Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 soundtrack guide: A complete list of the music in the Netflix horror's latest chapter

The Hawkins crew faces the endgame in Stranger Things Season 5 as ’80s hits power the final battle (Image via Netflix)
The Hawkins crew faces the endgame in Stranger Things Season 5 as ’80s hits power the final battle (Image via Netflix)

In Hawkins, monsters may take kids, but nothing survives an ’80s power ballad. Four episodes into Stranger Things Season 5, and Volume 1 is already blasting nostalgia. The Duffers know their audience, and they know we screamed when Kate Bush resurfaced faster than Vecna lures victims!

Max’s Season 4 takeover may have set a high bar for music, but Volume 1 isn’t shy about swinging for more pop culture. Between Holly Wheeler’s cassette-tape moment and Robin moonlighting as Hawkins’s DJ on “Rockin’ Robin Radio,” the soundtrack is a plot device this season on Stranger Things.

So dust off your Walkman, and let’s break down every song making fans scream, cry, and ascend into the Upside Down all over again, shall we?


Every song in Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1

Episode 1 – The Crawl

  1. “Rockin' Robin” – Michael Jackson
  2. “Upside Down” – Diana Ross
  3. “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” – Kate Bush
  4. “Upside Down” – Diana Ross (end credits)

Episode 2 – The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler

  1. “Fernando” – ABBA
  2. “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” – Kate Bush
  3. “Mr. Sandman” – The Chordettes (end credits)

Episode 3 – The Turnbow Trap

  1. “To Each His Own” – Freddy Martin
  2. “I Think We’re Alone Now” – Tiffany
  3. “Oh Yeah” – Yello
  4. “I Think We’re Alone Now” – Tiffany (end credits)

Episode 4 – Sorcerer

  1. “Premature Plans” – Elmer Bernstein (from The Great Escape)
  2. “Sh-Boom” – The Chords
  3. “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” – Kate Bush

What does the soundtrack tease for Stranger Things Season 5 Part 2?

Season 5’s soundtrack choices are screaming clues. Kate Bush’s return signals that trauma and memory are still the battlegrounds. The Duffers are clearly leaning into Season 1 parallels with a seemingly full-circle story.

The repeated usage of “I Think We’re Alone Now” is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Vecna lures Holly with her favorite track, and that can be nothing but a psychological strategy. But if music can now be manipulated, all bets are off. Max’s loophole may not work anymore, so Volume 2 is going to flip.

RELATED: Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2: Release date news, time, streaming details, and more

Then there’s Bernstein’s The Great Escape that foreshadows a dimension-hopping rescue mission. The entire fandom is foaming at the mouth over Will’s new abilities, so it feels deliberate that a score rooted in resistance plays before he shows the extent of his powers on Stranger Things Season 5.

Expect escalations like the Upside Down’s origin finally being explained. We might also see Max and Holly’s mental-realm storyline explode. Will vs. Vecna will likely become personal. A Big Three bombshell might also be on its way, so Nancy-Jonathan-Steve fans, brace yourselves! Kali could also return.

If the Duffers keep using music to foreshadow, Volume 2 is headed for a crescendo, and you’ll want some tissues in Dolby Atmos!


Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 is now on Netflix.

NEXT UP: Every character who died in Season 5 Part 1

Edited by Sohini Sengupta