Stranger Things fans are currently stuck in another hiatus, with more than a year passing since the Season 4 finale and no premiere date in sight for the fifth and final season. The annual Stranger Things Day on November 6 dropped some details about the First Shadow stage play, but nothing like the release of a trailer and episode titles that we've gotten before. Still, the Stranger Things holiday inspired me to go back and rewatch the iconic "Running Up That Hill" sequence from the fourth episode of Season 4 with Max frantically fleeing Vecna, and it reminded me of something I've desperately needed since May 2022.
Now, I can be reasonable about what I want from Stranger Things with the WGA writers strike only recently ended and the SAG-AFTRA actors strike still ongoing, with the Duffer Brothers using Funko Pops to plan Season 5. No new footage is on the way for the foreseeable future, and I'm not expecting any huge teases from the writers. But is it too much to ask for something from Season 4 that has been stuck in my head for more than a year? I just really want an official version of the Stranger Things remix of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill."
To be clear – the scene with the song that I'm referring to is the one from the end of Episode 4, called "Dear Billy," with Max successfully escaping Vecna after Lucas, Dustin, and Steve were able to tether her back to the real world via her Walkman and Kate Bush. I've recovered from Season 4 enough to rewatch that and yearn for that scene's remix of the song; I'm definitely not recovered enough from Max's fate in the Season 4 finale to rewatch that scene for a fun Stranger Things Day throwback, even if that remix is also epic. Maybe it'll stop being sad by the Stranger Things Season 5 premiere?
But I still remember taking a break from my binge-watch after finishing "Dear Billy" back in May 2022 to check Spotify and see if the remix from Stranger Things Season 4A was available for me to put on repeat. I was already thrilled that the show had gone the extra mile to get the rights for the Kate Bush song, and wasn't surprised that the original version of "Running Up That Hill" became a chart-topper again. I was certainly listening to it all over again! But just rewatch that scene and try to tell me that the Stranger Things remix wouldn't be epic:
The lightning and crashing sound effects? The orchestral theme? The echoes as the music begins to reach Max? Epic! To be fair, there are some remixes to be found on services like Spotify, but nothing official that perfectly matches what aired in this Season 4 episode. I've checked many times over the past year to see if the Stranger Things version from "Dear Billy" had somehow been released without my knowing, but no luck.
Plus, the scene came to a happy ending, and I'd be able to listen to it without thinking too hard about what happens to Max at the end of "Running Up That Hill" in the Season 4 finale.
I'm not overly optimistic at this point, though, and not just because I've been wanting the Stranger Things Season 2 trailer remix of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" since 2017. Still, it would have been a fun release on a Stranger Things Day when there would be no new footage to tease. It seems that I'm going to be stuck just replaying the clip whenever I'm in the mood for the show's remix of Kate Bush instead of the original "Running Up That Hill."
As for whether I'll revisit the remix that played over the climax of the Season 4 finale... well, I'll do it for a rewatch of the full season, but I don't have the heart to want to watch Max's fate again for fun. The first four seasons of Stranger Things are available streaming with a Netflix subscription now.
