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Stranger Things' David Harbour Reveals His Totally "Embarrassing" Vecna Song

By Paige Strout Aug 18, 2022 5:27 PMTags

David Harbour knows his Vecna song—and it's not what we'd expect.

One would think the song that would save the Stranger Thing star from the grasp of the series villain Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) would be one of his wife Lily Allen's tunes. But for his actual pick, he's throwing it back to the '90s.

"'Mr. Jones' by Counting Crows, I'm sure would bring me back," David—who plays Jim Hopper on the hit Netflix series—exclusively revealed on the Aug. 17 episode of E! News' Nightly Pop. "Bring me back to college."

For those not caught up on Stranger Things, the show's gang of teens discovered in season four that music is the key to breaking the evil Vecna's trance after Sadie Sink's Max Mayfield narrowly escaped his clutches with the song "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" by Kate Bush.

David admitted to Nightly Pop's Morgan Stewart and Hunter March that he often finds his taste in music "so embarrassing," adding, "I rarely reveal it."

"My sort of college years were the early '90s," the 47-year-old explained, "so that's really where music became very important, was like sitting around in the dorm room, jamming out to Counting Crows and Stone Temple Pilots."

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Stranger Things Season 5: Everything We Know

One thing he's not ashamed to admit is his former crush on co-star Winona Ryder, who plays Joyce Byers. And after several seasons of missed romantic opportunities, the two finally hooked up in season four after Joyce and Murray (Brett Gelman) rescued Hopper from a Russian prison.

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As for whether he or his character was more nervous about the much-anticipated moment, the Black Widow actor didn't hesitate. "Hopper's a pretty cool customer," David told Nightly Pop. "He manages to do things that would make me piss my pants on a daily basis. So, I would say that David Harbour was far more nervous than Hopper was."

And while the actor can't reveal what's in store for his character in the show's fifth and final season, he did tease the potential return of Hopper's iconic facial hair.

"I got a real affinity for Hopper's season three mustache," he joked. "There's nothing quite like a guy in the '80s with a mustache, is there? I might have to bring the mustache back. We'll see."

Check out the full interview above to hear how he got into shape for Stranger Things season four thanks to his partnership with Brooks Running.

Stranger Things season four is now streaming on Netflix.