Some years ago I found myself in the middle of an argument in a company I worked. The debate was between some of the sales team and the finance department, and it was essentially the question of who mattered more to the company. The sales team made the argument that the finance team wouldn’t have any work if the sales team didn’t generate any sales. The finance team argued that there would be no company if they didn’t take care of the money. To be honest it was a silly argument, in my view they were co-dependent. In other words, both reliant on the other and could only exist because of the other.

I tell this story because I know in writing about the role of sound and music in the world of TV and film, that it’s easy for a similar view to take place. On the one hand the picture people could say there would be no sound or music without the pictures and the sound people could say that without the sound or music the images would be far less impressive, or in some cases, pointless. That’s not where I want to go with this. I think both pictures and sound are essential. I don’t want to talk about microphones, ADR, and all that essential audio stuff of TV and film, but the role of music in helping to create the essential magic.

The Music In Stranger Things 4

If you’re not a Stranger Things fan, then let me tell you my story of how I was introduced. I got a message from my friend, the composer Stephen Gallagher. Stephen has worked either as music editor or composer on movies such as District 9, The Hobbit, and most recently as music editor on the Peter Jackson Beatles documentary Get Back. Stephen sent me a message one night a few years ago and said “Russ, you have to hear the soundtrack to Stranger Things, it’s all 80s synths.” Over the years Stephen and I have swapped music, book, and other recommendations. We are a similar age, so Stephen and I have a special love for the sound of the 80s. So, on his recommendation about the sound, I watched an episode.

From the outset we were hooked. He was right, it was a flash back to the sounds of my teenage years, but both my wife and I thought that Season One was some of the most original, clever, funny, and often terrifying TV we had seen for years. As is often the case, we binged watched it. We’ve had to wait for every Season ever since, wondering if they could better the one before.

We hoped Season 4 would be good, it wasn’t, it is amazing! To be frank it’s on another level, in fact it’s been so intense that both my wife and I could only watch one episode a night, for fear of our heads exploding!

There’s some extraordinary talent working on the show in the music and sound department and it’s nice to know that Experts contributor Korey Pereira is one of the dialogue editors on Stranger Things 4. However, on this occasion I want to talk about the role of music used in Stranger Things and the work of Music Supervisors and Music Editors.

Running Up That Song

Unless you’ve been living on the moon for the last few weeks then you’ll be aware that after 37 years the Kate Bush song “Running Up That Hill” is back at the top of the charts because of the show. It has reportedly earned her nearly $4million from its re-release. Her 1985 single was featured in Season 4, Episode 4 of Netflix's Stranger Things, not just as some incidental music, but as part of the plot. It’s an electrifying moment in the entire Season.

One could argue that “Running Up That Hill” would never have received such a renaissance without this inclusion. However, if you watch the show then I think you’ll agree, its use as part of the plot makes the scene - a beautiful co-dependancy between picture and music. The scene is shown below, but it does contain plot spoilers.

It doesn’t stop there. In a later episode of Season 4, music is used with equally electrifying effect. Without wishing to spoil the plot, a scene takes place when two of the characters have to distract some pretty nasty demon bats. Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) plays an instrumental version of the Metallica 1986 song, “Master of Puppets” while fighting off monsters. It’s stunning and another example of how music provides some essential magic to Stranger Things 4.

In both cases these songs are being heard for the first time for an entire generation. As one person quipped, “Who’s going to tell the Millenials, who are going crazy over Kate Bush that they are listening to Prog Rock?” There’s nothing new about this, for example the movie Ghost introduced a generation to “Unchained Melody.” Even TV commericals have this effect, in 1985 Nick Kamen stripped down to his boxers in a Levi commercial to the sound of Marvin Gaye’s "I Heard It Through The Grapevine.” On both occasions the songs rocketed to the top of the charts.

However, what differs here is that often sync music isn’t as influential on the narrative arc, one could argue that Nick Kamen could have got into the buff to anything… most people weren’t watching the ad for the music!

With that said, it does underline how essential music is in all moving visual forms and how a skilled Music Supervisor can nail a scene with their choice of music. It’s a hugely underatted skill in the production world.

Composers do an amazing job of scoring movies and TV. Imagine Jaws without the famous two note string line, followed by the horns… all leading to the first shark attack. A lot of modern movie and TV music is set to go down in history as classics, be that the work of Hans Zimmer, Thomas Newman, Anna Calvi, or Anne Dudley, to name just four of the many women and men creating amazing scores for movies.

However, the work of Music Supervisors and Editors is equally brilliant. Their role in helping to find the right music to, not only underscore a scene, but to actually make scenes, is to be held in the highest regard. Their musical role is often overshadowed by the work of the composers, but if Stranger Things 4 proves, when they do their job well, they are worth their weight in gold.

Sometimes music in both TV and film can be regarded as little more than wallpaper to paper over the cracks, Stranger Things 4 proves that when you chose the right music, it’s not the filler but an essential part of the foundation.

Are there other film or TV music moments that you see as having the same effect? Let us know in the comments.