Kate Bush Payout Revealed As Another ‘Stranger Things’ Track Eyes Domination

The eye-watering sum earned by Kate Bush in the wake of her Stranger Things popularity has been revealed.

According to music sales data from Luminate, Bush has earned US$2.3 million in streaming royalties from 1985’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) since season four of the Netflix series premiered in late May.

The track played a key role in the latest season for fan favourite character Max Mayfield and was frequently heard across multiple episodes as background noise bleeding out from headphones connected to a Walkman alongside an epic feature in chapter four, Dear Billy.

After the episode hit Netflix, Bush’s popularity across the globe surged, with the track topping numerous charts, including the ARIA Single Chart, where it returned to #1 this past week, marking its third week in that position since the show dropped.

READ MORE: Here’s What Metallica Think Of Their ‘Stranger Things’ Scene

In a rare interview last month with BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, Bush reacted to the song’s new life: “It's just extraordinary. It's such a great series, so I thought that the track would get some attention. But I just never imagined that it would be anything like this. It's so exciting but it's quite shocking really — the whole world's gone mad."

That begs the question, will Metallica's Master Of Puppets receive a similar boost following its inclusion during a pivotal moment in the season finale?

The US outfit are featured during a scene in The Piggyback, where fan favourite Eddie Munson (played by Joe Quinn) shreds the classic ‘80s hit in The Upside Down (and yes, it’s as epic as it sounds).

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly in late May, Quinn revealed he “listened to a lot of heavy metal” preparing for the role and that he’s played guitar since he was seven.

"I wouldn't consider myself a brilliant guitarist, but I can play it. That was very lucky because those scripts came out, I think, at some point in the pandemic. I did start practicing pretty furiously."

You can watch the scene below.