Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Stranger Things, Netflix, Music
William Morgan
The smash-hit success of Netflix's Stranger Things is thanks in no small part to how effectively it transports viewers back to the 1980s, blending nostalgic pop references with the looming horror of the Upside Down to keep fans engrossed.
Each instalment is littered with iconic 80s anthems that form the soundtrack to the unnerving events that unfold around the residents of Hawkins, which last season catapulted Kate Bush's 1985 hit 'Running Up That Hill' up the charts worldwide.
The fifth season of Stranger Things has been no different, once again featuring Bush and other bangers like 'I Think We’re Alone Now' by Tiffany.
But the Netflix show's creators have managed to spark wild fan speculation by claiming this series' final episode will have a song that has 'never been' heard on TV.
Advert
Matt and Ross Duffer, who wrote and directed the show, told Entertainment Weekly: "I will say there is a song I'm particularly proud of. It's in volume 2, it's in the finale. It's never been on a TV show before."
Without revealing the track, they made a cryptic reference to the success of 'Running Up That Hill', saying: "I think it's because of Kate Bush we were able to get the rights.
"Under normal circumstances, they would not have allowed us those rights. But you've got to wait until the final episode."
Naturally, while fans wait eagerly for the next instalment of the show's fifth season, with three more episodes due to drop on Christmas Day, this has left them with plenty of free time to try and crack the creators' cryptic clue.
Some Redditors speculated that the song would match the growing themes within the season, with one person saying: "Pink Floyd released an album in 1987. There is a song on there called Sorrow that fits."
They pointed to eerie lyrics like: "There's an unceasing wind that blows through this night/ And there's dust in my eyes, that blinds my sight/ And silence that speaks so much louder than words."
In a similar vein, another speculated that it would have been a heavy anthem, arguing: "It's gotta be a classic rock song. Led Zeppelin, Prince, or Pink Floyd probably."
But others decided to focus on the more glaring clues dropped by the Duffer brothers in their interview, namely a song by an artist known for not granting permission to use their music, and who could be influenced by Bush.
Some pointed to fellow 80s icon Prince, who was famously protective of his music, something that his estate has continued following his death in 2016.
One said: "100 [percent] going to be a Prince song - notorious for turning people down but was a huge Kate Bush fan and they said they got the license because of the Kate Bush of it all from last season."
Bush and Prince have always been tough customers when it comes to negotiating the rights to their music, and the pair shared a mutual respect that resulted in a collaboration on 'Why Should I Love You'.
The fans' top guesses for which part of the Prince back catalogue would be used were two of his best-known hits, 'When Doves Cry' and 'Purple Rain'; however, both have been used on TV shows before.
Similarly, another guessed the emotion-laden 'I Would Die 4 U', which featured on the movie Purple Rain.