Fact Check
English singer Kate Bush’s hit 1985 “Running Up That Hill” saw a resurgence in popularity after it was featured on the Netflix show “Stranger Things” in 2022. Almost four decades after its first release, it became a top ten hit in the U.S., prompting curiosity about its inspiration and background.
One particular tweet went viral after claiming to quote an interview Bush did about the song. Bush allegedly said: “Some think it’s literally about running up a hill, but it’s not. I’ve never even seen a hill, let alone run up one.”
The screenshot is fake and intended as a joke, though some online appeared to be taking it seriously. The tweet came from comedian and writer Keaton Patti.
Bush rarely does interviews. She spoke to BBC Woman’s Hour in June 2022 about the renewed response to the track and the show "Stranger Things" that brought it back to the public imagination: "Well it’s just extraordinary. I mean, you know, it’s such a great series, I thought that the track would get some attention. But I just never imagined that it would be anything like this. It’s so exciting. But it’s quite shocking really, isn’t it? I mean, the whole world’s gone mad.”
She also spoke about the interpretation of the song: “I really like people to hear a song and take from it what they want. But originally it was written as the idea of really swapping a man and a woman, swapping places with each other and feel what it was like from the other side.”
The interview makes no mention of whether or not she has seen a hill. It is the first recorded interview she’s had in 6 years.
We are quite sure Bush has seen her fair share of hills, especially as she has a residence in Devon, in southwest England, a place with numerous cliffs and hills.