“Running Up That Hill,” song by Kate Bush, becomes global hit

• Kate Bush’s song “Running Up That Hill” became a global hit.
•  Nora Felder says the song allowed the world to “exhale.”
•  The song has seen an 8,700-percent boost on Spotify.

Nora Felder, the Emmy-winning Netflix show’s music coordinator, deserves a large portion of the credit for making the 1985 tune “Running Up That Hill” into what will likely be remembered as the year 2022’s defining song.

According to the woman who chose Kate Bush for “Stranger Things,” which became an unforeseen summer sensation, the world was able to breathe easier after the pandemic’s stress thanks to Bush’s song.

Bush’s song experienced an 8,700% increase on Spotify after it was used in episode four of season four in May, propelling it to the top spot globally.

Felder told AFP, “No-one imagined what it would become. It swept the world.”

“I think the song was a way for the world to exhale, to let go of their breath.

“The primary message of the song is stepping out of your shoes and understanding what the people around you are going through, that sometimes it´s a long road to the top.

“And I think we all felt trapped and didn´t know what was going to happen with the pandemic and everything else.”

– ´Kate is very particular´ –

There is more to Felder’s job than just daydreaming about catchy songs for a moment. Budgets, copyright discussions, and the hiring of musicians fill her day.

“I´m usually involved in the very early stages of the scripts,” she said.

“It helps me a lot to have the stories in my head, to start building song ideas before it´s shot. When I get to know the characters, that´s when the ideas start coming to me.”

When she approached Bush’s reps, it was a difficult situation because she was unaware that the singer-songwriter was already a fan of the programme.

Felder said, “Because Kate is very particular about how her songs are used, I took a lot of time preparing the context and what it meant to the story and the characters.”

“Kate approved it because she understood and accepted the vision that the Duffer brothers (the showrunners) had created.” It was very gratifying.

“I did have other selections but that was the best one. This song ticked all the check marks — the message behind the song, the way it built, the way it resonated with everything Max (the character) had gone through.”

– ´Open their ears´ –

Using Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” during season four was Felder’s other notable accomplishment.

She attributes the song’s ability to appeal to non-metal listeners to the love for the character Eddie who performs it.

“Because the audience fell in love with Eddie, it made them open their ears to the song that exemplified him. They are tough on the outside but on the inside, there´s an emotionality,” she said.

“´Stranger Things´ is magical. People love the characters so much that it allows them to keep their mind open.”

On the day Felder received her Emmy for music supervision last month, Metallica gave her roses.

“And they followed me on Twitter. I´m still a little kid with certain bands, and I was thinking: ´Oh my god, Metallica followed me!´” she said.

Prior to working on the soundtracks for “Romy and Michele´s High School Reunion” and TV episodes like “Ray Donovan” and “Baskets,” Felder started her career as a music producer, helping out on records by Paul Simon, Sinead O’Connor, and Iggy Pop.

There is pressure because “Stranger Things” will soon have a second season.

“With what happened this year, I suspect a lot of artists are going to be hoping they can be the next ´Running Up That Hill´.”

“Who knows, maybe there will be another one or two,” she said.

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