Latest news with #RunningUpThatHill
Indian Express
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Pretty Little Baby' goes viral 63 years after release: Connie Francis, first woman to top Billboard charts, was raped at knifepoint
Instagram Reels have become a powerful platform for reviving old retro songs that were once loved by niche audiences. Classics like Cheri Cheri Lady, No Surprises, Moon River, Midnight Train to Georgia, and Running Up That Hill have found their way onto the playlists of Gen Z and the broader social media generation, even topping charts once again. This trend has sparked a cultural reappraisal of music from the 50s to the 80s, bringing decades-old tracks back into the public consciousness, cementing their place in today's digital music landscape. Connie Francis, one of the defining voices of the early Billboard Hot 100 era, dominated the charts in the late 50s and early 60s with an impressive string of hits, scoring 15 top 10 singles, including three chart-toppers: Everybody's Somebody's Fool and My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own in 1960, followed by Don't Break the Heart That Loves You in 1962. Now, more than 60 years after her commercial success, Francis is viral, cutting through pop culture clutter, not through one of her former hits, but thanks to a deep cut: Pretty Little Baby. The song's sweet, romantic verse—You can ask the flowers / I sit for hours / Telling all the bluebirds / The bill and coo birds / Pretty little baby, I'm so in love with you—has inspired over a million user-generated videos, bringing the track into the spotlight for a whole new generation. A post shared by Emma Bateman ✿ (@emmalinebateman_) A post shared by Jackie G (@tismejackieg) While Connie Francis is being rediscovered by a new generation of fans, many are unaware of the deeply traumatic experiences that shaped her life beyond her music career. The singer was once raped at knifepoint after a performance. According to a 1974 report by the New York Times, on the morning of the assault, Francis had just performed at the Westbury Music Fair and returned to her room at the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge in Westbury, New York, where she was staying. Around 5.30 AM, she was awoken by a young man who threatened her at knifepoint and proceeded to rape her. After the attack, the assailant tied her to a chair, knocking it over before covering her with a mattress and a suitcase. He stole jewelry and a mink coat before leaving the scene. Francis, badly shaken and injured, managed to free herself after more than half an hour. She made her way to the phone and called her secretary, who was in a nearby room. The police were alerted, and Francis was transported to Nassau County Medical Center for treatment. She was later released after receiving care for the assault and bruises. The 19-year-old accused was arrested after a staff member at the motel described him to the police, the report said. The aftermath of the attack deeply scarred Francis, both emotionally and professionally. In the years following the assault, she became an outspoken advocate for victims' rights and fought tirelessly to improve hotel security standards nationwide. She filed a landmark lawsuit against the motel chain, citing gross negligence for failing to provide adequate safety measures. She won the case, which not only resulted in a substantial financial settlement but also led to widespread changes in hotel security protocols across the United States. Despite the strength she displayed in seeking justice, the trauma took a severe toll on her mental health. Francis would later suffer from depression and spend years battling psychological effects due to the assault. Her career was further derailed as she took a break from the public eye to focus on healing. Speaking to Fox News in 2018, Francis opened up about how she coped with being raped. 'I had a lot of help. I had good friends, a family who supported me, and my sense of humour… But I didn't have the benefit of going to a support group for women who were raped because it would have been in the National Enquirer the following week. So I had to do that in the privacy of my own home. But it did take seven years out of my life. I didn't grant an interview for seven years. I didn't sing for seven years. It was a horrible experience,' she said. Over time, however, Francis found the courage to return to music and the stage. Her later work was marked by a deeper emotional resonance, derived from her personal experiences. She published a memoir, Who's Sorry Now?, in which she candidly wrote about her rise to fame, her struggles with mental illness, and the brutal realities she faced behind the scenes. Fast-forward to 2025, Pretty Little Baby has seen an incredible surge in popularity over the past few weeks, with Billboard reporting a remarkable 7,000 per cent increase in streams within just a month. The song has also made its debut on Spotify's Daily Top Songs charts, both in the USA and globally, suggesting it may soon make its way onto the Billboard Hot 100. Shruti Kaushal is a social media sieve and catches'em trends before they grow big, especially cinema. She has been a journalist for 4 years and covers trends, art and culture, and entertainment. ... Read More
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stranger Things 5: When Is the New Season Coming? And What Will Happen? We Have Answers
Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix In July 2016, Stranger Things became the show of the summer—and beyond. While introducing us to breakout talent like Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard, and putting icons like Winona Ryder back in the limelight, Stranger Things has been part of the zeitgeist for nearly 10 years. Now the show prepares to sign off for good with one final adventure set in the fall of 1987. (For anyone keeping track, the show's first season took place in the fall of 1983.) It's a bittersweet good-bye for the series, which has been a nostalgia-fueled sci-fi/rom-com/drama/thriller (basically all the things) that reintroduced us to Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' and made us crave the heyday of the shopping mall. It gave us endless memes, fashion inspiration, and bromances that will live forever. But now, with the final season fast approaching (this summer 2025), fans are dying to know any and every detail about the last eight episodes. From returning cast members to episode titles, here's everything we know. As of mid-May, Netflix is only saying summer 2025. TBD if the new season will also be split into two parts (like season four). We'll let you know as soon as a date is announced. Eight episodes in total. Here are the episode names: Episode 1 'The Crawl' Episode 2 'The Vanishing of…' Episode 3 'The Turnbow Trap' Episode 4 'Sorcerer' Episode 5 'Shock Jock' Episode 6 'Escape from Camazotz' Episode 7 'The Bridge' Episode 8 'The Rightside Up' Now, if you'll recall, the first episode of the series was titled 'The Vanishing of Will Byers,' so it will be interesting to find out who the character in question is for episode two of season five. And the final episode for season five is titled 'The Rightside Up,' which of course is a nod to the Upside Down. Does this mean everything will finally be peaceful in Hawkins, Indiana? Or will we end on a cliff-hanger that will give way to a potential spin-off down the line? (As we know, the Duffer brothers are always working on something in the Stranger Things universe.) Noah Schnapp, Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Cara Buono, Joe Keery, Amybeth McNulty, Charlie Heaton, Brett Gelman, Maya Hawke, Natalia Dyer, Jamie Campbell Bower, Priah Ferguson, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Finn Wolfhard, and Sadie Sink will all be back. The biggest name? None other than Linda Hamilton, from The Terminator, Children of the Corn, Chuck, and so much more. Joining Hamilton are Nell Fisher, Jake Connelly, and Alex Breaux. Also, Dan Trachtenberg (Prey, 10 Cloverfield Lane) will direct an episode for the fifth and final season. Understandably, details for the final season are being kept under wraps, but series creators Matt and Ross Duffer told Tudum that they wrote a 25-page mythology document for Netflix 10 years ago that delves into the mythology and lore of the Upside Down. Ross Duffer revealed during Geeked Week in June 2022 that the last remaining questions about the show are answered in that document, and they've 'punted a couple of those to have some big reveals in season 5…which is going to affect what [the new season] is about.' So basically, we don't know much of anything. But we'll keep you posted on details as they trickle out. Not quite, but we do have this heartwarming unofficial look at season five from when the show was halfway through filming the fifth season. And of course, we'll post the teaser trailer and official trailer as soon as Netflix releases them. Stay tuned for more as we get closer. In the meantime, enjoy this season-one trailer, when we were first introduced to the world of Hawkins, Indiana. And of course, who could forget these moments with Maya Hawke, Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, and Sadie Sink? Originally Appeared on Glamour
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Apple launches Shazam Viral Charts to track those overnight blowout hits
Mashable and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Pricing and availability subject to change. When Rihanna launches a new album, it's fairly easy to guess that it's going to appear on the top music charts. But what about those hits which seem just happen to go viral overnight, like Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" hitting the charts 37 years after its release thanks to Stranger Things? Well, there's a new way to track those. On Wednesday, Apple launched Shazam Viral Charts, using its music discovery platform to offer an overview of what's going viral right now. SEE ALSO: Spotify's iPhone app now lets you choose how you want to pay According to Apple, the charts do more than tracking social hits. "They capture the full spectrum of how songs are catapulted into the spotlight, including cultural moments from traditional media, on-demand streaming, and tentpole events," the company wrote in a press release. Another example of how this happens is Billy Preston's "Nothing From Nothing" reaching No. 4. on the U.S. chart after being featured on The White Lotus Season 3 finale. Apple didn't share much about the algorithms that populate these charts, beyond saying that the aim is to capture the fastest-moving songs right now. It's not just one chart, either: A global chart tracks the top 50 viral hits globally, and the 42 national charts rank 25 top songs. The charts, which are updated daily, are available on Apple Music and Shazam.
CBC
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Love Kate Bush? Leah Kardos does too — and wrote a book about her favourite album, Hounds of Love
In 2022, Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill topped charts around the world … nearly 40 years after its initial release. The resurgence came after the song was featured on the Netflix series Stranger Things — but according to the musician and writer Leah Kardos, the whole album, Hounds of Love, is a masterpiece. "It's so immaculate and elegant, but original," she said on Bookends with Mattea Roach. As part of Bloomsbury Publishing's 33 ⅓ series, in which each title dives into a single music album, Kardos wrote about Hounds of Love in a book of the same name. "It's an album that has these amazing depths to it," she said. 'It's been an absolute pleasure writing about it. I miss writing it, actually." Kardos joined Roach to discuss her connection to Hounds of Love, Bush's storytelling through song — and why writing about it was so much fun. Mattea Roach: When did you first hear Kate's music and feel a connection to it? Leah Kardos: I grew up in Australia, so the Kate Bush culture was a little bit different. It was really about the videos and the singles in Australia, so I remember growing up and seeing the Cloudbusting video and being quite mystified by it. I think certainly, as a little girl, there was a lot to identify with. The sort of playfulness and the ethereal magic of what she was doing and how she was not just the sound, but also just the way she was in her body and the way she moved. I was really quite struck by her when I was young. But I really connected with her music later in life when I went to music college and was playing the piano and trying to sing songs and really trying to feel my way around the way she felt around songs with chords and melody. That's when I sort of started becoming obsessed and joined the fandom. I think the real moment for me where it was love was Ariel, the album she did in 2005. That, for me, was just the thing that sort of tilted the axis of my world. Then I went back and really took it seriously and went back through the catalogue and really spent time. That's when classic albums like Hounds of Love and The Dreaming and The Sensual World really started speaking to me. It was a gradual thing, it wasn't like a time and place so much. Why was Hounds of Love the album that you wanted to write a book about? It means so much because she produced it herself and it's so kick-ass. It's so immaculate and elegant, but original. The fact that she did it herself and the storyline of how she fought for her autonomy in order to work in this way — I really wanted to talk about it. I teach record production and one of the things about my subject area is that it's really male-dominated and the whole music industry, particularly studio culture, is patriarchal and still male-controlled. And to have a female artist who writes her own material but also produces it in her own environment is a really powerful thing. In all of the discourses that I read about Kate it's not very often that she is talked about as an elite producer — I believe she is. So I was really motivated to talk about that and contribute to the history of women in studios being amazing. A song from this album, Running Up That Hill, was used throughout Stranger Things's fourth season in 2022, as part of the score but also a fundamental part of the story arc of one of the characters. Why was it a good fit? First of all, it's a really good fit because obviously it's perfect for the era. Chronologically, it fits in the timing of season 4 of Stranger Things. Max is one of the main characters of this friend group and she is sort of drawn into the dark underworld of Vecna, who's this monster who traps her. She obsessively listens to Kate Bush, Hounds of Love, on cassette, and she's often seen in the series listening to it and shutting out the world around her. But her friends play the song and it sort of brings her back. In that scene, she remembers her friends and she remembers that she loves them and that they love her and it gives her the strength to escape Vecna's lair. It's a pretty powerful moment in the show. Running Up That Hill comes back again at the end, in the finale. It's also used as a leitmotif all the way through. You can hear it subtly woven into the underscoring of many scenes and played as a needle drop like at least more than maybe three times. Can you talk about Running Up That Hill 's resurgence after Stranger Things and what it's been like to be engaging with Kate Bush's work at a time when a lot of people who didn't grow up with it have been really getting into it? Straight away, it was just super gratifying to see younger generations discovering Kate Bush and discovering this music. It was also really interesting because you could see from online comments that people were surprised that the song was as old as it was. I suppose it had really good timing in that pop music was also flirting with nostalgic aesthetics and synthwave. So it did sound like music that was coming out in 2021 and 2022. It sounded quite current. She got a couple of Guinness World Records and she surpassed a billion streams and added more to her record-breaking history in this regard. It's a really amazing, miraculous story. I think at the time when that song came back into everyone's consciousness, it was the second year or the third year getting into lockdown life. It was a different world we emerged into. And it was a frightening one, where there was climate collapse and there were wars and scary politics and a lot of people who were angry and a lot of people with issues that were exacerbated by their isolation. So when you have a song that's about connection and about wanting to connect with somebody in an impossible way, that kind of aspiration and the yearning of the music I think speaks to people. It was certainly for me, at that moment, it was a tonic. It felt like a dose of medicine. I was like, "Oh, the world can be good. And yeah, we can actually empathize with each other. And if only we could connect."
The Guardian
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Mountain bikes, molehills and one-act plays – take the Thursday quiz
Every now and then the quiz master is allowed to take a break, and when that happens, instead of the Thursday quiz being a random assortment of odd questions loosely tied to the week's news, it becomes a random assortment of odd questions loosely tied to some vague theme that he was able to write well in advance. And so this week your 15 questions all have some kind of increasingly tenuous connection to the theme of mountains and hills. Enjoy! The Thursday quiz, No 203 If you really do think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers – and can show your working and are absolutely 100% positive you aren't attempting to factcheck a joke – you can complain about it in the comments below. But why not watch a rare 1985 television performance of Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush instead?
