Big Boi On Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”
Kate Bush is back on top, baby! With the arrival of part one of Stranger Things’ season four comes a celebration of the ‘80s theater kid/goth/faerie queen who was way too into her emotions and therefore perfect for everyone at some point in their lives. Originally released in 1985 on the Hounds Of Love album, “Running Up That Hill” plays a surprisingly pivotal role in the latest installment of the Hawkins adventurers and is responsible for arguably one of the greatest heights that the Netflix series has ever hit.
As is custom, some folks are of course unhappy that the people discovering this song for the first time are learning about it “wrong.” To which I gladly say: Shut The Fuck Up. Be happy that others are finding greatness and stop acting like there’s only one path to get there. Did you know there are a bunch of covers of “Running Up That Hill”–including a very popular one by Placebo? Would that have been the wrong way too, or is Placebo cool enough to make it passable? I mean, if you didn’t listen to it when it came out on vinyl in 1985, are you really even a Kate Bush fan?
These purity tests administered by gatekeepers can all rot. I had never heard of “Son Of A Preacher Man” before PULP FICTION. I had heard a bunch of other Dusty Springfield, but not that. It happens. Cracks open up and blindspots exists. We don’t know what we don’t know. I’m sure this will be seen as an even more egregious sin: I had never heard a Velvet Underground song before two of them (both from Loaded, oddly enough) were on HIGH FIDELITY’s soundtrack in 2000. 22 years later, they are one of my favorite bands and I’ve gone through all their CDs, some bootleg tapes, and constantly searching out more vinyl. The way you did things isn’t the only way to do things. And you never know where or how you’ll discover some transformative piece of art.
A different example of right place, right time, right person is that Outkast’s Big Boi is a major fan of Ms. Bush, and counts “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” as one of his favorite and most influential songs. Listen to the masterful Atlanta artist talk about why the piece of British artpop resonates with him so much and how Kate Bush’s entire catalogue has shaped the way he approaches making his own music. It’s a fascinating collision of worlds described in beautiful clarity and sincerity by the Speakerboxxx maestro.