Stranger Things and Music

I don't watch Stranger Things. When if first came out, amid all the hype, I tried watching it. I made it through a couple of episodes, got sidetracked by life, and never went back. I honestly don't remember if I was still a Netflix subscriber at the time, or if I was watching at a friend's house. Both could have been true. (Netflix had pissed me off WAY before they came out with that kiddie-porn show.)

But when a series can propel a couple of songs from the 1980s into the top 40 (or Top 10 or whatever) on a whole bunch of charts, I guess I need to take a look. Especially when the two songs getting the most attention are two songs I like. Though "Master of Puppets" isn't my favorite song by Metallica, "Running Up That Hill" may be my favorite Kate Bush song.

Here is what Rolling Stone had to say: The Cult of Eddie Munson, The Metal Side of ‘Stranger Things,’ and the Real 1980s Satanic Panic.

The unforgettable Stranger Things scene where fan-favorite metalhead Eddie Munson (played by Doja Cat crush Joseph Quinn) protects his friends from bat-monsters by grabbing his B.C. Rich guitar, cranking his amp, and playing “Master of Puppets” nudged an eight-and-half-minute long, 36-year-old Metallica song into the top 40 for the first time ever. That alone should qualify the show’s fourth outing as the most metal TV season of all time, but there was even more. While the parts with the alternate dimension and super-powered kids and monsters remain as fictional as ever, the season’s storyline drew on some very real, metal-infused 1980s history. (Eddie, meanwhile, is almost certainly named after Eddie the Head, Iron Maiden’s monstrous album-cover mascot.)

Here is the Stranger Things version of "Master of Puppets." I have absolutely no context for whatever the hell is going on, but the visuals look cool.

What follows after the break is the playlist for Stranger Things from Spotify. I'm not sure how they decided on the order, but it is headed by "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" by Kate Bush. The second song is "Master of Puppets" from Metallica, and not the version from the series but the original (or maybe the remaster). It includes everything from "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads to "Fire and Rain" by James Tayor and "Wipe Out" by The Safaris. There is even some Philip Glass and at least one song by Louis Armstrong.

I put it after a break, because I am not sure I have disabled autoplay. I HATE autoplay. I don't know who ever thought that was a good idea.