Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ tops Hot Rock and Alternatives songs – Billboard
Marissa M. Conner
2 min read
Kate Bush reaches No. 1 on BillboardThe Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts for the first time, as “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” tops the polls on June 18.
“Hill” reigns with 29 million official US streams, 2.4 million radio audience impressions (on journalists from Billboard‘s all-format Radio Songs chart) and 22,200 downloads sold, according to Luminate.
Originally released in 1985, “Hill” continues to blossom into a streaming and sales juggernaut 37 years later, fueled by its inclusion in Netflix’s fourth season. stranger thingswhich premiered on May 27.
The track is the second from the 80s chart Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, which debuted 13 years ago this week. “Purple Rain,” from 1984’s Prince and the Revolution, topped the May 14, 2016 chart after Prince passed away in April.
“Hill” triggers the first change to No. 1 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Alternative Songs since the charts on Nov. 6, 2021, when Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” bounced back for its sixth week atop each chart. “Waves” reigned for a total of 37 weeks, the second-most in Hot Rock & Alternative Songs history and the most in the Hot Alternative Songs chart’s two-year history. Panic! at the Disco’s “High Hopes” leads all songs on the former with 65 weeks at the top.
Bush hit his first No. 1 on both charts on his first appearance, a week after “Hill” debuted at No. 2 on the June 11 charts. The British singer-songwriter and producer has reached for the first time Billboardin 1979.
As previously reported, “Hill” jumps 8-4 on the Billboard Hot 100 all genres and multi-metrics, marking Bush’s career-highest ranking. The track also topped all genre charts for digital song sales and song streaming, the latter for the first time.
On the radio front, “Hill” bows at No. 21 on the all-rock Rock & Alternative Airplay format with 1.8 million impressions, driven largely by alternative stations; it starts at No. 26 on Alternative Airplay, where Bush appears for the first time since January 1994, when “Rubberband Girl” ended its run after reaching No. 7, becoming its fourth top 10.
KROQ Los Angeles led all Alternative Airplay panelists during the June 6-12 tracking week with 52 plays for “Hill,” up from seven the previous seven days. WNYL New York followed with 25 games, down from three.
