Monday, November 06, 2017

Stranger Things playlist



As I was preparing to watch Stranger Things 2 at the end of last month, I went ahead and rewatched Stranger Things season one again. And while I was doing that, I felt inspired to create a playlist of the songs within and inspired by the first season.

So, here are my choices--along with the episode that the music appears in, and a brief explanation.

1. The Stranger Things theme (s1 soundtrack)

2. "White Rabbit," Jefferson Airplane (ep. 1 The Disappearance of Will Byers)
This song plays over the radio (I think) when agents from Hawkins Lab show up at Benny's diner. Eleven narrowly escapes recapture. But Benny gets shot and dies.

3. "Eleven" (s1 soundtrack)

4. "Raise a Little Hell," Trooper (ep. 2 The Weirdo on Maple Street)
Steve greets Nancy and Barb in the Harrington house front doorway for their after-hours pool party. (The clock is ticking on you Barbara.)

5. "Photograph," Def Leppard
This song is not played in the season, but I was inspired by Jonathan's creepy camera session from the woods behind the Harrington house while the party is winding down.

6. "I Melt With You," Modern English (ep. 2 The Weirdo on Maple Street)
More music from the pool party, when everyone is hanging out by the pool. This is where Barb unsuccessfully shotguns a beer and get a (fatal) cut on her hand.

7. "Hazy Shade of Winter," The Bangles (ep. 2 The Weirdo on Maple Street)
I feel like this was a smash-cut song that began with the end title sequence, just after Barb is x-ed off the board by the Demogorgon. #Sad.

8. "Payphone," Maroon 5 and Wiz Khalifa
Inspired by the pre-cellphone technology of 1980s Hawkins, Indiana. Especially when Hopper uses a random payphone by the side of the road to try and figure out where Eleven is from. (I never grew up in a town with lots of payphones, but I don't recall seeing any that were just sitting on the side of a road that looked like a state highway heading out of town.)

9. "Heroes," David Bowie (ep. 3 Holly Jolly)
Mysterious things happen between the Party and Eleven at the quarry. (I went with the Bowie version instead of the show's use of Peter Gabriel. Sarah wanted the Bowie version.)

10. "Upside Down," Diana Ross
Inspired by . . . well . . . what else?

11. "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" The Clash (ep. 4 The Body)
Jonathan remembers a flashback scene when he taught Will about good music.

12. "Sunglasses at Night," Corey Hart (ep. 6 The Monster)
Steve . . . in his car. Glorious.

13. "The Bargain Store," Dolly Parton (ep. 6 The Monster)
Jonathan and Nancy gear up at the Army surplus store to head into the Upside Down. Looking back at this song after watching Stranger Things 2, it is clear to me that the Duffer Brothers have a thing for Dolly Parton. Still and all . . . this is a good song.

14. "Exit," Tangerine Dream (ep. 6 The Monster)
Jonathan and Steve fight in the alley.

15. "Breathe (in the Air)," Pink Floyd
Inspired by the funky stuff that floats around in the Upside Down.

16. "Somebody's Watching Me," Rockwell
Inspired by the ending of season 1.

I tried to find songs that were early 1980s era-appropriate when I went outside of the songs featured in the show itself.

(If you liked this idea and you want to hear the songs, go to Spotify and search for my user name
"david_t_martin".)

No comments: