In case you aren’t sick of hearing about Stranger Things yet, Iron Maiden have now given their stamp of approval for the show’s Piece of Mind Easter egg, which is once again a scene that involves the show’s beloved rock fan Eddie Munson.
During one scene of the show’s fourth and most recent season, the characters all scramble to find a song to save Nancy, and are seen running around digging through cassette tapes. As Robin flips through the tapes, Munson asks them what they’re looking for in particular, in which she responds, “Madonna, Blondie, Bowie, The Beatles — music! We need music!”
Munson then grabs one of the tapes and holds it in front of his face, hilariously screaming, “This is music!” And what he’s holding is a copy of Maiden’s 1983 album Piece of Mind.
See a video of the scene below.
Of course, the scene has since become a meme, and people are posting their favorite album over the Iron Maiden cassette. But we think the original image is absolutely perfect, and so do Iron Maiden, apparently.
“We’re with you, Eddie!” the band wrote in a tweet with a screenshot of the scene. Coincidentally, their mascot is named Eddie as well.
Or maybe it’s not a coincidence. Munson is the season’s key heavy metal ambassador. Actor Joe Quinn later revealed that he prepared for the role by listening to a ton of metal, and he’s a self-professed Metallica fan. Additionally, he sported a giant Dio patch on his denim jacket during the show and even shreds Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” during the intense final episode.
The show has had such a profound impact musically that “Master of Puppets” was pushed into Spotify’s Top 50-Global chart within days of the final episode airing. As a result, the band is experiencing an influx of new fans, and even had to address gatekeepers on their TikTok account.
“FYI – EVERYONE is welcome in the Metallica Family. Whether you’ve been a fan for 40 hours or 40 years, we all share a bond through music,” Metallica wrote. “All of you started at ground zero at one point in time.”
Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” has become one of most viral songs of the year on TikTok due to its inclusion in Stranger Things as well, so perhaps Iron Maiden’s Piece of Mind will experience a spike in streams and downloads as well.
Kudos to Stranger Things for putting rock and metal in the spotlight, even if only for a little while.
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