What is Running Up That Hill about? Kate Bush’s 1985 song is about wanting to swap places with another person so each side can feel the other’s fear, love, pressure, and pain. For athletes, that idea lands hard: the track’s 108 BPM pulse, five-minute length, and repeated climb imagery make it useful for hill repeats, treadmill efforts, and mental toughness work. BBC reported on June 1, 2022 that the song reached No. 1 on Spotify’s UK daily songs chart after Stranger Things. NPR reported on June 7, 2022 that streams jumped 8,700% globally in one weekend.
The short answer: what is Running Up That Hill about?
Running Up That Hill is a song about empathy under pressure. The narrator imagines making “a deal with God” so two people can exchange places and understand each other’s inner strain. It is not a literal fitness song, but its climbing image, urgent rhythm, and emotional tension fit endurance training unusually well.
The keyword question, what is running up that hill about, usually gets answered as “a relationship song.” That is correct, but incomplete. The song is also about the cost of not being understood when emotions are high. In training terms, it feels like the point in a hill rep where your legs still work, but your mind starts bargaining.
Quotable fact: “At 108 BPM and about 4 minutes 59 seconds, ‘Running Up That Hill’ sits almost exactly in the time window many coaches use for a controlled uphill tempo rep.”
Definition 1: What is “Running Up That Hill”?
“Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” is a 1985 Kate Bush single from the album Hounds of Love. It uses a steady drum-machine pulse, minor-key tension, and lyrics about trading places to explore empathy, conflict, and emotional survival.
Why the song hit athletes so strongly
Good workout songs do three jobs at once: set pace, sharpen focus, and give the effort a story. This track does all three without sounding like a gym commercial. Its beat is steady enough for a treadmill incline block, but the vocal line keeps changing shape, so the five minutes do not feel flat.
SongBPM lists the track at 108 BPM. That tempo can pair with a 162 steps-per-minute running cadence if a runner uses a 3:2 feel, taking three foot strikes across two beats. For newer runners, it can also work as a 108-step marching cadence for steep walking intervals.
Quotable fact: “A 108 BPM track can support either a steep power-walk cadence near 108 steps per minute or a running cadence near 162 steps per minute when the athlete uses a 3:2 step pattern.”
This is the article’s coaching angle: the song’s meaning is about switching perspective, and the training use is about switching gears. You can use the same five-minute track three different ways depending on whether the goal is aerobic control, incline strength, or emotional reset.
Definition 2: What is the “deal with God” in the song?
The “deal with God” is the imagined trade that would let two people swap experiences. It is a lyrical device for radical empathy: if each person could live inside the other’s stress, love, and fear, the conflict might soften.
Key data points behind the song’s second life
The song was already a classic before 2022, but Stranger Things turned it into a cross-generation training and playlist staple. NPR reported on June 7, 2022 that the song originally peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985, then re-entered at No. 8 in 2022. Netflix’s Tudum article, updated June 23, 2023, said the track passed one billion Spotify streams on June 22, 2023.
BBC reported on June 1, 2022 that the song became Spotify’s fourth-most streamed song worldwide after the show’s Season 4 release. WIPO later reported that the track ranked among the top 10 most played songs for three straight weeks on Spotify and iTunes after its renewed exposure.
Quotable fact: “The song moved from a No. 30 U.S. peak in 1985 to a No. 8 Billboard Hot 100 position in 2022. That is a 37-year comeback powered by one TV scene and a massive streaming surge.”
How coaches can read the lyrics without overcomplicating them
When an athlete asks about the song’s meaning, I would answer in one sentence first: it is about wanting someone else to feel what you feel. That direct reading matters because the song works best in training when the session has emotional weight, not just calorie burn.
The title image is simple. A hill is resistance. Running up it means choosing effort instead of staying level. In a relationship, the hill is misunderstanding. In a workout, the hill is where form, breath, and patience start to slip.
That is why the song is stronger for controlled hard work than for max-out chaos. It does not scream at you. It keeps pressing. The best use is a workout where you need to stay honest for five minutes, not sprint blindly for 30 seconds.
Definition 3: What is a hill repeat?
A hill repeat is a running workout where an athlete runs uphill for a set time or distance, recovers, then repeats the climb. Coaches use hill repeats to build leg strength, running economy, posture, and confidence under controlled fatigue.
Comparison table: three ways to train with the song
| Use case | Best athlete | How to use the 108 BPM beat | Target effort | Coaching cue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incline power walk | Beginner or return-to-running athlete | Step once per beat near 108 steps per minute | 6 out of 10 | Stand tall, push through the whole foot |
| Hill tempo rep | Intermediate runner | Use a 3:2 rhythm near 162 steps per minute | 7 to 8 out of 10 | Shorten stride before adding effort |
| Mental reset block | Any athlete after a rough day | Breathe in for 4 beats, out for 6 beats during the first minute | 5 to 7 out of 10 | Keep the first 90 seconds calmer than you want |
A five-minute “Running Up That Hill” workout block
This block is built around the song length, not around guesswork. Use it after a 10-minute warm-up. If you are outdoors, choose a hill that takes at least 60 seconds to climb. If you are on a treadmill, set the incline between 4% and 8% depending on your current fitness.
- 0:00 to 1:00, settle: Start at a pace you could hold for 15 minutes. Keep shoulders low and eyes forward.
- 1:00 to 2:00, build: Increase speed by 0.2 to 0.4 mph or add 1% incline. Breathing should be strong but controlled.
- 2:00 to 3:30, hold: Stay smooth. Count 30 right-foot strikes and check whether your stride is getting too long.
- 3:30 to 4:30, press: Add one small gear. Your effort should reach 8 out of 10, not 10 out of 10.
- 4:30 to finish, finish clean: Keep form steady until the last beat. Do not race the final 20 seconds if your posture breaks.
Repeat the block two to four times with three minutes of easy walking or jogging between repeats. Most recreational runners should cap this at 20 total minutes of uphill work the first time. The goal is quality, not punishment.
Why 108 BPM is a useful training tempo
Many popular running songs sit between 160 and 180 BPM because that range can match common running cadence. A 108 BPM song looks slower at first, but it gives coaches options. You can use it as a direct beat for power walking, a half-time feel for strength work, or a 3:2 rhythm for running.
Here is the unique coaching detail most song-meaning articles miss: 108 BPM is close to the step rate many athletes hit when walking hard at 10% incline. In beginner treadmill groups, a 3.2 to 3.8 mph incline walk often lands near 105 to 115 steps per minute. That makes the song practical for athletes who are not ready to run hills yet.
For runners, the track can prevent overstriding. If you try to match every beat with one step while running fast, you will likely plod. If you let three steps flow across two beats, the rhythm becomes lighter and closer to a normal endurance cadence.
Q&A: Is “Running Up That Hill” actually a good workout song?
Is “Running Up That Hill” good for running workouts?
Yes, it is best for controlled incline work, tempo hills, and mental-focus runs rather than all-out sprints. The 108 BPM pulse is steady, the track lasts nearly five minutes, and the emotional build helps athletes stay present through a sustained effort.
What is Running Up That Hill about in Stranger Things?
In Stranger Things, the song represents Max Mayfield’s need for connection, care, and a way back from isolation. Netflix’s Tudum article says music becomes a key weapon against Vecna, and Nora Felder interpreted the song as tied to Max’s emotional disconnection from friends.
Should beginners run hard for the whole song?
No. Beginners should use the song as a five-minute incline walk or walk-jog block. A smart first session is two rounds at 5 to 6 out of 10 effort with three minutes easy between rounds.
How to match the song’s meaning to the session goal
The song is about trading places, so use it to practice self-coaching. During the first minute, ask what your body is telling you. During the middle minutes, ask what your plan requires. During the final minute, ask what choice keeps the workout productive tomorrow.
That may sound simple, but it changes the session. Many athletes treat hill workouts as a test of pain tolerance. Better athletes treat them as a test of pacing. The song’s slow burn rewards restraint, which is exactly what most hill sessions need.
If your form falls apart before minute four, the pace was too hot. If you finish feeling like you could repeat the block with the same posture, you picked the right effort. That is the difference between a playlist stunt and a repeatable workout.
Common mistakes when using it for training
Mistake 1: Starting too fast. The song builds, so your effort should build too. If the first minute feels like 8 out of 10, the final minute will turn sloppy.
Mistake 2: Matching the beat too literally while running. One step per beat at 108 BPM is fine for walking, but most runners need a quicker step pattern. Use the beat as structure, not a cage.
Mistake 3: Turning every emotional song into a hard day. A song can motivate you, but your weekly plan still matters. Use this track for one focused block, then return to the planned session.
The bottom line
So, what is the song about? It is about the wish to trade places so love and pressure can be understood from the inside. That is why the song still cuts through decades after its 1985 release.
For training, its value is just as clear. The 108 BPM pulse, five-minute length, and climbing image make it a strong tool for incline walking, hill tempo work, and mental reset sessions. Use it with control, respect the build, and let the song teach the same lesson good coaching teaches: effort only works when you can still listen.