Why Stranger Things & The X-Files sound similar
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- Опубликовано: 14 окт 2024
- The opening themes for both Stranger Things and The X-Files are built from the same chord, the minor 6th chord. I've analysed both themes to shed some light on why this particular chord is so good at building tension, unease and suspense.
An extra special thanks goes to Daniel Long, the channel’s Patreon saint! 😇
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📌NOTE: Some have responded to this video saying that the notes "E G B C" are just a "Em6" chord, not a "Em(b6)" chord. This disagreement seems to stem from jazz versus classical practices. In jazz and contemporary music, Em6 is the notes "E G B C#"... in other words it's an Em chord with an added 6th (the C#).
Dont worry i believe you David
But hey, Em(b6) is actually Cmaj7/E
@@gabrielmahutasoit8953 exactly and that’s how I view it
Ah, my favorite show, MINOR FLAT6
aka The X - Things aka Stranger Files
@A Box yep
Ah yes my favorite episode
Ah, the ill-fated 6th season of the British "Kids Bop" Reality TV show.
"I didn't come here to make fwends, I came here to whinge."
Okay, that intro was smoooooth
Actually it was kind of jittery but really well done!
Munzu r/wooooosh
@@wyattmay9554 how is it a woosh?
It’s not a joke, just criticism dumbass. r/whoooosh is when someone takes a joke seriously or doesn’t understand it fully.
Your the one that got wooshed
*watches first 35 secs*
Ino at?
*watches 5 more secs*
Ohhh minor flat
YES XD
Stranger things in my opinion has the best and eeriest theme on netflix
n o
@@notsoawesomeone explain
Dark
@@notsoawesomeone
Who does then?
Can you help me find where I asked?
Excellent analysis! Believe it or not, I was just watching the third season of Stranger Things, and for some reason during episode 8 it hit me, "Wait, the intro sounds an awful lot like The X-Files theme". So I did a Google search to see if anybody else noticed. Lo and behold your video popped up, and you had JUST PUBLISHED IT a few hours ago. Now if that isn't eerier than the music!
Haha lol true
Could it be..... a conspiracy.......?
*cue illuminati image fading in somewhere where theres a triangle*
228th like
I always thought it sounded like the gravity falls intro a bit-
I think Gravity Falls was also going for an Xfiles sound for its intro.
Gravity Falls is basically X Files and Stranger Things for kids
Much better than the Reverb video where the guy described the arpeggio as:
"a C chord with a B on top."
Huh. If only there were a name for that chord.
I'm thinkin maybe a B sus (#5, b9) inversion
@@tylerwelch9596 lol
Michael Talley Cmaj7?
@@shadpurplebld5398 swoosh!
The guy from Reverb did a great job at taking apart the different parts of the songs and explaining how the synths were chosen for these sounds considering their qualities and functions. It was a gear video aimed at beginners, not a theoretical course.
Stranger things theme is also a little bit detuned, right?
It has a modulator on it, so it mimics what is called 'wow and flutter' of well-used magnetic tape. This causes a detuned sound (where it oscillates the pitch slightly lower to slightly higher than the true pitch).
It's a bit stolen.
@@ChristopherRoss. Tape artifacts are pretty common in early 80s music. There are forums where bass players yell about why they can't get the pitches right when covering The Call's "When the Walls Came Down". Some say it was in some kind of quarter tone sharp tuning, others say it was in pre-60s English marching band tuning. But honestly, this song has tracks by two different keyboardists and they are in tune with the bass. Tape machine was just running microtonally fast that day.
profd65 Where do you think the theme is stolen from? Tell me an exact song, not just an artist.
@@josephwright5921
The X-Files theme, you stupid fuck.
I used to watch The X-Files, so when I saw Stranger Things I sort of thought, ah, sci-fi really loves arpeggios! Thank you for the insight on this, by the way, I think it's given me more appreciation for a show I already love, as I'd never have noticed that authentic harkening of a 70s and 80s vibe in the theme music itself having not lived through those decades :) And as an aside, the intro for this video was dope and I loved it
So glad you enjoyed it - thanks for watching. Yeah that intro (and the other visuals) made this video take about twice as long as a normal video but I'm pretty pleased with the result!
I also recall The Flash
Not sure if the Duffer Brothers did this or not, but many film and TV producers often use "temp tracks": popular music by other artists/composers in pre-production to let the new composers know what kind of sound or feel they're looking for. George Lucas used lots of classical works, including Holst's "The Planets", as temp tracks for Star Wars.
I do know that the Stranger Things opening theme was among a few unused ideas that had recorded and sent to the Duffer Bros and just tweaked it a little bit.
@@anhthiensaigon stranger things is similar to the flash theme
@@potatoalpacas6114 flash theme use arpeggio too but its to convey speed
You should look into why the Game of Thrones theme sounds exactly like Zelda's Song of Storms
I briefly analysed the GoT theme in my video about 'Sequence'. Thank you for the suggestion though :)
Yes! I feel like this is pretty widely recognized, and I'd love to know the actual music theory behind it
I don't hear it. At the very least, "exactly" is a gross exaggeration of the similarity.
nice to see you here chime
@@Richard_Nickerson The melody has some similarities, but it does indeed not 'sound exactly like' the Game of Thrones theme.
I knew is sounded like something I heard before but I figured it had that 80's vibe so I couldn't figure it out. Thanks!
They also sound very similar to the Spongebob theme in minor
Laughed so hard at how you snuck in that illuminati pyramid :))
Wait where?!?!?!??!!?!?
Where???
Oh! Found it XD should have watched the video first.
3:13.
that into was epic
Your channel is brilliant, David. Thank-you. 👍💖🎹
TheCynedd thank you 🙏
1:30 I'd argue that the X files theme does not use a repeating arp, that's just a delay effect with quite a high feedback
I’ve read/heard enough mark snow interviews to know it was indeed a delay effect. He said he sort of accident figured out the idea when he had the delay effect on and sort of out his hand down on the keyboard when trying to come up with the theme.
But in the end it’s all about how it sounds and it does sound close enough to an arp to argue what he is. If you didn’t have a delay effect and had to play it manually,you’d have to play an arp.
Ps. People should go listen to the original not this shitty remix. Not sure why he used this one while using the original Stanger Things
This is a cinematic device that has been in use for at least decades. It’s even better with major triads as lower structures. It’s Aeolian Major. James Horner uses that quite a bit in his science fiction film scores.
This video literally made me watch Stranger Things
Thank you David! It's one of my favorite shows^^
I think the two themes only sound vaguely similar. Yes, they might share some common notes and arpeggiations, but I think the Stranger Things draws more heavily from T. DREAM and Carpenter than X Files.
Em(b6) = Illuminati detected . hahaha! you got a dark sense of humor mate! peace!
Always watch through for the David Dieffenderfer mention
Me too, I don't know why?! Just a cool name I guess :)
Can't remember how I discovered this channel but SO glad I did !!
plica06 thank you!
How long did that intro animation take? :P
IIRC Netflix released an app that allows you to make edits of the title sequence.
Philosophiezerstörer Kant what’s it called
I did it manually on this Stranger Things theme acapella that I edited: ruclips.net/video/BlgPOm_4CPs/видео.html
Took a bit to get it smooth, but it was fun when it finally came together.
Just search for: stranger things intro creator on google
Seemed to take about 30 seconds
Hey, dude. I was listening to a song called, "Burning Beard" by Clutch. And the riff it uses makes it sound like it's in some weird time signature, but if you actually count it, it's 7/4. And you wouldn't be able to tell at first. Maybe, you could do a video on songs that use rhythms to trick the listener into hearing a totally different time signature than it is. Or you could talk on truncated polyrhythms, since that seems like what's in the song.
I knew everything you explained in this video already and yet I was excited throughout. Love how you zoomed in on the chord as the arpeggio played, like it's an alien discovery needing investigation.
A whole subgenre of Synthwave uses this trick, see bands like Dance Of The Dead, Perturbator and Carpenter Brut.
Carpenter brut is lit
3:13 (X-Files) Illuminati confirmed!
Very informative and excellent editing thank you....
Also, Laura's theme in Twin Peaks uses an em6 in the intro
The whole reason I started watching Stranger Things was for the music. I had Netflix already but had dismissed it as a kids show.
Well it has blood, violence, and cursing so I wouldn't consider it as a "kids" show.
I also just noticed that the Doctor Who theme's melody is a minor 6th starting from E!
There really seems to be a coherence in all of this!
And that's probably why my brain combines it with the X-Files theme sometimes.
Thanks again, Dave! Always entertaining, visually pleasing graphics, & informative!! Question: Do you have any idea of how many songs begin with the lyrics, "Woke up this morning" ? I know a lot of Blues tunes do. Have a great day!
Groundhogs day by primus does
@@lukesorensen9432 Thanks man! Left a comment on your channel!
"Do you feel like I do" by Peter Frampton
@@zibbybone thanks, man!
What an amazing video! Thank u for it ♥️
This was incredibly interesting. Thanks for posting it!
I think major b6 chords (which in reality exploit augmented chords) sound much more creepy
Makes sense for two shows that have the supernatural mystery theme going for them to have similar chords to be honest. To me that particular chord strongly conveys the feeling/dread of the unknown.
Selin Naz Sur fellow... homestuck?
No doubt, one of your best videos yet!
I just thought about the connection between both themes yesterday, Guess I wasn't the only one! :)
The synth music and synthwave music is some of my favorite music styles.
Fascinating video, thank you.
The best similarity I saw in Stranger Things theme is with the "wanna fight" scene of Only God Forgives movie.
Amazing video, as always! :)
Thank you for the insight on the theory behind it :)
That's not Em(b6), I think it's just Cmaj7 in first inversion, I perceive that chord as C major as well as the first one
I can agree even if technically it's an Em(b6). It's like how a Gm6 is the same as a Em7(b5)/G. It just depends on your perspective
Greetings from Poland! You are the best. Great content!
I always miss a reference to Synthwave and in particular to Darksynth in videos talking about Stranger Things. It's a rather big scene after a decade of continuous growing. Check out Perturbator, Carpenter Brut, Dance with the Dead, Lazerhawk...
Worth mentioning that "Sea Swallow Me" by Cocteau Twins starts very similarly on an arpeggiated maj7 chord
Great intro!
Is there a reason why it wouldn't be considered an inversion - CMaj7/E?
Seconded
You can consider it as such too, but David is highlighting the color of the mb6 chord, which is found in both themes. They are enharmonic, but calling the same thing different names shows it through different perspectives. Like glass and a mirror, for example. Hope this helps!
Additionally, that upper C note is native to both E natural minor and E harmonic minor. The only scale where it would be a "flat 6th" is E melodic minor. Obviously, these differences are semantic (i.e. we're all talking about the same notes), but as a fan of this channel I'm curious why David thinks of this chord as a minor flat 6th.
Good question. It is an inversion yes, but some chords (particularly those with more than three notes) can often be described with different names, even though they have the exact same notes. For example, Am7 is just a C6 in first inversion but that doesn’t mean one of those names is redundant... both names have their uses depending on context.
@@scottfauber It's a chord naming convention. Calling a chord "minor" only tells us about the third of the chord. The only chord note that is minor by default is the seventh.
That intro is amazing
The Eurythmics "Here Comes the Rain Again" uses that arpeggio as well.
The soundtrack to the Bad Blood episode of X Files (example near the end when Mulder and Scully meet in the parking lot after everything has gone down) made me think of the Stranger Things theme.
I never knew a video like this could exist. I recently started watching X Files, and noticed how similar the intro theme of Stranger Things was to X Files.
Definitely something commonly noticed by other people online and my friends. However I think they also sound similar to twilight zone and doctor who theme and I've been wanting to write a mashup.
If you're going to talk semi-tones and creepy music, do you think you'd ever touch on the original theme of Unsolved Mysteries (with Robert Stack)? Any genXer will tell you how they hid under the covers during that song, long before we knew what a semi-tone or "Diabolus in Musica" was.
Now I get excited when you've made a new video.
I needed this video!
best video intro i've ever seen. and that's saying a lot because i watch defunctlandTV.
Two years ago one of the all state band etudes I had to play started with an arpeggiated G minor flat 6 chord and all my friends said it sounded like the Stranger Things theme
That Illuminati logo got me 😂
TravisMoore what illuminati logo?!
This is soooooooo freakin' well done!!!!
Twin Peaks Laura Theme is the first time i discovered this chord.
Awesome channel ☘️😊❤️🎹
You have discussed the eeriness of the minor flat 6th chord.
I would enjoy a discussion on the beauty of the major 7th chord.
Obrigado
X files- my fave show and favorite tv theme song!! Thank you - this was interesting and fun!
I loved how you showed the Illuminati "all seeing eye" logo, haha.
Also the stranger things arpeggio is the same as used in The Flash, one of the harry potter themes, avengers theme, arrow, man of steel, justice league, and just about any superhero movie tbf.
Whoah, I just discovered that 'that song' is called oxygene part 2! An interesting video might be 'why the hell is this song used in so many hong kong kung fu flicks from the late 70's through the 80's. Usually in training scenes.
Better late than never. Jean-Michel Jarre was a pioneer in electronic music. I'm covering one of his song "Magnetic Fields 4" at the show I'm playing tonight.
Illuminati Confirmed
Nostalgia is the strongest weapon in nowadays music, movie, and photography.. People started to use synths that sounds 70's, music videos are made to look like VHS, or super 8mm. Film photography is on its rise again.. I get it and I love it. It gives us a strange feeling.. like we start thinking about something from the past, but we actually never experience that moment.. it's strange, but it's awesome..
Genius video, you got a new subscriber here!!!
Striving For Normality thank you! 😊
Great video.
Impresive ❤️
Great video!
Daniel Kubacki thanks! 😊😊
I like your sweater.
Stranger things theme second chord functions as an inversion of Cmaj7 and not Emb6. It's bass arpeggiation resulting in chord inversion.
The bit 50 seconds in to the x files theme always reminds me of the ending of Kansas dust in the wind and vice versa.
This is brilliant
cheers mate :)
need to watch some x-files.
It's on Hulu! It's SO GOOD, one of my two favorites, the other being Doctor Who.
Hi! Great and interesting video, as usual.
I have a couple questions for your next Q&A (or for another video, who knows).
1 I can think of many songs with happy music and depressing lyrics, but can you think of some songs that do the opposite? Sad music, happy lyrics? I can imagine why the first contrast would work so much better (it makes more sense to hide something sad into a catchy melody), but there has to be some example of the second case.
2. Right before watching this video, I was listening to Angus & Julia Stone - Other Things, that seems to feature a guitar part which is definitely out of tune: so much that it must be on purpose. How does it work? How can you play somethin out of tune without destroying the song? how can you use it artistically?
Sorry for my English, not my first language. Anyway, keep up the good work!
Alessio Lerda thank you for your questions! I’ll try to fit them into my next q and a! Next q+a will be when I hit 100k so it might be a while still!
@@DavidBennettPiano guess I'll have to spread the word...
I recorded both these songs and people were saying it was similar in the comments, but I thought it was because both were arpeggios in C Major
@ 5:49 Oh yes! Thanks for this! Now I know the title. I've been looking for it for long years...
God I just love music this good
Ur by far my favorite one of these music analysis channels
Radiophonics Workshop's original theme from Doctor Who may not be scary, but it's still the most futuristic sounding piece of music. I wish they hadn't gone to orchestrations for the more recent series/seasons.
Nice video! I got interested in Stranger Things primarily because of the retro synth score (which sounded primarily Carpenteresque to me, but I can definitely here the X Files vibe). I was wondering though whether the “flat 6” part of min flat 6 was redundant, because the minor scale usually has a flat 6? Or maybe that’s just because I always default to natural minor, but it might be different when you’re spelling chords rather than referring to scales?
voltlife so this is a common misconception that I too used to be confused about. ‘Em6’ refers to E G B C# as the 6 is defaultly drawn from the major scale, not the minor scale. So if you want E G B C you have to specify that the 6 is flat.
Okay, I get the idea of feeling the tonic from C to Emb6... but being they are still comprised of the same notes, for the sake of they key, simply C maj 6/5 would be a better way (in my opinion) to identify that chord.
the only reason that the piano in X-files seems to arpeggiate isn't due to the composition, but because of the processing of the piano, there's a DSP unit called a delay used to give it that echoing sound.
A min flat 6th is really an inverted maj7th with the third in the bass. Thats what the ear perceives
You could make the same argument for any chord of 4 notes or more.
@@DavidBennettPiano yes but maj7 is a better description 😏😉 jk
The Stranger Things intro keeps making me think of Westworld. Can't recall where in the Westworld music that shows up though
Welcome to season 1 of 'Minor flat 6'.
thank you for that analysis! I'm also curious how they figured it out, they were just noodling around or said: "lets just try minor flat 6"?
3:13 i see what you did there
robban3101 saw what?
@@DavidBennettPianoShould've said "eye see"
Stranger things theme reminds me of Running man, Miami vice, both themes and Timecop.
Because they’re both made with first inversion 7th chords. There. Saved u the time
@David Bennett Piano: Sorry M80 ... to me it sounds more like any of several Tangerine Dream pieces ... I have not quite put my ear, I mean my finger on it, but I will ... TD has a massive catalog of music
Great video!! thanx it explain a lot :)
Thank you!
Nice!
X-cells and chromatic polychords produce the best suspense themes.
♭6 ♭2 is another ½ suspense trick in Western music.
Want mystery? Double Harmonic Lydian, 1 ♭2 3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7 aka Composite 2 Scale
That intro was amazing
I love the thing from The Thing, Ennio Morricome was a genius .