Gen Z’s obsession with the 80's: Stranger Things
by Luca Irinoiu
If you ask a Gen Z teenager what comes first to mind when they think of the 1980s, there is a very likely chance that they will respond with elements such as: synth and pop music, neon lights, cassette tapes and most importantly, Stranger Things. But how can a generation that has absolutely no connection to that decade have such an emotional attachment to it? This obsession can be easily explained through a mix of multiple elements such as nostalgia, aesthetics, pop culture and music, and Stranger Things is the definitive case study.
One of the most useful concepts in relation to our question is “anemoia”. Coined by John Koenig, anemoia describes nostalgia for a time you never experienced yourself. In the case of Gen Z, it seems like the obsession with the 80s stems from the romanticization of the decade through media like movies and music. The way the town of Hawkings is presented blurs the reality of the 80s with exaggerated stereotypes of the decade and a sense of childlike wonder. The show doesn’t talk about the serious issues that were present in 1980s America, like political tension, the AIDS crisis, economic struggles (mentioned briefly in relation to the Byers family but never deepened) and the Cold War. This made the 80s a difficult decade to live in. However, our concept of said decade removes all of these issues in exchange for a warmer, simpler and more human world with neon lights and vibrant music.
Speaking of music, it is by FAR Stranger Things’ most powerful tool when it comes to using nostalgia effectively. The show does something completely unique when it comes to its licensed soundtrack. The Duffer Brothers don’t choose songs to fit scenes, they choose scenes to fit songs. The clearest example of this is in season 4, where they built one of the most powerful and emotional scenes in the show on Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.” The song’s lyrics talk about important feelings of being distant from others, of feeling lost, the exact sentiments that the character the song is attributed shares. This is why “Running Up That Hill” became an anthem for teenagers that felt distant and lost after being isolated in a global pandemic for so long. It is an escape, a way to save oneself. But how does the show get access to these songs? It’s all thanks to Nora Felder, the show’s music supervisor.
The way she approaches artists and labels is not with contracts and deals, but with letters explaining why the song NEEDS to be in the scene and why nothing else works. In this case, the song becomes the salvation of Max through its powerful lyricism. Stranger Things brought new life to Kate Bush’s song. The song peaked on the charts again after 40 years, and its meaning completely changed for the new generation watching the show. In the final season, something similar happened with Prince’s “Purple Rain”, an artist notorious for not allowing his music to be played in the media. Even 10 years after his death, his family had still never allowed his music to be used in shows or movies, until now that is. His song(s) played in the most emotional part of the finale, the separation between 2 central characters and their to change, to mature and to move forward.
But how does this relate to Gen Z, you might ask? It shows us WHY Gen Z is even more obsessed with the music of the 80s. “Purple Rain” talks about change, the death of innocence and the rebirth of something new. This is a sentiment that all generations go through, a universal feeling. Prince’s music becomes a metaphor for a new generation that is going through change, that grew up watching these characters get older at the same time as they did. The way Stranger Things uses its music, how it obtains it and the meaning of these songs all contribute to why Gen Z became so enthralled in this era they never lived in and why they find comfort in the music associated with it.