The music of Stranger Things: title sequence, soundtrack, and every cult song
Music · Title sequence, score and songs · Seasons 1 to 5
The music of Stranger Things works on two levels: a synthesizer score, composed by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, and period songs chosen scene by scene, some of which returned to the top of the charts thirty years after their release. Here is how all of that fits together, season by season.
The essentials
- Composers: Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, of the band S U R V I V E
- The theme: an analog-synth arpeggio, written before filming even started
- Best-known song: Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush (Season 4)
- Awards: Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack (2018) for Season 1
Contents
- The title sequence: an analog synth and red letters
- The soundtrack: Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, season after season
- The 80s songs, season by season
- Kate Bush, Metallica: when the show relaunches hits
- Season 5 music
- Every album, season by season
- The show's music rules
- What the show did to the charts
The opening credits: an analog synth and red letters
It all starts with an arpeggio. The main theme, a synthesizer loop that rises and falls on a few notes, is the work of Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, two Texas musicians from the band S U R V I V E. The Duffer Brothers had used their music in the demo reel shown to streamers, before they even had a cast: when the show was bought, the composers were already chosen.
The sound comes from real analog synthesizers of the 70s and 80s, not software imitations. That is what gives the opening credits that warm, slightly unstable texture, which evokes John Carpenter and Tangerine Dream without copying them. The red letters that assemble on screen were designed to lock exactly onto that rise.
A theme written firstThe title sequence was not composed to the pictures: it existed first. The Duffers cut the title sequence to the music, not the other way around. That is one reason the two fit so well.
To listen to the score as it should be: a party T-shirt and headphones.
In the shopKids' Max Running Up That Hill T-shirt24,90 €See the product
The soundtrack: Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, season after season
Each season received its own soundtrack album, with recurring themes for the characters and places. Eleven's theme, soft and suspended, comes back as soon as she uses her powers; the Upside Down's is a low wash, almost without melody, that installs the unease before you see anything.
Over the seasons, the orchestration thickened: season 1 is almost entirely synthesizer, season 4 adds choirs and strings for the Vecna scenes, and season 5 mixes both registers for the final battle. The season 1 soundtrack received the Grammy for best music for a visual medium in 2018.
| Season | What changes in the score | Theme to remember |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pure analog synths, cold textures | Eleven's theme |
| 2 | More rhythms, motifs for the Mind Flayer | The First Lie |
| 3 | More pop sounds, winks at the fair | Starcourt |
| 4 | Choirs, strings, Vecna's theme | Vecna's Curse |
| 5 | Fusion of the registers, expanded orchestra | Hawkins's final theme |
The 80s songs, season by season
The second layer is the period songs. The show only uses tracks released before the year the action is set: nothing later than November 1983 in Season 1, nothing after 1986 in Season 4. Here are the titles that marked the most.
| Season | Song | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Should I Stay or Should I Go — The Clash | Will and Jonathan's song, which comes back from the Upside Down |
| 1 | Heroes — Peter Gabriel (cover) | The body of “Will” pulled from the quarry |
| 2 | Whip It — Devo | Max's arrival at the Palace Arcade |
| 2 | Every Breath You Take — The Police | The Snow Ball, end of the season |
| 3 | Material Girl — Madonna | Eleven and Max at the mall |
| 3 | The NeverEnding Story — Limahl | Dustin and Suzie's radio duet |
| 4 | Running Up That Hill — Kate Bush | Max escapes Vecna at the cemetery |
| 4 | Master of Puppets — Metallica | Eddie's solo in the Upside Down |
| 5 | I Think We're Alone Now — Tiffany | One of the 1987 hits chosen for the last season |
The choice of each song is made at the script, not at the edit: the Duffers often write the scene around the track, which explains why Should I Stay or Should I Go can become a signal from beyond, or why a Kate Bush song can serve as a shield against a monster.
Kate Bush, Metallica: when the show revives hits
In May 2022, Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), released in 1985, became number one in the United Kingdom and reached the American top 5, thirty-seven years after its release. Kate Bush, who rarely licenses her songs, had given her agreement after reading the scene: Max, at the cemetery, escapes Vecna because this song brings her back toward her friends.
That same summer, Master of Puppets (1986) had the same fate after Eddie Munson's solo on the roof of his trailer, in the Upside Down. Joseph Quinn really played part of the solo, and Metallica praised the scene. Both tracks became, for a whole generation, inseparable from the show.
Season 5 music
The last season picks up the motifs of all the previous ones: Eleven's theme, Vecna's, and Max's song, which comes back at a decisive moment. On the period-song side, with the action set in the fall of 1987, the show draws on 1986 and 1987 releases, with, from the first episodes, Michael Jackson's Rockin' Robin, Tiffany's I Think We're Alone Now, ABBA's Fernando, or the Psychedelic Furs' Pretty in Pink, under Nora Felder's music supervision.
For the episode-by-episode detail, we dedicated a separate article to season 5 music.
The figure of the character whose song marked you.
In the shopLego Max Mayfield mini figure and her red bike14,90 €See the product
Every album, season by season
| Season | Soundtrack (Dixon and Stein) | Compilation of the songs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Two volumes, 75 tracks, August 10 and 19, 2016 (Lakeshore) | — |
| 2 | October 20, 2017 (Lakeshore and Invada), first excerpt “Walkin' in Hawkins” | — |
| 3 | June 28, 2019, on CD, vinyl and cassette | 16 titles, July 5, 2019 (Legacy) |
| 4 | Two volumes, July 1, 2022 | Two parts, May 27 and July 1, 2022 (Legacy) |
| 5 | January 1, 2026 (Lakeshore and Invada) | Three parts, one per volume (Legacy); orchestral EP on February 6, 2026 |
The two composers have been there from the start, hired in July 2015 even before casting: their theme demos were played over the actors' audition tapes. The title theme comes from an unused Michael Stein piece, found in the band's library.
The show's musical rules
The show set itself a few rules, held over five seasons. The first: never a song later than the year the action is set, except over end credits, outside the story. The second: one song per character, rather than one hit per season, which gave “Should I Stay or Should I Go” to Will, “Running Up That Hill” to Max, “Master of Puppets” to Eddie, “Dream a Little Dream of Me” to Victor Creel.
The third rule is music supervisor Nora Felder's: the song has to say something about the scene, not only date it. “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” chosen for the moments when Will hesitates between two worlds, is the first example; Diana Ross's “Upside Down,” Season 5's coded signal, the last. Kate Bush, careful with licenses, agreed after reading the script pages where her song would be used.
What the show did to the charts
No show has relaunched so many old hits. “Running Up That Hill,” released in 1985, saw its streams jump by more than 8 700% in 2022, becoming the second most-streamed song on American playlists and the fourth in the world. “Master of Puppets” entered the American and British charts for the first time since 1986. “You Spin Me Round,” “Pass the Dutchie,” and “Rock Me Amadeus” gained about 1 700% in streams.
In 2019, Limahl's “The NeverEnding Story,” released in 1984, had become one of the most shared songs of the summer after Dustin and Suzie's duet. And in 2025, the trailers of the last season brought Deep Purple and Queen back into the trends, with “Child in Time” and “Who Wants to Live Forever.” The show ended up being, for a whole generation, a gateway into 80s music.
One last pass through the shop before restarting the playlist.
In the shopMax's Walkman keychain12,90 €See the product
Frequently asked questions
Who composed the music of Stranger Things?
Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, two members of the Texas synth group S U R V I V E. They sign the title sequence and the soundtrack of all five seasons.
What is the title-sequence song?
It is not a song but an original instrumental theme, “Stranger Things” (Main Title Theme), played on analog synthesizers. It has no lyrics.
What is Max's song in the show?
Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) by Kate Bush, released in 1985. It protects Max from Vecna in season 4 and comes back in season 5.
What song does Eddie play on guitar?
Metallica's Master of Puppets (1986), in the second-to-last episode of season 4, on the roof of his trailer in the Upside Down.
How many soundtrack albums are there?
An original score per season, in two volumes for seasons 1 and 4, plus song compilations for seasons 3, 4 and 5 and an orchestral EP released February 6, 2026.
What rule does the show follow for songs?
Never a song later than the year of the action, except over an end-credits sequence. Every song has to say something about the scene, according to supervisor Nora Felder.