*WARNING- Potential Stranger Things Spoilers*
If you haven’t watched the new season of Stranger Things, you better get on it. How they manage to make each season better than the last is something I will never know. You’re probably wondering, what does Stranger Things have to do with a music blog?
During episode four of the new season, we find out that Max has been cursed by Vecna.
Who is Vecna you ask? This excerpt from Marie Claire just about covers it:
“The big bad of Stranger Things season 4 is a humanoid monster with black skin and movable vines that protrude from his entire body. While he lives in the Upside Down, Vecna can psychically reach into the human world, kind of like the Mind Flayer’s connection with Will. He makes his presence known in Hawkins by murdering the town’s teenagers in a truly gruesome fashion, all through mental connections (which is especially terrifying).”
Throughout the episode, Max writes goodbye letters to all of her friends. She even delivers a letter to stepbrother Billy’s grave. After he died last season, she’s been depressed and isolated herself from the squad. As she reads him the letter she wrote, she falls into Vecna’s trance. Steve, Lucas, and Dustin figure out that the way to save people from Vecna’s curse is to play their favorite song.
The song that saved Max was her favorite song, “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush. Knowing Stranger Things, this wasn’t just a random choice. There’s a reason that this song was chosen for her.
“And if only I could // I’d make a deal with God // And I’d get him to swap our places”
Just by looking at the lyrics of the chorus, it all makes sense. We knew she relates to this song because she wants to swap places with Billy.
After finding out that the only thing that saved people from Vecna was music, it got everything thinking: What song would save me from Vecna?
Personally, I’m terrible at making decisions. I can’t just pick one. I thought I’d brainstorm by top 5 songs that would save me if I was stuck in Vecna’s curse. I analyzed all my music tastes and included a top song from each genre.
“New Perspective” by Panic! At the Disco
- This is a judgment-free zone, right? This song is my guilty pleasure song. No matter what mood I’m in, this song will make me want to drive around town and scream to it with my windows down.
“Set Me Free” by Joshua Bassett
- I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the second I heard this song, I fell in love. I have no other way to describe this song other than I really felt it in my soul. It feels like I’m physically transcending. So it only makes sense for me to add this song to the list.
- This song has been on my “On Repeat” list since it came out. It would be a crime if I didn’t include it on this list. I feel like Vecna wouldn’t be able to stand this song because of how happy and jumpy it is. This song puts me in such a good mood that Vecna wouldn’t even want to deal with me.
- This list just wouldn’t make sense without a One Direction song. But having to pick a favorite was the hardest decision I ever made. It took me a while, but I had to think about which song had the most impact on my One Direction phase. It seems most similar to “Running Up That Hill” because it’s about doing anything to be with someone else.
- I cannot talk about my favorite songs without acknowledging my rap side. But my favorite ones seem to be emo-rap songs. This song by Juice WRLD used to hit like no other.
As I go think about why I would choose these songs to save me from Vecna, I realize it’s because they have special meanings to me. They all come from different phases of my life and my music taste as I get older. Max’s song had to do with wanting to do anything to reverse Billy’s fate. And maybe as the season progresses we will find out that it’s not specifically just music that will save someone from Vecna, but the emotions behind them.
Which song would you pick to save you from Vecna? Let me know below.