Stranger Things star is number one as show’s songs shoot up chart

Stranger Things star Joe Keery, aka Djo, has gone to number one in the UK, while a host of 1980s tracks used on the soundtrack have shot back into the chart following the show’s finale.

Keery plays Steve Harrington in the Netflix show, and goes by the name Djo when releasing music.

His song End of Beginning was originally released in 2022 and previously peaked at number four in the UK in 2024, but has now finally reached the top spot.

Prince’s Purple Rain, Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill and The Police’s Every Breath You Take, which all feature on the hit show’s soundtrack, are also all in this week’s top 20.

Djo’s song isn’t actually on the Stranger Things soundtrack, but it became a viral trend on TikTok as fans made edits of the last episode using End of Beginning.

The song was streamed 5.4 million times in total in the UK this week, according to the UK’s Official Charts Company.

It is also by far the biggest song around the world, with more than 55 million plays globally on Spotify in the past week.

It dethroned Taylor Swift’s The Fate of Ophelia to take Spotify’s global top spot on 2 January, the day after the final epsiode of Stranger Things’ fifth and final season dropped on Netflix.

The show has had a major influence on our other listening choices, too.

• 12 – Prince (pictured), Purple Rain (1984)
• 14 – Kate Bush, Running Up That Hill (1985)
• 17 – The Police, Every Breath You Take (1983)
• 20 – Fleetwood Mac, Landslide (1975)
• 26 – Diana Ross, Upside Down (1980)
• 27 – Tiffany, I Think We’re Alone Now (1988)
• 34 – David Bowie, Heroes (1977)
• 40 – The Clash, Should I Stay Or Should I Go (1982)

All of the above songs feature in season five except The Police’s Every Breath You Take, which was in season two, and The Clash’s Should I Stay Or Should I Go, which was in season one.

Most have been propelled by a combination of their exposure on the show and on TikTok, and their revivals fit into a wider trend of older songs reappearing on social media and streaming.

“TikTok has a habit of tapping into nostalgia as a way to engage audiences,” said Sarah Kloboves of music data trackers Chartmetric.

“For older generations, the familiar catalogue hits keep them engaged because they feel sentimental.

“For younger users, though, the release date doesn’t matter because they’re hearing everything for the first time. These older tracks ultimately appeal to a broader audience.”

Despite not featuring in the latest Stranger Things season, The Police song has recently enjoyed particular renewed popularity around the world.

It was played more than any other old song last week, reaching number eight on Spotify’s weekly global chart with more than 25 million streams.

That’s up from a previous peak of number 21 on the Spotify weekly chart in mid-November.

Stranger Things isn’t the only phenomenon driving older songs back on into the chart – Zara Larsson’s 2016 hit Lush Life is back up to number eight in the official UK singles chart thanks to a TikTok dance trend.