How ‘Stranger Things’ landed ‘Purple Rain’ and gave it a big Gen Z boost

Don’t stop believing in “Purple Rain.”

Since the title song of Prince’s 1984 hit movie was featured in the finale of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” Dec. 31, “Purple Rain” is enjoying another life. The mesmerizing guitar-centric tune has seen a 243% jump in streams on Spotify, with a 577% increase among global Gen Z listeners, according to variety.com.

Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” which also was featured in the “Stranger Things” series’ finale, has seen a 200% surge, with a 128% increase among Gen Z listeners.

While other Prince songs have been featured in movies and TV shows both during his life and after his death in 2016, “Purple Rain” has never been licensed previously for those purposes.

How it ended up in “Stranger Things” is both a coup and strange tale, told from different perspectives.

Matt and Ross Duffer, the twin brothers and creators of “Stranger Things,” shared their side of the story in Netflix’s in-house publication “Tudum.” They credited the surprise success of Kate Bush’s 1985 tune “Running Up That Hill” in a 2022 episode of “Stranger Things” with helping to convince Prince’s people.

Nora Felder, a veteran music supervisor who has been involved for the entire run of “Stranger Things,” offered more details to variety.com.

After much research, Felder came up with two choices — “Purple Rain” and another album, which she did not disclose, though she said it wasn’t by the Eagles or Led Zeppelin.

Her people reached out to Primary Wave, which co-manages the Prince estate. Then they talked to Universal Music Publishing, which administers Prince’s song publishing, and finally to Warner Records, which controls the master recordings of “Purple Rain.”

Weeks later the approval came.

Representatives from the Prince estate did not respond to a Star Tribune request for comment.

Marty Silverstone, president of Global Sync at Primary Wave Music, told variety.com: “We’re thrilled that we could play a part in bringing these very special uses to life and have Prince’s music included in the phenomenon that is ‘Stranger Things.’ You have to admire the unique connection the show has with its fanbase, its brilliant music curation over its entire run, and its spotlight on the cosmic importance of music in the lives of young people, and all people!”

Nirvana’s “Something in the Way,” the last track on their landmark 1991 “Nevermind,” witnessed a 1,200% streaming increase after its inclusion in “The Batman” movie in 2022. When the modest hit “Running Up That Hill” was used on “Stranger Things” in May 2022, it garnered 1 billion Spotify views in the next 12 months and bounded to No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in the United States, 27 spots higher than its previous peak.

Prince has a long history with his music in movies beyond his three starring vehicles, “Purple Rain,” “Under the Cherry Moon” (1985) and “Graffiti Bridge” (1990).

Other previously recorded Prince songs have been featured in films including “DMSR” in Tom Cruise’s “Risky Business” (1983), “319” in “Showgirls” (1995), “Mary Don’t You Weep” in “BlacKkKlansman” (2018) and “17 Days” and “Musicology” in “Queer” (2024) starring Daniel Craig.

Prince also composed songs for specific movies including “Batdance” and “Partyman” for 1989’s “Batman,” “Girl 6” for Spike Lee’s “Girl 6” (1996) and “The Song of the Heart” for “Happy Feet” (2006).

The Prince estate has been challenged to find vehicles with which to introduce the Purple One to new audiences since his death. Posthumous album releases have spoken primarily to longtime fans. Paisley Park museum in Chanhassen draws a modest number of tourists compared to streaming and concert attendance figures for today’s music stars.