With Stranger Things coming to an end with its season and series finale on New Year’s Eve, you might think we would be done seeing the show’s impact on the Billboard charts. Not just yet, as the buzz around the series’ final installment shoots Djo‘s “End of Beginning” to new heights on the Billboard Hot 100.
The fact that “Beginning” is getting such a big bump is particularly interesting, given that “End of Beginning” was not featured in the series finale, or even in any other Stranger Things episode — but is the work of cast member Joe Keery, who plays fan favorite Steve Harrington in the show. The song hits a new high of No. 6 on the Hot 100 dated Jan. 17 thanks to renewed fan interest — following its re-entrance at No. 16 a week earlier — which beats its old chart peak of No. 11, originally reached in early 2024.
How did the song end up getting an even bigger bump than the songs featured in the series finale? And is this still a good thing for Djo’s career? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.
1. Following the end of Stranger Things’ fifth and final season on New Year’s Eve, Djo’s “End of Beginning” returned to the Hot 100, and this week bounds 16-6 on the chart. On a scale from 1-10, how surprised are you about the song making this big a re-entrance?
Katie Bain: 7, given that all the Stranger Things musical successes over the last ten years have been related to older songs, and certainly not songs made by any of the cast members themselves. If you’d asked me before this season began how this song might re-chart, I’d probably have guessed top 40, so No. 6 is particularly surprising. That said, given that Joe Keery’s character is so popular that the finale featured his red herring (red Harrington?) fake out death just to bend all our brains for a second, I’m not shocked that fans are showing this level of love for “End of Beginning” and for Djo.
Kyle Denis: Damn near a 10! It’s a cool song that already had its time in the sun during its original run… and it doesn’t even appear in the final season of Stranger Things so I’m completely shocked at its resurgence.Josh Glicksman: It’s a 7 verging on an 8 for me. I’m not surprised to see some uptick in listens for Keery given the show’s popularity, but for it to rebound this significantly is pretty compelling. For one thing, he seems to be the only Stranger Things star benefitting from this kind of astronomical bump despite a wealth of musicians among the cast. And for another, it feels both long enough since “End of Beginning” faded from the charts and too soon since its initial viral surge for it to be storming back with such tenacity already.
Joe Lynch: 10! I really did not expect this coming. Had the song been featured in the finale, that number would be 7, but it’s almost unheard of for an actor’s song to go top 10 based on a TV show it never appeared in and has nothing to do with.
Andrew Unterberger: Probably a 9. Would be a 10, except that after “Running Up That Hill” became one of the biggest hits of a few years ago, no Stranger Things-related bump can really be a 10 again.
2. “End of Beginning” was not actually included in the Stranger Things finale, and in fact has never been in the show — it’s only connected through Joe Keery being part of the cast — but it got the biggest bump of any song following the episode. What do you think is the biggest reason that is?
Katie Bain: Steve was always one of the most lovable characters on the show and easily had the most endearing character arc, which helped the global love for Keery go into overdrive since the launch of season five and reach a sort of Beatlemania peak around the finale. Plus, Keery is the only cast member actively making music for fans to support right now, and the fact that his musical career has launched in tandem with the show means fans are essentially using Djo’s music to soundtrack the global event that was the extended season five release schedule — arguably the most powerful synch of all.
Kyle Denis: Stranger Things fans are sentimental. Many viewers have grown through their adolescence and young adulthood alongside the show, and it truly does feel like the “end of [the] beginning” of the first part of their lives — and the Stranger Things era of Joe Keery’s career. These days the intensity of a song’s emotional pull is often best measured by its popularity in edits and fancams. Unsurprisingly, Stranger Things fans have rallied around “End” to soundtrack their final montages to their beloved show, resulting in the track’s return to the top 10 on TikTok’s Top 50 trending sounds in the U.S.
Josh Glicksman: The intense speculation about his potential on-screen death may have given him a jolt beyond the series. Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer teased an untimely fate for Steve Harrington during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; following the finale, clips of a table read for that pivotal scene have been making the rounds. It’s well-known within the fan base that Keery’s character was initially supposed to last just a handful of episodes, and the mere thought of losing him near the end may have sent the masses to his music.
Joe Lynch: It helps that people knew the song already – it hit the Hot 100 back in 2024 and has now spent a total of 23 weeks on the tally so far. Plus, the song’s title, which literally includes the word “end,” lends itself to a certain wistful melancholy people experienced when a beloved show airs its final episode.
Andrew Unterberger: People seemed to be really worried about Steve! I can’t say I totally understand why; if there was ever a series finale that was unlikely to have any real casualties of consequence, it was this one. Steve Sanders was probably in more danger fighting mid-20s malaise in the Beverly Hills, 90210 finale than Steve Harrington was fighting Vecna in the Stranger Things capper. 3. The Stranger Things moment is now nearly two weeks in the rearview, but the “Beginning” is still doing impressively on streaming. Do you think it will climb into the top five, or is No. 6 going to end up standing as its peak (for this go-round anyway)?
Katie Bain: Much like Steve Harrington scaling the Squawk Radio tower to try to impress Nancy, I think this one could keep climbing. Kyle Denis: It’s big world, and there’s always a new audience to introduce a song too… and it’s also Q1, which is a notoriously quiet period for new music. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if “End” snuck a week or two in the top five.
Josh Glicksman: I’d wait one more week to see if it can crack the top five, but I’m not optimistic beyond that point for this go-round. He’s done a good job of maintaining momentum: An appearance at the Golden Globes on Sunday night as a presenter with Charli xcx is sure to keep him front of mind — particularly as the Brat star pushes a fan edit of their efforts — but as Stranger Things drifts further into the rearview, I’d expect “End of Beginning” to dip back down on the charts with it.
Joe Lynch: I would guess No. 6 is its peak just because of the Bruno Mars single debuting next week and the staying (or gaining) power of the rest of the top 5. If Bruno weren’t back, however, I would have said it had a shot at top 5.
Andrew Unterberger: I would say it’s next week or never for “End of Beginning” — but if “End of Beginning” has taught us anything over the course of its two increasingly unlikely chart runs, it’s to never say never with the Billboard Hot 100. If it doesn’t make it next week, maybe it will six weeks from now after radio scoops it back up, or maybe it will six months (or six years) from now for some far more unpredictable reason. Once a song gets through the door on the Hot 100, everything is on the table for it from there. 4. Though he’s managed to maintain a pretty devoted following since the breakthrough of “End of Beginning,” Djo hasn’t scored another Hot 100 hit since. Do you think “Beginning” re-peaking like this will have a positive impact on his career, or will it result in the song looming somewhat uncomfortably over the rest of his catalog?
Katie Bain: It’s possible that it will ultimately serve as a sort of anomaly in his catalog, given that there will never be another Stranger Things finale to supercharge streams and the rest of his music will land outside of the show’s run. But obviously this is a very ideal stepping stone in a musical career that’s already going quite well, with the show helping put Djo’s music into a lot of new ears, so I think this all has to serve as a multidirectional win that bodes well for his future.
Kyle Denis: Probably a mixture of both. Clearly Keery chose a stage name and kept his music and acting careers separate for a reason, so his signature song becoming synonymous with the final season of an era-defining series probably wasn’t his intention. Nonetheless, a re-peak of this magnitude is only a positive thing for the commercial longevity of his music career.Josh Glicksman: I can’t see much reason as to why cracking the top 10 on the Hot 100 would be a negative for Keery, but it’s hard to argue against the idea that “End of Beginning” is casting a sizable shadow over the rest of his work. Sure, The Crux lead single “Basic Being Basic” spent a week atop Alternative Airplay, but given the quality and breadth of his discography, I’m surprised nothing else has latched on long-term like “End of Beginning.” From “Mr. Mountebank” to “Potion” to “Flash Mountain,” there’s something in there for everyone across his catalog. Time to get moving on a deep dive, people.
Joe Lynch: The song’s resurgence is a clear win for his career – despite never featuring in the show, it’s intrinsically connected to it, and the show will likely remain a comfort-watch favorite for many folks for decades to come. Will it loom larger over the rest of his catalog? Probably, but I really don’t see a downside to being an indie guy with one massive hit that pays the bills and affords you some freedom to see what else you can do.
Andrew Unterberger: Long-term, I’m sure Joe Keery will appreciate the benefits that having a streaming perennial like “End of Beginning” will provide him in perpetuity. Short-term, I bet he’s doing a little bit of eye-rolling about the song popping off like this again. 5. With Stranger Things officially going off the air, what TV show do you think now takes its place as the single most valuable current show for synch placement?
Katie Bain: I don’t know if it’s the most valuable in terms of actual paychecks, but in terms of cachet, I think season two of Heated Rivalry and season four of White Lotus (both forthcoming) have to be extremely hot prospects. But with the Yellowstone juggernaut now wrapped, my metaphorical money is on its new spinoff Marshalls taking the cake in terms of reach and monetary value.
Kyle Denis: It’s gotta be Heated Rivalry.Josh Glicksman: Keep an eye on Euphoria. I’m interested to see if season three still has the juice — there’s lofty potential for synchs there.
Joe Lynch: Euphoria or The White Lotus. Obviously Heated Rivalry is as buzzy as TV gets right now, but when it comes to shows that reliably drive tune-in and conversation, those two are consistent heavyweights.
Andrew Unterberger: Heated Rivalry. It’s one thing to remind people about enormously popular songs that they’ve loved for decades, but it’s quite another to turn Canadian indie rock songs from 20 years ago into million-streaming sensations.
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