So many elements of Stranger Things‘ first season captured the time period of the early 1980’s in a way that spoke to a whole generation of fans. And the music – not only the score, but the song choices – was an indelible part of that.
Clearly we’re anticipating more of the excitement, the chills, the incredible storytelling of Stranger Things in its sophomore outing. There is also a wave of fans’ curiosity about how the show will tackle 1984, arguably one of the most important years of the 80’s. (The L.A. Olympics! The Macintosh computer’s debut! “Where’s the Beef?!“)
With that in mind, what tunes will be chosen by Stranger Things‘ showrunners to take us back? There were some killer tracks in Season One, from Joy Division all the way to Foreigner. So in the spirit of “Let’s ALL play Music Supervisor on a hit Netflix show!”, here’s one version of what a Stranger Things Season 2 soundtrack might look like. Will any of the tracks on this playlist show up in the show for real? Who knows! But, it’s one interpretation.
(Netflix)
A couple of things to note!:
- Admittedly, we tried not to include too many obvious heavy-hitters from ’84. Some big top 10 hits, but not wall to wall. (Given the boys’ Ghostbusters costumes in the photos already released, that theme tune seemed like too easy a choice; sorry, Ray Parker Jr.!)
- As a nod to Season One occasionally using songs that came out after 1983 (I see you, Bangles “Hazy Shade of Winter” cover!), there’s one track here that is more recent than 1984… but not by much. Any guesses? (There’s also a reason, related to a new character, why we chose it!)
So please, enjoy a cross-section of pop, rock, new wave, R&B, a few curve-ball deep album cuts… and Lionel Richie. (It’s okay, you know you want to sing along…. do it!)
