. The thought of all these really young people hearing the song for the first time and discovering it, I think it’s very special.”

— Kate Bush on the viral status of “Running Up That Hill” / BBC

After the record began dominating the social media space, Kate Bush was awarded multiple honors by the Guinness Book of World Records: 

• Longest Time for Song to Reach #1 — 37 years!
• Oldest Female Singer to Reach #1 — a title previously held by Cher
• Longest Gap Between #1 — Bush had another song hit #1 in the UK called, “Wuthering Heights.” 

The lesson we can learn from Kate Bush’s ’80s song going viral is that money definitely follows attention.

And possibly just as important, gives good music new life. 

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