Film And TV
31 May 22

Kate Bush, KISS, Talking Heads and more appear on Stranger Things 4 soundtrack, available to stream

STRANGER THINGS. (L to R) Eduardo Franco as Argyle, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, and Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler in STRANGER THINGS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022

Alexandra Anderson

Stranger Things will release a new set of songs on July 1st, to coincide with new episodes.

The first part of Stranger Things' fourth installment finds the kids in 1986 — and, whether it's The Surfaris' 'Wipeout' played over roller rink speakers or Jonathan driving through the desert alongside The Beach Boys' 'California Dreamin',' the soundtrack is offering up some of the best hits of the decade. Stranger Things 4 Official Playlist is available to stream, now.

Since it's inception in 2016, the show has seen massive success; marrying coming-of-age stories, '80s nostalgia and eerie, supernatural monsters. Now, its popularity is bleeding into the music realm — most notably with Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),' which has now eclipsed 100 million streams on Spotify, and hit No. 1 on iTunes.

First heard through the Walkman of Max (Sadie Sink), the track makes appearances throughout the show, becoming the favourite song of the troubled teenager. Since the series release, google-search traffic for 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)' has skyrocketed, and the song has risen to number 106 on Spotify's Hot 100.

New fans of Kate Bush in many ways have Winona Ryder — who plays mom/ investigator Joyce Byers — to thank.

"I’ve been obsessed with her since I was a little girl," Ryder said about the Hounds of Love singer."I've also for the last seven years been dropping hints on set wearing my Kate Bush T-shirts. I don't know if you did this, but in my school you had to dress down for P.E., and sometimes I just wouldn't. I'd just sit there with my headphones listening to her. She's a hero of mine."

Alongside Kate Bush and The Beach Boys, the soundtrack also features classics the likes of 'Detroit Rock City' by KISS, 'Psycho Killer' by The Talking Heads and even a remixed version of Journey's 'Separate Ways (Worlds Apart).'

As with previous seasons, the soundtrack for the show's newest installment was compiled by the series creators, the Duffer Brothers, and music supervisor Nora Felder. A second playlist of songs will be shared on July 1, to coincide with the release of season 4 part 2.

Check out the Stranger Things 4 Official Playlist, below: