How CG5 Channeled His Newfound Love for Stranger Things Into His New Single, ‘Strangest Thing’
Excited for Season 4, Volume 2 of Stranger Things? So was indie singer-songwriter Charlie Green, aka CG5—which is why his hot new single, "Strangest Thing," is an ode to the beloved series.
Inspired by the show and the aesthetics and unique sounds of the '80s, CG5 brought this track to life in an unusual way, figuring out the look and feel of the music video with the help of director Justin Marmostein before he'd even written the song. It was a risk, but one that paid off, with the song's pulsing, driving sound instantly absorbing listeners as the video takes them on a journey through The Upside Down. We knew it was special from the first listen, and we got the chance to ask CG5 precisely what the track, and its lyrics, mean to him.
The Story Behind 'Strangest Thing'
CG5: "Strangest Thing" is a song heavily inspired by the story and characters of Stranger Things. In all honesty, I was only introduced to Netflix's Stranger Things through a couple of episodes that I caught a glimpse of over the years until Season 4 came out—then I wanted to know why the redhead girl was floating and listening to "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush…
So, I binged the show from start to finish and I became hooked. Needless to say, I'm a huge fan! Truly, the music of the '80s in the show inspired and motivated me heavily to write this song. I grew up listening to only '80s music, such as Hall & Oates, Phil Collins, Bonnie Tyler, you name it! Hearing all that music in the show made me really excited to write the song.
When I was talking to the director for the music video, Justin Marmorstein, about what I wanted for this song's video, I didn't even have the song yet! I was on vacation in England with my father and little brother, and I was too excited to get this project going. So I really wanted to get everything for the video squared away before I even got home to start working on the song. I was being quite ambitious. But I knew exactly what I wanted and how I wanted it to look.
When I got home, the work began. I only had two days to make the song from start to finish, before I had to go out to Los Angeles to shoot the video. The timeline on this project was tighter than ever. We really wanted to get this song out on July 1, the same day as Netflix's volume II of the season. Thankfully, we succeeded on all fronts.
Also read about: Stranger Things' Hendrix Yancey Shares Her Superfandom and Millie Bobby Brown's Epic Set Prank
What 'Strangest Thing' Means
CG5: When I wrote this song in the theme of Stranger Things, I wanted it to be interesting to anyone listening to the song—whether or not they were a fan of the show. So when you listen to the song, I want you to pretend that you're on a mysterious and exhilarating adventure. It's an immersive experience that I felt like I was having while I was making the song and recording the music video. I hope listeners feel that, too.
Also read about: Tinsley and Anniston Price on Playing Holly Wheeler and Growing Up on the Set of Stranger Things
CG5's Favorite Lyric
CG5: I loved all the creative rhyming that I was doing throughout the song. I love rhyming, it's my favorite! But I love the lyric, "What if fear was a neighbor in favor with death?" The neighbor that I am referring to that embodies fear is basically all of the fantastic monsters and enemies that the characters in the show come across, but with the way I wrote this lyric, it could mean something else to anybody. It doesn't have to be specific to the circumstance that I'm writing about. So I hope that everybody that listens to the song finds meaning in it for themselves.
Just as obsessed with Stranger Things? Click HERE to read our interview with Martie Blair, who played young Eleven in the new season of the show.