To commemorate our Superhero Issue we’ve pulled some of the most famous and recognizable Tunes from our favorite movies and TV shows starring…superheroes. Get ready for some new tunes and some blasts from the past.
Coldplay – Atlas
The new Hunger Games movie comes out this month and fans have been rabidly waiting for over a year. Thankfully this track featured in the movie leaked a little early to help tide us over. It’s Coldplay at their best, starting with a beautiful piano solo and thematically tying into what it means to be a hero. Atlas was a Greek God who carried the weight of the world on his back, literally, and heroes definitely feel a strong tie to him, especially our winners of the Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta.
Evanescence – Bring Me To Life
This tune takes us back to 2003. Ben Affleck and now wife Jennifer Garner starred in Daredevil, which followed the mythical blind superhero. He was a man blinded by toxic waste, which also enhanced his remaining senses, who was able to fight crime as an acrobatic martial arts superhero. While the movie received plus minus reviews, it brought together one of Hollywood’s super-couples and it did EXTREMELY well in the Soundtrack space…particularly due to two monster hits from Evanescence. The first is Bring Me To Life, particularly apt for a superhero movie where Daredevil needs to assume and bring to life his new, heroic identity.
Evanescence – My Immortal (Daredevil)
The second smash hit from Daredevil is also attributed to Evanescence. This one is a little more romantic in tone and definitely plays on themes of heroism and what it means to love and be loved by someone struggling with their own power – a theme that relates clearly to superheroes but also to most of us at large.
Remy Zero – Save Me
Superman is definitely one of the most iconic heroes of the canon. Smallville was a special show in that it broke ground in modernizing and making the genre especially relevant and paved the way for a bevy of TV shows (there are at least 3 new ones this season that probably wouldn’t exist if not for Smallville). Remy Zero’s song Save Me became iconic as the theme song for Smallville and probably will always be best remembered thusly. Check it out!
Maroon 5, Rozzi Crane – Come Away to the Water
When not hosting The Voice, Adam Levine continues to prove that he has an amazing one of his own. This tune, featuring newcomer Rozzi Crane, was featured in the first Hunger Games soundtrack. It’s haunting, inspiring and lingers with you long after it ends, much like the first movie did. It most sharply recalls the tender moment in which Katniss’s young friend dies and she provides her a makeshift burial of sorts and dedicates the rest of the “Game” to her. This song speaks better for itself, however, than any description. Check it out here.
Arcade Fire – Abraham’s Daughter
Biblical references are the original Superhero stories. Who better than the Arcade Fire to tackle the sweeping, epic and emotionally-wrenching sound that accompanies those themes? This song was featured in The Hunger Games throughout and over credits and bookended an intense journey for audiences.
How Soon Is Now – The Smiths
When pointing to pop song crossover into the superhero genre, it’s impossible to ignore the appropriation of The Smith’s classic, “How Soon Is Now” for the Charmed Theme song. Much like the Smallville theme song, this version became inextricably tied to the show for a generation and those opening notes will instantly recall the The Charmed Ones.
Coldplay – ‘Til Kingdom Come (Amazing Spiderman)
Again, Coldplay’s powerful yet restrained vocals team nicely with themes power lasting long beyond their time. ‘Til Kingdom Come was a popular single in it’s own right but reached astronomical chart topping levels when it was featured in The Amazing Spiderman. It matches up with the movie both thematically and tonally and Chris Martin’s voice scored a win with fans of Spiderman.