The series finale of Stranger Things has caused a streaming boost for some of Prince’s iconic tracks. Two of the most famous songs from the late singer, “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry,” are being streamed in large numbers on Spotify after they were featured in the finale, Variety reported.
Prince’s Spotify streams doubled after the ‘Stranger Things’ finale
Shortly after the Stranger Things finale debuted on Netflix on Wednesday, Spotify showed a 243% increase in global streams for “Purple Rain.” The music streaming platform also reported a 577% increase among Gen Z listeners for “Purple Rain,” according to Variety.
A similar trend was also seen for “When Doves Cry,” which has seen a 200% increase in global streams and a 128% increase among Gen Z listeners.
Prince’s songs ‘Purple Rain’ and ‘When Doves Cry’ are featured in ‘Stranger Things’
“Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry” are featured in the dramatic Stranger Things scenes in which the Upside Down blows up. Ross Duffer, who created the show with his brother Matt, said the epic Prince tracks happened to be the perfect backdrop for the explosive scene.
“Once we came up with the idea that the record was going to be the trigger for the bomb, we knew we needed an epic needle drop, and so many ideas were thrown around,” Ross Duffer said, per Netflix’s Tudum. “I think there’s nothing really more epic than Prince.”
The Duffer Brothers said they knew it was a long shot when they asked the Prince estate for permission to use the songs, which have not been used in a TV series since 1984, according to Variety.
“We were told that it was a real long shot, so we just crossed our fingers,” Matt Duffer said, per Netflix. “Thank God they agreed.”