A "Stranger Things" Intro Theme Song Breakdown

I just binge watched Stranger Things in the past 24 hours and I am so pleased with a couple things walking into this show.

First off, I am a fan of Netflix produced content. I feel like they are making challenging shows their customers will enjoy instead of churning out shows that cater to popular tastes.

Secondly, this low budget show consistently hits the 80s vibe with every detail thought out and meticulously arranged. The Realistic walkie talkies, the BMX/banana seat bikes, the phones, D&D game play, and Pentax camera all make you feel like you've slipped back into the 80s. But don't get comfortable. This 80s show has an alternate universe.

This concept of dual universes is at the heart of the intro theme composition, which I will dive into now.

Bass Line / Melody

I love how Survive 's composition mirrors the dual universe of the show with the dual bass notes on display (the C and the E).

These two notes are the first and third notes in the scale of C. Since they are the first and the third, I will refer to them as:

I (C) 

and

III (E)

The song begins with the III for four measures and goes into a repeating pattern of I for eight measures and III for eight measures.

Here is one way to represent what the bass line is up to.

III / I / I / III / III
I / I  II / III / III II / I
I II I / VII / VII / VII / I
I / x / x III sustain / =>  / =>
=> / => end 

Here is another more proper way to write the bass line.

Notice that even the tempo is in the 80 bpm range!

The bass line takes a twist in the 11th through 14th measures by ascending to a new note, and gliding on a note that has been grazed multiple times by the synth playing the C major 7 arpeggio (more on this later).

C major 7 is my favorite chord, because it feels like eating a bowl full of stars. There are equal parts of mystery and heavenly sentiments in unmeasurable ways when you soak in this chord over several years.

And all this is possible by adding a B to a plain old vanilla C major chord.

When the song just coasts on that lower note it immediately makes me think they are echoing yet another aspect of the show... The Upside Down alternate universe.

I say that because of how the science teacher, Mr. Clarke, explains parallel universes to his 3 students after school hours.

This alternate universe explanation is "step away from a date with a hot babe" serious.

His explanation includes describing the ways a flea can traverse a string right side up and upside down. Descending into that VII note takes you into that Upside Down world feeling and staying there alludes to some characters having to travel there and do what no one in the show has ever done.

Arpeggio

Many popular songs will feature higher notes as the main melody. This show flips that concept in the same way Miles Davis did in So What. The bass line carries the melody and a synth rides the C major 7 arpeggio throughout 14 bars of the 22 bar song.

Any departure from this arpeggio sends the listener into dark seemingly boundless place, because the VII by itself is a a pretty happy chord. When you compare the feeling of the opening theme with the arpeggio and when hear it drop in the 17th bar, it literally flings you into outer space with no jet pack if you haven't seen the show. If you've finished season one, it feels very much like an extended stay in The Upside Down. Or even a front row seat in The Void.

The rhythm in the bass is pretty much one note for three measures with some variations thrown in. In the arpeggio, we have 1/16th notes, which is the second fastest notes played in the song. The fastest tones show up in the last four bars if you listen closely.

As a musician, it is a thrill to see the theme song parasitically living off the themes of the show.

It makes either entity inseparable and has me looking forward to season 2.

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• The first image was made with this tool.
• I created the sheet music using a useful tool called flat.io.