***WARNING: Contains spoilers for Stranger Things Season 4***
The '80s-themed supernatural show that has had audiences talking for years has officially returned. As usual, Stranger Things season 4 came back strong with rich '80s pop culture and references.
Although there's been quite an age gap for the Stranger Things characters between the third season and now, Part 4 is picking right up almost a year after Stranger Things 3 left off in 1986. And with that, fans get some more classic old-school tunes to listen to as the gang fights off monsters from the Upside Down.
"California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & The Papas
"California Dreamin'" may be from the '60s instead of the '80s, but it was perfectly utilized in one of the first scenes of the fourth season. Eleven, going as Jane, and the rest of the Byers are living their best California lives--or so they'd hoped.
The song works because California was supposed to be a way for the family to have a normal life and be happy. Though they're trying, things seem to be falling apart for El, Jonathan, and Will even more than in Hawkins. California truly isn't the dream they thought it'd be.
"Detroit Rock City" by KISS
Nothing says '70s and '80s like some classic rock by KISS. "Detroit Rock City" plays as the perfect expositionary song. It's all about moving quickly and being busy, and viewers had just gotten a sneak peek into what that looks like for their favorite characters.
Lucas is completely engrossed in basketball and trying to be friends with the jocks, whereas Dustin and Mike are into the Hellfire Club and D&D. Max is dealing with everything that happened before Stranger Things season 4 with Billy and isn't handling it well. It seems like everyone is moving at a mile a minute and the song perfectly encapsulates that feeling.
"You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" by Dead Or Alive
The roller rink is one of the cornerstones of high school '80s culture, so the show needed to pair a "current" song with this wildly popular young person hangout spot. It's just lucky that it also happens to talk about going in circles.
The song is also about someone deciding to introduce themselves to someone else and in their fun. This is exactly what El wishes she were capable of doing, and what she tells Mike that she does, so the song works in that way, as well.
"Play With Me" by Extreme
As Dustin and Mike are desperately searching for a replacement for Lucas for their D&D game night with Hellfire Club as per Eddie's instructions, this song can be heard playing in the background as they try in vain to fill the spot.
There's also a little bit of an Easter egg to this particular song choice for fans who know and love 1980s pop culture. This song was technically released in 1989. As previously mentioned, the Stranger Things story is picking up in spring break of 1986, three years before this song hit the radio.
"Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco
If there's a song to subtle hint that someone is the queen bee when they enter a room, it's "Rock Me Amadeus." The song may be in German, but the message is loud and clear. When translated, one of the key lyrics reads, "He was a superstar, he was popular, he was too exalted and that was his flair."
Angela is definitely too exalted, and she uses her popularity to bully Eleven and push a poor new student to their limits. Sometimes, power can get to someone's head and they don't realize that they're angering the wrong person, which is exactly what happened to Angela.
"Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads
Jason Carver may not be the most destructive villain of Stranger Things, but he's able to form a witch hunt when it comes to accusing Eddie of being a "Psycho Killer" and arming the other basketball players to try to find him.
The song talks about talking a lot but not saying anything, and fans can point to Jason's hair-trigger reaction of blaming Eddie for Chrissy's death and banding the entire town behind him as a perfect example. Eddie definitely needed to "run, run, run away."
"Dream A Little Dream Of Me" by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
"Dream A Little Dream Of Me" sparks the eureka moment of music being able to help those who are about to be killed by Vecna. But, it's also a haunting, lullaby-like song that gives fans an eerie feeling as Victor hums it to himself in his cell.
Victor undoubtedly dreams about his family and the horrors he's seen and caused every night. Poignantly, dreaming is now the only time that he can really see, because of the attempt to gouge out his own eyes.
"Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush
Max, in the aftermath of season 3, really felt like she was running uphill, which is probably why the song was hinted at in the first episode. Max and El had developed a relationship that fans wanted more of, but without her best friend and boyfriend to lift her up, she was having difficulty.
Instead of wearing her down, though, the song lifts her up when she needs it most. As Vecna is about to kill her, Max hears the song and sees herself on the outside, inspiring her to fight and make a run for it.
" The Dutchie" by Musical Youth
" The Dutchie" quickly becomes Jonathan's quirky surfer boy stoner friend, Argyle's, signature song on the show, and it's perfect for him. It plays the first time when he goes to deliver pizza to the Byers' house--notably marked by lyrics like, "How does it feel when you've got no food?"
Then, the song plays again after Argyle becomes smitten with Suzie's older sister, Eden. After proclaiming that he would do anything for her, he invites her into his van to smoke and the song plays again as the two are discovered.
"Travelin' Man" by Ricky Nelson
Joyce and Murray definitely did a lot of traveling this season--especially by plane. They flew all the way to Alaska with ransom money for Hopper, then they managed a semi-successful crash landing of Yuri's plane in Russia.
The song even notably mentions Alaska by name, with Ricky singing, "If you're ever in Alaska" to stop and see one of his many girlfriends. It's a catchy, positive song for a not-so-positive series of events for the pair.