Note: Contains spoilers for episodes one and two of season five of Stranger Things
The long-awaited final season of Stranger Things has arrived with the first four jaw-dropping episodes landing on Netflix today. And once again, Ross and Matt Duffer have demonstrated their unique ability to turn an '80s anthem into pure nightmare fuel by choosing the most disarming song to build up to that horrifically violent attack.
After Hopper encounters the Demogorgon in the Upside Down in episode one, it sprints off and heads straight for the safe, cosy suburbs of the Wheelers’ family home.
Up until this point, everything is still so painfully normal: Ted makes snide comments at his frustrated wife, Karen, as she drowns her sorrows in a wine glass, while Holly hides out in her room to keep away from her parents' growing concerns about her fixation with this 'imaginary' friend.
Karen has always been an icon and firm fan favourite as her arc has evolved and strengthened since season one. Now that her vicarious former-life has gone (thanks to that massive rift in Hawkins), she’s reverted to doing what any bored suburban housewife would do: she drinks wine, draws a big bubble bath and listens to ABBA on the radio, specifically the underrated anthem, 'Fernando'.
The familiar tableau – one that draws us into this suburban lull of complacency, quiet despair and comfort – sharply turns into chaos as the Demogorgon breaks through the ceiling of Holly’s bedroom.
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Miraculously Holly escapes his clutches only to run to her mother in the bathroom, still blasting ABBA, and she frantically tries to convince her mum that she isn’t imagining things this time: there is a monster in the house.
As the creature destroys their bedroom, throwing Ted through a wall, Fernando still blares out of the portable radio creating a chilling juxtaposition (and some mild light relief) to the tense moment on-screen as the Demogorgon breaks down the bathroom door.
Setting up the scene with this song creates a false sense of security. Moments ago, Karen sat glassy-eyed by the tub, dazed and vacant as she listened to her comfort song.
Now, that nostalgia has soured into a song of spine-tingling terror as it becomes painstakingly slow as the power starts to flicker and fade as the Demogorgon approaches.
Arguably, Fernando isn’t one of ABBA’s most beloved hits (or that memorable) neither is it a song that’s frequently used on-screen, perhaps as it doesn’t appear in the stage musical (or the first movie adaptation), Mamma Mia.
Yet, it’s one of their most lyrical ballads with soft harmonies that evoke that warm feeling of recollecting about a fond memory of a magical evening. The sentimental nature of the wistful tune only makes the contrast with the action more disturbing as it leads to such a violent attack of characters who have been shielding up until this point, from everything relating to the upside down.
What makes this sequence even more unsettling is how the Duffer Brothers weaponise the show’s longstanding love affair with nostalgia itself.
Stranger Things has always indulged in the comfort and simplicity of the past – with the synth-pop soundtracks featuring all the greats, warm hues, wood-panelled living rooms, and mall culture – to provide a familiar backdrop to ground this supernatural horror.
But here, that comfort is subverted into something far more frightening: vulnerability.
Sentimentality, both for the Wheelers and ABBA themselves, crafted in the soundtrack leaves the audience unaware of the depths of unpredictability this season will descend into.
This also isn’t the first time the Duffers have chosen upbeat songs (that slow to become chilling and fragmented) to serve as a backdrop for violent scenes, as in season three, 'American Pie' plays as Billy and Heather (possessed by the Mindflayer) drug and knock out her parents at dinner.
Stranger Things uses music to generate character-defining moments that anchor and emphasise emotional beats within the narrative. Dustin and Suzie-poo’s duet in season three to 'Never Ending Story' diffused the immense tension of the Mindflayer (and the Russians) terrorising Hawkins to add a moment of sweet light-relief in the action.
While Kate Bush’s 'Running Up That Hill' soared up to No.1 in the charts (37 years after its release) with the inspired use of the song in season four as Max’s anchor to her grief, loved ones and her memories when Vecna tries to take her away.
Similarly, songs like David Bowie’s 'Heroes', Metallica’s 'Master of Puppets' and The Clash’s 'Should I Stay or Should I Go Now' are used to deepen the audience’s connection to a character as they occur (and replay) at significant moments in the series.
The Duffer Brothers even rival James Gunn’s precision (as in Guardians of the Galaxy) when it comes to selecting the perfect song to raise the intensity of a scene or completely deceive the audiences about the twists that a scene will take, by introducing an upbeat or calming song.
In season five, music even becomes a means of communication for the ever-separated ensemble who use Diana Ross’ 'Upside Down' to reveal details about their next crawl, as well as Lucas playing Kate Bush on repeat to try and reach Max from within her coma.
'Fernando' is unassuming (it’s ABBA for goodness’s sake) and wistful and it creates a powerful ironic contrast with the terror of having this violent monster literally tear through the Wheeler’s domestic bliss, firmly annihilating the void between Hawkins and the Upside Down.
It reaffirms that nowhere is safe from Vecna now, not even the unassuming corners of the suburbs that have provided sanctuary and refuge for so many years to the rest of the party. Leaving everyone traumatised, especially the ABBA fans.
Stranger Things season five is available to steam on Netflix now.
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Jess is a freelance writer and editor with a passion for over-analysing everyone’s favourite movies and TV shows. As an English graduate from the University of York with an MA in Creative Writing, Jess worked as a magazine editor before turning freelance. Since then, Jess has written for outlets such as GQ, The Guardian, Inverse, Huff Post, Stylist, and Insider. She specialises in the representation of mental health, grief, and women in film. She’s also a major Marvel nerd and is writing a YA fantasy novel. LinkedIn
