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nonsensical-ramblings · 1 year

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The Stranger Things OST is something we haven't been paying nearly enough attention to, because I think I've just found something monumental.

We all know these two scenes feature the same music:

But what we haven't been talking about is how the tracks in these four scenes all share the exact same melody-

Or that the tracks from these two scenes sync up perfectly to create an entirely new piece of music

But what if I told you this is only the very tip of the iceberg, because I've been sifting through evidence for quite a while now, and we are far past the point of this all just being a coincidence?

ahem.

Welcome to Soundtrackgate.

(AKA: The wild, wacky world where connections go way, way deeper than you could've possibly imagined, and it all still manages to lead back to byler in the end)

So, just by themselves, those three instances of matching soundtracks creating parallels between different scenes are pretty cool, and worthy of analysis. That's all well and good. But it gets a whole lot more complicated when I tell you that across those three examples, all the songs from those eight scenes I've pointed out match with each other too. The music playing during the J/ancy kiss syncs with the music from the R/ockie scene at the gun shop. The M/ileven kiss has music that syncs with the "It was a seven" scene. R/ockie making sandwiches has music in the background that syncs with the Byler van scene. They're all in the same key, B flat major.

I can prove that I'm not making this up in the form of some amazing mashups between four important OST songs. But before I show you those, let me take a step back and introduce you to the songs individually: Being Different, The First Lie, The First I love You, and Kids.

(I slowed them down so they're all the same speed). And I thought to myself, golly, these all sound pretty similar, they all have a pretty consistent pattern of eight quarter notes that get repeated over and over. (Listen closely, can you hear it?) I sure bet it would sound nice if someone combined them. So. I figured out how to edit audio and I did it myself XD

When I said they synced, I wasn't kidding. When I did my initial little experiment, I was not expecting the songs to, in no uncertain terms, match up perfectly, as if they were all variations of the same track, because the only thing I'd done was change the tempo a little bit between each of them. No splicing, no extra editing, no looping, no nothing. And they sound beautiful together!!! Here are my three favorites:

Putting all four together pushes my limits a bit and it comes out a tad messy, but I love it anyways. It's overwhelmingly clear that these four songs are meant to fit together.

So... what does this mean? The tracks are undeniably connected, and some of the scenes in which they occur are clearly parallels too. I mean, we've been ENDLESSLY analyzing parallels between R/ockie, Byler, and J/ancy, and this discovery lends more credit to the theory that those aren't just coincidences. But especially for major motifs like Kids, there are a lot more scenes where these songs play!! It's not just the few I mentioned at the beginning of the post that are pretty obvious in how they're similar to one another. Haha, but wouldn't it be crazy if ALL the scenes that these songs (and their variations) appear in followed the exact same narrative pattern; a pattern which would just so happen to offer extremely compelling evidence to the fact that Byler has been endgame since season 1?

Ha ha... ha... um.

They do.

All of them.

I'm not fucking joking. Out of the 22 scenes I've been able to track down which feature any of these four songs or variations of them, I've identified a pattern which every single one follows. Some definitely better than others... but it is un-fucking-deniable that this pattern exists and it has to be deliberate, because all of this being a coincidence must be some sort of statistical impossibility with the sheer amount of evidence I've amassed.

The pattern I'm referring to is a collection of four themes:

A misassumption / some form of dishonesty

Love. Often romantic, but sometimes platonic or familial

A subversion of expectations

An atypical relationship between two people

Often in that order.

So basically, we have a collection of scenes throughout all four seasons that are very strongly linked to each other, through both the music that plays during them, and the narrative pattern they follow. And theoretically, if we now know for a fact that each of these scenes follows the same pattern, we can use it to support our interpretations of moments like the van scene or "It was a seven"! (A pattern which, I'll remind you, will fall perfectly in line with Byler endgame)

Okay. So here, we get to the main chunk of the analysis. The hard data. I've gone through every relevant scene and listed how each of them fit the pattern, to prove that it's legit, and to use it to demonstrate how this discovery supports our theories! I've also added whether I think the scene matches well (✅), moderately well (🤔) , or poorly (❌) with the interpretation. (Keep in mind that even the ones that match poorly still relate to the themes in some way!) I sorted everything by motif, then into individual music pieces, then into scenes that feature that music. So scenes that have the same track playing in the background are grouped together.

Obviously, it's pretty long. I did my best to organize it well and make it as concise as possible. But that's why I'm adding a star (⭐️) next to all the scenes that explicitly support the Byler agenda, in case you want to scroll past the rest and only focus on what you came here for!

Without further ado, let's start out with...

The First Lie motif

The dominating melody in these tracks is: D D# D A# C F A# C

Track 1: The First Lie (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S5-J7BLoIY)

Scene A: Jonathan And Nancy get together (S2E6) This scene matches well! ✅ • Misassumption/Dishonesty: Both of them are denying their feelings for each other • Love: And those feelings are romantic in nature • Subversion of expectations: They discover that their feelings are requited! • Atypical Relationship: Nancy, a popular and conventionally attractive character, ends up with Jonathan, the outcast

Track 2: The First I love You (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y68LnSZ_j3M)

Scene A: Robin and Steve talk in the Bathroom (S4E7) This scene matches well! ✅ • Misassumption/Dishonesty: Steve believes he has a chance with Robin, Robin hasn’t told him the whole truth about her sexuality • Love: Steve has feelings for her, she has feelings for Tammy, the two of them love each other as best friends • Subversion of expectations: Robin wants to kiss girls!!! And Steve is surprised, but wholly accepts her, even as a straight guy in the 80s • Atypical Relationship: Platonic soulmates <3

⭐️ Scene B: El Tells Mike she loves him and says goodbye (S4E8) This scene matches well! ✅ • Misassumption/Dishonesty: Their relationship had been damaged by the fact that Mike lied in order to avoid seeing her / getting into trouble with Hopper • Love: El forgives Mike, says that she loves him, and tries to repair their relationship • Subversion of expectations: El admits to having heard Mike when he said that he loved her, back in episode 6 • Atypical Relationship: It wouldn’t be very atypical for a straight guy to get back with his straight girlfriend after a brief break-up, would it? So maybe this relationship isn't as hetero as it- [gunshots]

Scene C: Joyce and Hopper Kiss (S4E9) This scene matches well! ✅ • Misassumption/Dishonesty: Up until this moment they’ve been dancing around each other since season 1, not quite being honest or upfront about how they feel • Love: But now they finally have their moment and make it official! • Subversion of expectations: We’ve seen it coming for years, sure, but considering where they started, their relationship was an unlikely one • Atypical Relationship: Joyce, the high-strung, divorced, single mom, and Hopper, the troubled, divorced, adoptive dad, certainly make a unique pair together

Kids motif

The dominating melody in these tracks is: G A# F A# G A# F A#, and/or F G F D C A# C A#

Track 1: Kids (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha2OcL_0gtM)

⭐️ Scene A: The party finishes up their D&D game, “It was a seven” (S1E1) This scene matches well! ✅ • Misassumption/dishonesty: Lucas urges Will to lie to Mike about his roll • Love: Little Will cares about his friendship with Mike too much to lie to him • Subversion of expectations: He’s honest, and admits that he only rolled a seven, even if it means he lost the campaign • Atypical relationship: Oh, you know. :)

Scene B: The kids disguise El so she can go out in public (S1E5) This scene doesn’t match very well ❌ • Misassumption/dishonesty: The kids are disguising El’s true identity so they can bring her to their school • Love: The four of them are beginning to trust one another; the boys trust El to help them find Will, they're bonding as friends • Subversion of expectations: The boys (but Mike specifically) are surprised with the degree of El's glowup • Atypical relationship: Mike thinks El is pretty, even though the rest of the party is still a little apprehensive towards her

Scene C: Mike, Lucas, and El make up after their fight in the previous episode (S1E7) This scene matches moderately well 🤔 • Misassumption/dishonesty: El had been misleading the boys to keep them away from the lab • Love: The friends are all sorry for what they did, and care too much about each other to stay mad • Subversion of expectations: They’re able to reconcile • Atypical relationship: Even after a pretty serious fight, the friends are back together again, stronger than ever

Scene D: The party finally gets to play D&D again at the end of season 1 (S1E8) This scene doesn’t match very well ❌ (But, it’s excusable because the main purpose it serves here is to parallel the first scene from episode 1- matching this narrative pattern is probably a secondary concern) • Misassumption/dishonesty: The campaign is over too soon, the kids feel like it’s not a truthful finale; there are loose ends left to be resolved in the story • Love: The friends are finally back together again, having fun, enjoying each others’ company, healing • Subversion of expectations: Will is able to defeat the monster this time • Atypical relationship: Even after everything they went through, they made it out OK and are still the best of friends

Scene E: Dustin reminds Mike to look for some change before going to the arcade (S2E1) This scene matches well! ✅ • Misassumption/dishonesty: Mike avoids Dustin’s questions of why he’s on an unusual channel on the walkie talkie, and why he hasn’t been looking for quarters to bring to the arcade • Love: Mike is still grieving El • Subversion of expectations: He hadn’t been looking for quarters because he was busy trying to contact her • Atypical relationship: He still feels guilty for having lost her, more so than the rest of his friends. He believes she’s out there, even after a year has passed

Scene F: The kids work together to assemble Cerebro (S3E1) This scene matches well! ✅ • Misassumption/dishonesty: The kids don’t quite believe Dustin is being honest about actually having a girlfriend • Love: But he does! He actually is in a relationship • Subversion of expectations: Suzie doesn’t answer • Atypical relationship: A nerdy mormon and an agnostic with no collarbone; an unlikely pair!

Track 2: Kids Two (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PydvdEdGwE)

Scene A: El and Max spy on the boys (S3E3) This scene matches well! ✅ • Misassumption/dishonesty: The girls are secretly spying on the guys • Love: They’re talking about their relationship troubles • Subversion of expectations: They’re doing a terrible job of trying to win El and Max back; putting all the blame on the girls, talking about how they're a "different species", all while eating chips and generally being gross • Atypical relationship: Elmax bonds over having dumb ex-boyfriends, even after their friendship's rocky start in the previous season :3

Scene B: Robin sees Vickie at Warzone (S1E8) This scene matches well! ✅ • Misassumption/dishonesty: Robin thinks she has a chance with Vickie • Love: She’s about to make a move and talk to her crush… • Subversion of expectations: …but Vickie has a boyfriend. • Atypical relationship: Queerness!! And the fact that Vickie gets distracted by Robin, probably has a bit of a crush on her too, even though she's currently in a relationship

Scene C: Robin & Vickie make sandwiches (S4E9) This scene matches well! ✅ • Misassumption/dishonesty: Robin is initially fairly certain now that she DOESN’T have a chance with Vickie • Love: But unbeknownst to her, they're almost definitely endgame • Subversion of expectations: Vickie admits that she ended things with her boyfriend • Atypical relationship: Imminent 80s Lesbians!!!!!!!!

Track 3: Teens (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3JICAZAEBs)

Scene A: Suzie changes Dustin’s Latin grade (S4E1) This scene matches well! ✅ • Misassumption/dishonesty: Suzie and Dustin are cheating his Latin grade by hacking into the school’s computer system • Love: The two of them are still together :3 • Subversion of expectations: Suzie decides that her relationship with Dustin is worth more than being entirely morally virtuous, so she changes the grade for him • Atypical relationship: The unlikely pair of the mormon and the agnostic strike again!

Track 4: In The Closet (At Rink O Mania) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwl-HPNQFLc)

⭐️ Scene A: Mike and Will argue at the roller rink (S4E1) This scene matches well! ✅ • Misassumption/dishonesty: Mike’s upset that Will and El haven’t been honest about the bullying • Love: Will just misses his best friend and is upset that their relationship / communication over the past year has been strained. And he’s in love. • Subversion of expectations: “We’re friends! We’re friends.”(AKA, Mike has been struggling with his feelings just as much as Will has) • Atypical relationship: Queerness!! We can be fairly certain now that they totally feel the same way about each other, even if neither will admit it.

Scene B: …but also El hides in the closet at the roller rink (S4E1) This scene matches moderately well 🤔 • Misassumption/dishonesty: El had been hiding the fact that she was being bullied • Love: This lie has has driven a wedge even deeper between her and her boyfriend • Subversion of expectations: She decides to go confront Angela • Atypical relationship: El, the humiliated victim, decides to stand up to her bully, Angela, instead of letting her get the final word

Track 5: Home (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdcV1u6RUh4)

Scene A: Hopper takes El in (S2E3) This scene matches moderately well 🤔 • Misassumption/dishonesty: Hopper wants to give El a place to stay where she can hide from the people looking for her / Hopper discreetly puts away a box labeled “Sarah”, hinting at a more personal reason for taking her in than he lets on • Love: He cares about El like he’d care for his own daughter • Subversion of expectations: Even though he's a supposedly hardened and lazy police chief, he cares about El enough to go through the effort of fixing up the cabin to give her a place to stay • Atypical relationship: Found family :’)

Scene B: This song also plays during the scene where Robin sees Vickie at Warzone (S4E8) This scene matches well! ✅ • [See Kids Two, scene B]

Track 6: What’s The Internet? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqx4idF4ObE)

Scene A: The Hellfire Club and Lucas’ team celebrate their victories (S4E1) This scene matches moderately well 🤔 • Misassumption/dishonesty: The basketball team and the Hellfire club both thought they were screwed • Love: Despite the looming potential for failure, everyone’s having fun and feeling included within their groups, they love their hobbies and their friends • Subversion of expectations: Both teams won their respective games despite the odds! • Atypical relationship: Lucas still hangs in the balance between the two teams, feeling unsure about which of his friend groups he should prioritize

Track 7: [Unreleased song, but the Kids motif is faintly audible towards the end]

⭐️ Scene A: El and Mike argue over Mike not being able to say “I love you” (S4E2) This scene matches well! ✅ • Misassumption/dishonesty: Mike’s refusing to acknowledge that he can’t say the words, he’s lying about how he really feels • Love: Their relationship as boyfriend/girlfriend is finally starting to show cracks, as its fundamental flaws are presented front and center • Subversion of expectations: Their relationship isn’t as perfect as we’d been led to believe • Atypical relationship: They’re on the verge of a breakup, but that's really what's best for the two of them

and finally...

Being Different Motif

The dominating melody in these tracks is: A# D F D A# D D# D, and/or A# D F A# D F A F

Track 1: Being Different (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o29YLtS_NA)

⭐️ Scene A: Mike and Will talk in the van (S4E8) This scene matches well! ✅ • Misassumption/Dishonesty: Will lies, using El’s name to hide his own feelings • Love: And those feelings are his love for Mike :’( • Subversion of expectations: It’s now overwhelmingly clear that Will is canonically gay and in love with Mike • Atypical Relationship: Well, it doesn’t sound all that atypical for the sad gay boy to have fallen for his straight best friend (who is obviously straight because he’s in a relationship with a girl), so what if Mike- [gunshots]

Track 2: I Like Presents Too (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trSjkqM0VT4) (I’m not positive about this one, but I swear I hear similarities between Being Different and this song? Especially between 1:52 - 2:05 in Being Different, and 0:38 - 1:00 in this song)

⭐️Scene A: This song also plays during the scene where El Tells Mike she loves him and says goodbye (S4E8) This scene matches well! ✅ • [See The First I love You, scene B]

Okay. And that's all of them! I hope I've made my point. The fact that every single one of these 11 songs and the 22 scenes they appear in are connected both musically and thematically cannot be a coincidence. And by simply tracing the pattern, it's pretty easy to see that these connections hint at the fact that there's something more that we're not explicitly seeing between Mike, El, and Will's relationships, which has no other explanation besides Byler endgame. Let's review- by applying what we know about the pattern to Byler and M/ileven scenes, we can infer that:

When El kisses Mike at the end of season 3, it isn't meant to be taken at face-value. There's something atypical about their relationship, and it's the fact that despite saying the words, it doesn't change the fact that neither of them are in love with each other, not romantically, even if they think they should be.

When Will tells Mike he rolled a seven and lost the battle in the first episode of season 1, it's more than just Will being a good friend. There's a deeper connection- something atypical compared to Will's relationships with his other friends, because this is Will being in love with Mike before he even understood what those feelings meant.

During their fight at Rink O Mania in season 4, they're not just arguing about Will being dishonest or Mike not staying in touch. There's something deeper under the surface that they're dancing around, unaddressed feelings on both ends, something more atypical than just two friends who drifted apart. At the root of their frustration is the fact that they both believe the other doesn't feel the same.

Mike said it himself- when he and El argue over the fact that he can't say "I love you" to her, this was a fight they can't come back from. Because it's been made clear to them that their relationship isn't romantic anymore, it's atypical in the sense that they realize this whole thing between them has just been a heteronormative charade they were pressured into, rather than something they really wanted or needed.

When Will delivers his veiled love confession in the back of the van in season 4, we're led to believe that this is him ripping off the bandaid, because Mike is supposedly happiest with El and he'll never see Will the way Will sees him. But this interpretation is incorrect, because there's something very very atypical about the way Mike stares longingly into Will's eyes, completely mesmerized, in a way that he's never looked at his own girlfriend despite allegedly being so in love with her. Mike is in love, but there's no denying anymore that the love he feels is for Will, not El.

Of course, none of these interpretations of these scenes are new or anything. But the fact that we now have solid proof that all of them are actually intentionally connected? They all share linked music and follow the same pattern?? That, I think, is revolutionary.

But of course we're not done yet.

Because as lengthy as it is, this isn't a finished analysis. Now, if you've made it this far into my mad and delusional (yet strongly supported by evidence) rantings and ravings, you're probably just as excited about this breakthrough as I am. So if you're thinking about exploring the theory yourself, I have a few suggestions on where to start, because there's a good number of things that I haven't fully looked into yet! Most notably, there are several tracks that sound like they almost fit with the ones I already identified as being part of soundtrackgate, or they have similar vibes, but just aren't similar enough to make it into the list. Some of them I've tried to mix with The First Lie, Kids, etc, but came up empty-handed. There songs are:

Journalistic Instinct

Boys and Girls

Feel Safe

First Kiss

Presumptuous

My BOOBS Hurt

A Kiss

I wouldn't remember me either

Eight Fifteen

Walkin in Hawkins (i really really really hate this song for no justifiable reason please don't make me listen to it any more than I had to this is my one exception)

This Isn't You

Blank Makes You Crazy

Weirdly enough, out of these twelve, there are exactly three tracks from each season. Does that mean anything? No clue. Odd, though.

For all you eightfifteengate truthers, I tried really, really hard to mix the track Eight Fifteen with any of the established songs... but all I got was a pretty resounding muddy mess of a failure. Which sucks, because it sounds like it should work! Unfortunately, I don't think Eight Fifteen is part of soundtrackgate. However! I did notice that it sounds very very similar to the track Presumptuous, which is interesting. Here's the best I got, for what it's worth:

If you want to take another look at these songs and try to prove me wrong, please do!! Maybe there's a pattern within them that I didn't catch. And if you ask, I'll be happy to try my hand at combining any tracks you think would work together!

Other than that, there are a few interesting little details I noticed while perusing the OST. Maybe they mean something, maybe they don't, but I thought they were worth mentioning! Feel free to investigate if any of these pique your interest:

Like I mentioned earlier, Eight Fifteen and Presumptuous both contain the same melody

Blank Makes You Crazy and I Need You to Trust Me are both songs tied to scenes where we see evidence of the stained relationship between Mike and El, and they’re both in the same key; F Major

Not Kids Anymore plays during the Byler rain fight in s3, AND when Dustin and Mike refuse to go to Lucas’ game in s4

As far as I can tell, the song Destroying The Castle only plays one time other than when Will takes a bat to Castle Byers- it also plays in S4E9 when Hopper is about to use himself as bait for the demodogs, but assures Joyce that he’ll be alright

On The Bus almost definitely does not match with any of the other songs, but I feel like this particular track is important and worth looking into regardless, so I’m mentioning it here.

You’re The Heart does not sound similar, mix well with, or parallel Being Different, let alone ANY of the established soundtrackgate songs. I just don’t hear it, sorry.

Eulogy and Letter to Willy sound very very similar

Journalistic Instinct and Boys and Girls sound very very similar

Still Pretty, the song that plays in season 1 when Mike reassures El that she looks pretty without the wig, also plays in season 4 while they talk in the pizza shop, right before they get interrupted by Argyle.

Okay. I think that covers it, for now. Thank you so much for reading, seriously, I poured my soul into this so it means a lot!!! I hope it all made enough sense. MASSIVE shoutout to what-song.com for its list of all the songs that appear in each ST episode, in order, complete with listing what minute each song appears in, providing a 30-second sample of each song, and a description of the scene that occurs during it. It SAVED MY LIFE no joke. Also big shoutout to bilibili.tv, my platform of choice for sailing the seven seas of content of questionable legality; I used it liberally to pull up all the scenes I had to analyze lol

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magic-of-camelot · 3 months

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David Bowie's "Heroes" except it's the very last scene of the whole show. A car door closes right as the beat starts.

We get the car driving through Hawkins with the song playing, and we see a (somewhat) happy where-they-are-now montage of all the characters.

(My friend said "the guns shot above our heads" should show Hopper and El, and I agree)

Then we get a shot of Will looking out the car window on "the shame".

On "the shame was on the other side" the camera switches to the "you are now leaving Hawkins" sign as it passes by the window because they're leaving the shame back in Hawkins on the other side of the town line.

The camera switches back to Will who actually SMILES while looking out a car window for once in his life.

And then he and Mike sing the rest of the song together as the camera pans upwards and shows the car driving away in the distance as the song ends.

~fin~

#just what i think of #when i listen to the song #it's a very happy montage-y song to me #stranger things #st5 prediction #stranger things music #will byers #mike wheeler #byler

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chirpsythismorning · 1 year

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Probably just a coincidence

#stranger things #byler #stranger things music #david bowie #probably nothing #still interesting #i was looking up songs with crawl in the title for fun #and this popped up

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redshoes-blues · 2 years

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The Will Byers Full-Circle Theory

Stranger Things 4, vol. 1 spoilers ahead + me putting my literature minor to use

Let’s talk about Will Byers as a character, Vecna’s curse, and the Mind Flayer. This theory will have a part 2 relating to my Byler-centric ideas about how this could all play out in vol. 2 (and how I think it will trickle into season 5), but for now I’ll focus on the theory itself.

Part 2 of this theory: Will Byers’ Vecna Song

Mirroring in Stranger Things

Stranger Things references the effects of mirroring throughout the series in multiple avenues, both within the text and visuals, along with the subtext. Most obviously may be the Upside Down, which we know as a twisted / dark mirror of Hawkins’ reality. Within season 4 (and previous seasons) a lot of the shots themselves further the idea of mirroring: El in the rainbow room, the biking sequence, the end of ep. 7 with the rope between realities, etc. This shows up in characters as well, like Henry Creel (001) who is mirrored and realized within Vecna himself. Mirroring is a common storytelling device which is used to draw comparisons between characters, plot lines, places, and other elements in a story. We clearly see this within much of Stranger Things.

I’ve seen some people point out Henry Creel as a mirror or foil for Will due to some similarities in their character traits. They’re both sensitive and drawn to interests seen as odd or even dark by the larger world (black widow spiders which Henry emphasizes with despite their links to death; D&D for Will, which is seen as silly by some, and even potentially Satanic by the town during season 4). They also both have a talent for drawing, and are shown drawing these “unusual interests.” These similarities could be used as a way of building empathy towards Henry (making his motives more understandable) by drawing comparison to an established outcast character who we know to be good. It’s their actions and the ways they react to being outcasts that set them apart. But the similarities could also be building towards a full-circle moment of Will confronting Vecna in one way or another. More on that later.

Will and the Upside Down

Will has a connection to the Upside Down like nobody else in the series, which further sets him apart. Although others are shown as having connections to the Upside Down, the entire story began because Will went missing: lost in a mirror dimension. A parallel world. In season 1, Will is frightened and sings to himself in Castle Byers (a location which symbolizes his childhood innocence). With the help of his friends, Will is returned to reality and the real world Hawkins. But as we know, he is scarred from his experience there, dealing with “True Sight” and a deepening connection to the Mind Flayer in season 2. In season 2, he’s the only character who has this kind of connection to the Upside Down. Even El, who we now know to be involved in the creation of the original gate, doesn’t have such an intimate tie to it. Although Will is no longer possessed in season 3, his connection to the Upside Down continues as he is able to sense the presence of the Mind Flayer. Then the gate is destroyed, the Meat Flayer is destroyed, the Byers move away, and all seems well.

The Mind Flayer

Now, I want to create a little side-note about Vecna vs. the Mind Flayer, because I know there is a lot of discourse about which is the true big bad of the series. Personally, I see the Mind Flayer as the real villain pulling the strings. I think season 4 pushes this idea because we know the Upside Down existed before Vecna/Henry Creel/001 were banished there. The Mind Flayer seems to be a much larger, more cosmic deity who is quite Lovecraftian and clearly not human. There are lots of other reasons for this that I could elaborate on in another post. But for now the main takeaway is that I agree with Dustin about Vecna being the top general of the Mind Flayer, who acts in accordance to the true villain.

If the Mind Flayer is the real villain, then Will’s connection to it is even more crucial and powerful. This is potentially the most powerful being in the entire series, and Will has a tie to it like no other character.

Vecna’s Curse

Like many others, I think Will will (ha) fall under Vecna’s curse in vol. 2. In fact, I think it’s inevitable for this to happen. It wasn’t until the gate closed that Will lost his ability to feel the presence of the Mind Flayer (and its soldiers), and then he moved away. Now, Will is likely going back to Hawkins where we know there is not just one opening to the Upside Down, but at least three presently. In other words, the Mind Flayer is still in there, and when Will returns I believe that Vecna (operating within the Mind Flayer’s hive mind) will use the “spell” on him. Vecna preys on teenagers who have trauma in their pasts, which Will certainly does. Out of the Party as a whole, I think he’s the person most likely to be targeted next.

Vol. 1 reveals that music has the power to block out Vecna’s curse. Will has an obvious connection to music in general, throughout the entire series, and especially to The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go.” Will himself even sings the song multiple times when he’s in the Upside Down and it seems to ward off the monsters, if even momentarily. If Will does fall under the curse as I suspect, then I think it would be the most perfect full-circle moment for the series to bring back the song. Whether Will himself sings it, the Party plays the song, or Mike sings it to Will (part of my Byler-centric speculation), if he’s impacted by Vecna’s curse, it seems only natural that this would be the song he’s most connected to. In a lot of ways this would mirror the beginning of the entire series, with Will trapped in the Upside Down, listening to and singing The Clash to get himself through the traumatic experience.

But what does it mean that Will has a stronger connection to the Mind Flayer than everyone else? Would this change the way Vecna’s curse impacts him? I think it potentially could. I don’t personally believe they will kill off Will in vol. 2 (it doesn’t really make sense for his character arc), but I do think the curse could play out differently in him than the others. There are lots of things that could happen (I could speculate possibilities all day). Some see a dark Will arc in the making, with Will as the final villain, but I personally don’t see this as likely. One option I could see happening is that Will is stuck in the Upside Down at the end of season 4, leading into season 5 with him in a similar predicament to the start of the series. Perfectly mirroring the events of season 1.

My Final Thoughts

I love the idea that season 5 is a bigger and darker version of season 1 revolving around Will and taking down the Mind Flayer for good. I think it would be a phenomenal end to the series, and the story would have a cyclical effect that would resemble the way the characters, relationships, dialogue, and locations themselves are oftentimes mirrors for each other.

Even if season 4 doesn’t end with Will stuck in the Upside Down, I think Will in season 4 being caught within Vecna’s curse and having to fight to get himself out would bring a lot of closure to his trauma. It would also be a general amazing callback to the first season, especially if we see Will alone in the Upside Down with “Should I Stay or Should I Go” playing out. So overall, I think vol. 2 will conclude with a direct mirroring of Will’s experiences in the previous seasons, building on his connection to the Mind Flayer and creating a satisfying cyclical storyline.

#st 4 spoilers #stranger things #stranger things season 4 #st 4 #stranger things season 4 spoilers #will byers #vecna #vecna's curse #the upside down #will byers mirror #byler #byler is endgame #stranger things music #stranger things music theory #stranger things theory #will byers analysis #the mind flayer is behind everything #redshoes-blues

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fleursfairies · 21 days

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yall know i hate most of the fan made stranger things playlists because most of them are extremely inaccurate, but if you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO make one of the characters listen to mitski and kpop and stuff at least make it dustin

for some reason hes the only person i could even remotely imagine listening to that stuff

dustin just kind of has the vibe that his playlist could transition from tarzan boy by baltimora to washing machine heart by mitski

but in a 50 year old man strutting around the kitchen with his "air-buds" kind of way

#this is not meant to be negative at all #dustin henderson #stranger things #stranger things 5 #mitski #kpop #baltimora #music #80s music #stranger things music

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dungeonsdragonstdelinquents · 1 year

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does anyone have any stranger things analysis posts about the music within the show? im looking specifically for season 4 but im also okay with the other seasons!! im gonna be searching around tumblr and youtube for them but i was just wondering if anyone had any posts in mind,, im trying to prove something to an irl of mine about the music

#stranger things #stranger things music #stranger things analysis #byler analysis #byler music #byler music analysis #stranger things season 4 analysis

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ohfallingdisco · 1 year

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It appears Bowie is the common denominator but beyond him 💀

#stranger things #music #stranger things music #st music #jonathan byers #robin buckley #will byers #mike wheeler #max mayfield #eddie munson #nancy wheeler #st poll #st polls #stranger things polls

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stranger-chichka · 1 year

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I just realised...Nancy kisses Jonathan at the exact spot the lyrics "and we kissed as though nothing could fall" play as Mike came home after seeing Will's body

#mike gonna kiss will and the shame will be on the other side ohhhhhh #byler #jancy #stranger things #stranger things music #stranger things songs

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byleranalysis · 1 year

Video

“In the Closet” and “The First I love You” share very similar openings.

Headphones recommended: I’ve panned the audio so that one song is on the left and the other plays on the right. I think “In the Closet” is just “The First I love You” but in a relative minor key.

Link to masterlist of analysis <3

#byler #st4 music analysis #stranger things music #byler music analysis #byler theory #byler evidence #mike wheeler i know what you are #music analysis

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nonsensical-ramblings · 2 years

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This post by @aurorabyler about the similarities between the songs Being Different, The First Lie, and The First I love You got me thinking.

Because it's not just that, it's not just the melodies. It's the fact that I adjusted the tempos a little bit, and that's all it took for the songs to sync up perfectly.

And they're so beautiful together. They really do complete each other. Literally I was speechless when I finally found the right spot in Being Different to sync with the other songs, because I couldn't believe how they were all just identical.

It's overwhelmingly clear that these tracks directly, intentionally, and specifically reference each other. That all of these scenes that the melody appears in are tied to themes of miscommunication/lies, love, subversion of expectations, and queerness/atypical relationships.

...you know what, fuck it, here comes the analysis. Seven characters, four scenes, three tracks, one melody. The four themes I mentioned are typically present throughout the entirety of each scene, but I think they can also serve as a sort of formula- a narrative each scene follows.

When Nancy and Jonathan hook up for the first time:

Miscommunication/lies: They'd been refusing to acknowledge the true nature of their relationship.

Love: They admit their feelings for each other.

Subversion of expectations: Their feelings are requited.

Queerness/atypical relationships: The popular girl fell for the outcast!

When Robin comes out to Steve:

Miscommunication/lies: Robin has been hiding her sexuality, and Steve mistakenly believes he has a chance with her.

Love: Steve has feelings for Robin. Robin admits that she had a crush on Tammy Thompson.

Subversion of expectations: Steve was not expecting this news, but he doesn't get upset.

Queerness/atypical relationships: Robin is a lesbian. Steve wholeheartedly accepts her and still treasures their platonic relationship!

When El kisses Mike:

Miscommunication/lies: El had previously broken up with Mike over the fact that he kept lying to her and making up excuses to avoid her.

Love: El remembers hearing Mike say that he loves her back in the cabin.

Subversion of expectations: She reveals that she heard him say this, and, in return, confesses her own love for Mike. She kisses him and tries to mend their relationship.

Queerness/atypical relationships: Mike doesn't kiss her back or seem to return her sentiment. He stands there, watches her leave, and looks confused. Despite what it may look like on the surface, they are not romantically in love! And maybe he's not as straight as he thought he was...

When Will delivers his veiled confession to Mike:

Miscommunication/lies: Will lies about the painting and uses El's name to cover up his own feelings.

Love: Will is in love with Mike. He wants to confess how much he's struggled without him, and how deeply he values Mike in his life.

Subversion of expectations: Since he uses El's name, his attempt to verbalize his feelings falls short of its original purpose.

Queerness/atypical relationships: Will is gay and in love with his best friend... But maybe this love isn't actually unrequited!

Seven characters, four scenes, three tracks, one melody.

Okay. I'm tempted to believe that maybe the Duffel Bags really are mad geniuses now, because holy shit.

#byler #stranger things #musical symbolism #please appreciate this analysis i'm really proud of this sudden revelation about the four themes sfhjdkhf;dfk #weirdly enough i think the most important piece of evidence to be gleaned from this analysis is that #in order for the scene where el kisses mike to follow the pattern set by the other three scenes #there needs to be some sort of unexpected/atypical conclusion to this interaction/relationship #and #straight girl fixes relationship with her straight boyfriend who she'd previously broken up with #is very much not unexpected or atypical #but do you know what WOULD be?#that supremely awkward kiss signaling that they're in a mutually confused comphet relationship #that's much less stable than it looks on the outside #mike wheeler is in love with will byers #will byers is in love with mike wheeler #stranger things music #stranger things ost #byler analysis #soundtrackgate

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sky-neverending · 7 months

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BYLER HELLO

#stranger things #sky’s stardust #byler #mike wheeler #will byers #stranger things music #music #songs #song recs #Spotify

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giulslivr · 2 years

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with this playlist I officially consider myself an Eddie’s baby girl 🧎🏻‍♀️

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chirpsythismorning · 1 year

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It just hit me. What would've even given the writers the idea to do the whole blue meets yellow in the west riddle in the first place, inspired by the clock in Starcourt Mall, with the blue hour hand (Mike) and the yellow minute hand (Will)... if to not literally reference the lyrics of Time After Time and the specific scene it featured in ST and what it all means--

#stranger things #byler #time after time gate #stranger things music #no but we're winning #and we're winning big #we've been winning for a while #wow

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redshoes-blues · 2 years

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Will Byers Vecna Song Theory

You may have seen my Will Byers Mirror Theory, which is where I discuss my thoughts on why Will being put under Vecna’s curse is pretty much inevitable in vol. 2. I wanted to delve deeper into that theory, discussing the music itself, and how a few songs apply to Will as a character. This section assumes that Will gets Vecna’d, so if you want more info on that theory, it’s linked above.

Also this is long as hell. Whoops?

Music plays a crucial role in Stranger Things. Even before Vecna was introduced, the iconic 80s soundtrack is a feature of the show, and several characters within the text are huge music fans. One of these characters is Will, who we know uses music to comfort himself in the Upside Down in ST1. Assuming Will is cursed during vol. 2, what songs might save him? What do these songs represent within Stranger Things and in the real world, and how might they give insight into Will as a character?

As I see it, there are 3 possibilities for Will’s song. The way I selected these songs is by looking at the songs Will himself mentions, songs directly related to important moments in his arc, and more subtle prop hints.

1. Should I Stay or Should I Go, The Clash

2. Boys Don’t Cry, The Cure

3. Heroes, David Bowie

Let’s go through each song and see how it could work for Will’s song.

Should I Stay or Should I Go

To me, this is the obvious first pick. When I first realized Will would probably fall under the curse in vol. 2, my first thought was: “oh but he’ll be safe, everyone in the Party knows he loves that Clash song.”

Will sings the song to himself in the Upside Down when a Demogorgon is near, and the Demogorgon leaves. Although music doesn’t seem to have the same impact on them as it does Vecna, the song still provides Will comfort in times of panic and distress. In flashbacks, we’re shown that Jonathan introduces the song to Will during an argument between Joyce and Lonnie. The song acts as a shield for Will in that moment, just as it does later on in the UD. Within the Vecna scene, it would provide a perfect parallel to Will being in the UD for the first time early in the show.

However, as I mentioned in another post, “Should I Stay or Should I Go” is now a song intrinsically tied to Will’s trauma from the UD. Now, the mechanics of how songs work and which ones may or may not work haven’t been ironed out yet. I suspect this will be elaborated on in vol. 2, but if the song is now tied to traumatic memories, maybe it won’t work.

Maybe there’s another song Will connects to on a deep level that is less obvious to both viewers and the Party. In such a case, the disconnection between Will and the Hawkins gang will quickly become apparent. This is especially the case if Vecna gets to Will before the California and Hawkins groups are reunited and able to go over details. But even if Will if put under Vecna’s curse when everyone is back together and the California gang finds out what’s happening, Will has still been disconnected from the Party (aside from El, but even then we know he hasn’t told her about his crush on Mike).

I think it’s quite likely that the Party could try “Should I Stay or Should I Go” (maybe even at Jonathan or Mike’s suggestion), only to have it fail.

So if it doesn’t end up being “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” what other songs may Will have a personal connection to?

Boys Don’t Cry

I love the idea of “Boys Don’t Cry” saving Will from Vecna’s curse because A. I’m a massive fan of The Cure, and B. I love how the song could connect to him as a character! In case you missed in, the reference to this song is subtle, as Will has a poster of the album cover in his California bedroom.

I’ll be honest and say that of the three songs, I think this one may have the most limited evidence to support it. But perhaps that’s the point?

Will’s character arc in ST3 was very much about him feeling left behind, and that is definitely continuing in ST4. Mike is realizing how the two of them have split apart because of the distance and his own lack of awareness for Will’s feelings in ST3 and beyond. We’ve never heard Will mention “Boys Don’t Cry,” but we as viewers have grown distant to Will as a character, just as Mike has (note: Mike is often used as a character to show the audience’s perspective, and his lack of awareness reflect this).

Although the song is alluded to, it hasn’t been played or mentioned directly. If this is Will’s Vecna song, then it will show how distant he has become from his friends as a result of many factors — one of which will likely be his sexuality, something I can see Vecna using in the vision to make Will feel more like an outsider.

“Boys Don’t Cry” as a song is a bit of an anthem for gay men. Especially during the 80s. The song is about toxic masculinity and the ways Western society has damaged men by making them cover up their emotions. Within a queer reading, the song could also be used to highlight the ways that gay men in particular are stereotyped as feminine or overly sensitive, the second of which has been used as a descriptor for Will within the show. As we know, Will has his own experiences of toxic masculinity, especially where Lonnie is concerned (baseball is a key metaphor here).

So even though “Boys Don’t Cry” is only shown in a prop, the song would be a powerful message for Will: conquering toxic masculinity and finally sharing his feelings and emotions by coming out to his loved ones.

Heroes

Okay, I know I seemed enthusiastic about the other two options, but “Heroes” is where my true alliance lies. Listen, I’m slightly biased here. David Bowie is my all-time favourite artist, and “Heroes” is my all-time favourite song. But I digress. For fellow Byler shippers, this is the song out of the 3 that I think most aligns with a queer reading of Mike and Will’s dynamic.

Note: I’m not the first one to come up with “Heroes” being used as Will’s Vecna song. Go here to @gayeddiemunson‘s post which initially brought the idea to my mind (and inspired this long-ass analysis)!

“Heroes” is played twice over the course of the show during two peak emotional scenes. In both scenes, a gorgeous Peter Gabriel cover of the song plays. In my theory, it’s specifically the original Bowie version which would be used for Will, and I have a specific reason for this that I’ll get to.

In ST1, the song plays when “Will’s” body is discovered in the quarry — specifically showing his body, Mike running home, and Jonathan and Joyce hugging in a shot which mirrors Mike and Karen. In ST3, it plays at the very end of the season when Hopper is reading his letter after “dying.” In these instances, a character is thought to be dead and the other characters mourn them in some way. Both characters are later revealed to be alive. In other words, "Heroes” is a song which represents resurrection in Stranger Things.

Given the knack the Duffer brothers have for creating parallels over the course of the show, I wouldn’t be shocked if they faked Will’s death again within Vecna’s curse, before using “Heroes” as a signal to save Will.

It’s important that the version used is Bowie’s original recording because it’s more upbeat than Peter Gabriel’s cover (making it much less melancholic and attached to negative emotions in the show), and because of a scene between Will and Jonathan in ST2, ep. 1:

Jonathan: You know what? You’re right. You are a freak. But what, do you want to be normal? Do you wanna be normal? Do you wanna be just like everyone else? Being a freak is the best, alright? I’m a freak . . . Who would you rather be friends with? Bowie or Kenny Rogers

Will: Ugh

Jonathan: Exactly. It’s no contest. The thing is, nobody normal ever accomplished anything meaningful in this world.

Within the text, Bowie and Will are both “freaks.” Both outsiders in their own way who are scorned by some because they don’t fit into the norms of a heteronormative society. Bowie is a figure who was openly queer during the 70s, experimented with the boundaries of gendered fashion, and openly and bravely expressed himself in a much less accepting world. He stood up for queer people when others didn’t, and was an icon beloved by outsiders and people who weren’t seen as “normal.” For that reason, using Bowie’s version of the song would be a perfect moment of Will accepting that he’s a “freak” . . . but learning to love what makes himself different.

I do think Vecna would be most likely to make Will feel like an outsider by comparing his experiences as young Henry Creel to Will’s own feelings that he’s a “freak” because he doesn’t fit his society’s norms. In this way, Will fighting off Vecna with Bowie’s “Heroes” would be a beautiful moment of acceptance and resurrection as he comes back to life (the Real World) a stronger person.

Heroes, Will, and Mike

My final reason behind the “Heroes” song theory has to do with Byler, so if that isn’t your thing, that’s all good — feel free to skip this!

During ST1 when “Heroes” plays, Mike’s reactions to Will’s “death” are key in the sequence. Mike runs home and Karen comforts him as he cries over the death of his best friend. In the meantime, the following lyrics play:

And the guns, shot above our heads And we kissed, as though nothing could fall And the shame, was on the other side

“Heroes” was written when Bowie saw a two people kissing next to the Berlin Wall, and was struck by the image of a structure representing the Cold War next to a forbidden love affair. This section of the song is the most romantic part, when the couple comes together despite their forbidden love, casting aside the shame brought on by the affair, feeling free like “heroes” in the arms of each other just for one day.

I don’t think “Heroes” has the same meaning in Stranger Things as Bowie’s initial inspiration. As I said above, I see it as a motif representing resurrection and new life in the show. But I do find it fascinating that the line about shame over a romantic love affair occurs during a shot of Mike. Coincidence, perhaps. But interesting all the same.

Obviously Will’s love for Mike is considered forbidden at the time. Whether or not Mike has feelings in return wouldn’t make a difference towards the forbidden nature of being gay in the 80s (at least according to the dominant culture). For this reason, the song not only connects to Will for the various reasons already described, but also to Mike given that the song plays for him as well as Will. If the Duffer brothers plan to make Byler canon, then I could see “Heroes” becoming an important song in the show again.

Final Thoughts / TLDR

Out of the 3 songs I've analyzed, I think “Heroes” has the strongest evidence supporting it: both within the narrative (the song has been used 2x in Stranger Things) and subtextually, from a character analysis perspective. Overall, Bowie’s original “Heroes” is a song of forbidden love by a queer artist who Will aligns himself with in the show. As well, the song represents resurrection and rebirth within the show, which thematically relates to the idea of Vecna’s curse.

Anyways, that’s all for this mammoth of a post! I’d love to hear what anyone else thinks. Are there any songs I missed that could be used?

#will byers analysis #stranger things music #stranger things music theory #byler endgame #byler analysis #will byers #st4 spoilers #stranger things theory #bowie theory #stranger things analysis #will byers is gay #and so is mike #vecna's curse #vecna #vena song #vecna theory #this is so long god #redshoes-blues

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