How ‘Stranger Things’ Landed Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’

variety.com:

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorKate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (Make a Deal with God)” stormed to the top of the iTunes chart this weekend after “Stranger Things” season four featured the 1985 song as a plot device.In the new season, Max — played by Sadie Sink — is grieving Billy’s death.

She’s left feeling vulnerable and listens to the Bush classic on repeat. The song eventually saves her life.The show’s music supervisor Nora Felder explains that Matt and Ross Duffer — better known as the Duffer brothers — tasked her with brainstorming a song that resonated with the intense, wide-ranging emotional experiences Max was undergoing.Says Felder: “Consequently, each of the prospective song placements in the initial scripts was tagged with the placeholder, ‘TBD Max song.’ From there, I made an effort to internally align myself with what the Duffers felt were the most important elements needed, and my own intuitive grasp of Max’s complex feelings.” Felder soon landed on “Running Up That Hill.” “It immediately struck me with its deep chords of the possible connection to Max’s emotional struggles and took on more significance as Bush’s song marinated in my conscious awareness.”The Duffers were elated with the suggestion.

Felder’s next challenge was to secure the song and get Bush’s approval with the full knowledge that Bush, although open to ideas, does not typically approve many syncs.Says Felder: “I sat with my clearance coordinator, and laid out all the scripted scenes for song uses that we knew of at that point.

Knowing the challenges, we proceeded to create elaborate scene descriptions that provided as much context as possible so that Kate and her camp would have a full understanding of the uses. … When we finished, we were.