Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' is Spotify's most streamed throwback song of 2022

Britney Toh
Fri, December 2, 2022 

Netflix / David M. Benett / Getty Images

Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" is the most streamed throwback song on Spotify this year.


Spotify defines "throwback songs" as those released over 20 years ago.


The song saw a 8,700% increase in Spotify streams this year, thanks to Netflix's hit show Stranger Things.

Kate Bush's classic "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" has taken the pole position as the most streamed throwback song on Spotify in 2022.

A Spotify Wrapped report on November 30 showed that streams of the song rose by more than 8,700% globally, during the Spring.

"Throwback songs" are defined by Spotify as songs that were released over 20 years ago.

The 64-year-old English singer-songwriter's pop song — which was first released in 1985 — saw a chart resurgence back in June thanks to the latest season of Netflix's "Stranger Things." The 1985 hit played a crucial role in the series, as it was used to symbolize the isolation and alienation that Max Mayfield –portrayed by actor Sadie Sink– felt.

Since the series premiered on May 27, the song went on to top both Billboard global charts in June, dethroning Harry Styles' "As It Was." Back in 1985, the then newly-released song only managed to climb to 30th position on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, per Billboard.

The song has also broken three Guinness World Records: The record for the longest time taken for a single to top the UK single charts, the record for the longest gap between No. 1 singles on the UK single charts, and the record for the oldest female artist to score a top hit on the UK single's chart.

The song was given a "whole new lease of life" by young fans of the Netflix series, Bush said in a statement.

Spotify and Bush did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment