Running Up That Hill#Placebo version
{{Short description|1985 single by Kate Bush}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2012}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Running Up That Hill
| cover = Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill.png
| alt = Kate Bush drawing an arrow
| type = single
| artist = Kate Bush
| album = Hounds of Love
| B-side = Under the Ivy
| released = {{Start date|1985|08|5|df=yes}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre = {{hlist|Synth-pop{{cite web|last=Campbell|first=Erica|date=2 June 2022|title=Kate Bush granted 'Stranger Things' permission to use 'Running Up That Hill' because she's a fan|url=https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/music/kate-bush-granted-stranger-things-permission-to-use-running-up-that-hill-because-shes-a-fan-3239255|access-date=19 July 2022|website=NME}}{{cite web|last=Partridge|first=Kenneth|date=15 June 2022|title=Kate Bush's Haunting "Running Up That Hill" Has Been Connecting With New Generations for Nearly 40 Years|url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-song-music-history-facts|access-date=19 July 2022|website=Mental Floss}}{{cite web|url=https://electrozombies.com/magazine/article/35-essential-synth-pop-songs-of-the-history/|title=35 essential Synth Pop songs of the history|first=Thomas|last=Frenken|date=April 3, 2021|website=Electrozombies}}|new wave{{cite web|last=Abed|first=Cyrus|date=12 April 2022|title=33 Best New Wave Songs In The World|url=https://www.musicindustryhowto.com/new-wave-songs/|access-date=6 June 2022|website=Music Industry How To}}|art pop{{cite web|date=10 June 2022|title=Bop Shop: Kate Bush Edition|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/1g0ilq/bop-shop-kate-bush-running-up-that-hill|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719145744/https://www.mtv.com/news/1g0ilq/bop-shop-kate-bush-running-up-that-hill|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 July 2022|access-date=19 July 2022|publisher=MTV}}|art rock{{cite web|date=10 July 2022|title=Kate Bush Running Up that Hill|url= https://storyofsong.com/story/running-up-that-hill/|access-date=27 July 2022|website=Storyofsong}}}}
| length = {{duration|m=4|s=58}}
| label = EMI
| writer = Kate Bush
| producer = Kate Bush
| prev_title = Night of the Swallow
| prev_year = 1983
| next_title = Cloudbusting
| next_year = 1985
| misc = {{External music video|type=single|header=Music video|1={{YouTube|wp43OdtAAkM|"Running Up That Hill"}}}}{{Audio sample
| type = single
| file = Running Up That Hill.ogg
}}
}}
"Running Up That Hill" (also titled "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)") is a song by the English singer-songwriter Kate Bush. It was released in the UK as the lead single from Bush's fifth studio album, Hounds of Love, on 5 August 1985 by EMI Records.
Bush wrote and produced "Running Up That Hill" using a Fairlight CMI synthesiser and a LinnDrum drum machine. The lyrics imagine a man and a woman who make "a deal with God" to exchange places. The music video features Bush performing an interpretive dance; Bush wanted to create a serious work, feeling dance had been trivialised in other videos.
In 1985, "Running Up That Hill" reached number three on the UK singles chart, Bush's highest position since her number-one 1978 single "Wuthering Heights". It was named among the year's best tracks by Melody Maker and was nominated for British Single of the Year at the 1986 Brit Awards. In 2012, a remix used in that year's Summer Olympics closing ceremony reached number six.
In 2022, after it was featured in the fourth season of the Netflix series Stranger Things, "Running Up That Hill" reached number one in eight countries, including the UK. It is Bush's only US top-40 hit, reaching number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1985 and number three in 2022. In 2023, it reached a billion streams on Spotify.
Bush debuted "Running Up That Hill" in a performance on the BBC1 talk show Wogan. She performed it in 1987 at the Secret Policeman's Third Ball, accompanied by the Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, and in 2014 at her Before the Dawn concerts. It has been covered by acts including Placebo, Within Temptation, St Vincent, Chromatics and Meg Myers. In 2021, Rolling Stone placed "Running Up That Hill" at number 60 in its updated list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Music and lyrics
"Running Up That Hill" features synthesisers, guitar, bass, a driving drum beat and the balalaika, a Russian string instrument.{{Cite web |last=Macdonald |first=Kate |date=22 June 2022 |title=The genius harmonic sequence that gives Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' its emotional power |url=https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/music-theory/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-analysis/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website= |publisher=Classic FM (UK) |language=en}} Classic FM described its mood as "passionate and pleading", with uncertainty and a longing for emotional resolution.
"Running Up That Hill" uses the key of C minor, with a vocal melody focusing on the minor seventh, creating a sense of pending resolution and "lingering harmonic tension and instability". On the word "could", Bush sings the major seventh of A-flat major, using dissonance to create more tension.
The drummer, Stuart Elliott, said: "The tension in that track is just remarkable. Every step of the way, there's a little twist and turn that's different from the previous verse — an extra line or one line less, or a repeat just in the perfect places. There's absolutely no dead space ... It's just so deceptively simple."
Bush said the lyrics address the inability of men and women to understand each other. She imagined that by making "a deal with God", they could exchange places and reach a greater understanding.{{cite web |last=Whatley |first=Jack |date=11 October 2020 |title=The Story Behind The Song: 'Running Up That Hill (Deal With God)' Kate Bush's bargain |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-story-behind-song/ |website=Far Out}} The song was originally titled "A Deal with God", but her record label, EMI Records, felt this was a sensitive title and could limit its radio play. Bush agreed to change it as she had not had a hit song in some time and wanted to "give the album a chance". On the album, it was titled "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)".{{Cite web |last=Sinclair |first=Paul |date=2022-06-02 |title=Everything you always wanted to know about Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill'' |url=https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-kate-bushs-running-up-that-hill/ |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=Super Deluxe Edition |language=en-US}} Bush said in 2022 that she still thought of the song with that title.{{Cite web |date=2022-06-23 |title=Kate Bush says she prefers original 'Running Up That Hill' song title |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/kate-bush-2022-running-up-that-hill-title-b2107455.html |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=The Independent |language=en}}
Recording
{{Multiple image
| align =
| direction = vertical
| total_width =
| image1 = Fairlight CMI-IIx.jpg
| alt1 =
| caption1 = The Fairlight CMI synthesiser
| image2 = LinnDrum digital drum machine front panel .jpg
| caption2 = The LinnDrum drum machine
}}
In 1983, Bush moved from London to rural Sevenoaks, where she set up a songwriting room with a piano, a Fairlight CMI synthesiser and an eight-track recorder. "Running Up That Hill" was the first song Bush composed for her fifth album, Hounds of Love (1985).{{cite magazine |last=Thompson |first=Graeme |date=August 26, 2014 |title='This girl is very, very tough...' The untold story of Kate Bush's Hounds of Love |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/this-girl-is-very-very-tough-the-untold-story-of-kate-bush-s-hounds-of-love-4812/ |access-date=June 5, 2022 |magazine=Uncut}} She wrote it in a single evening, and recorded a demo. According to Bush, the song began with the Fairlight riff.{{cite magazine |last=Horkins |first=Tony |date=October 1985 |title=What Katy did |url=http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/what-katy-did/12683 |magazine=International Musician & Recording World |page=85}} She sang a drum pattern to her boyfriend and recording engineer, Del Palmer, who programmed it into a LinnDrum drum machine. She said the lyrics for the first verse "came straight away".
In early 1984, Bush moved to her new studio at East Wickham Farm in her childhood home of Welling, Kent, where she recorded the final version of "Running Up That Hill". Bush and Palmer recorded the first version onto 8-track using the Fairlight, and used this to build the vocal. Palmer added a "pulsing" bassline. After transferring the song to 24-track, Bush, Palmer and the engineers Paul Hardiman and Haydn Bendall developed the final version, spending particular time on the Fairlight parts.
The main riff was played on the Fairlight using its sampled cello sound. This replaced an earlier harp sound, which Bush found too noisy.{{Cite web |last=Rogerson |first=Ben |date=2022-06-10 |title=The synth and drum machine that powered Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-synth-drum-machine |access-date=2022-08-29 |website=MusicRadar |language=en}} The drone part was developed by "freezing" a chord into a Quantec digital reverb. The drummer, Stuart Elliott, overdubbed a snare to strengthen the Linndrum, and added fills at the end combined with sounds from the Fairlight. Alan Murphy overdubbed guitar for the ending.{{Cite web |last1=Horsley |first1=Jonathan |last2=Roche |first2=Sam |last3=Maxwell |first3=Jackson |last4=Parker |first4=Sam |date=2022-06-27 |title=7 guitar-led covers of Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-guitar-covers |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Guitar World |language=en}} Bush's brother, Paddy Bush, performed balalaika.
Music video
The music video was directed by David Garfath and choreographed by Diane Grey.{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=2022-07-17 |title=Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' tops 100 million YouTube views |url=https://au.variety.com/2022/digital/news/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-youtube-views-stranger-things-4288/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Variety Australia |language=en-AU}}{{Cite news |last=Aston |first=Martin |date=October 2022 |title='I cracked her rib!' |work=Mojo |issue=347}} It features Bush performing an interpretive dance with the dancer Misha (then, Michael) Hervieu. Bush felt that dance in music videos was "being used quite trivially, it was being exploited: haphazard images, busy, lots of dances, without really the serious expression, and wonderful expression, that dance can give". Instead, she wanted to create a "serious piece of dance" comprising a simple routine between two people. In the video, Bush mimics an archer pulling a bow, an idea she reused for the single cover.
Hervieu said she was cast as she was not following the trends of dance in pop music at the time. As Hervieu was much taller than Bush, they discovered Bush could wrap around her body "like a snake" and incorporated this into the dance. To evade Equity union rules against moonlighting, Hervieu said she could not appear in the West End musical Barnum because of illness, for which she was fired from the play. In July 2022, the music video reached 100 million views on YouTube.
Release
Bush debuted "Running Up That Hill" in a performance on the BBC1 talk show Wogan, to an estimated audience of nine million. She performed from behind a lectern, backed by a band including Palmer and Paddy Bush. The performers wore coats similar to religious habits and were accompanied by standard-bearers waving "billowing" flags. Mojo wrote later: "Particularly in the context of a cosy mainstream show, there was something distinctly ritualistic about the whole affair, certainly in keeping with the song's magickal theme." Bush also performed it on the West German show Peter's Pop Show.{{Cite magazine |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |date=2024-04-24 |title=Why Kate Bush still sounds ahead of her time with 'Running Up That Hill' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-500-greatest-songs-podcast-1235009334/ |access-date=2024-09-03 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} "Running Up That Hill" was released in the UK as the lead single from Hounds of Love on 5 August 1985,{{cite magazine |last=Strickland |first=Andy |date=3 August 1985 |title=News |magazine=Record Mirror |page=4 |issn=0144-5804}} and reached number three on the UK singles chart.{{Cite news |last=Beaumont-Thomas |first=Ben |date=3 June 2022|title=Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill races back into UK top 10 thanks to Stranger Things |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jun/03/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-uk-top-10-stranger-things |access-date=3 September 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
2012 Olympics remix
A remix of "Running Up That Hill" was used during the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.{{Cite web |last=Stevens |first=Jenny |date=2012-08-13 |title=Kate Bush praises 'brilliant' Olympic closing ceremony |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/kate-bush-25-1256167 |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=NME |language=en-GB}} The remix is included in the soundtrack album for the 2012 Olympics, A Symphony of British Music. It reached number six on the UK singles chart on 19 August, becoming Bush's first top-ten single since "King of the Mountain" in 2005.{{cite news |date=19 August 2012 |title=Olympic gigs prompt chart success |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19313392 |access-date=20 August 2012 |work=BBC News}}
2022 revival and ''Stranger Things''
"Running Up That Hill" gained renewed attention in May 2022 after it featured in the fourth season of the Netflix series Stranger Things.{{cite web |last=Simpson |first=Dave |date=31 May 2022 |title=The strangest thing? Why Kate Bush is back at the top of the charts |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/shortcuts/2022/may/31/the-strangest-thing-why-kate-bush-is-back-at-the-top-of-the-charts |access-date=1 June 2022 |website=The Guardian}} Winona Ryder, who plays Joyce Byers, said she had pushed to include the song and had been a fan of Bush since childhood.{{cite web |last=Miller |first=Korin |date=31 May 2022 |title=What is Kate Bush's song 'Running Up That Hill' doing in Stranger Things? Everything about the old '80s tune |url=https://www.womenshealthmag.com/about/a40154549/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-stranger-things/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611150950/https://www.womenshealthmag.com/about/a40154549/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-stranger-things/ |archive-date=11 June 2022 |access-date=22 June 2022 |work=Women's Health |language=en-GB}} Bush rarely licenses her songs but agreed because she is a fan of the show.{{cite web |last=Tangjay |first=Jazz |date=June 1, 2022 |title=How 'Stranger Things' Landed Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' |url=https://variety.com/2022/music/news/stranger-things-kate-bush-running-up-hill-1235282576/ |access-date=June 1, 2022 |work=Variety}} The composer, Rob Simonsen, created an orchestral remix recorded in Air Studios, London.{{Cite web |last=Tangcay |first=Jazz |date=2022-07-12 |title=Stranger Things: How an orchestral version of Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' made the most of Max's moment |url=https://variety.com/2022/artisans/news/stranger-things-kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-instrumental-music-1235314066/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} To create the feeling of a lullaby, he added a choir, combined with the "juggernaut" of a full orchestra. The remix appears as a motif throughout the series and in a pivotal scene.{{cite web |last=Cain |first=Sian |date=6 June 2022 |title=Kate Bush thanks Stranger Things fans as 'Running Up That Hill' climbs charts |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jun/06/kate-bush-thanks-stranger-things-fans-as-running-up-that-hill-climbs-charts |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606192742/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jun/06/kate-bush-thanks-stranger-things-fans-as-running-up-that-hill-climbs-charts |archive-date=6 June 2022 |access-date=7 June 2022 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}
After it was used in Stranger Things, "Running Up That Hill" became the most streamed song on Spotify in the UK and the US. It reached number one in the UK, Australia,{{cite web |date=13 June 2022 |title=ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart |url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/singles-chart/2022-06-13 |access-date=17 June 2022 |publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association}} Belgium,{{cite magazine |title=Belgium Songs, Retrieved 2022/06/18. |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/belgium-songs-hotw/2022-06-18/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=17 June 2022}} Ireland,{{cite web |date=17 June 2022 |title=Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50 |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/irish-singles-chart/ |access-date=17 June 2022 |publisher=Irish Recorded Music Association}} Lithuania,{{cite web |date=10 June 2022 |title=2022 23-os savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100) |url=https://www.agata.lt/lt/naujienos/s23/ |access-date=17 June 2022 |publisher=AGATA |language=lt}} Luxembourg,{{cite magazine |title=Luxembourg Songs: Week of June 18, 2022 |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/luxembourg-songs-hotw/2022-06-18/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=June 23, 2022}} New Zealand,{{cite web |date=13 June 2022 |title=NZ Top 40 Singles Chart |url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/singles/2022-06-10 |access-date=17 June 2022 |publisher=Recorded Music NZ}} Sweden,{{cite web |title=Veckolista Singlar, vecka 23 |url=https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/chart/41?dspy=2022&dspp=23 |access-date=17 June 2022 |publisher=Sverigetopplistan}} and Switzerland.{{cite web |title=Kate Bush becomes 3 x Official Charts Record Breaker as Running Up That Hill lands at Number 1 |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/kate-bushs-running-up-that-hill-is-official-charts-number-1-single-singer-becomes-3-x-official-charts-record-breaker-with-stranger-things-success__36605/ |access-date=17 June 2022 |website=www.officialcharts.com |language=en}} It was Bush's second UK number-one single after "Wuthering Heights" in 1978, making her the solo artist with the longest gap between two number-one UK singles and the oldest female artist to achieve a UK number one. The 37-year gap between the single's release and the time it took to reach number one was also a record.{{Cite news |date=2022-09-05 |title='Running Up That Hill' was the UK's song of the summer |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-62799443 |access-date=2023-11-16 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}} On 1 September, "Running Up That Hill" was issued as a CD single for the first time.{{cite web |last=Campbell |first=Erica |date=1 September 2022 |title=Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' to be released as CD single. |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-to-be-released-as-cd-single-3302816 |access-date=2 October 2022 |website=NME}} The song sold 1,077,284 copies in the UK in 2022.{{Cite web |date=March 12, 2023 |title=ERA Yearbook 2023 |url=https://eraltd.org/media/72554/2023-era-yrbk_120323.pdf |website= |publisher=Entertainment Retailers Association}} The Official Charts Company described the success as 1980s nostalgia.{{Cite web |last=Griffiths |first=George |date=2022-09-05 |title=The UK's Official Songs of the Summer 2022: Kate Bush's record-breaking Stranger Things anthem Running Up That Hill is the Official Song of the Summer 2022 as 80s nostalgia reigns supreme |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-uks-official-songs-of-the-summer-2022-kate-bush-s-record-breaking-stranger-things-anthem-running-up-that-hill-is-the-official-song-of-the-summer-2022-as-80s-nostalgia-reigns-supreme__37338/ |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=Official Charts |language=en}}
In the US, "Running Up That Hill" reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, bettering its 1985 peak of number 30, Bush's highest previous placement on the chart.{{cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=6 June 2022 |title=Harry Styles Holds Atop Billboard Hot 100 With 'As It Was,' Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' Hits Top 10 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/harry-styles-kate-bush-hot-100-top-10-1235082217/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=7 June 2022}}{{Cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=13 June 2022 |title=Harry Styles' 'As It Was' Keeps Atop Billboard Hot 100, Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' Hits Top Five |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/harry-styles-sixth-week-hot-100-kate-bush-top-five-1235086411/ |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US |access-date=13 June 2022}} It also charted on the Billboard rock and Alternative Airplay charts and reached number one on both Hot Alternative Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.{{cite magazine |last=Rutherford |first=Kevin |date=13 June 2022 |title=Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' Climbs to No. 1 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-tops-rock-alternative-songs-chart-1235086560/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=13 June 2022}} "Running Up That Hill" became popular with Generation Z, who were not born when the song was released, and it appeared in videos on the social media platform TikTok. Bush described the renewed interest as extraordinary and touching.{{Cite news |last=Beaumont-Thomas |first=Ben |date=2022-06-22 |title='The whole world's gone mad!' Kate Bush on Running Up That Hill's success |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jun/22/the-whole-worlds-gone-mad-kate-bush-on-running-up-that-hills-success |access-date=2023-11-04 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
By 17 July 2022, views of the music video on YouTube had doubled. On 22 June 2023, "Running Up That Hill" reached one billion streams on Spotify. In response, Bush wrote, "I have an image of a river that suddenly floods and becomes many, many tributaries — a billion streams — on their way to the sea. Each one of these streams is one of you. Thank you so much for sending this song on such an impossibly astonishing journey. I'm blown away."{{cite web |last=Richards |first=Will |date=22 June 2023 |title=Kate Bush thanks fans as 'Running Up That Hill' hits "impossibly astonishing" one billion streams |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/kate-bush-thanks-fans-as-running-up-that-hill-hits-impossibly-astonishing-one-billion-streams-3459353 |access-date=23 June 2023 |website=NME}}
Critical response
In 1985, Smash Hits named "Running Up That Hill" its "single of the fortnight" and praised its "melodic strength" and "coolly restrained performance".{{Cite news |last=Cranna |first=Ian |date=27 August 1985 |title=Singles – Running Up That Hill |page=21 |pages= |work=Smash Hits |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Smash-Hits/1985/Smash-Hits-1985-08-14.pdf}} It was described as "nice" in an otherwise negative review in the Record Mirror.{{Cite news |last=Rochefort |first=Damon |date=10 August 1985 |title=Singles: Running Up That Hill |page=16 |work=Record Mirror |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/80s/85/Record-Mirror-1985-08-10.pdf |access-date=16 November 2023}} Edwin Pouncey of Sounds said he was "seduced by the sheer strangeness of Ms Bush's dramatic return".{{Cite magazine |title=Singles |last=Pouncey |first=Edwin |author-link=Savage Pencil |date=10 August 1985 |magazine=Sounds |page=15}} It was named the year's second-best track by Melody Maker and the third-best by NME.{{Cite magazine |last=Law |first=Marshall |date=21–28 December 1985 |title=Singles of the year |magazine=Melody Maker |page=43}}{{cite magazine |date=2018 |title=Albums and Tracks of the Year |url=https://www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/1985-2-1045389 |magazine=NME |access-date=8 September 2018}} At the 1986 Brit Awards, "Running Up That Hill" was nominated for British Single of the Year.{{Cite web |date=2012-10-14 |title=The BRITs 1986 {{!}} The BRIT Awards 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014053139/http://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/1986 | url=http://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/1986 | archive-date=2012-10-14 | access-date=2023-11-16 |website=Brit Awards | url-status=live}}
In 2014, NME named "Running Up That Hill" the 108th-greatest song of all time.{{Cite web |last=Barker |first=Emily |date=2014-01-31 |title=The 500 greatest songs of all time — 200—101 |url=https://www.nme.com/photos/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-200-101-1421780 |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=NME |language=en-GB}} That year, NME included it at number 25 in its "Story of NME in 70 (mostly) seminal songs", with Mark Beaumont writing that Bush was "a totemic figure in sneaking left field ideas into the heart of the charts".{{cite web |last=Beaumont |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Beaumont (journalist) |date=7 March 2022 |title=The story of NME in 70 (mostly) seminal songs |url=https://www.nme.com/features/music-features/story-of-nme-in-70-seminal-songs-3176759 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307110139/https://www.nme.com/features/music-features/story-of-nme-in-70-seminal-songs-3176759 |archive-date=7 March 2022 |access-date=7 March 2022 |website=NME |publisher=}} Reviewing Hounds of Love in 2016, the Pitchfork critic Barry Walters wrote that "Running Up That Hill" had "brought to the mainstream gender-equality issues that female-led post-punk acts like Au Pairs had been thrashing out for years in the underground".{{cite web |last=Walters |first=Barry |date=12 June 2016 |title=Kate Bush: Hounds of Love |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21964-hounds-of-love/ |access-date=12 June 2016 |website=Pitchfork}} He connected its lyrics, Bush's performance and the pitch-shifting effect on her vocals to gender issues: "As if trying to escape her body, sex, and consciousness ... Armed with equally advanced machines and melodies, Bush now creatively trumped nearly every mid-'80s rocker." The AllMusic journalist Amy Hanson wrote: "Always adept at emotion and beautifully able to manipulate even the most bitter of hearts, rarely has Bush penned such a brutally truthful, painfully sensual song."{{cite web |last=Hanson |first=Amy |title=Running Up That Hill — Kate Bush |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/running-up-that-hill-mt0008847327 |access-date=18 November 2016 |website=Allmusic}}
"Running Up That Hill" was named the best Kate Bush song by Far Out{{Cite web |date=2022-06-19 |title=The 10 best Kate Bush songs of all time |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/10-best-kate-bush-songs/ |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}} and the third-best by Mojo.{{Cite web |date=2023-09-11 |title=Kate Bush's 50 Greatest Songs Ranked! |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/the-mojo-list/kate-bushs-50-greatest-tracks/ |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=Mojo |language=en}} The Guardian named it Bush's best UK single.{{Cite news |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |date=2018-11-23 |title=Kate Bush – every UK single ranked! |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/nov/23/kate-bush-every-uk-single-ranked |access-date=2023-11-16 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} In 2021, Rolling Stone placed "Running Up That Hill" at number 60 in its updated list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".{{cite web |date=2021-09-16 |title=The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time |url=https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-30065/?list_page=9#list-item-100/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |publisher=Rolling Stone Australia}} It was nominated for Favourite Rock Song at the American Music Awards of 2022.{{Cite web |title=2022 Nominees |url=https://www.theamas.com/nominees/2022-nominees/ |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=American Music Awards |language=en}} That year, Mojo described it as "timeless and unique ... barely a whiff of anachronism arises from its dated technology... Both lyrically and musically, it remains an outstanding example of how innovative, catchy and weird pop music can be."{{Cite news |last=Doyle |first=Tom |date=October 2022 |title=Magickal thinking |work=Mojo |issue=347}} In 2024, the Rolling Stone journalist Rob Sheffield wrote: "Her classic synth-goth anthem sounded ahead of its time in the eighties. But only Kate Bush could make it a song that still sounds ahead of its time nearly 40 years later ... It became a timeless pop standard, without losing its spooky sense of dread."
Live performances
Bush performed "Running Up That Hill" in 1987 at the Secret Policeman's Third Ball, accompanied by the Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and Tony Franklin on fretless bass. Guitar World wrote in 2022 that the performance was "immaculate ... The material brings out the best in Gilmour. Bush's voice defies the cardiovascular reality of performing onstage. Tony Franklin ... is godlike." Bush performed "Running Up That Hill" at her Before the Dawn concerts in 2014.{{Cite news |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |date=2014-08-26 |editor-link=Alexis Petridis |title=Kate Bush: Before the Dawn review – a lithe grace and note-perfect vocals |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/aug/26/kate-bush-before-the-dawn-eventim-apollo-review |access-date=2024-09-01 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
Cover versions
The American singer-songwriter Tori Amos has occasionally incorporated "Running Up That Hill" into her performances since the 1990s, often as part of a medley.{{Cite web |last=Hatfield |first=Amanda |date=August 26, 2022 |title=Watch Tori Amos cover Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' in a medley with 'Bliss' |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/watch-tori-amos-cover-kate-bushs-running-up-that-hill-in-a-medley-with-bliss/ |website=BrooklynVegan}} The English actor and comedian Steve Coogan, performing as the comedy character Alan Partridge, performed "Running Up That Hill" as part of a medley of Bush songs for the charity Comic Relief in 1999.{{Cite web |last=Skinner |first=Tom |date=2022-08-22 |title=Coldplay cover 'Running Up That Hill' with Alan Partridge in London |url=https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/news/coldplay-cover-running-up-that-hill-kate-bush-with-alan-partridge-in-london-watch-footage-21676/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Rolling Stone UK |language=en-GB}} On 20 August, 2022, Partridge joined the British rock band Coldplay to perform "Running Up That Hill" at Wembley Stadium, London. The American rock band Faith and the Muse included a goth-style cover of "Running Up That Hill" on the 2001 compilation album Vera Causa.{{Cite web |last=Benitez-Eves |first=Tina |date=2022-05-30 |title=5 Covers of 'Running Up That Hill' by Kate Bush |url=https://americansongwriter.com/5-distinct-covers-of-running-up-that-hill-by-kate-bush/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=American Songwriter |language=en-US}}
The British rock band Placebo included a version of "Running Up That Hill" on their 2003 compilation album Covers,{{Cite magazine |last=Aniftos |first=Rania |date=2022-06-20 |title=6 best covers of Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)' |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-best-covers/halsey/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}} which reached number 44 on the UK singles chart.{{cite web |title=PLACEBO | Artist |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/placebo/ |access-date=12 April 2012 |publisher=Official Charts}} Guitar World said Placebo's version is often credited as "defining" cover, describing it as a "glistening ‘00s update" with a "pulsating heartbeat bassline" and "quivering vocal" that "evokes the sense of a protagonist on life support, bargaining with supernatural forces". In the same year, a cover by the Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation, featuring an orchestral section and choir, reached the top 10 of the Dutch Single Top 100 chart.
In 2007, the American electronic band Chromatics released a "menacing" version on their album Night Drive. The Swedish band First Aid Kit performed an acoustic version at the 2018 Rock Werchter festival. A version by the American musician Meg Myers reached number one on the Billboard Rock Airplay chart and the Alternative Songs chart in January 2020.{{cite magazine |last=Rutherford |first=Kevin |date=22 January 2020 |title=Meg Myers Earns First Career Billboard No. 1 With 'Running Up That Hill' Remake |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8548661/meg-myers-running-up-that-hill-tops-rock-airplay |access-date=24 January 2020 |magazine=Billboard}}{{cite magazine |date=2 January 2013 |title=Alternative Songs: February 1, 2020 |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/alternative-songs/2020-02-01 |access-date=28 January 2020 |magazine=Billboard}} The American singer Emma Ruth Rundle and members of the bands Mastodon, Yob and Old Man Gloom performed a version on YouTube during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns. In 2021, the American rock band Car Seat Headrest released a "lower fi, measured" cover.
Bush described a version performed in 2022 by the Australian choir Pub Choir, arranged by Astrid Jorgensen, as "utterly wonderful".{{cite web |last=Cain |first=Sian |date=14 July 2022 |title=Kate Bush praises Brisbane choir's 'utterly wonderful' 'Running Up That Hill' cover |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jul/14/kate-bush-praises-brisbane-choirs-utterly-wonderful-running-up-that-hill-cover |access-date=16 July 2022 |website=The Guardian}} The German singer Kim Petras recorded a cover for Amazon Music's playlist for 2022 Pride Month,{{Cite web |last=Strauss |first=Matthew |date=2022-06-01 |title=Kim Petras Covers Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/kim-petras-covers-kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-listen/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}} which reached number 100 on the UK singles chart.{{cite web |title=Official Charts Company |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/54404/kim-petras/ |website=Official Charts}} That year, the British singer Raye performed a stripped-back version for BBC Radio 1,{{Cite web |last=Skinner |first=Tom |date=2022-09-08 |title=Check out Raye's haunting cover of Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/raye-covers-kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-radio-1-live-lounge-month-watch-listen-nme-radar-3306599 |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=NME |language=en-GB}} and the American singer Halsey performed "Running Up That Hill" at the Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City, saying "truly wish I wrote this song more than anything in the world". The American musician St. Vincent performed "Running Up That Hill" at Bush's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023, which Bush did not attend.{{cite web |last=Lindert |first=Hattie |date=2023-11-04 |title=St. Vincent Covers 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)' at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2023: Watch |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/st-vincent-covers-running-up-that-hill-a-deal-with-god-at-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2023-watch/ |accessdate=2023-11-04 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}
Track listing and formats
All tracks written and produced by Kate Bush.
{{Track listing
| headline = UK 7-inch 1985 single and limited edition 2022 CD single{{cite web|url=https://store.rhino.com/en/running-up-that-hill-cd-single/5054197305122.html|title=RUNNING UP THAT HILL (CD SINGLE)|website=Rhino Store|access-date=2 October 2022}}
| title1 = Running Up That Hill
| length1 = 4:58
| title2 = Under the Ivy
| length2 = 2:07
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = UK 12-inch 1985 maxi single
| title1 = Running Up That Hill
| note1 = Extended Version
| length1 = 5:43
| title2 = Under the Ivy
| length2 = 2:07
| title3 = Running Up That Hill
| note3 = Instrumental
| length3 = 4:54
}}
Personnel
- Kate Bush – vocals, Fairlight CMI
- Alan Murphy – electric guitar
- Del Palmer – bass guitar, LinnDrum programming
- Stuart Elliott – drums
- Paddy Bush – balalaika
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ 1985 weekly chart performance for "Running Up That Hill" !Chart (1985) !Peak |
| scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=50}}
| style="text-align:center;"|6 |
|---|
| {{single chart|Austria|21|artist=Kate Bush|song=Running Up That Hill|rowheader=true|access-date=29 May 2022}} |
| {{single chart|Flanders|6|artist=Kate Bush|song=Running Up That Hill|rowheader=true|access-date=29 May 2022}} |
| {{single chart|Canadatopsingles|16|chartid=0608|rowheader=true|access-date=30 August 2022}} |
| scope="row"|Europe (European Hot 100 Singles){{cite magazine|title=European Top 100 Singles|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1985/M&M-1985-09-30.pdf|magazine=Music & Media|volume=2|issue=39|page=4|date=30 September 1985|access-date=7 June 2022}}
| style="text-align:center;"|8 |
| scope="row" | Finland (Suomen virallinen lista){{cite book|url=https://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf#page=40|first=Timo|last=Pennanen|year=2021|title=Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021|section=Kate Bush|page=40|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava|location=Helsinki|language=fi}}
| style="text-align:center;" | 13 |
| {{single chart|France|24|artist=Kate Bush|song=Running Up That Hill|rowheader=true|access-date=30 August 2022}} |
| {{single chart|Ireland2|4|artist=Kate Bush|rowheader=true|access-date=29 May 2022}} |
| scope="row"|Italy (Musica e dischi)Spinetoli, John Joseph. Artisti In Classifica: I Singoli: 1960-1999. Milano: Musica e dischi, 2000
| style="text-align:center;"|22 |
| {{single chart|Dutch40|6|artist=Kate Bush|song=Running Up That Hill|rowheader=true|access-date=7 June 2022}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch100|6|artist=Kate Bush|song=Running Up That Hill|rowheader=true|access-date=29 May 2022}} |
| {{single chart|New Zealand|26|artist=Kate Bush|song=Running Up That Hill|rowheader=true|access-date=30 August 2022}} |
| {{single chart|Switzerland|10|artist=Kate Bush|song=Running Up That Hill|rowheader=true|access-date=29 May 2022}} |
| {{single chart|UK|3|date=19850825|rowheader=true|access-date=29 May 2022|refname=uk3}} |
| scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100
| style="text-align:center;"|30 |
| {{single chart|Billboarddanceclubplay|13|artist=Kate Bush|rowheader=true|access-date=29 May 2022}} |
| scope="row"|US Hot Dance Singles Sales (Billboard){{cite magazine|date=26 October 1985|title=12 Inch Singles Sales|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1985/BB-1985-10-26.pdf|magazine=Billboard|page=68|access-date=18 June 2022}}
| style="text-align:center;"|21 |
| {{single chart|Billboardmainstreamrock|34|artist=Kate Bush|rowheader=true|access-date=29 May 2022}} |
| scope="row"|US Cash Box Top 100{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996|publisher=Sheridan Books, Inc.|year=2014|isbn=978-0-89820-209-0}}
| style="text-align:center;"|28 |
| {{single chart|West Germany|3|songid=1324|artist=Kate Bush|song=Running Up That Hill|rowheader=true|access-date=29 May 2022}} |
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Weekly chart performance for 2012 remix ! scope="col"| Chart (2012) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| scope="row"|Ireland (IRMA){{cite web|title=IRMA Singles chart |url=http://www.irma.ie/aucharts.asp |publisher=IRMA |access-date=20 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105120403/http://www.irma.ie/aucharts.asp |archive-date=5 November 2012 }}
| style="text-align:center;"|22 |
|---|
| scope="row"|UK singles chart
| style="text-align:center;"|6 |
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ 2014 weekly chart performance for "Running Up That Hill" ! scope="col"| Chart (2014) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| scope="row"| UK singles chart{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/running-up-that-hill/|title=Running Up That Hill|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=19 May 2021}}
| style="text-align:center;"|51 |
|---|
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"|Chart (2023)
!scope="col"|Peak |
|---|
| {{single chart|UK|55|date=20230112|rowheader=true|access-date=24 June 2023}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Running Up That Hill"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=single|artist=Kate Bush|title=Running Up That Hill|award=Platinum| number=2|relyear=2005|certyear=2022|access-date=12 August 2022}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|type=single|artist=Kate Bush|title=Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)|id=12249|award=Platinum|certyear=2023|access-date=23 March 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|type=single|artist=Kate Bush|title=Running Up That Hill|award=Gold|relyear=1985|certyear=2022|access-date=28 August 2022}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=single|artist=Kate Bush|title=Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)|id=10157|award=Platinum|relyear=2005|certyear=2022|access-date=3 October 2022}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Kate Bush|title=Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)|award=Platinum|number=3|type=single|relyear=1985|id=2022-07-15|source=radioscope|access-date=20 January 2025|certyear=2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Portugal|type=single|artist=Kate Bush|title=Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)|award=Platinum|relyear=1985|certyear=2022|id=file_2022-11-15-12-35-06.pdf|access-date=November 15, 2022}}
{{Certification Table Entry |region=Spain|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=1985|certyear=2024|artist=Kate Bush|title=Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)|accessdate=28 January 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Kate Bush|title=Running Up That Hill|award=Silver|relyear=1985|certyear=1985|id=5647-3271-1|note=Physical 1985 sales|access-date=6 June 2020}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Kate Bush|title=Running Up That Hill|award=Platinum|number=4|relyear=2005|certyear=2025|id=5647-1990-1|note=Digital sales since 2004|access-date=3 May 2025|refname=ukdigital}}
{{Certification Table Separator|title=Streaming}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Sweden|type=single|artist=Kate Bush|title=Running Up That Hill|award=Platinum|source=artist|relyear=1985|certyear=2022|access-date=12 August 2022}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true|streamsonly=true}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{discogs master|type=single|28695}}
{{Kate Bush songs}}
{{Within Temptation}}
{{Placebo}}
{{Meg Myers}}
{{Kim Petras}}
{{Stranger Things}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Within Temptation songs
Category:Fiction about body swapping
Category:Songs written by Kate Bush
Category:British new wave songs
Category:British synth-pop songs
Category:Number-one singles in Australia
Category:Number-one singles in Belgium
Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand
Category:Number-one singles in Sweden
Category:Number-one singles in Switzerland
Category:Billboard Global 200 number-one singles
Category:Billboard Global Excl. U.S. number-one singles