Taika Waititi ‘Really Annoyed’ That ‘Stranger Things’ ‘Ruined’ Kate Bush

Director Taika Waititi has never been shy about saying exactly what he means to say.

In season 4 of the popular Netflix series, “Stranger Things,” the Duffer brothers used one particular song from Kate Bush called “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God).” The 1985 song absolutely took off and became a smashing success yet again. Metallica’s song, “Master of Puppets,” has also been topping the charts since it was featured in a pivotal scene at the end of the season.

That being said, the “Thor: Love and Thunder” director has a specific reason he’s irked that the Duffers used Kate Bush’s song in their show.

In an interview with NME, Waititi hinted that he had wanted to use one of Kate Bush’s songs in his latest Marvel movie before “Stranger Things” stole his thunder. However, he seems to be even more irked by the people who claim they love Kate Bush’s music just based on her one song.

Here’s what he had to say:

“You mean how they ruined Kate Bush? I love that show, but as someone who feels a real ownership of Kate Bush music… I’m really annoyed! I’ve become one of those old arseholes who’s like: ‘These kids never listened to Kate Bush, they’ve heard one song on a TV show! They don’t know Kate Bush! I know Kate Bush!’”

Although Waititi might be irked that fans are saying they’re fans of Kate Bush just based on the one song, it seems Kate doesn’t mean to mind all that much. In fact, CBS reported that the song has actually generated $2.3 million dollars in streaming royalties after hitting the #1 on Spotify’s Top 50 list.

In a recent blog post on her website, Kate Bush thanked the Duffer brothers for including the song in "Stranger Things" and featuring it in "a positive light."

"The Duffer Brothers have created four extraordinary series of Stranger Things in which the child actors have grown into young adults," she began. "In this latest series the characters are facing many of the same challenges that exist in reality right now. I believe the Duffer Brothers have touched people’s hearts in a special way, at a time that's incredibly difficult for everyone, especially younger people."

"By featuring Running Up That Hill in such a positive light - as a talisman for Max (one of the main female characters) - the song has been brought into the emotional arena of her story," she continued, outing herself as a true "Stranger Things" fan. "Fear, conflict, and the power of love are all around her and her friends."

"I salute the Duffer Brothers for their courage - taking this new series into a much more adult and darker place. I want to thank them so much for bringing the song into so many people’s lives," she went on. "I’m overwhelmed by the scale of affection and support the song is receiving and it’s all happening really fast, as if it’s being driven along by a kind of elemental force."

"I have to admit I feel really moved by it all," she concluded. "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" was the first single from her 1985 album "Hounds of Love" and entered the U.K. charts at the #9 spot. It eventually peaked at #3 in the U.K. and reached the top 30 in the U.S.

In a Facebook post, Metallica said that they were not only "stoked to see the final results," but they were also honored to be "such a big part of Eddie's journey" and to be "keeping company with all of the other amazing artists" featured on "Stranger Things."

“The way The Duffer Brothers have incorporated music into Stranger Things has always been next level, so we were beyond psyched for them to not only include ‘Master of Puppets’ in the show but to have such a pivotal scene built around it. We were all stoked to see the final result and when we did we were totally blown away… it’s so extremely well done, so much so, that some folks were able to guess the song just by seeing a few seconds of Joseph Quinn’s hands in the trailer!! How crazy cool is that?

“It’s an incredible honor to be such a big part of Eddie’s journey and to once again be keeping company with all of the other amazing artists featured in the show.”

The official “Stranger Things” Facebook account called it the “most metal concert in the history of any dimension. thank you for the perfect track🤘.” Metallica replied with a simple, “🤘.”

Fans can check out more about the infamous Metallica scene and Joseph Quinn's thoughts on Eddie's "redemption tale" by clicking here.