How did Kate Bush help get Prince's songs into the finale of Stranger Things?
Stranger Things musical supervisor Nora Felder believes the use of Kate Bush's 1985 single Running Up That Hill played a crucial role in Prince's estate allowing the late music legend's songs to be used in the Netflix show's finale.
Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers are convinced Kate Bush played a key role in Prince's estate allowing his songs When Doves Cry and Purple Rain to feature in the show's finale.
The late musician - who died in April 2016 aged 57 - may have agonised over the sequencing of tracks on his album Purple Rain back in 1984, and he will never know that four decades later that exact vinyl running order played a crucial role in the emotional finale of the Netflix phenomenon.
The hit series came to an end last week with Purple Rain soundtracking its final moments, while viewers earlier heard When Doves Cry - the opening track of Side B on the iconic album.
The placement was no coincidence as, according to the show’s music supervisor Nora Felder, Matt and Ross Duffer were stated the story required two songs by the same artist that were positioned at the start and end of one side of an album, narrowing the options dramatically.
Speaking to Variety, Nora revealed: "They said, ‘This one is a little more tricky because of the way the scenes are going to be set up: We need something preferably from 1987 - but it could be from before - the songs have to be from the same artist; and the first song has to start the A or B-side of an album by that artist, and the second song has to end the A or B-side of that album.”
Prince's songs played a key role in the Stranger Things finale / Credit: Netflix
Faced with such a specific brief, Felder felt the pressure immediately, admitting her "heart stopped, like, ‘ooh, that’s a tough one.’” After extensive searching, she narrowed it down to just two possibilities — one of them being Prince’s Purple Rain soundtrack to the film of the same name and another classic record by an unnamed '70s artist who she didn't name.
That raised another major hurdle: convincing the famously protective Prince estate to approve the use of two of his most revered songs. Felder said: “I’m like gulp, ‘I’m really not sure, but I’d be willing to try.’
“I majored in English in college, and that helped with creating what I call ‘theses’, where you give the rights owners all the information of how the song’s going to be used, and the backstory of it, the meaning of it.”
After discussions with Primary Wave Music, Universal Music Publishing and Warner Records, the proposal eventually made its way to the estate.
Crucially, Felder believes the success of Stranger Things’ earlier musical moment with Bush's 1985 single Running Up That Hill may have helped tip the balance, as anyone could see how the Duffer Brothers used that song and other music in the sci-fi series.
Kate Bush performing Running Up That Hill / Credit: Getty
She said: “I know the Duffers feel that Prince’s estate cleared the songs because of Kate Bush, and I’m sure that had something to do with it, as the parties reminded them of the impact the show had with Running Up That Hill.”
Prince's music has received a huge streaming boost since featuring in the finale aired on New Year's Eve (31.12.25).
Global Spotify streams of Purple Rain have surged by 243%, with Gen-Z listeners - who are less likely to be familiar with Prince's music accounting for a 577% increase. When Doves Cry has also seen a dramatic boost, gaining 200% more listeners overall.
