'End of Beginning' Lyrics & Meaning: Djo (AKA Stranger Things' Joe Keery) Becomes a Huge Hit Years Later!
Djo, also known as Stranger Things actor Joe Keery, is on top of the world!
The 33-year-old actor and singer’s “End of Beginning” just climbed to No. 1 the Billboard Global 200 as of Monday (January 12), becoming the biggest song in the world.
It stays hovering within the Top 10 of Spotify’s Viral 50, as well as within the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 as of January 2026. And the song is actually not new at all!
Keep reading to find out more…
Originally independently released in 2022, the song was re-released as a single from 2024′s DECIDE amid growing popularity.
At the time, Joe spoke out in an interview and said the song is inspired by his experience of leaving Chicago to move to Los Angeles following the success of Stranger Things.
“It’s about what it means to grow up and look back at a section of your life and kind of yearn for that, but then also to have a deep appreciation for what happened,” he said, noting how it mirrors the final season of Stranger Things. “It’s kind of a similar thing I was going through when I was looking back at my time in Chicago. It’s like the end of a period of my life.”
“And when I’m back in Chicago, I feel it / Another version of me, I was in it / I wave goodbye to the end of beginning,” he sings on the chorus, which has gone hugely viral on social media.
As of January 2026, upon the conclusion of Stranger Things, the song has become a No. 1 hit in the United Kingdom and several other countries, and a No. 6 hit in America after 23 weeks on the chart – and it’s still rising!
Listen to “End of Beginning”…
Read the lyrics to “End of Beginning”…
Watch some viral videos…
@emma.ems__ I can’t believe it’s over????❤️ #emma #djo #endofbeginning #strangerthings #steveharrington ♬ End of Beginning – Djo
@charliejpittman the first person to ever cover this song i think ! #djo #strangerthings #endofbeginning #strangerthings5 ♬ original sound – charlie pittman
@rollingstone #DJO performs #endofbeginning at #Chicago’s #lollapalooza #djonoedit @Lollapalooza USA ♬ original sound – Rolling Stone
@glamourgermany Der Song "End of Beginning" von #Djo (#JoeKeery von #StrangerThings), beherrscht weiterhin die Welt: Er hat 10 Tage hintereinander auf dem Spotify-Global-Ranking-Platz mit über 9,12 Millionen Aufrufe. ????Getty Images #SteveHarrington ♬ end of beginning djo – ⭐️
@nbcthevoice When @Max Cooper III sings on #Djo's #EndOfBeginning, we feel it. #TheVoice | @NBC and Peacock #VoiceKnockouts ♬ original sound – NBC's The Voice