Kate Bush Blown Away By Brisbane Group’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ Cover

We’ve heard countless versions of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill since Stranger Things catapulted the ‘80s track back into the spotlight, but one particular version from an Aussie act has caught the singer’s attention.

Known for their captivating renditions of hit songs, Brisbane collective Pub Choir took on the challenge of making the track their own, stating, “We hope we did [Kate Bush] proud,” when first releasing their take.

The video, which was shared last week, features “1,600 strangers” singing Running Up That Hill in three-part harmony at Fortitude Music Hall:

Understandably, Bush has been quite preoccupied as of late, but the clip finally made its way to her and she reached out to Pub Choir.

“I’ve been so busy that I’ve only just had the chance to watch you all singing RUTH,” Bush said in an email shared by the group.

“It’s utterly, utterly wonderful! I love it so much! Thank you everyone. You sing it really beautifully. I’m incredibly touched by your warmth and all your smiling faces. Thank you!”

And Pub Choir were ecstatic: “Cancel all your plans. Quit your job. Throw all your books in the bin. Just sit down a minute and get a load of this. Life as we know it is over, and this email is all that remains.”

Recently, the eye-watering sum earned by Bush in the wake of her Stranger Things popularity was revealed.

According to music sales data from Luminate, Bush had 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.

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."