80’s artist Kate Bush is being highlighted as a music pioneer for pop/rock. Kate Bush grew up in the United Kingdom where she studied music and began writing her own songs. At age 15, she was introduced to David Gilmour, lead guitarist of Pink Floyd, whom arranged for her to record her first demo and later be signed to a record label. Her original song “Wuthering Heights,” launched her career as it hit number one on the British charts after it was released. After many songs, and 2 albums, 1985 brought us the release of “Running Up That Hill,” which became Bush’s second biggest-selling single. You may recognize this song as it has resurged in popularity due to the Netflix series, Stranger Things. The song also was a hit on Tik-Tok after its resurgence. In 1985 when the song made it to the US, it reached number 30 on Billboard’s charts. The songs accompanying album remained at the number one spot on British charts for a month. Bush ranked alongside Madonna in terms of her musical impact, “Running Up That Hill” having bumped “Like a Virgin” out of the number one chart position in England.
Bush’s career is full of successes and surprises. In 2022, she was nominated for a third time as a potential inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Though she was not included in that year’s class, we still acknowledge her contribution to music and show appreciation to her for Women’s History Month.
Check out the official music video for KATE BUSH’s “Running Up That Hill,” below.