Stranger Things' Matthew Modine Thinks The Rolling Stones Would Save Him From Vecna
One of the major focal points of "Stranger Things” Season 4 is the way in which the series' characters relate to certain pieces of music. Specifically, this season explores the ways in which people can become emotionally attached to songs and how those songs can help them to escape the horrors of their own life. The most obvious example of this is the connection that Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) feels to the song "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush – which she listens to nearly everyday while struggling with the traumatic loss of her stepbrother, Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery).
This song holds a special place in Max's heart, and it is currently her favorite song of all time –- a fact which becomes extremely important once she finds herself the new target of Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). While under the influence of Vecna's curse, Max is only able to escape back into the real world once her friends start playing "Running Up That Hill" through her headphones. Hearing her favorite song brings her back into the real world once again, further emphasizing just how important her connection to that song is.
This climactic scene from Season 4, Episode 4, "Dear Billy," prompted many fans online to theorize which of their favorite songs would be able to pull them out of Vecna's curse, to the point where "music that would save me from Vecna" actually became a prolific meme across social media. Even "Stranger Things" star Matthew Modine got in on the fun, claiming that one particular Rolling Stones song could pull him out of Vecna's curse.
Modine says that Sympathy for the Devil would save him from Vecna
In a July interview for Vulture, "Stranger Things" star Matthew Modine (Dr. Martin Brenner) was asked what song he thinks would save him from Vecna's curse, to which the actor gave two answers — one serious and the other joking.
"It would be something really silly ... 'Hickory Dickory Dock,'" Modine quipped. "I'll go with something a bit more ominous. 'Sympathy for the Devil.' I love the Rolling Stones." Considering how much one needs to love a song for it to pull them out of Vecna's curse, Modine's choice of "Sympathy for the Devil" is high praise for The Rolling Stones. On top of that, it's somewhat ironic that Modine chose this song since "Sympathy for the Devil" seems to parallel Dr. Brenner's character arc in the series.
Although he appears primarily as a villain throughout "Stranger Things," Season 4 makes Brenner out to be a much more sympathetic father-figure toward Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). Perhaps there's nothing more to it than the fact that Modine is a huge Rolling Stones fan, but it's interesting that the villain of "Stranger Things" chose a song that sympathizes with the literal devil. It will also be interesting to see what other songs will have a huge impact on the characters in the upcoming "Stranger Things" Season 5.