Kate Bush didn't write a pop song about a track meet. Honestly, when people first hear the title Running Up That Hill, they might think of sweat and sneakers, but the reality is much more visceral. It’s about the impossible desire to swap places with someone you love just to feel what they feel. To understand their pain. To stop the misunderstanding that plagues every human relationship. It’s a heavy concept wrapped in a Fairlight CMI synthesizer riff that sounds like a heartbeat.
The song is everywhere again. Or, more accurately, it never really left.
Most younger fans found it through Stranger Things in 2022, where it became Max Mayfield’s literal lifeline against Vecna. But for those who grew up in the eighties, this track was the lead single from Hounds of Love, an album that effectively saved Kate’s career after the experimental, commercially "difficult" release of The Dreaming. It’s a masterpiece of production. It’s also a masterclass in how a song can evolve over forty years without losing its edge.
The Deal with God: What the Song is Actually Saying
Let’s clear up the title first. It wasn't supposed to be called Running Up That Hill. Kate’s original title was "A Deal with God," but EMI—her record label—freaked out. They were terrified that religious countries, particularly in Europe and the US, would boycott the track or refuse to play it on the radio. They thought "God" in a title was too controversial for 1985.
Kate eventually gave in. She later admitted she regretted the change, but she understood the business side of things. She wanted people to actually hear the music.
The core of the song is empathy. It’s about a man and a woman who love each other but can't quite bridge the gap of their individual experiences. Kate’s lyrics suggest that if they could just swap places—if she could be him and he could be her—they would realize they aren’t enemies. They’d see the world through the other's eyes. It’s a plea for a miracle.
She sings about "running up 그 hill" (that hill), "running up that road," and "running up that building." These aren't literal places. They are metaphors for the uphill battle of communication. It’s exhausting. It’s steep. But the "deal with God" is the only thing that could make it happen.
That Weird, Haunting Sound: The Fairlight CMI
If you listen to the opening of Running Up That Hill, you hear this grainy, thumping, atmospheric texture. That is the Fairlight CMI. It was one of the first digital sampling synthesizers. It cost as much as a small house in the early eighties.
Kate Bush was a pioneer with this tech. She didn't just use factory presets. She sampled sounds. She manipulated them. Along with her engineer and partner at the time, Del Palmer, she spent months in her home studio (a converted barn) perfecting the "thwack" of the drums and the haunting cello-like wash of the synth.
The rhythm is driving. It’s relentless.
It feels like someone actually running. The LinnDrum—a classic drum machine of the era—provides that steady, pounding foundation. But unlike a lot of sterile eighties pop, this feels organic. It feels alive. It’s the sound of desperation.
The Stranger Things Effect and the 2022 Resurgence
We have to talk about the 2022 explosion. When Stranger Things Season 4 dropped, Running Up That Hill didn't just trend; it shattered records. It hit Number 1 in the UK, thirty-seven years after its release. It broke the Billboard Top 5 in the US.
Kate Bush, who is notoriously private and rarely does interviews, actually came out of her shell to thank the fans. She posted on her website about how overwhelmed she was. It was a rare moment of a legacy artist being genuinely stunned by a new generation’s obsession.
Why did it work so well for the show?
Because Max Mayfield’s character was grieving. She was isolated. The lyrics "Is there so much resistance from the whole world?" mirrored her internal state perfectly. The Duffer Brothers didn't just use it as background noise; they made the song a plot point. It became a symbol of survival.
It also helped that the song doesn't sound "old." Put it next to a modern Billie Eilish or Lorde track, and it fits. Kate’s production style was decades ahead of its time. She was using minimalism and heavy sub-bass before those were standard pop tropes.
Misconceptions: It’s Not About Religion (Mostly)
A common mistake people make is thinking the song is a religious anthem. It’s not. While it mentions a "deal with God," Kate has clarified in multiple interviews—including a famous 1985 chat with Richard Skinner—that God is just the "power" needed to facilitate the swap.
She once joked that a deal with the Devil would have been more traditional in literature, but she wanted something more hopeful. She wanted a "pact" that was pure.
Another misconception? That she was a "one-hit wonder" before this. Not even close. In the UK, Kate had been a superstar since "Wuthering Heights" in 1978. She was the first female artist to have a self-written UK Number 1. Running Up That Hill was her massive international comeback, the song that finally made America pay attention to the "witch of Welling."
The Visual Identity: The Music Video
If you haven't seen the music video, you're missing half the story.
In an era of big hair and neon lights, Kate Bush released a video featuring her and dancer Michael Hervieu performing a piece of contemporary interpretive dance. No flashy edits. No literal interpretation of the lyrics. Just two people in gray tunics moving through a dark, empty space.
It was radical.
She used a classical dance background to show the physical struggle of the song. When they pull back the "bow and arrow" gesture, it represents the tension in a relationship. The video was a rejection of the MTV "cool" aesthetic. It was art.
Legacy and Cover Versions
You can tell a song is a classic by who tries to cover it.
Placebo did a famous, moody version in 2003 that stripped away the synth and replaced it with distorted guitars and Brian Molko’s nasal, pained vocals. It’s great, but it’s a different beast entirely.
Meg Myers released a powerful version in 2019 that stayed very true to the original but added a modern rock edge. Even First Aid Kit and Halsey have tackled it.
Yet, none of them quite capture the ethereal "otherness" of Kate’s original vocal. She has this way of shifting from a low, conspiratorial whisper to a high-pitched, soaring cry. She sounds like she’s actually pleading with the heavens.
Why We Still Care
We live in an era of digital disconnection. We spend all day looking at screens, guessing what other people are thinking, and getting it wrong.
Running Up That Hill hits because that fundamental desire—to truly understand another person—is universal. It’s timeless. It doesn't matter if it's 1985, 2022, or 2026. Everyone has felt that moment of "if I could just show you how I feel, you’d understand."
The song is a reminder that empathy is the hardest work we do. It’s a hill. And we’re all running up it.
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How to Deep Dive into Kate Bush’s World
If this song is your only entry point, you’re scratching the surface of a deep, weird, and beautiful discography. To truly appreciate the context of the track, you should:
- Listen to the full Hounds of Love album. The first side is pop perfection; the second side (The Ninth Wave) is a conceptual suite about a person drifting at sea. It explains the sonic world Kate was building.
- Watch the "Live at Hammersmith" footage. Even though she didn't tour for 35 years after 1979, the early live versions of her songs show her theatrical roots.
- Check out "Cloudbusting." It’s the other "big" track from that era. It’s about the relationship between psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich and his son. It uses a similar driving rhythm but with a string section that will get stuck in your head for days.
- Explore the "Directors Cut." In 2011, Kate re-recorded some of her vocals for older tracks. It gives a glimpse into how she views her own legacy—she’s never finished tweaking her art.
The best way to experience Kate Bush isn't through a playlist of "80s Hits." It’s by putting on a pair of good headphones, sitting in the dark, and letting the Fairlight take you somewhere else. The hills aren't going anywhere.