Post by erik on Feb 4, 2023 14:48:24 GMT -5
In this week's Pop Music Hits Spotlight, the focus is on Kate Bush, whose 1985 hit "Running Up That Hill" witnessed a resurgence in 2022.
RUNNING UP THAT HILL (A DEAL WITH GOD) (Kate Bush; EMI; 1985)—Beginning in the late 1970’s, British singer-songwriter Kate Bush amassed a huge following in her native country. Her own self-written song “Wuthering Heights” became the first #1 hit written by a woman to top the British singles charts, which it did shortly after the release of Kate’s album The Kick Inside in early 1978. Despite this huge success in England, however, it didn’t really translate into anything big on the other side of the Altantic, where “Wuthering Heights” didn’t even break the Billboard Hot 100. In fact, it wasn’t until the summer of 1985 that American audiences really started taking Kate seriously. This came via a track from her album [iHounds Of Love[/I] called “Running Up That Hill”, which she said addressed the inability of men and women to relate to one another, and that, by making “a deal with God”, they could achieve a greater understanding. Utilizing a Fairlight CMI synthesize and a LinnDrum machine, “Running Up That Hill” not only became a big hit in Kate’s native country, but became her first Top 40 hit in America, peaking at #30 in November 1985. Further attention came the song’s way in 2012 when, in a remixed version, it was used during the closing ceremonies of that year’s Summer Olympics in London. But the song experienced an even greater revival ten years after that, when it was used in the fourth episode of Netflix’s horror series Stranger Things, and attracted a whole new audience. Thanks to the extreme amount of streaming requests, “Running Up That Hill” re-charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached #3 on October 2022. Due to this attention, Kate Bush is, as of February 2023, being considered for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
RUNNING UP THAT HILL (A DEAL WITH GOD) (Kate Bush; EMI; 1985)—Beginning in the late 1970’s, British singer-songwriter Kate Bush amassed a huge following in her native country. Her own self-written song “Wuthering Heights” became the first #1 hit written by a woman to top the British singles charts, which it did shortly after the release of Kate’s album The Kick Inside in early 1978. Despite this huge success in England, however, it didn’t really translate into anything big on the other side of the Altantic, where “Wuthering Heights” didn’t even break the Billboard Hot 100. In fact, it wasn’t until the summer of 1985 that American audiences really started taking Kate seriously. This came via a track from her album [iHounds Of Love[/I] called “Running Up That Hill”, which she said addressed the inability of men and women to relate to one another, and that, by making “a deal with God”, they could achieve a greater understanding. Utilizing a Fairlight CMI synthesize and a LinnDrum machine, “Running Up That Hill” not only became a big hit in Kate’s native country, but became her first Top 40 hit in America, peaking at #30 in November 1985. Further attention came the song’s way in 2012 when, in a remixed version, it was used during the closing ceremonies of that year’s Summer Olympics in London. But the song experienced an even greater revival ten years after that, when it was used in the fourth episode of Netflix’s horror series Stranger Things, and attracted a whole new audience. Thanks to the extreme amount of streaming requests, “Running Up That Hill” re-charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached #3 on October 2022. Due to this attention, Kate Bush is, as of February 2023, being considered for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.