A rocking finale.
“Stranger Things” pulled off a thrilling ending by using two Prince songs in the final episode of the beloved Netflix series.
Creators Matt and Ross Duffer secured the rights to “Purple Rain” and When Doves Cry,” both from Prince’s Grammy Award-winning 1984 album.
And while the songs were featured in Prince’s 1984 movie, “Purple Rain,” they had never been used in a TV series until now.
“When Doves Cry” plays when Hopper (David Harbour) and Murray (Brett Gelman) set off the bomb’s remote trigger and the group escapes the interdimensional bridge, while “Purple Rain” plays as Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) appears at the MAC-Z gate and seemingly sacrifices herself as the Upside Down collapses.
“Once we came up with the idea that the record was going to be the trigger for the bomb, we knew we needed an epic needle drop, and so many ideas were thrown around,” Ross told Netflix’s Tudum in an interview released after the finale.
“I think there’s nothing really more epic than Prince,” he added.
Ross explained that the brothers “never talked about a song choice as much as we did for that moment,” noting, “What is also very exciting about it is it just has not been used. [Prince’s] estate does not generally allow that song to be licensed outside the ‘Purple Rain’ movie.”
Matt revealed that “thanks to Kate Bush, we were able to acquire the rights.”
Bush’s song “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” had an infamous resurgence when it was used in Season 4.
The show’s creators wanted to use two Prince songs in the Season 5 finale, but “we were told that it was a real long shot, so we just crossed our fingers,” Matt said.
“Thank God they agreed,” Matt added.
The Post has reached out to Prince’s estate for comment.
The Duffer Brothers previously subtly teased using the Prince songs at the one of the Season 5 red carpet premieres in November.
“I don’t even know how would one go about teasing a needle drop. This year, I will say, there is a song I’m particularly proud of. It’s in the finale. It’s never been on a TV show before,” Matt told Entertainment Weekly.
“I think because of Kate Bush, we were able to get the rights,” he continued. “Under normal circumstances, they would not have allowed us to get those rights. So I think that’s an epic needle drop, but you gotta wait all the way to the final episode.”
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Ross teased, “It’s just a very pivotal moment in the show, and we always knew that it was going to revolve around a song. But there was very specific parameters for this song, which made it challenging. And also we knew it was important so I think we quizzed everyone on the cast, all of our friends… We just got lists. ‘What do you think it should be? What do you think it should be?’”
“And when we finally landed on it, it just felt right,” he said. “And the fact that it’s been so rarely licensed, I don’t think it’s ever been licensed for television, just made it that much more special. But hopefully people like it.”
In the show’s two-hour series finale, called “The Rightside Up,” the gang defeats Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and none of the main character die — including Eleven.
While everyone thinks she’s dead, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) reveals at the end that she faked her death and is living out a quiet life in a peaceful town near waterfalls.
All five seasons of “Stranger Things” are streaming on Netflix.
