Music Is Having a “Golden” Moment on Netflix as New and Nostalgic Songs Storm the Charts

Whether it’s musical movies, concerts, competition series or intimate documentaries on the biggest singers and songwriters, Netflix fans can find a music fix for any mood.

In recent years, we’ve also seen a surge in popularity for songs featured in Netflix shows and movies, whether it’s new hits — looking at you, Grammy-winning “Golden” — or iconic spins from decades past like Max Mayfield’s favorite song, “Running Up That Hill.” Here are just a few of the series and films that have infiltrated the charts:

KPOP DEMON HUNTERS

Everything keeps coming up “Golden” for Netflix’s most-streamed film of all time. Whether you’re team HUNTR/X or Saja Boys, KPop Demon Hunters continues to break records and remain a dominant force in the culture and on the awards circuit this year. On Sunday, “Golden” became the first K-Pop song in history to win a Grammy Award. The film has also been nominated for two Academy Awards for “Best Original Song” and “Best Animated Feature.” The movie’s music has maintained a commanding presence, topping the charts globally:

• Became the first official soundtrack to hit #1 on the Billboard 200 since 2022, with hit single “Golden” spending eight weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• In 2025, “Golden” ranked at #2 on the global top 10 songs of on-demand audio streams with 2.430B streams and at #4 on the global top 10 songs of on-demand video streams with 1.146B streams. The film’s soundtrack has accumulated over 2.605B streams.

• The soundtrack reached No. 1 on the Billboard 100 chart for the week of July 15.

• Together, the songs of fictional bands HUNTR/X and Saja Boys have surpassed 1B streams across Spotify and YouTube.

• Since the release of the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack:

  1. Songs from the soundtrack have been added to more than 17K Spotify playlists worldwide.

  2. “Golden” is one of only two tracks released in 2025 to make it into the Spotify Billions club this year (streamed more than 1B times globally).

STRANGER THINGS

The ’80s are officially back, thanks in no small part to the Hawkins crew and their eclectic musical tastes, ranging from superstars like Prince and Diana Ross to up-and-comers from past and present such as Cowboy Junkies and Djo, respectively, introducing these performers to an entirely new generation of fans.

The series finale of the beloved series catapulted six songs back into the zeitgeist, including:

• Prince

  1. “Purple Rain” : 608% increase in global streams*

  2. “When Doves Cry” : 336% increase in global streams*

• Cowboy Junkies’ 1988 rendition of “Sweet Jane” : 264% increase in global streams*

• David Bowie’s 1977 “Heroes” : 185% increase in global streams*

• Pixies’ 1989 hit “Here Comes Your Man ”: 108% increase in global streams*

• Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” : 31% increase in global streams*

• Djo’s “End of Beginning” skyrocketed to #1 on Billboard Global 200 the week of January 2-8, becoming the biggest song in the world for the first time since its release in 2022.

Leading up to the final farewell, Season 5 was no slouch, causing resurgences for songs from 70+ years ago:

• Diana Ross’ “ Upside Down ”: 510% increase in global streams and a 3,538% spike in global searches after making a cameo in the Vol. 2 trailer and Season 5 premiere. Streams of her entire catalog also jumped 92% in the US and 113% globally.*

• Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now ”: 490% increase in global streams, and 1,288% surge in global searches. Streams of her catalog also jumped 318% in the US and 299% worldwide.*

• The Chordettes’ 1954 hit “ Mr. Sandman ”: 625% increase in global streams.*

• ABBA’s “ Fernando” : 335% increase in global streams.*

Season 4 started the trend by sending not one but two hits back into the mainstream:

• Kate Bush’s “ Running Up That Hill ” entered the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in its 38-year history and hit 1 billion streams in 2022. The song returned in Season 5 with steady increases across streaming platforms and returned to the charts, peaking at #2 on Billboard’s Alternative Digital Song Sales chart the week of December 15, 2025.

• Metallica’s “ Master of Puppets ” climbed into the UK Top 10 for the first time and drove 17.5M downloads in one week.

BRIDGERTON

Since its inception, the Bridgerton universe has become a fan-favorite staple for contemporary musical reimagining — bridging the gap between historical drama and modern pop culture. The classical renditions of modern tunes spurred a string quartet renaissance.

• After the January 29 premiere of Season 4, Part 1, average daily streams for the Bridgerton Official Playlist jumped 271% globally on Spotify.*

• According to Spotify, streams of the Vitamin String Quartet rose 350% when Bridgerto n debuted in December 2020. Tracks from previous seasons saw astronomical spikes on Spotify in the US: Billie Eilish’s “ Happier Than Ever ” increased 11,000%, Sia’s “ Cheap Thrills ” increased 9,500%, and BTS’ “ Dynamite ” increased 3,300%.*

• Archer Mash’s cover of Pitbull’s “Give Me Everything” reached #1 on the Global Spotify Viral Chart, the iTunes US & UK top Soundtrack Music Albums Chart and #2 on the Overall Charts after being featured on Season 3.

WEDNESDAY

When the Addams Family series premiered in 2022, music from the show went viral and audiences immediately and woefully fell in love with the goth-inspired music from the series.

• The Cramps’ “ Goo Goo Muck ”: 5,000% surge in streams.

• Lady Gaga’s “ Bloody Mary ”: 1,800% spike in streams. The song was used in millions of TikTok recreations inspired by that instantly iconic dance scene, prompting Lady Gaga to join in and to join the show as a guest star in Season 2. She also wrote and recorded “ The Dead Dance ” specifically for the series.

* According to Spotify.