The song’s renewed momentum extends Bowie’s cultural reach to a new generation, much like with Kate Bush’s 1985 single “Running Up That Hill” from Season 4 that skyrocketed to No. 1 on the Hot 100 after decades being dormant. Similarly, Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” hit the top 10 after Season 4’s air-guitar scene with beloved misfit character Eddie Munson. Now, “Heroes” joins the elite club, proving Generation Z’s unwavering ability to revive 80s classics, spurred on by the interconnectedness and trendism of social media.

Stranger Things Creators Matt and Ross Duffer credited actor Joe Keery, who plays Steve Harrington in the show, with the choice to use Bowie’s original version of “Heroes” as the last song, after earlier seasons had leaned on Peter Gabriel’s cover. Keery, known musically as Djo has a successful music career himself with his hit single “End of beginning” finding itself repeatedly in the charts, proving himself musically knowledgeable. Ross Duffer has described the track as an “anthem for Stranger Things”, noting that the decision to let the song run uninterrupted over bespoke animated credits was designed to give the series one last poignant moment of closure.

Heroes” has long stood as one of Bowie’s most impactful songs, from its Cold War‑era Berlin Wall associations to its status as a staple of his live sets and retrospectives.​ Brian Eno’s ambient production layered Bowie’s ad-libbed vocals over Tony Visconti’s wall-of-sound guitars, creating a defiant love song that later soundtracked Wall fall footage and features in films like Moulin Rouge. Its raw emotion, “We can be heroes, just for one day”, mirrors the kids’ Upside Down triumphs, cementing Bowie’s timeless grip on rebellion. In a statement, Bowie’s estate and label Parlophone highlighted the track as “powerful and evocative”, encouraging fans to revisit the newly remastered HD video as streams continue to climb post‑finale.

Millions of younger viewers are encountering Bowie for the first time through Stranger Things, folding him into the same pop‑culture universe that has recently re‑elevated artists like Bush and Prince.​With “Heroes” now trending across playlists and socials, the Stranger Things sync is poised to become a key chapter in the song’s long afterlife, reaffirming Bowie’s status as one of pop’s most transcendent innovators in history.

Best known for his role in Stranger Things, Wolfhard continues to build a parallel career as a filmmaker and musician, now adding a major classic-rock commission to his résumé. He was invited by the Harrison estate to create a visual companion for ‘Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)’, originally released on Harrison’s 1973 album Living in the Material World and later a US number one single.

Despite his rise to fame as an actor, Wolfhard has established his career as a knowledgeable, talented rock musician himself, touring with previous bands Calpurnia and The Aubreys, as well as embarking on his first solo tour across North America post-debut album Happy Birthday. Wolfhard described the chance to work with the Harrison family as “a great honour”, calling George Harrison a huge and ongoing inspiration to his own artistic life. The video arrives more than five decades after the track first appeared, underscoring the continued cultural relevance of Harrison’s catalogue.

Rather than a performance clip, the video leans into handcrafted stop‑motion animation to evoke the spiritual warmth of the song. Viewers follow a Harrison-like figure wandering through the gardens of Friar Park, the musician’s historic estate in Henley‑on‑Thames, tending hedges, greeting gnomes and sailing across a dream-like landscape.​

The film is rich with Easter eggs for Beatles and Harrison fans, nodding to his solo career, spiritual journey and well-documented love of gardening. Wolfhard has said the concept hinges on the idea of a man finding solace and meaning in his relationship with the living world around him.

The production was mounted in collaboration with Toronto-based Nobody Told Me Studios and animation house Tye Down Pictures. A team of 20 Canadian stop‑motion artists built every element by hand, animating the story frame by frame to create a tactile feel that mirrors the song’s intimacy.​

While Wolfhard directed the overall piece, animator Akash Jones steered the animation direction, with Jason Baum and Michael Wamara producing. Dhani Harrison, George’s son and longtime collaborator David Zonshine served as executive producers, helping to guide the project from concept to release.

Dhani Harrison has publicly praised Wolfhard’s interpretation of his father’s song for a new generation. 

“Finn is one of the sweetest and most talented people I know of his generation, and he is the perfect person to direct a video for my dad. My dad would have loved this, and I hope his wonderful, creative, heartfelt ideas help this song reach another generation. Great job, Finn — we love you”.

The video is available on Youtube.

Kate Bush was not at the ceremony in Brooklyn herself as she released a statement on her website, saying: “I am completely blown away by this huge honour – an award that sits in the big beating heart of the American music industry. Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me. I never imagined I would be given this wonderful accolade. Last year was such a surprisingly successful time for my track Running Up That Hill and I’m sure that a lot of you who’ve voted me in to the RRHOF also drove that track up the charts. Thank you! I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend the ceremony tonight, but for me the real honour is knowing that you felt I deserved it.”

In place of Bush, St Vincent performed ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ at the ceremony in her honour. St Vincent later released a post on social media, recalling her admiration for Bush, as she said: “Kate Bush. First heard her song ‘This Woman’s Work” in the pivotal scene in the 1988 film She’s Having A Baby. And though I was 7 or 8 and too young to understand much of anything, I wept. Then around age 16 I went to CD World in Dallas and saw a copy of ‘The Sensual World’ on the racks. And I was so taken with her. Her expression. The flower to her lips. I hadn’t put the pieces together yet that this was the woman who sang THAT song. But I took it home and it was her. That woman who could soar so high into the ether and reach so deep into your soul. The entire album is a masterpiece, but I still cannot listen to ‘This Woman’s Work’ without weeping. I stand in awe of Kate Bush. There is no one who could ever compare.”

St Vincent’s performance of ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ can be found below.

Kate Bush had been nominated for the honour three times before in 2018, 2021 and 2022, but did not get an induction until this year. Bush’s song ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ was used on the fourth season of Stranger Things, with the track earning fresh recognition with a younger audience, particularly in the United States – No doubt contributing to her induction.

Heaven In Your Eyes. October 20th. Pre save. https://t.co/rSiBiriZ1v pic.twitter.com/5GOPxtsxaJ

— Jamie Campbell Bower (@Jamiebower) October 10, 2023

Although Bower’s acting credits have been adding up, making him one of the most sought after stars in the business, the performer has not allowed his musical chops to fall by the wayside, with “Heaven In Your Eyes” set to be his latest hit after 2022’s “I Am.” Following the dissolution of his punk project Counterfeit, Bower has shown his intent to carry on with his passion for music by releasing another new single that is sure to please fans.

With Bower’s various acting endeavours grabbing most of the headlines these days, the singer has also taken the time to reflect on his time with Counterfeit and his solo plans saying to Kerrang, “For me, this is a new chapter of my artistic exploration. Being sort of on my own now has allowed me to go and be more free in the creative process. I can now kind of go, ‘Well, we can do whatever we want,’ and then we’ll just make that work in a live setting. It’s taking all the things that I loved in Counterfeit – a lot of the rock elements – and blending it with things that perhaps weren’t suitable for Counterfeit. But mainly this is an opportunity for me to kind of just be more expressive.”

While Counterfeit tapped into the punk/hardcore  sonic edge, with Bower embracing the DIY tough work ethic of the scene, he has also previously expressed his admiration for American country music-a genre he explored with last year’s single, “I Am.” Speaking about the single and inspiration behind it, he divulged, “I’ve always written some country and western music. I love the structure of a country song. It’s always very fun to go into; it’s classic.”

With the snippet of “Heaven In Your Eyes,” that Bower has provided so far, the singer looks set to continue where “I Am” left off, with the country twang of the guitars at the forefront. The single will be available Friday and can be pre-saved here.

Bower had his film debut in 2007’s Tim Burton classic Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, where audiences were introduced to the power of his vocal abilities. Shortly thereafter, Bower had roles in the Harry Potter franchise, Twilight franchise and, perhaps most notable of all, Stranger Things where he performed the chilling season four villain of Vecna.

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The UK Official Charts have confirmed that “Master Of Puppets” has placed at number 22 within this week’s UK singles charts, its peak position after initially re-entering the charts. The track first re-appeared within the UK singles charts last week when it placed at number 47, the influential song’s resurgence is cited to its use within the second chapter of the fourth season of Stranger Things. The scene which features “Master Of Puppets” sees break-out character Eddie Munson perform the song whilst saving the world with the gift of rock.

The band themselves have also weighed in on their 1986 single’s newfound fame, Metallica stated, “[We’re] beyond psyched for them to not only include Master of Puppets in the show, but to have such a pivotal scene built around it. We were all stoked to see the final result and when we did we were totally blown away. It’s so extremely well done, so much so, that some folks were able to guess the song just by seeing a few seconds of Joseph Quinn’s hands in the trailer!! How crazy cool is that?”

The heavy metal heroes have also provided a statement concerning the new audience acquired due to Stranger Things, “It’s an incredible honour to be such a big part of Eddie’s journey and to once again be keeping company with all of the other amazing artists featured in the show.”

 

 

 

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Since the episode has aired the track became a viral success, with many users and creators utilising the song in their social media content. Much to the joy of fans of the show, Metallica have also jumped on the trend and have posted a duet alongside the emotional scene. Within the post the band play “Master Of Puppets” alongside a caption which reads “Eddie, this one is for you”, shadowing a key line within is said by Eddie before he proceeds to play a triumphant rendition of the beloved metal song.

Elsewhere within the album charts this week another re-entry has occurred; Harry’s House by Harry Styles has reclaimed the number one position. This week marks the album’s fifth non-consecutive week at number one, after holding the position for multiple weeks the album was knocked off the top spot by Paolo Nutini’s album Last Night In the Bittersweet. Styles’ third studio album is currently second on the UK Official Chart’s compiled list of this year’s biggest albums, it was announced that Ed Sheeran’s = was this year’s largest selling album so far.

The email sent by Bush read, “Dear Brisbane Pub Choir. I’ve been so busy that I’ve only just had the chance to watch you all singing ‘RUTH’. 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!” The iconic singer concluded the message with a warm ending, “With lots of love, Kate.”

Astrid Jorgensen, the founder and director of Pub Choir spoke with The Guardian concerning the email, “My manager called me and said, you’ve got to get home, Kate Bush has emailed. I ran straight back – I was literally running up that hill.” Jorgensen continued to discuss the email, “It is so wild, She is the biggest artist in the world right now, so to have her say she was moved by our performance, yeah, that is a peak.”

Jorgensen also spoke with The Guardian concerning the process taken to request the licence to cover the song, “the response we got back was pretty much, ‘Good luck – we’ll ask, but maybe plan for a different song.” The permission to use the song was sent ten days before the performance, regarding Bush’s initial approval Jorgensen stated, “Even that was a massive deal, the idea that she approved.”

Bush has recently discussed the relationship she holds with her back catalogue, the singer revealed that before its newfound fame she had not listened to “Running Up That Hill” for some time. The “Wuthering Heights” singer also disclosed that she does not revisit her previous releases unless she is required to make edits and revisions to configure the music with different formats.

Whilst appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Bush spoke with Emma Barnett concerning her historic discography, “I never listen to my old stuff. But then you know, when things like this come along, I’m normally involved in something like you know, maybe doing an edit or revisiting the track for some kind of other reason, I’m working on it. So yeah, I hadn’t heard it for a really long time.“

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Bush has shared a statement on her single’s revived popularity, “You might’ve heard that the first part of the fantastic, gripping new series of  ‘Stranger Things’  has recently been released on Netflix. It features the song, ‘Running Up That Hill’  which is being given a whole new lease of life by the young fans who love the show – I love it too! Because of this, Running Up That Hill is charting around the world and has entered the UK chart at No. 8. It’s all really exciting! Thanks very much to everyone who has supported the song. I wait with bated breath for the rest of the series in July.”

Due to the song’s chart success, “Running Up That Hill” has broken three UK Official Chart records. The first of which sees Bush break the record for the longest-ever gap between number one singles, her last number one was “Wuthering Heights”. The track reached the top of the UK singles charts in 1978, making a 44-year time difference between its win and Bush’s chart success this week.  The record was previously held by Welsh crooner Tom Jones with a gap of over 42 years, the singer scored a hit with “Green Green Grass Of Home” in 1966 then again in 2009 with the charity single “(Barry) Islands In The Stream”.

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The second Official chart record to be broken sees Bush claim the longest time in which a song has taken to chart as a number one single, after first entering the charts in 1985 the track has finally climbed to the top after 37 years of existence. Up until this week, the UK Official Chart record was owned by British pop icons Wham!, the band’s beloved festive hit “Last Christmas” was originally released in 1984 and first topped the Official UK Singles Chart on New Year’s Day 2021.

The third and final UK Official Chart record broken by Bush sees the 63 years and 11 months old singer named the oldest female artist to claim a Number One Single. The three-time Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nominee claimed the record from its previous holder Cher, the American singer was 52 years old when she topped the charts in 1998 with her mega hit “Believe”. The UK Official Charts have also confirmed that Bush is now fifth place within the register of older artists to secure a number one single. The list includes both genders and is headed by Captain Tom Moore, the singer scored a hit with “You’ll Never Walk Alone” in 2020 and the age of 99 years and 11 months.

Senior Vice President of Rhino UK Myn Jazeel has given the following statement concerning Bush’s chart win, “It’s long overdue that Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by the truly amazing Kate Bush should finally top the UK charts. This phenomenal cultural moment came about after close collaboration between Kate and her team, Netflix and the Warner Music Sync Team, and without doubt we’ve seen that a cross-generational connection has been made, with a new audience in the UK and around the world joining Kate’s existing fanbase to discover and honour her timeless brilliance.”

Jazeel continues to thank Netflix’s popular show, “The success of Stranger Things, backed by Netflix, has been instrumental in creating this moment, so we must thank them. But our congratulations go out first and foremost to Kate. Running Up That Hill went to Number 3 in the UK when first released in 1985, so we’re delighted that it’s reached Number 1 almost 40 years later.”

The senior vice president concludes her statement by expressing joy that Bush’s discography has been introduced to the younger generation, “It’s also gratifying that Kate’s wider catalogue is now being discovered and enjoyed by a whole new audience. This whole occasion feels incredible for all involved, and that’s why we work in catalogue music, for moments like this that have such broad cultural relevance and impact.”

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The UK official charts have predicted that Bush’s iconic track will overtake “As It Was” and end Styles’ chart reign, “Running Up That Hill” has seen a recent resurgence in popularity due to its use within the new season of Stranger Things. After the new season of the show dropped the track went viral, many have praised the popular Netflix series for exposing younger fans to the song. Originally released in 1985, the track jumped an impressive six places to position just below Styles’ chart-topping single. If Bush climbs one more chart placement the single will mark her first number one single in over forty years, the singer last topped the UK singles charts in 1978 with the seminal song “Wuthering Heights”.

This week’s single chart also sees Styles score another Official Chart Double; the partner album for “As It Was” has charted at the top of the UK album charts. The singer’s recently released album Harry’s House has placed at number one for the second consecutive week, Styles’ third studio album also contains another commercially successful track. The single “Late Night Talking” was released on 20th May 2022 after being debuted at California’s Coachella festival, the single peaked at number two on the singles charts and remains in the top 10 at number seven.

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Much like “Running Up That Hill” another potential high climber is speculated to storm the charts, “Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)” by BTS is predicted to be a high new entry. The newest single to be released by the hugely popular K-pop group dropped on 10th June 2022 and is the lead single taken from their full release Proof, the band’s first anthology album. The album was released the same day as the lead single and was received with great critical acclaim, publications such as Rolling Stone have already sung the album’s praises.

Elsewhere within the charts, “Go” by Cat Burns drops one space to number three. Last week the single enjoyed a placement at number two after spending the previous week at number four. Placing at number four this week is “About Damn Time” by megastar Lizzo, the single is another viral hit which has been utilised as sound within the popular social media app TikTok. The track is the lead single from the singer’s fourth studio album Special, the yet to be released record is scheduled to drop on 15^th July 2022 via Nice Life and Atlantic Records.

Closing the official UK singles chart is “Space Man” by Sam Ryder, the fellow TikTok artist’s Eurovision entry has held well within the charts and peaked at number two last month. The high chart position made Ryder the first Eurovision candidate to place high within the singles charts in twenty-six years, Gina G’s “Ooh Aah…Just A Little bit” placed at the top spot after its release in 1996. After coming in eighth place within the Eurovision song contest, the dance infused song charted as the UK’s number one single.

The 1985 synth-pop heart wrencher was part of Bush’s Hounds Of Love album and has seen a viral resurgence in its consumption in recent years. In no small part in fact, to its use previously on Stranger Things. Which saw the song; “become her most popular title on the service after it experienced a 153 per cent surge in streams on Spotify.” Which was described by the streaming platform as; “the biggest gainer on the Global Spotify chart” at the time. If you need reminding, you can listen to “Running Up That Hill” in the video below:

The shows music supervisor Nora Felder explained the process of selection; “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.”

When she finally found the song in question; “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.”

After a lengthy process which saw Wende Crowley (SVP of Sony Publishing’s creative marketing, film and TV) get the request and take steps to ensure that all parties were happy with the outcome. Crowley explained; “Kate Bush is selective when it comes to licensing her music and because of that, we made sure to get script pages and footage for her to review so she could see exactly how the song would be used.”

Felder felt the music was key to the scenes following the character’s journey; “Kate Bush’s lyrics can mean very different things to different people. In the face of Max’s painful isolation and alienation from others, a ‘deal with god’ could heart-wrenchingly reflect Max’s implicit belief that only a miracle of unlikely understanding and show of support could help her climb the hills of life before her.”

Fans of the show will now be familiar with the song and a new generation is being introduced to these timeless tracks. With the show’s end sadly coming into view, the Duffer Brothers (directors) stated; “It’s just one of those things that you come up with and you go, ‘That’s it, that’s right, that’s inevitable – that’s what it has to be.’”

In a 1985 interview, Bush spoke about the meaning of the song, saying, “Well, it’s about a relationship between a man and a woman. They love each other very much, and the power of the relationship is something that gets in the way. It creates insecurities. It’s saying if the man could be the woman and the woman the man, if they could make a deal with God, to change places, that they’d understand what it’s like to be the other person and perhaps it would clear up misunderstandings. You know, all the little problems; there would be no problem.”

Adding, “It’s very much about two people who are in love, a man and a woman, and the idea of it is they could swap places… The man being the woman and vice versa and they’d understand each other better. In some ways talking about the fundamental differences between men and women, I suppose trying to remove those obstacles, being in someone else’s place; understanding how they see it, and; hoping that would remove problems in the relationship.”

‘Stranger Things’ star Winona Ryder told USA Today that she had pushed for Kate Bush to be included in the series soundtrack, stating, “I’ve been obsessed with her since I was a little girl. I’ve also for the last seven years been dropping hints on set wearing my Kate Bush T-shirts. I don’t know if you did this, but in my school you had to dress down for P.E., and sometimes I just wouldn’t. I’d just sit there with my headphones listening to her. She’s a hero of mine.”

Watch the trailer for ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 below