The artist who recorded "Running Up That Hill," the song that saves Max in season 4 of "Stranger Things," is Kate Bush. Bush wrote and produced the song, which was released as the lead single from her fifth studio album, Hounds of Love.
The English singer-songwriter released the track in August 1985. Its lyrics imagine a man and woman making a deal with God to exchange places, a theme that gives the song an emotional connection to Max's desperate wish to be understood. Bush's unusual vocal style, Fairlight CMI synthesizer, and dramatic arrangement helped make the recording distinctive.
The song originally reached number three on the UK singles chart and number 30 in the United States. After its appearance in Stranger Things in 2022, it became a global hit again, reaching number one in several countries and number three on the Billboard Hot 100. It is sometimes confused with other 1980s female-fronted hits, but the recording used in the series is Bush's original.