One of the things that makes The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon different from previous versions of the legendary talk show is how its current host has put his personal stamp on it. On top of introducing recurring segments, like Thank You Notes, Fallon's version of The Tonight Show puts a heavy emphasis on adding music elements.
The most obvious music element of Fallon's talk show is that it has The Roots as its in-house band, thanks to the fact that its host stalked them for a year. Even though the talk show features one of the most respected bands of its generation, it also regularly has its guests take part in musical segments that are often fantastic. A recent example of that is the entertaining Stranger Things recap rap that was performed by the Netflix show's cast.
The Tonight Show provided Stranger Things fans with a swift four-season recap
On Nov. 25, 2025, the YouTube channel for The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon uploaded a one-minute, 18-second video. Subtracting the intro and outro of the video, exactly one minute of the video was dedicated to a musical performance of sorts. That part of the video featured clips of Stranger Things stars Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Gaten Matarazzo, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Maya Hawke, and Charlie Heaton "rapping."
When taken in sequential order, the compilation of clips recapped the story of Stranger Things seasons 1 through 4. On top of summarizing the story of the already released seasons of Stranger Things, the recap also features a pretty hilarious recurring joke. Of course, Noah Schnapp takes part in explaining important elements of the Stranger Things story, like when he states, "I go missing." However, Schnapp also regularly mocks how his hair has looked throughout the show's history by consistently calling out his bowl cut hairstyle.
Below are the fully lyrics of the Stranger Things recap rap.
"Dustin, Lucas, Will, Mike, me, Hawkins, Indy, 83, chillin', playin' D&D, I go missing, O-M-G, Demogorgon, something awful, major bowl cut, Eggo Waffle, Goodbye Barb, and Christmas Lights, the Upside Down, we shut it tight. Dustin, Lucas, Will, Mike, Max, Upside Down, it has some cracks, Will's possessed, Eleven's gone, major bowl cut, Demodogs, I like Nancy, I like Jon, I like Max, and Mom likes Bob, RIP, well so it goes. Guys, I'm back, the gate is closed.
Dustin, Lucas, Will, Steve, Robin, Starcourt Mall, the best in Hawkins, Mike, Eleven, we've been crushin', there's no time, they found the Russians, ice cream, spy team, Suzie-Poo, Billy's killing, get the crew, beat the Flayer, fight for glory, bowl cut, Neverending Story. Dustin, stop, look where the time is, Vecna's here, he wants to find us, Upside Down, it's right behind us, Chrissy, wake up, I don't like this, Vecna's coming, out to kill, hurry, go, Run Up That Hill, Mom's in Russia, I'm okay, but Elle's here, to save the day. "
When The Tonight Show released the video of the Stranger Things rap, they described it as a recap, which is apt. However, the truth is that the description is incomplete. That is the case because, on top of recapping what Stranger Things has been, the rap also teased where the Netflix show is going. While the tease of the series' future was very brief and sparse on information, it will still tantalize many of the show's biggest fans. Arguably just as importantly, the tease also allowed the running gag about Will's hair to be paid off, as Noah Schnapp got to celebrate his hair looking better in Stranger Things 5.
"Season 5, Vecna’s lair, don't start floating, in the air, one more year, with better hair, Stranger Things, we'll see you there."
Stranger Things season 5, part 1 arrives on Wednesday, Nov. 26 on Netflix. Part 2 arrives on Christmas Day 2025.