Almost every day since, mass media reports provided regular reminders of another tune with a people swapping theme, thanks to Netflix, as Kate Bush enjoys new love for "Running Up That Hill."
For anyone recently under a rock, the new season of "Stranger Things" includes an apparently crucial scene set to Bush's 1985 lyrics on a repeating loop of the running part. The catchier part of the song, for this blogger, is ...
"And if I only could, I'd make a deal with God, and I'd get Him to swap our places."
My limited experience with "Stranger Things" and its otherworldly elements made me think a different, lesser known Bush song might be more apt ("Hello Earth" with its murder of calm, anyone?).
But it's satisfying to see "Running Up That Hill" ascending the Billboard charts (as high as No. 4 as of this post). Go, Kate!
It took no Google search to know when this tune enjoyed one of its earlier renaissances. For those at London Olympic Stadium for the 2012 Closing Ceremony, few have forgotten the evening's premiere of an updated version timed to debut on the world's stage.
Sadly, the reclusive performer was not there in person (trust me, many were looking for her -- in the YouTube video below featuring this segment of the ceremony, you might spot me on the lookout from my upgraded seat near the cauldron). The next day she said the occasion was brilliant! (It would have been more so with a surprise live appearance.)
More recently, Bush granted a rare interview about the "Stranger Things" phenomenon with a BBC reporter, according to Rolling Stone.
Growing up in Oklahoma during Bush's 1980s heyday, her works seldom got air time on pop stations, so personal fluency with her works only started in my college years (1991-1995). I do recall strong emotions when "This Woman's Work" perfectly complemented the hospital climax of "She's Having A Baby" (which the "Stranger Things" fan set might enjoy for different dose of nostalgia).
My first and only purchase from her catalog is "Hounds of Love" which was part of this writer's 1999 soundtrack for the first year of agency work at The Headline Group -- must have played that CD a thousand or more times, now back in rotation during urban drives, thanks to recent coverage.
One hopes the current resurgence would inspire some additional live performances like the 2014 residency in London. I'd get on a plane for such sensations.
Photo via EMI
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