The NeverEnding Story theme singer Limahl celebrates newfound interest thanks to Stranger Things
A special shout-out in Netflix’s Stranger Things has reopened the pages to A The NeverEnding Story.
In the final episode of season 3, Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) serenades his girlfriend Suzie (Gabriella Pizzolo) with the theme song from the cult classic ’80s film. The scene has inspired fans to run to their favorite streaming sites to hear the original song, sung by British pop star Limahl — much to his surprise.
“My God! It’s been very exciting to hear about all the new interest in the song,” Limahl tells EW exclusively from his home in London. “Thirty-five years later, it’s reaching a whole new audience — it’s fantastic.”
While the singer doesn’t watch the hit series, he said that his nephews Josh and Max called him when they saw it. “They were so excited. Josh said, ‘Oh my God uncle, they’re using your song in Stranger Things. I love that show!’ They’re both big fans of the show and it’s been so much fun watching their enthusiasm over the whole thing.”
Limahl, born Christopher Hamill, still hasn’t tuned in to Stranger Things, he’s seen the clip featuring Matarazzo and Pizzolo and has given them his official seal of approval.
A post shared by Limahl (@limahl_official) on Dec 11, 2017 at 4:53am PST
“I have seen the clip when the two characters perform the song and I was very touched,” he explains. “I didn’t know the show was so big, obviously I’m going to watch it now. This song seems to have gotten everybody really excited. I’m so happy that 35 years later, I’m still around to be able to enjoy this.”
Limahl is right, fans can’t seem to get enough of the original song and its video. YouTube reports that daily U.S. views of his original music video spiked 800 percent on July 6. Spotify confirms to EW that it, too, was hit with a surge of interest in the fantasy film’s theme. Streams of the track soared about 825 percent on Sunday compared to the previous Sunday.
This is the second time that a Netflix series has helped bring Limahl’s music back into the mainstream. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch featured his hit “Too Shy” from his time as the lead singer of the pop group Kajagoogoo.
“I had no idea they were going to use the [NeverEnding Story] song because I had nothing to do with the licensing,” he says. “When Netflix used ‘Too Shy’ at Christmas in their Black Mirror series, it was also a total surprise to me. It would be a full-time job to keep track of when our songs are licensed until they end up a part of pop culture in some way and we find out.”
Limahl is grateful that Netflix is helping to expose his music to a new generation and wants The Duffer Brothers to know that he’s also an actor and would be ready to fly to Los Angeles to make a cameo in season 4 of Stranger Things.
“Hey Duffers, if you want me next season you can count me in,” he says excitedly. “It’s my sole duty to catch up on the show. I promise I’ll be ready!”
Stranger Things is currently available to stream via Netflix. You can see Limahl’s original music video below, clad with shoulder pads and tons of hairspray.
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