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EXCLUSIVE: In the week since the Duffer Brothers’ Stranger Things ended with a two-plus hour Season 5 and series finale, many of the needle drops selected for the final episode have surged in listening, specifically for Gen Z across the globe, according to Spotify. The Gen Z age bracket is 13 to 29 years old for this report.
Prince’s “Purple Rain,” spiked to a 1,341% increase in global Gen Z streams on Spotify between Dec. 31 when the finale came out to Jan. 7, a week after the finale’s arrival. More generally, the song surged 608% in global streams.
The first Prince song featured in the finale on a vinyl record that ticked the time down on the bomb to obliterate The Upside Down was “When Doves Cry,” which saw a 576% increase in global Gen Z streams and a 336% increase more generally.
“We spent a long time trying to figure out what was going to be playing on the bomb vinyl. I don’t think we talked more about what song we should use than we did for that particular song, because it was really, really challenging, because the first song needed to be upbeat and hopeful on the vinyl,” Matt Duffer told Deadline of the song selection. “Then the final song had to work for Eleven’s farewell. So not only are you looking for an iconic song, you need the beginning song and the end song to both work and convey completely different emotions.”
Matt added that the explosion of listening to Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (Deal With God)” probably helped persuade the Prince estate to grant rights to both songs.
“We asked everybody in the cast, all of our friends. Everybody weighed in. Everyone had different ideas,” he said. “Eventually we landed on ‘Purple Rain,’ but the concern with that was whether or not we were going to be able to get the rights. I mean, aside from Michael Jackson, it’s the hardest thing to do, to get Prince rights.”
RELATED: ‘Stranger Things’ Soundtrack Through The Seasons: From The Clash To Kate Bush & Prince
“Sweet Jane” by Cowboy Junkies is the second highest-streamed song from the finale with a 663% increase for Gen Z globally and a 264% increase in global Gen Z streams overall.
Then comes David Bowie’s “Heroes,” which saw a 227% surge in global Gen Z streams, specifically and a 185% increase in global streams. The series had previously used Peter Gabriel’s version of the song in Season 1 and Season 3 for significant character deaths that didn’t turn out to be deaths. Tudum reported that Joe Keery suggested that needle drop to close out the show.
“Here Comes Your Man” by Pixies increased 129% in global streams for Gen Z and 108% for global streams in general. Last but not least comes Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” which increased 58% in global Gen Z streams specifically and 31% in global streams.
“‘Landslide,’ we love that song, as I think everyone does, and we’ve always wanted to find a place for it. We’re so glad that we finally did,” Ross Duffer told Deadline. “Maya loves that song, and actually, for her final stint as a DJ, we had earplugs, and so she was listening to that song while delivering her last squawk.”
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