Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ Played a Pivotal Role in ‘Pose’
Kate Bush’s 1985 single “Running Up That Hill” has been used for dramatic effect in movies and TV shows since its release nearly four decades ago. Its use in the pilot episode of FX’s hit series Pose remains one of fans’ favorite uses of Bush’s soaring track.
Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ was used in ‘Pose’s series premiere
Pose made history when it premiered in 2018 as the first show on TV to feature five trans women of color cast in leading roles. Michaela Jaé Rodriguez won a Golden Globe Award and earned a historic Emmy nomination for her portrayal of house mother Blanca Evangelista; she was joined by Indya Moore, Dominique Jackson, Angelica Ross, and Hailie Sahar.
Indya Moore played Angel Evangelista, a young trans woman and member of the House of Evangelista. In the series premiere, Angel is working as a street sex worker who gets picked up by a successful businessman named Stan (played by Evan Peters). The two share a romantic kiss in his car, and as the opening notes of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” began to play on the radio, she told him that it was their song.
Angel’s relationship with Stan becomes a central plot point in the show’s first season. While Peters’ character is absent after the first season and Angel eventually marries fellow House of Evangelista member Papi Evangelista (played by Angel Bismark Curiel) in season 3, many Pose fans remember Angel’s first night with Stan and their beloved Kate Bush song setting the foundation for her road to greater self-confidence.
‘Running Up That Hill’ found new popularity in 2022 thanks to ‘Stranger Things’
In 2022, Bush’s hit song was featured in season 4 of Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things. As a result, the song became Bush’s first-ever top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Bush expressed her excitement about the song’s newfound popularity in a post on her website.
“You might’ve heard that the first part of the fantastic, gripping new series of Stranger Things has recently been released on Netflix,” Bush wrote. “It features the song, ‘Running Up That Hill’ which is being given a whole new lease of life by the young fans who love the show — I love it too!”
“Because of this, ‘Running Up That Hill’ is charting around the world and has entered the UK chart at No. 8. It’s all really exciting!” she said. “Thanks very much to everyone who has supported the song. I wait with bated breath for the rest of the series in July.”
Other times ‘Running Up That Hill’ has been used in TV and movies
“Running Up That Hill” has been used in several other films and TV shows over the years. The first time it was used on screen was in the 1986 BBC children’s series Running Scared as its opening theme; its first time in a film was in The Chocolate War two years later.
It was also used in Doctor Who creator Russell T. Davies‘ 2021 miniseries It’s a Sin. In an interview with The Guardian, director Peter Hoar and creator Davies said it “felt right” to include Bush’s classic song in the series, especially given the fact that it explores the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s when the song was first released. “They’re sat there just thinking: we don’t know what to do,” Hoar said. “Jill is taking responsibility, but what can they say? That song is about women and men swapping places, and certainly the idea of taking someone’s place is pertinent.”
Placebo’s version of the song has been popular as well, having appearances in TV shows including Big Little Lies, How to Get Away With Murder, and The O.C.
