The cultural phenomenon that is Stranger Things has always been as much about the ears as it is about the eyes. From the moment the synth-heavy theme first pulsed through our speakers in 2016, we knew the Duffer Brothers were building a world where music wasn’t just background noise—it was a character in its own right. As the curtain finally closes on the fifth and final season in early 2026, that “Stranger Things effect” has reached a fever pitch, proving one last time that Hawkins, Indiana, is the ultimate kingmaker for the global music charts.
The Kate Bush Blueprint: A Global Resurrection
We first saw the true scale of this power during Season 4, when Kate Bush’s 1985 masterpiece “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” underwent a literal resurrection. Nearly forty years after its original release, the track didn’t just trend; it dominated, hitting #1 on the Billboard Global 200 and becoming Bush’s first-ever US Top 10 single. It was a blueprint for how a perfectly placed needle drop could bridge the gap between Gen X nostalgia and Gen Z discovery, setting a high bar for the series finale.
A Purple Reign in the Upside Down
The Season 5 finale has taken that blueprint and turned it into a masterclass. The inclusion of Prince’s “Purple Rain” during the emotional climax—a scene that saw Eleven bidding a haunting farewell to Mike—sparked a staggering 243% increase in Spotify streams overnight. For many younger viewers, this was a formal introduction to the High Priest of Pop, with Gen Z streams specifically skyrocketing. It wasn’t just a tribute to an icon; it was a passing of the torch to a new generation of listeners who found solace in the same lyrics their parents did decades ago.
From Screen Stars to Chart Toppers
But the most compelling story of this final season isn’t just about the legends of the past; it’s about the stars of the show themselves. Finn Wolfhard, who has steadily built a reputation as a serious musician with his band The Aubreys and his solo work, saw his streaming numbers more than triple following the release of the finale. Fans aren’t just attached to Mike Wheeler; they are deeply invested in Wolfhard’s artistic evolution, proving that the bond between the cast and the audience extends far beyond the screen.
Djo’s Global Ascent: “End of Beginning” Hits #1
However, no story is bigger right now than the meteoric ascent of Joe Keery. While we’ve spent years cheering for Steve Harrington’s character growth, Keery has been quietly conquering the indie-pop world under the moniker Djo. His 2022 track “End of Beginning” from the album Decide was already a slow-burn success, having found a second life as a viral TikTok anthem in 2024. But the Stranger Things 5 finale provided the final, explosive spark needed to push it into the stratosphere.
In the first week of January 2026, “End of Beginning” officially claimed the #1 spot on the Global Spotify chart. It was a career-defining moment for Keery, who simultaneously saw the track hit #1 on US iTunes and watched his album Decide climb to the top of the US Alternative iTunes charts. There is a poetic irony in the song’s success; it is a track about the bittersweet feeling of returning home and the “end of a beginning,” echoing the very emotions fans are feeling as they say goodbye to the series that changed Keery’s life.
The End of an Era, The Start of a Playlist
This chart dominance is a testament to the show’s legacy as a tastemaker. Whether it’s a decades-old Prince classic or a modern indie-synth track from one of its own stars, Stranger Things has spent five seasons curating the soundtrack of our lives. As we leave Hawkins behind, Joe Keery’s #1 debut serves as the perfect victory lap—a reminder that while the show may be over, the music it gave us is just getting started.
