Over the course of its five seasons, Stranger Things has spearheaded a resurgence of 1980s culture. In particular, certain 80s songs have been given a new lease of life thanks to their use in the show, occasionally eclipsing the popularity they received on their initial release. I’m sure we all remember 2022, when the use of ‘Running Up That Hill’ by Kate Bush sent the song all the way to number one, a feat which it had unfortunately never managed back in 1985.
Stranger Things has not just used the 80s songs as window dressing. Music is used to enhance the plot, establish setting and add emotion to the story. Season 1’s use of ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ by The Clash was inspired, since it helped cement the show’s celebration of all things 80’s as well as being a motif for Will throughout the season. Dustin and Suzie singing ‘The NeverEnding Story’ has not only become one of the show’s most iconic scenes, but a major emotional high for Dustin’s character.
And of course, ‘Running Up That Hill’, used to inspire Max to escape the clutches of Vecna, is featured in possibly the show’s best ever scene and one of the defining TV moments of recent years.
80s music and Stranger Things go hand-in-hand when it comes to making memorable TV
With the first half of the show’s fifth and final season being released recently, we have already had some amazing uses of music. We’ve had Karen Wheeler protecting her daughter from a Demogorgon while ABBA sing ‘Fernando’, Robin using a Diana Ross song to reveal information about the latest crawl to find and kill Vecna, and Tiffany’s ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ being used by Henry Creel to calm the kidnapped Holly Wheeler. It’s been a fantastic selection so far, and we’re only halfway through the series!
As for what else may come, it’s all speculation at the moment - however, a recent tie-in vinyl release by Legacy Recordings may have revealed some tracks for inclusion. Stranger Things: The WSQK Collection, inspired by the radio station setting in Season 5, was released a few weeks ago, and features a variety of pop, rock and new wave tracks.
Some of these (‘Upside Down’ by Diana Ross, ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ by Tiffany) have already been featured, so it stands to reason that the rest of the collection might feature in the remaining episodes. So, we might hear ‘The Magnificent Seven’ by The Clash, ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ by Pink Floyd and ‘Wheel In The Sky’ by Journey, among many others.
Given the nature of Stranger Things, these songs could appear in a variety of different ways. Or of course, they might not appear at all, and the Duffers could have chosen some other great 80s tunes. All we know is that 80s music and Stranger Things go hand-in-hand when it comes to making memorable TV, and so far Season 5 has proved no different.