Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill

Bush wrote this with the title “Deal With God.” Her label made her change it because they didn’t think radio stations in any religious countries (Italy, Ireland…) would play a song with “God” in the title. Bush thought that was ridiculous, but agreed to the change because after spending two years making the album, she didn’t want her song to get blacklisted because of the title.

It was a rare creative compromise for Bush, and one she came to regret, as she feels “Deal With God” is the proper title and part of the song’s entity.

The music video was directed by David Garfath and choreographed by Diane Grey. It features Bush performing an interpretive dance with the dancer Misha Hervieu. Bush felt that dance in music videos was “being used quite trivially, it was being exploited: haphazard images, busy, lots of dances, without really the serious expression, and wonderful expression, that dance can give”. Instead, she wanted to create a “serious piece of dance” comprising a simple routine between two people. In the video, Bush mimics an archer pulling a bow, an idea she reused for the single cover.

Hervieu said she was cast as she was not following the trends of dance in pop music at the time. As Hervieu was much taller than Bush, they discovered Bush could wrap around her body “like a snake” and incorporated this into the dance. To evade Equity union rules against moonlighting, Hervieu said she could not appear in the West End musical Barnum because of illness, for which she was fired from the play.

Bush debuted “Running Up That Hill” in a performance on the BBC1 talk show Wogan, to an estimated audience of nine million. She performed from behind a lectern, backed by a band including Palmer and Paddy Bush. The performers wore coats similar to religious habits and were accompanied by standard-bearers waving “billowing” flags. Mojo wrote later: “Particularly in the context of a cosy mainstream show, there was something distinctly ritualistic about the whole affair, certainly in keeping with the song’s magickal theme.” Bush also performed it on the West German show Peter’s Pop Show. “Running Up That Hill” was released in the UK as the lead single from Hounds of Love on 5 August 1985, and reached number three on the UK singles chart.

This was used in these TV shows:
Stranger Things (“Chapter One: The Hellfire Club” – 2022)
On Becoming A God In Central Florida (“American Merchandise” – 2019)
Big Little Lies (“The Bad Mother” – 2019)
How To Get Away With Murder (“We Know Everything” – 2019)
Vanity Fair (“In Which Becky Joins Her Regiment” – 2018)
Warehouse 13 (“Emily Lake” – 2011)
NCIS: Los Angeles (“Empty Quiver” – 2011)
The Vampire Diaries (“Pilot” – 2009)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (“A La Cart” – 2007)
Bones (“Judas On A Pole” – 2006)
The O.C. (“The Avengers” – 2006)

“Running Up That Hill” – Single by Kate Bush from the album Hounds of Love
Released 5 August 1985
Songwriter Kate Bush
Charted No.30 in US, No.3 in UK, No.6 in Australia, No.6 Belgium, No.3 West Germany