Music of Stranger Things

"Should I Stay or Should I Go" by the English punk rock band the Clash was specifically picked to play at pivotal moments of the first season, such as when Will is trying to communicate with Joyce from the Upside Down.[13] According to Bill Desowitz of Indiewire, the song's subject - a tumultuous end to a relationship - sees a new light in the context of the series, where it "becomes a way of calming Will when he sings it in the Upside Down, and a way of reminding Joyce and Jonathan that he’s still alive, lifting their spirits as well."[14] The Duffers found this song of particular importance to the main narrative, though The Clash were reluctant to lend their song to a show they perceived to be about "monsters from an alternative world" that may denigrate its original cultural significance and meaning.[15] The brothers left it up to the show's music supervisor, the Grammy-winning Nora Felder, to obtain the rights to use the song.[14][15] She convinced the band to lend the narrative their song after downplaying the role of the monster, explaining that the show is more about the "bonds between family."[14][15] After the song's usage was approved, Felder made an effort to "protect [the band]" from being trivialized, specifically with the context of the song's use in conjunction with the happenings on-screen.[14] The Duffers weren't made aware of the struggle to obtain the rights to the song's usage until Felder spoke about the process during an event held by Variety magazine.[14][15]

Of note in the third season was the use of "The NeverEnding Story", the theme to the 1984 film of the same name, which is used in the final episode when Suzie refuses to provide the critical code until Dustin sings it with her. The Duffers had wanted to introduce Suzie into the show's narrative in some dramatic fashion while giving Matarazzo, who has sung on Broadway before, a chance to show off his own vocals. Initially, they were planning to use "The Ent and the Entwife" song from The Lord of the Rings, but aware that Amazon Studios were developing its own Lord of the Rings series, decided to change direction. The Duffers credit writer Curtis Gwinn for using "The NeverEnding Story" as the replacement.[16] Matarazzo and Gabriella Pizzolo, the actress playing Suzie and also a seasoned singer on Broadway, were on sets near each other when they sang the song together and were able to harmonize the song as well without the backing music.[17] As their characters were not meant to be in that much synchronization due to being in two different places, the song's backing track and some autotuning were used to blend their singing to their respective settings and the tone of the soundtrack.[18] According to the cast and to composers Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, the song became an earworm for many of the cast on the day that scene was filmed.[17] Later in the episode, Lucas and Max, played by Caleb McLaughlin and Sadie Sink, sing the song in duet back to Dustin to mock him; both McLaughlin and Sink also have had experience in Broadway musicals.[17] As a result of its appearance in the series, "The NeverEnding Story" drew an 800% increase in viewership and streaming requests on YouTube and Spotify over the days after initial broadcast, putting Limahl, the song's artist, briefly back in the spotlight.[19][20]

"Running Up That Hill" by English musician Kate Bush features prominently in the fourth episode of the fourth season, and is re-used in subsequent episodes. Resurgence in interest pushed the song to the top ten of several record charts around the world, most notably reaching number one in the UK, where it became the country's Song of The Summer for 2022, according to the Official Charts Company. It also reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Bush's highest-charting entry and first top ten song in the United States.[21][22]

The scene in series 4 where Henry is recounting his story to 11 about his life which is intershot with images of Nancy Wheeler in the house in the upside down are accompanied by "Koyaanisqatsi", written in 1982 by Philip Glass for the film of the same name.