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Shepard Fairey can rattle off song lyrics like it’s his job. It’s not—he’s a visual artist who creates striking multicolored prints and posters that he’s been known to plaster on city walls—but he doesn’t downplay the impact music has had on his art, process, or mentality. “Musicians are great with putting across profound ideas in really digestible snippets, and that’s what I’m trying to do with my art too,” he explained to For the Record ahead of his 50th birthday.
When facing a demonic energy-feeding monster of unknown origin in its cold underground world, it’s best to hum The Clash. Or at least, that’s what the characters of Netflix’s Stranger Things do.
Since July 16, 2016, listeners have spent more than 17 million hours listening to music related to the show on Spotify—and yes, that includes the thematic “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” which increased 30% globally after Stranger Things premiered on July 15, 2016, compared to the two weeks before.
The series, a true tribute to ‘80s classics, features plenty other beloved songs from the era, including Toto’s “Africa,” DEVO’s “Whip It,” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.” Fans were quick to jump on these themes in their user-generated playlists, which include the above artists as well as The Police, New Order, and Joy Division in large numbers.
In all, listeners have also created more than 3,500 Upside Down-themed playlists, listened to 4.6 thousand hours worth of Stranger Things podcasts (the top being The Stranger Things Podcast by Addi and Darrell Darnell), and created playlists based on the show’s characters.
Ahead of the July 4 release of season three, For the Record talked to Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, who plays team ringleader Mike Wheeler, about his own take on the music from the show.
I don’t think Mike listens to much music, but through his dad Ted, he gets a monster dose of Perry Como, and maybe some Beach Boys when Ted cracks a cold one. I just don’t see Mike ever being in a band, but he might play around with a synth to provide soundtrack music for home movies.
I have a set routine that involves listening to particular songs on my way to set, and then again when I am finished work and driving home. I usually wear headphones, so this really sucks for my parents, who have to drive their silent boy home. But they get that I need this as part of my process. They know that I would go insane without it. When I make music, I often watch movies for inspiration, but I don’t think that’s come through in any songs yet—at least not released ones.
My parents introduced me to a lot of different types of music, including music from the ‘80s, and especially new wave stuff. I think the show has made me love it even more, and the ST3 (Stranger Things 3) soundtrack, supervised by Nora Felder, is incredible. She found a song my dad knows well [from that period] that still has less than 1000 listens on Spotify, yet it kills where it’s used in the show.
Anyway, for the last couple of years, I have definitely been more indie rock driven. I don’t listen much to anything that’s too polished because it just sounds fake to me.
Check out my playlist for the answer to this one. My ST3 list is made up of ‘80s and ‘70s songs and a lot of modern songs that I listen to on the way to and from set.
Early 1970s, because I like the style and the music and films.
H3 with Ethan and Hila and If I Were You with Jake and Amir.
Sabotage by the Beasties.
Stream Finn’s playlist for his favorite songs from the ‘70’s to now. Also check out our Stranger Things playlist, based on and inspired by music from the show.
Header image courtesy of Netflix
“Fight for what really matters—and do it loud as hell.” So said Joe Strummer, vocalist and lyricist with London punk visionaries The Clash. Right from their formation in 1976, the band used every tool they could to give a voice to the voiceless and to fight the powers that be—to do it yourself and have a good time while doing it. How, and why, this iconic band’s words and ideals have endured are explored in the new Spotify original podcast Stay Free: The Story of The Clash.
The eight-part series, launching today, is produced in partnership with BBC Studios, and is narrated by hip-hop legend Chuck D, front man of Public Enemy. Like The Clash, Public Enemy openly challenged the status quo in a completely original way—this parallel and Chuck D’s personal experiences bring a surprising new dimension to the story of The Clash.
Today the band is still considered one of the most important and influential artists in all of music. They produced a vast eclectic body of work, and they never abandoned their principles. Their pointed, lyrical insights on topics such as social inequality and climate change were so fresh and direct, their musical taste so wide-ranging, that the songs sound more like they were written four days—not four decades—ago.
Founding members Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and Nicky “Topper” Headon were never shy about blasting their messages in a manner that inspired immediate, head-bopping excitement as well as long-term activism and action. The band began to unravel after just seven highly productive years, but as Chuck D says in the podcast’s trailer, “The band burned so brightly, they had to burn out.” But in doing so they have achieved legendary status—and their lyrics and music have enjoyed eternal life.
After The Clash called it quits, the original and later members went on to create or join several other notable bands, including Big Audio Dynamite and The Mescaleros, to name just two. But The Clash proved—and remains—an impossible act to follow.
Stay Free is the latest addition to Spotify’s exclusive library of original music-focused podcasts, joining critically acclaimed shows like Dissect, The Joe Budden Podcast, and Under Cover. Spotify recently announced major expansions in its podcast strategy, acquiring podcast publisher Gimlet and services provider Anchor.
Podcasts are available on Spotify for both free and premium users.
Click the Follow button on Spotify’s page for Stay Free to listen to the first episode on February 28.
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