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From Kenner toys to “New” Coke, from Kate Bush to The Clash, cut the series open and it bleeds gloriously charming 80’s tack all over your Grandma’s horrible carpet.
3rd of July, 2022
By Leah Parks-Davies and Charlie Cooper
The soundtrack of a film or series is one of the most important aspects in punctuating the mood of scenes and can allow the producers to make the audience experience certain emotions. Specifically looking at anything one could consider a “period piece”, the soundtrack is crucial when used to establish the zeitgeist, immersing the audience in this setting, invoking nostalgia and sentimentality. No example is more relevant than The Duffer Brothers' magnum opus “Stranger Things”.
Set in the fictional, middle American suburb of Hawkins, Indiana, the Netflix poster child is set in the mid 80’s, following a group adolescent adventurers dealing with such things ranging from inter dimensional beast, to high school bullies, to finishing the D&D campaign before curfew.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks at the time of writing, you would have no doubt been bombarded by Kate Bush’s 1985 single “Running up that Hill (A deal with God)”. With its renewed interest, it recently shot up the UK singles charts peaking at Number 1, breaking 3 chart records on the way up. The song plays a pivotal role in the narrative, connecting main character Maxine to the antagonist Vecna in a similar way to how The Clash’s “Should I stay or should I go” was closely woven into the narrative of the first season, connecting the Byers family to the upside down.
The use of this song could link to the events of season 3, namely the guilt and remorse she feels for the death of her step brother, Billy, at the hands of the Mind Flayer. Lyrics such as " Let's exchange the experience" as well as “Is there so much hate for the ones we love?” encapsulates the relationship she had with her brother and how she, as we find out in the final episode, Is overcome with grief and guilt for not making an attempt to save him.
The renaissance of Kate Bush’s song has been the cherry on top of the cake for this record breaking series, with mullets, double denim and now Bush playing through every speaker across the world. Time really has gone backwards.
However, the influence of soundtrack is all the more integral outside of making an 80’s laden adventure series. Another soundtrack that has brought many songs back into public view is Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy series. the soundtrack of the spacefaring scavengers set a much lighter, jovial tone than the other Marvel Studios productions of the time, brining such hits as Redbone’s “come and get your love” and Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” thoroughly back into public consciousness and subsequently back into singles charts.
The revival of film soundtracking is budding across the music industry, going back in time to films such as Pretty Women, Moulin Rouge, Titanic and Ghost and with a speculation of at least 4 years before the next Bond theme shoots to the top of the singles charts, you should expect cinema soundtracks to become a serious, heavy-weight contender for the number one spot once again.
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