Warning: Spoilers for Season 4 of Stranger Things are in play for all the viewers out there who aren’t completely current.
Insanely popular Netflix shows like Stranger Things tend to be tastemakers when it comes to pop culture obsessions. As Season 4 has cemented the series’ gargantuan popularity once again, younger fans of the sci-fi/horror saga are just finding out about ‘80s treasures such as Kate Bush and Metallica. While Twitter adults are roasting the younglings who have come to the fray regarding the Grammy-winning hard rockers, the band released a response to those being more critical regarding their newfound fandom. Let's dig into each side of the story below.
How Stranger Things Fans Are Being Roasted By Twitter Adults
It’s all thanks to the massively metal moment in which our dearly departed dungeon master Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) heroically shreds out “Master of Puppets” in the Upside Down. The ending of Stranger Things’ Season 4, Volume 2 introduced unsuspecting viewers to what Eddie calls music in the highest regard, and the kids (as it were) are making the 1986 track a hit once more.
The same sort of treatment was seen in Volume 1, as Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” became a chart-topper again, thanks to the actions of Max (Sadie Sink). Starting off our round of social media reactions, Twitter user “David1982Mr” remarked about the resurgence of both hit singles, in what represents the lightest level of snark presented here:
My 13 year old Cousin just asked me "Have you ever heard of a band called Metallica?" Stranger Things really just brought Running up the Hill and Master of Puppets out of the darkness and into the light.
Cranking things up a level, tweeter “fruitybuckley” touched upon another factor that Stranger Things’ usage of these songs has led to. If you’ve been inundated with the social media memes that use either Kate Bush or Metallica’s hit songs, then this message is for you:
‘metallica is about to be so overplayed because of stranger things’ my brother in christ they are one of the biggest bands in the world
Admittedly, the Metallica memes haven't been nearly as plentiful as ones using Kate Bush’s tune, but there's no lack of new ones. (And that one about making a deal with God over two avocados is pretty funny.) Kate Bush’s reaction to Stranger Things and its musical choices makes her seem pegged as a fan of the series itself. So that’s a pretty neat crosswalk between the Duffer Brothers’ appreciation of “Running Up That Hill” and Bush’s fandom.
Considering Stranger Things is the most-watched English-language series on Netflix, the show making classic musical acts feel freshly popular is definitely a trend at this point. Which inevitably leads to tweets like this one from “CytokineSignal” and their son’s discovery of “Master of Puppets”:
I laughed lots when my son told me that lots of people were saying Stranger Things has recently just made Metallica famous.... as if no one had heard of them before.
It’s getting pretty snarky at this point of the game, and there’s no signs of slowing from this point. At least user “AnTaobhRua” is an equal opportunity commenter, as they invoke the hit-laden The Twilight Saga soundtrack as another cultural touchstone:
Instead of mocking people for finding out about Kate Bush and Metallica through Stranger Things we should teach them the proper way to discover music: the Twilight Saga soundtracks.
Last, but not least, is the snarkiest tweet of all in this rundown. User “dunwaIl” has really thrown down the gauntlet with this one, and it’s all at once funny and cutting (once it becomes clear he's being entirely sarcastic):
Just discovered the band Metallica from stranger things can you believe they did a cover of enter sandman by Ghost
As you can see, the internet’s adults are having all sorts of fun with this story. However, if anyone’s going to have the last word, it’s the masters of puppets themselves. After all of the hoopla and commentary from the outside world, Metallica responded to their newfound fame, and it’s as awesome as you’d think.
Metallica’s Official Response To The Stranger Things Trends
If you thought Metallica was anything but flattered by Stranger Things playing “Master of Puppets” as an ultimate act of heroism, prepare to be disappointed. Previously, the band tipped their hats to Eddie Munson’s command of his mythical axe, even though some questioned the plausibility of The Hellfire Club’s DM being able to master it so quickly.
Obviously, the group are huge fans of this turn of events, and they've even taken to social media to boos that signal. Reaffirming their feelings about the new lease on life their song has gotten, Metallica took to TikTok with the following message:
FYI - EVERYONE is welcome in the Metallica Family. Whether you’ve been a fan for 40 hours or 40 years, we all share a bond through music. All of you started at ground zero at one point in time.
Shredding any doubts about Metallica enjoying the effect Stranger Things has had on their music, the band's recent gigs have also seen them nodding to Eddie's big moment. A video of the group wearing Hellfire Club shirts and playing "Master of Puppets" has been quite popular on TikTok, which might be the last straw naysayers need at this point to break the notion they ever disapproved.
But why not go out with a fitting final post, which sees frontman James Hetfield and company playing the song of the moment. And yes, Metallica has included a nice bit of snark themselves to seal the deal.
@metallica ♬ Master of Puppets (Remastered) - Metallica
Stranger Things awaits all Netflix subscribers who want to take the journey through the first four seasons, either for the first or fourth time. Who knows, maybe some Metallica fans have been turned onto the show through the soundtrack's usage of "Master of Puppets," and if that's the case, we're sure the younger citizens of the Internet will be extremely understanding, and only treat the matter with the utmost polity.
