The cultural phenomenon that is Stranger Things has once again tapped into the rich vein of 1980s music, propelling a classic track back into the spotlight. Following the massive resurgence of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill in the previous season, the final chapter of the Hawkins saga has selected an unexpected successor: ABBA’s 1976 ballad Fernando. However, unlike the triumphant and empowering usage of Bush’s track, the Swedish pop group’s hit is being used to underscore a moment of sheer domestic terror involving Karen Wheeler.
The song features prominently in the second episode of the new season, titled The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler. In a scene that critics and fans are describing as “nightmare fuel,” Karen Wheeler, played by Cara Buono, is shown relaxing in a bubble bath with the soft, wistful sounds of Fernando playing on the radio. The serenity of the moment is shattered as a Demogorgon invades the Wheeler home. The gentle acoustic guitars and harmonized vocals of ABBA continue to blast through the scene, muffling the screams of her daughter, Holly—played this season by newcomer Nell Fisher—and creating a jarring juxtaposition between the song’s nostalgic warmth and the violent destruction unfolding on screen.
The Duffer Brothers, creators of the series, revealed that the selection of Fernando was a deliberate choice to unsettle the audience. In recent interviews regarding the creative process, they noted that they tested between 20 to 30 different songs for the sequence before settling on the ABBA classic. They explained that the track possessed a cinematic quality and a specific rhythm that clicked with the pacing of the attack. Furthermore, they felt it was a realistic choice for the character of Karen Wheeler to be listening to during a rare moment of solitude, which makes the subsequent invasion of her safe haven all the more disturbing.
This musical cue has sparked immediate conversation across social media platforms, with viewers analyzing the ironic disconnect between the lyrics and the on-screen action. While Running Up That Hill became a symbol of fighting back against trauma, Fernando is now associated with vulnerability and the collapse of safety in suburbia. The scene effectively weaponizes the audience’s nostalgia, turning a beloved soft-rock staple into a signal of impending doom. As fans digest the heavy events of the final season’s early episodes, it appears that ABBA will be dominating playlists for the foreseeable future, though perhaps with a much darker connotation than the band ever intended.