Comic-film legitimacy is once again returning after The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises and Spider-Man movies wreaked utter havoc in theaters around the world this year, smashing records with casual ease. After a summer blockbuster of epic proportions, it’s important to remember that rock loves its superheroes, too. In the spirit of that idea, we’ve compiled a list of Ten Songs About Superheroes. These tunes rang from soul to weird electronic and they absolutely kick ass. So, without further ado…
Top Ten List ASSEMBLE!!
How much more respect for comics can you muster than to have one of the Beatles sing about a super villain? This is a weird one though because it’s not just about Magneto and Titanium man, it’s about them talking to somebody about a girl. Just for shits and giggles Sir Paul and the band toss in the Crimson Dynamo because that’s how Paul McCartney rolls!
At some point in the nineties it became cool to be down with Saturday morning cartoons. It’s too bad nobody told the kids who beat the shit out of me for liking them, but I digress. To cash in on the craze a covers album was released of alternative bands rocking out theme songs. One of the best of the bunch is this Gigantor cover by Helmet. Not only is the riff cool but Helmet’s music kind of fits with the whole Gigantor thing.
Yeah, I know, for the most part Jimmy Buffet sucks, but not here. This folksy look at the leader of the Avengers has a real Wilson Pickett vibe. I also dig the guy who made me hate Hawaiian shirts and frat kids, belting out admiration for Captain America.
Some will argue this song is less about the Marvel superhero and more about the actual mythic figure Thor. For me, this is all about the superhero simply because of the comic book nature by which Manowar deliver the tune. “Thor the mighty, Thor the brave, crush the infidels in your way”? Come on, nothing is more comic book than that!
I know what you’re going to say. “Iann, why this song and not one of the Prince jams from the 1989 Batman?” At the risk of getting firebombed, I hated the Tim Burton Batman movies. Of the multiple reasons I had hate, one of them was the ridiculous dance soundtrack from Prince. Don’t get me wrong, I love Prince, but I couldn’t get with his Batman songs. On Batman To The Rescue we get a veteran soul singer belting out what’s best about the Dark Knight. How can you beat that?
Dirty, ugly and grim. Those describe both the riff for this Entombed tribute to Wolverine and the character himself. I can’t think of a better band or genre to write a tune about a mutant with built in knives who is the best at killing anything. I also dig that Entombed had enough self-awareness that they could write a killer jam about one of my favorite characters ever. Logan would be proud.
This is pure gold. A Marvel mail order single performed by a New York state 60s garage band named The Traits. During this era in comics Marvel’s new stance on making superheroes “just like us” was adored by 60s college kids. The whole counterculture was getting down with heroes like Spider-Man and The Hulk, so Marvel decided to cash in on it. I would give anything to find an actual copy of this.
Pre-punk electronica noise band singing about Ghost Rider and referring to the flaming skull demon as cute, it just doesn’t get any better. Not only were Suicide so ahead of the curve that they pretty much created it, they also had fabulous taste in comic books. This song is perfect for the character, weird, unsettling and completely devoid of humanity.
The greatest hero theme song ever written performed by the Ramones with animated Ramones doing superhero stuff and shots from the old Spider-Man cartoon? Yep, I’ll be fully on board for that. Even if you hate the Ramones and Spider-Man, you can’t deny the absolute awesome sauce of this cover. I still rock this jam today and dance around my house to it. It’s one of the last great things the Ramones did before they broke up.
Freddy Mercury and the gang singing in seventies full rock fury about Flash Gordon. This is the best superhero song ever written, hands down. In fact the soundtrack to this ultra cheese ball eighties version of Flash Gordon is so brilliant it almost makes up for the movie. The intro is Max Von Sydow, which just ramps up the amazingness. I defy anybody to listen to this song and not want to go out and save the world.
