upworthy
Pop Culture

An iconic scene in 'Stranger Things' has made this 37-year-old Kate Bush song a number 1 hit

An iconic moment all around.

running up that hill, stranger things, kate bush

A win for weirdos everywhere.

It’s not every day that an obscure relic from '80s alt pop completely dominates the charts, takes over social media and becomes a Gen-Z approved cultural phenomenon more than three decades after its original release … all over the course of one weekend, no less. But Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” has done it, thanks to “Stranger Things.”

The widely popular Netflix show has been bringing '80s pop culture back into the mainstream since its premiere—particularly with things once considered very uncool, like Dungeons & Dragons. But “Running Up That Hill,” wasn’t just used to instill nostalgia or redeem something previously weird (although it does that too). The song plays a pivotal role throughout the season that audiences are responding to on an emotional level.


When a young girl named Max (played by Sadie Sink) becomes haunted by the death of her stepbrother Billy, she starts playing the song over and over again on her Walkman to process her grief.

max song stranger things

The headphones might have changed. The feeling hasn't.

YouTube

The lyrics “If I only could, I'd make a deal with God, and I'd get him to swap our places” seem to perfectly encapsulate what she might be feeling under her generally tough exterior, and to some extent what anyone who has faced irrevocable loss might feel.

Bargaining, attempting to postpone pain by imagining these “what if” scenarios, is a stage of grief many of us find ourselves in. Though that isn’t necessarily the song’s original meaning, it just works in this context beautifully.

stranger things season four

When the song is over a real life resumes.

Giphy

Later, that song is the very thing that saves Max from the evil alternate dimension known as the Upside Down. It pulls her mind away from the darkness and back to her friends, her world and herself. I think everyone has their own “Save Me From The Upside Down” song—a tune or even a whole album that connects them back to their humanity, which is why so many viewers were touched.

Funny enough, for me that lifesaving music is Kate Bush, so this whole moment is super vindicating. Is this what being a hipster feels like?

If you have somehow never witnessed the utterly dramatic, super eclectic, whimsical-yet-bonkers music of Kate Bush, you’re in for a treat. For some, her vibe was way too out there. In fact, according to Unilad, “Running Up That Hill” was even banned from MTV for being “too weird.”

For others, like me, Kate Bush was a spiritual experience.

kate bush running up that hill

This was on my vision board for years.

Giphy

Not only did it help me escape from otherwise dreary times to fantastical realms, nothing made me feel more encouraged to embrace my own nonconformity. During my teenage years, that was everything.

Below is the original music video for “Running Up That Hill”— complete with interpretive dance moves—just to give you a taste of Kate Bush's genius.

Since it was released in 1985, the song has been covered numerous times by artists including Tori Amos, Tiffany and Placebo. But for the most part, it has been held in reverent obscurity by only diehard fans. The latest season of “Stranger Things” not only catapulted “Running Up That Hill” to No. 1 on iTunes, it has younger generations now obsessed with all things Kate Bush.

Even the bizarre way she pours tea has gone viral on Twitter.

Is it unsettling to see an artifact from your formative years suddenly be part of the public zeitgeist? Yes, it is. But mostly it’s delightful.

“Stranger Things” is at its heart a story that celebrates outcasts. From the beginning it’s made heroes of outsiders and helped younger audiences appreciate things older generations might have once held shame in loving.

kate bush stranger things

I mean … what's not to like?

Giphy

Bush’s music is a flavor of uplifting weirdness the world could really use right now, and how thrilling it is to see its much-needed renaissance.

Pop Culture

William Shatner describes the profound grief he felt when he finally went to space for real

The OG Captain Kirk's real-life space experience holds important lessons for us all.

"William Shatner" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

William Shatner's trip to space wasn't what he expected.

Statistically speaking, the number of humans who have traveled into space is insignificant. But the experience of leaving our home planet and venturing into the great beyond is incredibly significant for the individuals who have actually done it.

One of those fortunate humans is actor William Shatner, who spent three years pretending to hurtle through space in his iconic role as Captain James T. Kirk on the original "Star Trek" series. As captain of the USS Enterprise, Captain Kirk was dedicated to exploring "strange new worlds," seeking out "new life and new civilizations" and boldly going "where no man has gone before."

Naturally, Shatner has spent a lot of time pondering what it would be like to actually experience leaving Earth, and when he took the opportunity to join Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin trip to space in October 2021 at age 90, he was able to compare how his expectations met up with reality.

Shatner shared an excerpt from his new book with Variety, and it reveals that his initial reaction to being in space was surprisingly dark.

"I love the mystery of the universe," Shatner wrote. "I love all the questions that have come to us over thousands of years of exploration and hypotheses. Stars exploding years ago, their light traveling to us years later; black holes absorbing energy; satellites showing us entire galaxies in areas thought to be devoid of matter entirely… all of that has thrilled me for years…"

However, as he looked out the window of the spacecraft—a real one, not a screen on a film set—and looked in the direction opposite Earth, "there was no mystery, no majestic awe to behold," he wrote. "All I saw was death. I saw a cold, dark, black emptiness. It was unlike any blackness you can see or feel on Earth. It was deep, enveloping, all-encompassing."

As he turned back toward "the light of home," he saw the opposite. "I could see the curvature of Earth, the beige of the desert, the white of the clouds and the blue of the sky. It was life. Nurturing, sustaining, life. Mother Earth. Gaia. And I was leaving her."

Then he had a stunning revelation: "Everything I had thought was wrong. Everything I had expected to see was wrong."

Again, this is a man who has spent much of his life thinking about space—not as an astronaut or astronomer or astrophysicist, but as a human being stuck on the Earth's surface, struck with wonder about what's out there. He explained what he had been wrong about:

"I had thought that going into space would be the ultimate catharsis of that connection I had been looking for between all living things—that being up there would be the next beautiful step to understanding the harmony of the universe. In the film 'Contact,' when Jodie Foster’s character goes to space and looks out into the heavens, she lets out an astonished whisper, 'They should’ve sent a poet.' I had a different experience, because I discovered that the beauty isn’t out there, it’s down here, with all of us. Leaving that behind made my connection to our tiny planet even more profound.

"It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered. The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness. Every day, we are confronted with the knowledge of further destruction of Earth at our hands: the extinction of animal species, of flora and fauna . . . things that took five billion years to evolve, and suddenly we will never see them again because of the interference of mankind. It filled me with dread. My trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral."

Shatner explained how this "sense of the planet’s fragility takes hold in an ineffable, instinctive manner" for many astronauts when they view Earth from orbit. It's part of the "overview effect"—the profound shift in perspective that comes with seeing our collective home from a distance. With no visible borders between nations or peoples, it becomes clear that our divisions are all manmade, which can change the way we view humanity as a whole.

The experience left Shatner with renewed conviction to focus on what we share in common.

"It reinforced tenfold my own view on the power of our beautiful, mysterious collective human entanglement," he wrote, "and eventually, it returned a feeling of hope to my heart. In this insignificance we share, we have one gift that other species perhaps do not: we are aware—not only of our insignificance, but the grandeur around us that makes us insignificant. That allows us perhaps a chance to rededicate ourselves to our planet, to each other, to life and love all around us. If we seize that chance."

Just beautiful. Since most of us will never leave Earth, we can take inspiration from those who have, acknowledge our essential oneness and do everything in our power to protect our beautiful, life-giving home.

Shatner shares more of his reflections on life on this planet and beyond in his most recent book, "Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder."


This article originally appeared two years ago.

@dyweeeez/Instagram

Ah, the healing power of music.

Parents, is this situation relatable, or is it relatable? A mom named Dymond Edwards recently shared the impromptu serenade session given to her by her 5-year-old daughter Aryn Dennis after she was picked up early from school for having a "stomach ache.

As we can clearly see in the Instagram clip, the supposed tummy issue is nowhere to be found as little Aryn, TV remote as a microphone in hand, belts out ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT” like she was performing at Madison Square Garden.

It’s hard to tell which is more funny, Aryn's unapologetic mic drop at the end, or Edwards’ face throughout…which is the face every parent has made at least once after realizing they were just duped by their kiddo.

Watch, and prepare for cuteness overload with those adorable “Apa tapa tays”:

Talk about a miraculous recovery! However, as many noted in the comments section, Aryn very well could have been feeling anxiety, which manifested in stomach pain. As one person put it, “Maybe the stomachache was anxiety. Now she’s where she is comfortable and she belongs. Stomachache gone.”

Another echoed, “Tbh it’s like when you have a headache at work but as soooon as you home you realise work was the headache ../”

Others were quick to defend the little one, who might have just needed a mental health day. One person shared, “I did this once for a ‘headache’ my mama knew I was lying but picked me up anyway & took me to McDonald’s back when they had the play place w/ the ball pit & to Barnes & Noble & read me books. In my 30s & still a fond memory.”

So who knows? Maybe there was never a tummy ache, but it's certainly going to be a sweet memory to hold onto, especially since it was all caught on tape.

And of course, there were plenty of comments that were just pure comedy:

“Singing is healing 😂”

“She left the stomach ache at school.”

“My mama would’ve took me right back! 😂😂”

“Stomach ache not mouth ache. Sing princess.”

“She looked around at school and said ‘that’s enough today-ing here for today.’”

“Is the stomach ache in the room with us?”

“As your daughter’s attorney she won’t be answering any more questions.”

“The stomach ache was the stage fright for this concert she knew she was gon be puttin on😂😂😂😂”

Whether it was because of actual stomach cramps, mental overload, or because she was just done with “todaying,” this little girl needed a break. Kudos to mom for giving her that…Hopefully next time it won’t mean disrupting the workflow with a living room concert.

Photo by April Walker on Unsplash
Retired elementary school teacher shares biggest parenting mistake she saw during long career

Few people understand kids better than elementary school teachers. Not only do they spend all day with kids, but teachers get to know their students' parents pretty well, too. From parent-teacher conferences to field trips and snack days, it's a collaborative relationship meant to foster their child's development. (And let's be real: what parent hasn't gotten a call from their child's teacher to discuss their *questionable* behavior in the classroom?)

Teachers are full of wisdom about kids, which is why TikToker @elenanico22 interviewed her mom Lisa, a retired elementary school teacher, in an advice video. She asked her mom to share her insights on the question: "What's one thing you saw people messing up with their kids?"

And her response was simple: "They didn't enjoy them." Elena asks her mom to elaborate, and she goes on to share, "Kids are fun. You’ve got to enjoy them. They wanted them to be something that — most of us aren’t exactly what other people want us to be — so enjoy the kid you have."

@elenanico22

Lisa says it like it is #momlife #momsoftiktok #momwisdom #momtok #momhumor #parenting #parentingwisdom

Of course, Lisa fully accepted her own daughter, and turns to Elena in the video and says, "I enjoyed you."

And the comments were flooded with positive replies from parents to her response. "Kids aren’t a chore, they’re a joy. 🥰," one wrote. Another added, "Parents are stressed, and they don’t realize how quickly childhood goes by."

ParentsKids Love GIF by Pudgy PenguinsGiphy

The post also resonated with other teachers and professionals who work with kids. "This is so true. I work in childcare and lots of parents literally cannot stand their kids. They get so angry when we close. They can’t wait to drop them off and pickup last minute. Breaks my heart," one commented. Another wrote, "Toddler teacher. Same. So heartbreaking. I saw it a lot when I worked with highly educated parents with high incomes." And another teacher chimed in with, "So true. As a elementary teacher sometimes playing Barbie Dreamhouse with my 4 y/o is the last thing I want to do but I always do because I know I'll be wishing for it one day ♥️." And another professional shared, "As a pediatrician, I agree."

The video concluded with another piece of strong advice from Lisa, who also dropped this nugget: "Never send your kid to school with carrots." The reason? She explained a story involving a prominent doctor at her school who was "super strict" with what his kids could and could not eat at school.

Carrotshamster GIFGiphy

"So of course what did the kids want? Everything they couldn't," she said. "You are bound to have kids who are going to have food issues."

And plenty of parents offered their thoughts on this. "Omg I love her! Please post more. As a mom I’m enjoying time with my kids, loving their personalities and so anti food restriction teaching them intuitive eating. Because I wasn’t taught those things," one commented. Another shared, "The food statement is so true. My son shared that a boy from his class (who has food restrictions) steals the other kids snacks at school! 🙈❤️😂"

An abundance of food taken from a dumpster.

In the United States, we have two big problems that should help solve each other, but unfortunately, the problems persist. According to the USDA, it's estimated that between 30 to 40% of the food supply in the U.S. is wasted. So, wholesome food that could help feed families instead winds up in landfills. At the same time, about 18 million households, or 13.5% of the population, are food insecure.

Five years ago, Sofie Juel-Andersen, 30, of Denmark, who was living in Sydney, Australia, was told by her sister that she could save a lot of money and prevent food from being wasted by diving into dumpsters at her local supermarket. Initially, Juel-Andersen was skeptical about her sister’s idea. “My sister sent me a photo of some hidden treasures she’d found dumpster diving. I knew about it, but I’d never seen it as an option to put food on the table,” she told SWNS.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

After Juel-Andersen made a few successful hauls and saw the amount of money she was saving, she was hooked. “What I found was insane. It was filled with food—some of it had expired, but a lot hadn’t,” she said. “It was like a treasure hunt for me. I quickly realized that there was so much good food in the dumpsters I didn’t need to go shopping anymore.”

After moving back to Denmark in 2022, she continued dumpster diving and has been so successful that she hardly ever has to shop at the grocery store. She estimates she only spent $100 in supermarkets in 2024, primarily on toiletries such as toilet paper and toothpaste. This allowed the restaurant manager to have a lot more money for traveling.

Her success as a dumpster diver has made her popular on TikTok, where she can share an important message about food waste.


Why do grocery stores throw out good food?

Why are grocery stores throwing away so much good food? “I believe grocery stores throw out food because of the following reasons; the first is there's a small mark on the product or it's in a bag where one item is rotten,” she told Newsweek. “The second is they have a new shipment of a product, so they throw away the old ones which are closer to their sell-by or best-before dates. Thirdly, grocery stores may get rid of one product in a large container where another has been damaged.”

So how does Juel-Andersen avoid getting sick eating food she finds in dumpsters, a lot of it close to or past its expiration dates? "My main source of food is food from the dumpsters, and I've only been sick one time because I ate a bad apple,” she shared on TikTok. “Which was completely my own fault." She added that she avoids eating food that is "moldy, looks bad, or smells bad. I am very cautious of what I take."

Even though dumpster diving should never be the solution to the problems of food waste and insecurity, Juel-Andersen’s brave and creative approach to the problem has inspired an important discussion about sustainability and resourcefulness. Let’s hope that in the future, we can bridge the gap between surplus and need so no food is wasted, and no one goes hungry.

Silvia Grecco describes and narrates a soccer match to her blind son

Upon first notice, Silvia Grecco was just another mother in the stands watching the Palmeiras Sporting Society (SE Palmeiras) and Corinthians Paulista Sports Club (SC Corinthians P) soccer match with her son in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2019. But then the cameras during the game noticed her talking nonstop and cheering directly in her son’s ear as he was looking forward. That’s when FIFA found out that Silvia’s son was blind and she was narrating the entire match to him. This got immense attention from the media, FIFA, and the internet at large.

Silvia’s son Nikollas was born five months premature, weighing in at only half a kilogram upon birth. This brought several challenges to his life, including his retinas never being fully formed, leaving him blind. At age five, he was diagnosed with mild autism.

Silvia Grecco and her son Nikollas celebrating a soccer goal.Siliva and her son celebrating a goal.Photo credit: FIFA

Silvia has been a fan of soccer, specifically the SE Palmeiras Brazilian football club, since childhood. Naturally, like many parents, her fandom passed on to her son. While Nikollas “really lives in his world” at home according to Silvia, when he goes to the games he’s “infected with joy.” While Nikollas was given a radio and headset to listen to the game while at the stadium, he took it off, wanting to fully experience the live atmosphere. That’s when his mom stepped up to make sure he got the experience he was looking for.

Silvia did more than just provide play-by-play commentary like the radio did. She would cheer for goals, boo bad referee calls, chant with the fans, describe the hairstyles of the players, the colors of their socks, describe the other fans next to Nikollas, describe the mood of the crowd, and more. She made sure what could be seen was described and heard. With that, Nikollas became just as big of a fan as she was.

This caused Silvia to go viral throughout all social media platforms, including Reddit. Commenters sounded off:

“This is absolutely beautiful.”

“It's people like that, that gives me hope.”

“Amazing mom and connection.”

Some commenters also brought up their experiences with blind sports fans and personalities:

“I had an ex whose great aunt was blind from birth, but was a big fan of baseball. So we sometimes took her to some local games and we would commentate to her the game and it was quite fun. One time, we were talking about getting some snacks, and some guys sitting nearby overheard us and said they would cover the commentary for her while we went and got the snacks. Very kind folks, and we made sure to get them some ice cream, too ❤️.”

“The Rays Spanish-language commentator is blind from birth. His wife helps him in the booth. They’re so sweet.”

“I saw a video where the friend of a blind gentleman was sitting behind him at the game and was using his finger on the guy's back to explain where on the pitch the action was. It was super cool.”

Silvia Grecco and her son Nikolass accepting FIFA's Best Fan Award in 2019Silvia Grecco and her Nikolass accepting FIFA's Best Fan Award in 2019Photo credit: FIFA

Silvia’s love for both her son and SC Palmeiras shone through. In 2019, her fandom was recognized as she received the 2019 FIFA Fan Award. Experiencing and loving a sport is human, but being able to share that love fully to invigorate someone else is something truly special.