Running Up That Hill, Kate Bush, 1985
Thank you, Stranger Things, for one of the most perfect pairings of song and cinema I've ever seen. I just saw where Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" is no. 1 on iTunes ... it's 2022, y'all, how cool is that? It warms my heart to know this iconic song is trending 37 years after its release and connecting with a new fan base.
Like most culturally restricted southern teenagers in the 1980s, I depended on Mtv to expose me to a world that existed outside of my own. I remember the first time I saw this video/heard this song ... I was mesmerized. I had never heard of Kate Bush and I was immediately taken by her intensity. The video is beautiful but it never felt as if it belonged on Mtv. It seemed too good for that -- Kate was always on a different plain. Just like the song itself, the video is meticulously intentional art with a message. So powerful. So Kate. Iconic.
Kate Bush is, was, and will always be an otherworldly goddess. Untouchable. Nothing compares. It took this powerful old friend to replace that silly Rancid song as my reigning earworm. Thank you, Kate ... I'm not mad.
What is the criteria for a truly iconic song? Do you agree that this is an iconic song?
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