RUNNING UP THAT HILL
by KATE BUSH
Running Up That Hill is the enigmatic centrepiece of Kate Bush's magnum opus, Hounds Of Love. Written around the concept that if a man and woman swapped places for a day, they would understand each other more, RUTH initially only reached Number 3 upon its original release in 1985, and re-peaked at Number 6 after it was featured during the opening ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012.
After a resurgence of interest following the song’s use in the fourth season of the Netflix series Stranger Things in 2022, Running Up That Hill started to gain traction through streaming, and re-entered the Official UK Singles Chart in June 2022, climbing to Number 1 and staying there for three weeks.
This marked an extraordinary array of records broken: the longest ever gap between Number 1 singles in Official Chart history, with 44 years between Kate's 1978 chart-topper Wuthering Heights and 2022’s Running Up That Hill (beating the previously held record by Tom Jones); the longest time taken, 37 years, for a single to reach Number 1 (beating Wham!’s Last Christmas by a year); and aged 63 years and 11 months, she became the oldest female artist ever to score a Number 1 on the Official UK Singles Chart, beating Cher who previously held the claim at the age of 52. Running Up That Hill ended up as the sixth biggest song of 2022.
Official Singles Chart
Official Singles Chart
Chart facts
- Peak position1
- LabelEMI
- Catalogue numberKB1
- First Chart Date
Weeks on chart
- 3No. 1
- 16Top. 10
- 20Top. 20
- 30Top. 40
- 43Top. 75
- 52Top. 100
Chart run
1 week - 19/05/2012
1 week - 16/03/2023
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Official Singles Sales Chart
Official Singles Sales Chart
Chart facts
- Peak position1
- LabelFISH PEOPLE
- Catalogue numberGBCNR8500002
- First Chart Date
Weeks on chart
- 2No. 1
- 10Top. 10
- 14Top. 20
- 19Top. 40
- 36Top. 75
- 46Top. 100
Chart run
1 week - 11/02/2021
1 week - 27/04/2023
1 week - 15/06/2023
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Official Singles Downloads Chart
Official Singles Downloads ChartChart facts
- Peak position1
- LabelEMI
- Catalogue numberGBCNR8500025
- First Chart Date
Weeks on chart
- 3No. 1
- 11Top. 10
- 15Top. 20
- 23Top. 40
- 41Top. 75
- 55Top. 100
Chart run
1 week - 19/05/2012
1 week - 11/02/2021
1 week - 25/05/2023
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Official Physical Singles Chart
Official Physical Singles ChartChart facts
- Peak position3
- LabelFISH PEOPLE
- Catalogue numberGBCNR8500002
- First Chart Date
Weeks on chart
- 0No. 1
- 1Top. 10
- 2Top. 20
- 3Top. 40
- 8Top. 75
- 9Top. 100
Chart run
1 week - 08/06/2013
1 week - 28/06/2014
1 week - 23/08/2014
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End of Year Singles Chart
Chart facts
- Peak position6
- LabelFISH PEOPLE
- Catalogue numberGBCNR8500002
- First Chart Date
Weeks on chart
- 0No. 1
- 1Top. 10
- 1Top. 20
- 1Top. 40
- 1Top. 75
- 1Top. 100
Chart run
1 week - 31/12/2022
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Official Independent Singles Chart
Official Independent Singles Chart
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