The Stranger Things Season 2 Playlist

This Canadian country band were active from 1957 to 1989, their middle of the range style of music seems to sort 'boring' Bob rather well.

Jim Croce – 'You Don't Mess Around With Jim'. Plays over the montage of Hopper and El clearing up their cabin.

The title of the song could well be Hopper's theme tune, seriously, would you go up against big Jim?

Tones On Tail – 'Go!' Soundtracking the basketball match.

A British band active from 1982-1984, formed as a side project from Goth super group Bauhaus by their guitarist Daniel Ash. You might be familiar with Go! As it was sampled by Moby for his 1990 dance hit of the same name, in addition to popping up on the soundtrack to Grosse Pointe Blank, a film which dabbles in a bit of an 80s throwback, and also stars Ghostbusters scribe Dan Aykroyd as a hitman.

The Psychedelic Furs – 'The Ghost In You'. Jonathan and Nancy eating lunch.

An apt track as many see it as a song about unrequited love, or at least love on the rocks. The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band formed in 1977, and saw chart success in the early 80s. They get bonus 80s points for having their track Pretty in Pink used by uber-80s director John Hughes as the inspiration for his cult romantic film of the same name. Funnily enough, he also used their single for the soundtrack.

Ill Repute – 'Clean Cut American Kid'. Playing on a Walkman at school.

An American hardcore punk band from California formed in 1981. No, I hadn't heard of them either.

Al Casey Combo – 'Cookin''. Playing while Joyce calls Bob at his Radioshack store.

Another scene featuring Joyce and Bob, another break from the 80s synthy score to something more suitable to these 'old timers' eh? This funky track originally came out in 1964, so perhaps this track is meant to be something they'd be familiar with from their courting days!

The Clash making a welcome return from season 1 of the show, again providing a soundtrack for Jonathan and showing even if he is a bit of a loner, his musical taste is impeccable. The Clash were an English punk band formed in 1976, seeing success in the UK in the late 70s, and moving on to US chart success in the early 80s.

This is Radio Clash was released in 1981, but didn't appear on any studio albums, instead popping up on later compilations.

The Clash are soundtracks regulars, you'll have heard them on 21 Jump Street, Iron Man 2 and any film where the action suddenly jumps to London so you get a few bars of ‘London Calling' playing over a shot of Tower Bridge or Buckingham Palace in case you didn't know where the location had switched to.

Paul Engemann - 'Scarface (Push It To the Limit)'. Used during the basketball grudge match of hunkage.

A track that soundtracks a rather cheesy training montage from Scarface. Engemann himself is only really known for this track, but your key 80s fact here is that the song was co-written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, who worked together on writing some of Donna Summer's biggest singles including I Feel Love.

Moroder is known as a pioneer of using synthesisers in pop, so without his early efforts it's doubtful the synthy incidental music and theme tune to Stranger Things would be the same. Moroder recently collaborated with French robot-popstars Daft Punk.

The Haxan Cloak – 'The Growing'. When Billy advises Max to stay away from Lucas.

The Haxan Cloak is a British musician and producer. Born in Wakefield, his real name is Bobby Krlic. The growing is from his debut album, also called The Haxan Cloak, which he recorded in his parents' shed over three years, performing all the instruments himself, including playing a rake on one of the tracks! (We just made up the bit about the rake, but it wouldn't surprise us if this is true).

And it's a straight run to the end of this episode with work from the soundtrack composers of Stranger Things seasons 1 and 2

Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein – 'Looking for a Way Out'. Plays while Joyce and Hopper are laying out Will's pictures.

Dixon and Stein are 50% of the band Survive, and received a Grammy Award for their work on the soundtrack of the first season of Stranger Things. Their work is clearly influenced by synth pioneers like Jean-Michel Jarre and director/composer John Carpenter.

Whilst we haven't heard of Dixon and Stein outside of Stranger Things, their work on the soundtrack, including the theme to the series, deserves our praise. It does a fantastic job of helping to set the scene. Atmospheric, timely – in that it sounds bang on for the analogue synthy sound of the time, and doesn't dominate the scenes it plays under.

Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein – 'Fresh Blood'. Nancy checking her recording from the Hawkins Lab as Jonathan drives her away.

Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein –'Possessed'. A slightly nightmarish discordant piece of music that accompanies the demise of a loved family pet as Dustin sees what Dart has done to their cat. RIP Mews!

Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein – 'To Be Continued'. Hopper finding the tunnel under the pumpkin field.

A Southern soul singer who recorded in Memphis. Can carry a tune but didn't have an extensive career. File under ‘highly obscure'.

Carl Weathers – 'You Ought To Be With Me'. Playing as the Sinclair family have breakfast and Lucas asks his dad what he does when he's having an argument with his mum.

Carl Weathers is perhaps most famous for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky series of films. This single was released in 1981 which places it between Rockys II and III.

Bobby Bare – 'Green Green Grass Of Home'. Playing as El catches a ride of the semi/truck to visit her mother.

A country and western singer, this track is taken from Bare's 1966 album The Streets of Baltimore.

Shock Therapy – 'Can I Do What I Want?' Playing as Nancy and Jonathan arrive at Murray's.

A hardcore experimental band from Detroit, Can I Do What I Want? Was released in 1985 on their album Shock Therapy.

Hittman – 'Metal Sports'. Another subtle tune from Billy as he drops Max at the arcade.

Hittman were an American prog-metal band active between 1984-1994. Metal Sports was released in 1985.

Robert Görl - 'Darling Don't Leave Me'. Soundtracks Max being shown into the backroom of the arcade where Lucas is waiting.

Gorl is a German musician, best known for his work with D.A.F. He recorded don't leave me with Annie Lennox. It was released as a single in 1983.

The Jetzons – 'When The Sun Goes Down'. Lucas following Max out of the arcade trying to convince her that his story is true.

The Jetzsons were an American new wave band from Arizona. They formed in 1981 and managed to get all the way through to 1983 before calling it a day. If you think they sound familiar, you might have heard some of their music on recent Netflix series GLOW, about the Glamorous Ladies Of Wrestling. Red Oaks, the Amazon series also based in the 80s has used a few of their tracks too.

Channel 3 – 'Strength In Numbers'. When Billy picks up Max from the arcade.

An American punk band from California, Channel 3 were formed in 1980, and are still going! Strength in Numbers was released in 1982 and taken from their long player I've Got a Gun.

Philip Glass Ensemble, Douglas Perry & Michael Riseman - 'Open the Kingdom (Liquid Days, Part II)'. Flashback montage of what happened to Terry Ives.

If you fancy something a bit jarring, then Philip Glass isn't a bad call. This track was released in 1986.

Billie Holliday – 'No More'. The track Murray puts on whilst necking vodka and trying to decide how to proceed after hearing Nancy and Jonathan's tape. Murray may be a bit unhinged, but he has great taste in music, Billie Holliday has one of the most distinctive singing voices of the 20th century, she recorded this track in October 1944.

Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein – The composers for the original Stranger Things seasons 1 and 2 soundtracks, what tracks did they provide for the 5th episode?

'Biking to School' – Plays while Lucas is on his bike whilst Mrs Henderson calls for her cat.

'Gearing Up' – Dustin getting his hockey gear on and getting ready to do battle with Dart.

'Connect The Dots' – Murray showing his ‘Barb hunting' board on the wall of his office/lair.

'In The Woods' – Joyce, Mike and Will trying to work out where Hopper us on Will's drawing.

'Looking For A Way Out' – Hopper finding out that flames destroy the alien vine things.

'Crib' – El being shown what would have been her nursery.

'Birth Rescue' – Terry's flashback sequence showing how she went into labour, tried to infiltrate the Hawkins lab but is captured and given electroshock therapy.

'Turn Right And Run' – The sound of Joyce and Bob heading into the tunnel and looking for Master Frodo. Sorry, we meant Hopper.

Yes, what better track to soundtrack Steve wielding his 'justice-giver' than Queen's Hammer To Fall? The single was released in 1984, and was the fourth single taken from their album The Works. The song was one of the tracks the band performed at Wembley in 1985 for Live Aid. The lyrics reference the Cold War, and following much conjecture, song writer Brian May said the song is really about death being a part of life, it's something you can't avoid. This doesn't sound promising for the good citizens of Hawkins.

It's worth noting from this point that the music associated with Murray is surprising good for someone sporting such a terrible beard!

Cameron Brooks – 'Where Django's At'. Plays in Murray's 'flat/warehouse' whilst he, Nancy and Jonathan copy her recording from the lab and package them up to be sent out to the media.

There's not a lot of info about Cameron Brooks out there on the web, but we did find out that he's a Los Angeles based composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist who likes combining retro musical gear with new recording techniques to create a new multi-genre sound.

Artie Shaw & His Orchestra – 'There Is Frost On The Moon'. This is the music playing as Murray, Nancy and Jonathan have a drink or two of vodka or two to celebrate finishing packaging up their tapes. Murray then starts asking them about their relationship status!

Artie Shaw, who died in 2004, is widely regarded as one of jazz's finest clarinetists and also a bandleader, composer, actor! This track dates from 1936, we think, we're not sure as they didn't have the interwebs then.

Billie Holliday – 'You Better Go Now'. Accompanies Nancy and Jonathan as they think about what Murray said to them, and then discuss it in his living room.

Billie Holliday was a ground-breaking jazz musician and singer-songwriter whose thirty year career, ending with her death in 1959, has a lasting influence over American music since. This track was originally released on a 10” shellac disc in 1946. Thank the lord for Spotify, eh folks?

Roy Orbison – 'Blue Bayou'. Murray cooking breakfast for 'the kids'.

Murray really is soundtracked with some great tracks, isn't he? This track was first released on a double A side single in 1961, then later appeared on the album In Dreams. (If you don't know, a double A side single was fairly rare, but in the days on vinyl 7” singles you obviously had an A and a B side, A being the single, B being a less important track. Double A side means both sides were designated the A track!)

Ratt – 'Round And Round'. Billy pumping iron and working up a sweat.

Ratt are an American heavy metal band that saw commercial success in the mid 80s. Round and Round was released in 1984. They were also considered part of the 'hair metal' scene along with groups like Motley Crue.

And now, what synthy loveliness did the soundtrack composers for Stranger Things, Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, provide in Episode 6?

'The First Lie' – Nancy and Jonathan meet up in the living room, have that all important first kiss and then disappear into her room. We'll leave it there.

'They Hurt Me' - Will reveals that when the soldiers attacked the vines with the flame-throwers it was hurting him.

'Lay-Z-Boy' – Steve revealing his hair management techniques to Dustin.

'Walkin In Hawkins' – Lucas telling Dustin that he's told Max everything that happened to Will in season 1.

'Soldiers' – The soldiers in the lab get their gear on to head down and investigate the vines.

'On The Bus' – Max reveals some of the family problems to Lucas on the bus.

'Sick Of Cow' – Whilst losing patience with Dart to come and eat their bait, Steve suggests it could be because he's sick of tasty beef, so decides to go outside and offer himself as a snack.

'Descent Into The Rift' – Dr Owens takes Hopper on a fun ride down to see how the organism has been growing.

'It's A Trap' – The soldiers arrive in the area Will sent them to as Will confesses that he was made to send them there.

We first heard this piece in episode 5 as we saw how 'momma' received electroconvulsive therapy that destroyed her mind. Not exactly music to relax to.

Bon Jovi – 'Runaway'. As Eleven runs away. No idea why they decided to choose this track.

A 1984 chart breakthrough for the American be-permed rockers Bon Jovi. Their lead singer, Jon Bon Jovi, who we're guessing also came up with the band's name, was famous for his huge permy hairdo back in the day. It was their third album, Slippery When Wet (urgh) which turned them into global stars, with singles such as Living On a Prayer and You Give Love a Bad Name selling around the world.

Big Giant Circles – 'Outside The Realm'. El and Kali talking.

A laid back, atmospheric ambient track, which sounds like the kind of new age thing you'd have had playing in a yoga studio in the mid 90s, Big Giant Circles is the recording name for the Dallas based musician Jimmy Hinson, who writes music for and inspired by video games.

Fad Gadget – 'Back To Nature'. El meeting the rest of the gang.

Fad Gadget, real name Frank Tovey, was a huge influence on the development of electronic music in Britain in the early 1980s. Back To Nature was released in 1979, the second single on the Mute label. Mute would go on to be the home of Depeche Mode, Erasure, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and more recently Goldfrapp.

John Carpenter – 'The Bank Robbery'. El checking through Kali's archive of news clippings.

As well as being a fantastic genre director, writing and/or directing films which have clearly exerted a strong influence on the Duffer Brothers such as The Thing, Halloween and The Fog, Carpenter is also a highly respected composer of film soundtracks. This track comes from the 1981 Kurt Russell starring Escape from New York, another film Carpenter directed. If you want to hear more we'd recommend his album Anthology: Movie Themes 1974-1998 for starters.

The Runaways – 'Dead End Justice'. El and the gang heading out on a mission.

If this song sounds familiar to you, it's because The Runaways, an all-female American rock band active from 1975-1979, had another of their tracks, the very similar-sounding Cherry Bomb, used to similar effect recently in Guardians of The Galaxy. The track is therefore on the top-selling Awesome Mix Vol.1 from that film.

The Icicle Works – 'Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)'. Plays out over the end credits.

Formed in Liverpool in 1980, the band are often seen as one hit wonders, but depending on if you were British or American you had a different single that charted, so does that technically make them two hit wonders? 1983's 'Love Is A Wonderful Colour', a track with the kind of chorus Phil Spector would have dreamt of in the 60s was the single the Brits took to their hearts, whilst the former-colonials in the US propelled Whisper To A Scream to number 34 on their hit parade.

Original Stranger Things 2 soundtrack compositions from Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein

'She Wants Me To Find Her' – Eleven reveals to Becky that Terry has told her she much find the other girl from the Lab.

'Run' – Eleven hears Becky on the phone to Florence and decides to make a run for it.

'Making Contact' – Eleven finds the gang hideout in the warehouse and says she is looking to find her sister.

'Chicago' – Eleven tells Kali about remembering her from the ‘Rainbow Room' in the Hawkins Lab.

'Old MacDonald Had A Farm' – A rousing rendition of this childhood classic sung by the cast as Kali's gang tease her about putting El to bed.

'We Go Out Tonight' – The plan of revenge on all those who have wronged them is revealed to El. El is then required to test her powers by moving the train.

'She'll Kill You' – Eleven is told how to use her anger to increase the strength of her powers by Kali.

'Mercy' – During the attack on Ray, El stops short of killing him. Kali isn't impressed.

'A Familiar Shape' – Kali conjures a vision of Dr. Brenner as she tries to manipulate El.

'Descent Into The Rift' – The police storm the warehouse to arrest the gang, but Kali cloaks them in invisibility.

'I Can Save Them' – El tells Kali that her friends need her and she must return to Hawkins.

'Outside The Realm' – Kali creates a butterfly.

'Eleven Is Gone' – Kali tells Eleven about how they were similar when they were younger, and that she escaped and found a family, but then lost them.

A great piece of music to contract with the Metallica Billy has got blasting out in his bedroom. A track dating from 1962 from this Arizona based rocker.

Metallica – 'The Four Horsemen'. Billy's 'getting in the mood' music.

A song referring to the biblical four horsemen of the apocalypse, what could be more apt to listen to in Hawkins at this point in time? The poster Billy has on his wall is for the album Kill 'Em All, which is where this track is lifted from. The album was released in 1983, and is regarded as a classic of the thrash metal genre, in the way it combines elements of British heavy metal with the speed of hardcore punk music. The track also appeared on the soundtrack to 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse!

Jonathan loads one of mix tapes up into his boombox and plays it to distract Will. We know from series one that Jonathan had, for 1983, a very cool taste in music. British bands often found their music on the soundtracks to American films in the 1980s as it implied a certain coolness and exclusivity that better known homegrown music wouldn't provide. Wanted to show a character was a bit different? Play some New Order! 

Taken from the band's best-selling 1982 album Combat Rock, the track peaked at 45 on the Billboard Hot 100, and 17 on the Official UK Chart. However, it was re-released in 1991 and got number 1 in the UK, off the back of its appearance on a Levi's jeans commercial.

But what about the composers of the original Stranger Things soundtrack, Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein? What did they come up with this episode?

'Eulogy' – Mike tells the group that Bob set up the A/V club at Hawkins high. A gentle synthy-wash of a track. Goodbye Bob!

'Looking For A Way Out' – The pulsey, sequenced synths are back as Mike concocts the plan of using Will to find the Mind Flayer, but somehow they'll have to mask their location.

'Soldiers' – Getting the shed ready for Will's interrogation. 

'The Return' – Eleven making a bit of an entrance, dispatching a Demodog and opening the door locks from the outside. Great, she's back! Cue the credits and let's crack on with episode 9!

This track was released in 1973, and is one of Streisand's most well-known tracks. It appeared on the soundtrack to the film of the same name, which starred Robert Redford and Streisand herself. The single got to number one when it was originally released in 1973, spent nearly half a year in the charts, 23 weeks, and sold over a million copies.

Donna Summer – 'I Do Believe (I Fell In Love)'. Mrs Wheeler answers the door in her robe, and it's an open-chested Billy asking if Mrs Wheeler knows where Max is.

An album cut from Donna Summer's 1983 album She Works Hard For The Money. Donna Summer is best known for her revolutionary disco track I Feel Love, a song that epitomised the sound of the disco period, kickstarted electronic music, and basically sounds like nothing else before it. By contract, this track is a lot more middle of the road and radio friendly.

Cameron Brooks – 'I See Charcoal (You See Scarlet)'. The sound of Billy knocking seven shades out of Steve.

We heard another track from Cameron in episode 6. As we pointed out then, there's not a lot of info about Cameron but we know he's Los Angeles based composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist.

Tangerine Dream – 'Rare Bird'. As the military locks-up shop and pulls out of the Hawkins Lab, who's there at the gate seeing them off with a few cold brewskis? Why, it's Murray!

Tangerine Dream are an electronic band from Germany, who formed in 1967, at a time when synthesizers weren't readily available so the band members basically made their own gear. Their music has been influenced by classical music and psychedelic rock, and they had a large influence over the rise of ambient music in the 90s.

The band composed soundtracks for various films, including Sorcerer, a thriller from the Exorcist director William Friedkin.

Bobby Helms – 'Jingle Bell Rock'. Getting ready for the school snow ball. Joyce teaching Will how to dance while Jonathan films. Mike being photographed by his mum. Lucas working out his killer chat-up lines and Dustin putting Steve's haircare tips into practice.

Bobby Helms was an American country music singer. Jingle Bell Rock was originally released in 1957, but it's popularity as a standard Christmas song means it has already re-entered the US charts twice since then, in 1996-7 and 2001. It has numerous cover versions including Kenny G, Billy Idol, Hall & Oates and even Michael Buble!

Pat Benatar – 'Love Is A Battlefield'. Steve dropping Dustin at the dance and giving him a few last minute pointers.

A classic 80s track soundtracking the battle Dustin is facing as he tries to find a suitable lady to woo. Pat Benatar is still recording and touring. She first rose to fame in 1979 with her debut album In The Heat of The Night. Love is a Battlefield came from Benatar's 1983 live album 'Live From Earth', though it is a studio recording.

Olivia Newton-John – 'Twist Of Fate'. Steve sees Nancy in the school hall as he prepares to drive off. Dustin struts in and facing a barrage of abuse about his new hairdo.

Olivia Newton-John's career has always been somewhat overshadowed by her performance as Sandy in the film of Grease, but she has enjoyed an extensive recording career. This track hails from 1983. Ironically, the film was used on the soundtrack to Two of a Kind, in which she co-stars with her squeeze from Grease, John Travolta. Unfortunately, the couldn't re-create that Grease magic and the film was pretty much universally hated.

Cyndi Lauper – 'Time After Time'. An 80's school disco slow dance classic. While everyone is pairing off inside, apart from Dustin, Hopper offers Joyce some words of comfort outside, and a smoke!

Cyndi Lauper is still best known for her feminist anthem Girls Just Want To Have Fun. That track, like Time After Time, is taken from her 1983 album She's So Unusual, and album that eventually produced seven singles.

If you're looking for a definitive 80s love song with a beautiful melody, this is it.

The Police – 'Every Breath You Take'. Hopper gives Joyce a shoulder to cry on, and Eleven makes it to the ball!

Cast your mind back to a time before Sting was known for trying to save the rainforest, play the lute and have tantric sex for many hours at a time. He was a member of the band The Police and wrote some fantastic songs. Every Breath You Take is thought by many to be the signature song of Sting and The Police, although on the surface it's a love song, the lyrics are more about jealous infatuation and possessiveness. 

What tracks did the original soundtrack composers Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein come up with for Episode 9?

'Levitation' – Eleven using her powers to close the gate.

'What Else Did You see?' – Joyce ask Eleven what she saw in her visions as El checks in on Will.

'Symptoms' – The group come up with a new plan to save Will when Joyce remembers what Will had said about the 'virus' preferring the cold.

'Never Tell' – Hopper finds Dr Owens still alive but injured on the stairs. He mentions the doc might want to consider helping about Eleven after all she's done for everyone else.

'The Hub' – Down in the tunnels, the gang reach the hub and soak it in petrol.

'Crib' – Will wakes up from his suffering, now free, and is given a group hug from Joyce and Jonathan.