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Stranger Things star didn’t know Kate Bush before Netflix series

Stranger Things star Sadie Sink admits that she'd never heard of Kate Bush before reading the script for her big moment in season four

Stranger Things

Stranger Things star Sadie Sink has been discussing her big moment in season four of the sci-fi series, and has admitted that she hadn’t heard of Kate Bush before getting the script for chapter four.

Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush has reached number one, 37 years after it was released in 1985, thanks to the success of Stranger Things. “I did not know Kate Bush beforehand, but then I immediately skimmed through her work and then became increasingly more obsessed, and then I was listening to her all the time,” Sink (who plays Max) told Vanity Fair.

Max becomes possessed by the demon Vecna, and to free her – her good friends Steve, Lucas, and Dustin put headphones on her head playing the song. They hope her favourite song will give her courage in her battle with the demon, as well as pulling her out of the trance she is in. “Knowing the emotional connection that she has to that song, and how it’s kind of her anthem, played into it. It’s something about the energy of the song, the synth and the lyrics and everything. They could not have picked a more perfect song,” said Sink.

“I did do a whole day in my own time where I just was home and had it playing on in the background for the entire day, just to see if I would go insane, because that’s what Max was having to do. I cannot even tell you how many times I’ve listened to Running Up That Hill. It’s been a lot, but I’m still not sick of it, which is good,” Sink continued.

Kate Bush (who is pretty reclusive and doesn’t often make public statements) said; “By featuring Running Up That Hill in such a positive light – as a talisman for Max (one of the main female characters) – the song has been brought into the emotional arena of her story. Fear, conflict and the power of love are all around her and her friends….I’m overwhelmed by the scale of affection and support the song is receiving and it’s all happening really fast, as if it’s being driven along by a kind of elemental force.”

“I have to admit I feel really moved by it all. Thank you so very much for making the song a No 1 in such an unexpected way.”

If you’re a fan of Stranger Things, check out our guide to the best scary movies for kids.