Normally music isn’t my forté or something I’d try to give advice about, but superheroes, that’s a whole other thing! And really, what would our superheroes be without some of the music that reminds us of them? It can add to a certain scene, make us think of that certain hero/villain, and even make us feel like superheroes ourselves! So here’s my pick (right this moment anyway) of my favourite superhero songs that either make me smile or make me think of a certain hero (or.. villain… ).
The Avengers – ‘Theme’ (Alan Silvestri)
Having been in the front seat of a car driven by Hawkeye while dressed as Black Widow with this song blaring out the window, I can honestly tell you that I’ve never felt more like an Avenger in all my life. This song just gives you that surging feeling in your chest that makes you feel like you could jump out of a window, tackle Loki and kick Ultron’s shiny metal behind, all within the time it takes for this song to play out. Yes, it’s that powerful!
Captain America: The Winter Soldier – ‘Winter Soldier’ (Henry Jackman)
So I may be a little biased here because I adore the Winter Soldier as a character (moreso the comic book version but that’s a whole other thing), but this song right here, once it properly kicks in, oh it more than does the job with representing the assassin himself. It’s mechanical in a way which truly makes you think of the man himself with that arm of his, and not only that but it’s almost menacing and it gives the perfect picture of the Winter Soldier stood in the middle of the road, ready to take down Nick Fury and anyone else who gets in his way.
Guardians of the Galaxy – ‘Come and Get Your Love’ (Redbone)
Did you honestly think I’d leave this one out? Heck no! Guardians did such a fantastic job with their soundtrack that I had to include it in this list somewhere, and what better than the song that brought us the title sequence of the film itself? It’s a song that makes you smile, makes you want to groove just like Starlord and yes, I have done just that on more than one instance, in fact I’m grooving right now! So it’s not exactly ‘superhero’ inspiring, but I like to think of it as more of a… reminder of how fun Guardians of the Galaxy was as a film and how it’s not always just themes when it comes to our favourite superhero films.
Batman Animated Series – ‘Say We’re Sweethearts Again’ (Earl Brent)
A song I was convinced had been written for Harley for the animated series, but no, I was completely wrong. It was written for a film called Meet the People, but used to perfection in an episode called ‘Harlequinade’ and honestly, it’s so perfectly chosen for Harley to sing about the Joker, just have a listen to those lyrics, have a little giggle at Harley and yes, watch the video as she performs on stage!
Captain America – ‘The Star Spangled Man’ (The Star Spangled Singers)
Not so much an amazing superhero song, but by golly gosh (Cap is rubbing off on me), it’s damn amusing when you listen to the lyrics and remember the scene it was used in with Cap himself on stage, trying his best to put on the ‘Captain America’ act for all the audiences he travels around to. I especially like the moment where he has his script taped on the inside of his shield, only to see him get so used to it that he recites his lines like a professional! The song itself makes me want to don a Captain America showgirl outfit and march out onto a stage with a shield myself!
Batman Returns – ‘Catwoman’s Theme’ (Danny Elfman)
There’s something very beautifully haunting about this one in particular, but maybe that’s just Danny Elfman‘s influence there. It’s extremely recognizable as one of Elfman‘s themes and is used to perfection throughout the film whenever we see the lovely Selina Kyle herself. My favourite use of the theme? When Selina arrives back to her apartment after being pushed out of the window and brought back to life by a pack of cats. Selina’s sanity seems to slip right before our eyes and before we know it, the theme has kicked in (almost beautifully sad in a way), and she has begun to destroy the perfect pink, frilly life she’s put together in her apartment. We see her become Catwoman right in front of us and it is honestly one of my favourite scenes.
