Call it the Kate Bush Bump: After “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry” were used by the Duffer Brothers in the series finale of Stranger Things, Spotify streaming stats for the two iconic Prince tracks have exploded in 2026.
According to data released by Spotify, “Purple Rain” saw a 243% increase in global streams between December 31st (when the Stranger Things finale debuted) and January 1st, 2026. Additionally, the song saw a 577% increase in streaming by Gen Z users, who hopefully weren’t hearing it for the first time. “When Doves Cry” experienced smaller but similar results: a 200% increase in global streams, with a 128% increase for Gen Z specifically. The feature also brought an increased interest in Prince’s catalog overall, with a 190% increase in global streaming.
Without getting into spoilers for the series finale, “When Doves Cry” and “Purple Rain” played a key role in “The Rightside Up,” underscoring a key action scene as well as an emotional farewell. “We knew we needed an epic needle drop, and so many ideas were thrown around,” Ross Duffer told Netflix’s Tudum. “I think there’s nothing really more epic than Prince.”
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Getting “Purple Rain” in particular was not a sure thing, as the Prince estate very rarely allows for that song to be licensed. But over its five-season run, Stranger Things developed a track record for making ’80s hits into present-day chart-toppers, exemplified by the massive success of “Running Up that Hill” after being featured in Season 4. As Matt Duffer put it, “Thanks to Kate Bush, we were able to acquire the rights [to ‘Purple Rain’].”
Prince wasn’t the only high-profile artist featured in the series finale — check out our soundtrack guide to Stranger Things Season 5 for a full breakdown. The complete series is now streaming on Netflix.
