The Resurgence of 80s Music
Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of people talk about older songs as if they’ve just been released. And of course, knowing how things work nowadays, I’m left guessing what shows or tik tok videos are responsible for the chatter.
Well, as it turns out, there’s a show on Netflix that features a lot of these old-school songs, which is introducing so many of their viewers to them for the first time.
Story
A few weeks ago my 18-year-old brother eagerly asked me if I had heard the song “Pass the Dutchie,” to which I responded, yeah – then proceeded to explain to him that the song is very old (but gold, nonetheless). There was a slight disappointed look on his face as I had ruined his little secret of a song that he was hoping to introduce me to. I asked him where he heard it and he said in the show “Stranger Things.”
Now, I’m not a gatekeeper of music, but it is pretty funny to see so many young people worked up over music that in the past, they probably would’ve paid no mind to. Or in my neighbor’s words: “They think it doesn’t matter to them, until it matters to them.”
Although “Stranger Things” is by no means the only show out there with a classic soundtrack, it’s the most popular right now, and the one that seems to really push the whole 80s retro nostalgia.
For those of you who do not know what “Stranger Things” is, it is a show about a group of young friends in the 1980s in Indiana who, to put it simply, solve supernatural mysteries. Think of it as a live-action “Scooby Doo” minus the dog and instead of adults, it’s middle schoolers.
The whole 80s setting is very apparent in the show, from every item (no matter how big or small) on the screen being era-accurate, to the clothes they wear, the electronics they use, to the many references they make to then-popular culture. The entire visual aesthetic is then wrapped around an authentic soundtrack, which boasts both popular music from the era as well as some hidden gems.
It’s when those hidden gems play alongside powerful scenes that cause people (particularly young people) to feel as if they’ve stumbled onto music no one has ever heard before, when in reality they’ve probably heard it before in other media or through older family members. Again echoing what my neighbor said: “They think it doesn’t matter to them, until it matters to them.”
None of this is bad, however, it’s just easy to point out. I actually welcome the sudden rise in popularity that some songs and artists gain, especially when those artists are still alive to experience (albeit decades later) the fruits of their labor.
Such is the case with Kate Bush’s song “Running Up That Hill,” which was released on August 5, 1985. Popular? Yeah, but it only peaked at #3 in the UK’s Singles Chart and #30 in the US’s Billboard Hot 100. For how good the song is, the fact is that it was never extraordinarily popular, except after it was used in “Stranger Things” in 2022.
“Running Up That Hill” was used in a scene where one of the characters, Max, is being held captive by a Freddy Krueger-like demon in a dream world. In an attempt to save her, her friends use her favorite song to make her self-aware of the mental state she’s in, thus aiding her escape.
I think the dreamy synth sounds and emotional lyricism from “Running Up That Hill” marries it well to what is happening on screen. It took an already dramatic scene and bumped it up a few notches with its music and nostalgia. It’s strange but the song doesn’t sound very typical of today’s music, so for it to have gotten so popular is kind of a phenomena.
The song released in 1985 is now in the top ten lists in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland. Such a trip to think that a song that could’ve been considered “peaked,” is reaching new heights.
Kate Bush expressed her astonishment in a statement on her website, stating: “How utterly brilliant!… [that] So many young people who love the show [“Stranger Things”], discovering the song for the first time.” And showing her appreciation by giving thanks: “Thanks so much to everyone who has supported the song and a really special thank you to the Duffer Brothers for creating something with such heart.”
But it’s not just “Running Up That Hill,” it’s also “Pass The Dutchie” that has had a second lease on life from their use in popular television shows.
Speaking on the resurgence of the song, one of the remaining members of the band Musical Youth, Dennis Seaton, told DancehallMag that he and the other remaining member, Michael Grant, were very pleased but saddened at the same time for the rise in popularity of “Pass The Dutchie” as it reminded them of a couple of members that had recently passed.
“We are pleased to know that Pass the Dutchie is featured in Stranger Things as it was a bit of a shock… This along with the passing of two of the Mighty Diamonds has a bittersweet feeling for us, as they are reggae legends who [we] will hear no more. Our deepest sympathies go out to both families.”
Final Thoughts
It’s great that old songs get popular again, but it’s even greater when the artists are still around to enjoy the success. The way things are going, there’s no telling if newly released songs will get popular now or later. As spectators and lovers of music, it should excite us to wonder what kids will find cool next.