If you did not hear Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” on an endless and suffocating loop this past summer, then you probably live under a rock. This is because of its endless and suffocating appearances in the fourth season of Netflix’s Marvel-ized show Stranger Things. It became the #1 song on the Billboard charts, even though it came out almost 40 years prior. However, this isn’t the first time shows with a Gen Z demographic have caused songs of the past to become new again.
This all started because of Glee. The FOX musical comedy introduced so many great, classic songs and artists from all genres to Zillenials. From show tunes to classic rock, Glee helped make old music new again, and even had the revolutionary idea of making their covers streamable, breaking records on iTunes and the Billboard charts and even being nominated for Grammys. Shows like Riverdale, Euphoria and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series wouldn’t have been half as successful without Glee‘s revolutionary formula. It made oldies cool again and forgotten masterpieces classics.
Euphoria is a show that perfectly mixes old music with new music. While the first season was riddled with old-school hits from Bronski Beat, Madonna, The Flamingos, The Dreamliners and Randy Newman, it was honestly filled with current (and explicit because of HBO) hits from Drake (also Euphoria’s EP), Anderson .Paak, Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat and Beyonce. However, season 2 was filled with more vintage tunes then current-hits from Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, INXS, Depeche Mode, Montell Jordan and Lenny Kravitz. This has also happened in shows like Teen Wolf, Marvel films, One Tree Hill, Cruel Summer, The Vampire Diaries and Riverdale.
But why is this happening? With so many new artists and so much new music, why are we listening to the music of the past? Why is old music becoming new again? Well, I think it’s because of the Spotify Effect.
Spotify’s algorithm is made so users are always finding new music in their favorite genres. This tracking is why they have Spotify Wrapped at the year’s end. That’s why they have Daily Mixes and On Repeat playlists that are made for each specific user. So, if someone is listening to Dua Lipa, the biggest quintessential pop star right now, Spotify would recommend listening to other pop stars of the past like Britney Spears and Madonna.
This music is also music Gen Z has grown up listening to through our parents. So, when we hear Collective Soul in The Vampire Diaries, The Cure in One Tree Hill, The Cranberries in Cruel Summer or INXS in Euphoria, even if we weren’t alive when these songs first came out, it’s still nostalgic.
The music industry has even taken notes. Ritt Momney rose to fame with his cover of the 2000s hit “Put Your Records On” and Maneskin broke records on TikTok with their cover of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons’ “Beggin.” TikTok also uses songs of the past like Britney Spears’ “Oops…I Did Again” and KISS’ “I was Made for Lovin’ You.”
So, why is this happening? Because we, as humans, are nostalgic creatures. Think of the shows these old hits are on. Stranger Things takes place in the 80s. Euphoria takes us back to a universally nostalgic time of high school. The Vampire Diaries constantly has flashbacks that take us back in time. Spotify’s algorithm has used this nostalgia to its advantage and used it so users can find even more music. And after all, music has been a source of happiness for centuries.