Kate Bush has broken the record for the longest time taken for a single to reach number one - after she landed in the top spot with Running Up That Hill 37 years on from its release. The new-wave track originally came out in 1985 as the lead track on her Hounds Of Love album but has had global resurgence in popularity after it was featured in the fourth series of Netflix hit Stranger Things.
The title for the longest-running sleeper hit in the UK was previously held by Wham!, who saw Last Christmas top the Official Singles Chart in 2021, 36 years after its release. Running Up That Hill is also currently sitting in the number one spot in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland, and has achieved a new peak in the US charts at number four.
It originally reached number three in the UK on its release and it charted again in 12th place in 2012. The British singer-songwriter has also secured the title of the longest gap between number one singles, as her only other chart-topping moment was 44 years ago with her debut single, Wuthering Heights, in 1978.
To round off her trio of records, at 63 Bush has become the oldest female artist ever to score a UK number one. She replaces Cher, who was 52 when her song Believe topped the charts in 1998.
Running Up That Hill has skyrocketed up the charts after it featured in episodes one and four of the newly-released fourth season of Netflix’s Stranger Things. In the show, Max Mayfield, played by Sadie Sink, is heard listening to the song on her Walkman.
Bush said she has been “overwhelmed by the scale of affection and support” for the song as she thanked fans for making the track number one. She also praised the creators of the popular horror drama for “bringing the song into so many people’s lives”.
Bush said: “I believe the Duffer Brothers have touched people’s hearts in a special way at a time that’s incredibly difficult for everyone, especially younger people. By featuring Running Up That Hill in such a positive light, as a talisman for Max (one of the main female characters), the song has been brought into the emotional arena of her story.
“Fear, conflict and the power of love are all around her and her friends. I salute the Duffer Brothers for their courage – taking this new series into a much more adult and darker place. I want to thank them so much for bringing the song into so many people’s lives.
“I’m overwhelmed by the scale of affection and support the song is receiving, and it’s all happening really fast, as if it’s being driven along by a kind of elemental force. I have to admit I feel really moved by it all. Thank you so very much for making the song a No 1 in such an unexpected way.”
To claim the top spot, Bush has overtaken Harry Styles’ megahit As It Was, which now sits in second place. Cat Burns’ Go remains in the third spot, Afraid To Feel by LF System climbs to number four and Lizzo’s About Damn Time takes the fifth spot.
