"RUNNING" HOT:
KATE BUSH'S
CHART CHARGE

Thanks to a Stranger Things sync that ignited a massive streaming run, British pop visionary Kate Bush is a big deal on the charts once again. "Running Up That Hill," goosed by its placement on the Netflix series, has not only become one of the top songs of the moment but catapulted the album it appears on, Hounds of Love (Noble & Brite/Parlophone/WMG), to its highest U.S. chart position ever, securing the #27 spot with 16k+. The set bowed in 1985 at #30.

Bush's career began with a smash; her soaring 1978 single "Wuthering Heights," inspired by Emily Brontë's gothic novel of the same name, was a U.K. rocket upon its release. Bush—who began writing songs at age 11 and was signed at 16—was just 19 at the time. With "Heights," she became the first female artist to achieve a U.K. number one with a self-written song.

The ensuing years saw her experimenting relentlessly with styles and sounds. In 2013 she was anointed CBE by the Queen for "services to music." Her most recent release was 2016's live set Before the Dawn, which happens to include a performance of "Running Up That Hill."

In 2001, Maxwell had a sizable hit with Bush's ravishing ballad "This Woman's Work"; the R&B idol was one of the few vocalists capable of persuasively matching her stratospheric high notes. Various cover versions of "Running Up That Hill" have materialized over the years, including takes by Meg Myers, Blinker the Star and, very recently, Kim Petras. "Hounds of Love" was memorably assayed by post-punkers The Futureheads.

Those of you curious about Bush's body of work are encouraged to dive into the playlist below.