Name it the Kate Bush Bump: After “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry” have been utilized by the Duffer Brothers in the series finale of Stranger Things, Spotify streaming stats for the 2 iconic Prince tracks have exploded in 2026.
In accordance with information launched by Spotify, “Purple Rain” noticed a 243% enhance in international streams between December thirty first (when the Stranger Issues finale debuted) and January 1st, 2026. Moreover, the tune noticed a 577% enhance in streaming by Gen Z customers, who hopefully weren’t listening to it for the primary time. “When Doves Cry” skilled smaller however related outcomes: a 200% enhance in international streams, with a 128% enhance for Gen Z particularly. The function additionally introduced an elevated curiosity in Prince’s catalog general, with a 190% enhance in international streaming.
With out entering into spoilers for the sequence finale, “When Doves Cry” and “Purple Rain” performed a key position in “The Rightside Up,” underscoring a key motion scene in addition to an emotional farewell. “We knew we would have liked an epic needle drop, and so many concepts have been thrown round,” Ross Duffer told Netflix’s Tudum. “I feel there’s nothing actually extra epic than Prince.”
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Getting “Purple Rain” specifically was not a positive factor, because the Prince property very not often permits for that tune to be licensed. However over its five-season run, Stranger Issues developed a observe file for making ’80s hits into present-day chart-toppers, exemplified by the huge success of “Working Up that Hill” after being featured in Season 4. As Matt Duffer put it, “Due to Kate Bush, we have been in a position to purchase the rights [to ‘Purple Rain’].”
Prince wasn’t the one high-profile artist featured within the sequence finale — try our soundtrack guide to Stranger Things Season 5 for a full breakdown. The whole sequence is now streaming on Netflix.
