You Need To Understand That Iconic '80s Music Reference In Stranger Things 4

One of Stranger Things’ charms is the dedication to the 1980s. From Eleven’s obsession with Eggo toaster waffles to Season 2’s Reagan/Dukakis election yard signs, the show enjoys nodding to the cultural cliches of the era. Season 4 continues the trend, going all out with a mid-1980s soundtrack, featuring dozens of hits from the period. But the Kate Bush song lyrics from one particular track in Stranger Things 4 are far more important than anything at the roller rink.

Warning: Spoilers for Stranger Things 4, Vol. 1 follow. Stranger Things 4 starts almost a year after the events at the Starcourt Mall in Season 3’s finale. It’s spring 1986: Will, Jonathan, and Eleven are settled out in California, Hopper’s been a Russian prisoner for months, and the rest of the Hawkins kids were gearing up for spring break. There were some changes, most notably with Max. She and Lucas broke up — he joined the popular crowd as a basketball star; she spiraled into a dark place after Billy passed.

But some things never change, such as the Upside Down once again bringing Hawkins a new monster to face. This time, it’s Vecna, a demonic figure whose M.O. is attacking those with depression. First, he took out cheerleader Chrissy, then car crash survivor Fred. Putting together their symptoms with her own, Max realized she was next, and her friends scrambled for a way to save her.

The answer, it turned out, is music. Victor Creel, whose family was taken out by Vecna in the 1950s, described surviving Vecna’s attack because he heard his favorite song, Ella Fitzgerald’s “Dream a Little Dream.” Following suit, as Vecna came for Max, Lucas and Dustin played her favorite song, the opening track from Kate Bush’s 1985 debut album, Hounds of Love, “Running Up That Hill”.

The song — which was later retitled “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” — was an early feminist anthem, but its lyrics also can be read as the desperate need to get someone to understand the pain and angst they’re going through. It’s a perfect metaphor for the grief and guilt Max was still experiencing since Billy’s passing.

Here are the full lyrics, so you can see for yourself:

It doesn’t hurt me

Do you want to feel how it feels?

Do you want to know that it doesn’t hurt me?

Do you want to hear about the deal that I’m making?

You, it’s you and me

And if I only could

I’d make a deal with God

And I’d get him to swap our places

Be running up that road

Be running up that hill

Be running up that building

See if I only could, oh

You don’t want to hurt me

But see how deep the bullet lies

Unaware I’m tearing you asunder

Ooh, there is thunder in our hearts

Is there so much hate for the ones we love?

Tell me, we both matter, don’t we?

You, it’s you and me

It’s you and me won’t be unhappy

And if I only could

I’d make a deal with God

And I’d get him to swap our places

Be running up that road

Be running up that hill

Be running up that building

Say, if I only could, oh

You

It’s you and me

It’s you and me won’t be unhappy

C’mon, baby, c’mon, darling

Let me steal this moment from you now

C’mon, angel, c’mon, c’mon, darling

Let’s exchange the experience, oh

And if I only could

I’d make a deal with God

And I’d get him to swap our places

Be running up that road

Be running up that hill

With no problems

Whether Bush’s banger will be able to hold Vecna off Max for good remains to be seen when Stranger Things 4, Vol. 2, arrives July 1, 2022.