Comic book superheroes have been stirring imaginations for almost a century at this point, but it’s only been since the dawn of rock and roll that costumed do-gooders have regularly been immortalized in song as well. And while some...
Comic book superheroes have been stirring imaginations for almost a century at this point, but it’s only been since the dawn of rock and roll that costumed do-gooders have regularly been immortalized in song as well. And while some superhero-inspired tunes have become pop culture treasures, many have fallen into the musical memory hole. Here are ten examples spanning genres from surf rock to thrash metal that stand out as particularly memorable and — in some cases — are almost as beloved as the creations that inspired them.
Note: I am not including songs specifically written for comic book movies or TV shows, no matter how good they may be. Sorry, “Batdance” fans.
“Flight of the Batmobile” (Jan and Dean, 1966)
Jan and Dean, one of the pre-eminent surf rock groups of all-time, weren’t content to release just one song inspired by the Caped Crusader — they released an entire album. Released in 1966, Jan and Dean Meet Batman alternated between silly but fun rock homages and scripted comedy skits of questionable quality. Here’s an interesting little ditty that combines the two, “Flight of the Batmobile.”
“Nobody Loves the Hulk” (The Traits, 1969)
When you think of Marvel music in the Swingin’ ’60s, the first song that probably comes to mind is the theme to the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon. But this is every bit as great, albeit less groovin’ and more rockin’. The Traits, an obscure garage rock outfit from New York state, wrote a sympathetic tune to Dr. Bruce Banner’s alter ego. It’s appropriately aggressive, naturally, and was apparently a big enough deal to be advertised for sale in comic books.
Poor Bruce Banner
Was working in his laboratory
When he saw Rick Jones
About to go up in a blaze of glory.
Well he saved the boy
But what a change.
The explosion made him feel so strange
for his molecules had been rearranged
into The Hulk! The Hulk!
The Hulk is a monster who is
Ugly, oversized and green.
His strength is fantastic
And his disposition’s mighty mean.
And whenever people see him
All they do is run around and scream
‘Cause
Nobody loves The Hulk!
Nobody loves The Hulk!
Nobody loves The Hulk!
(’Cept you and me)
We don’t allow no green skin people in here!
The Pentagon announced that the
Hulk has got to be destroyed.
They shot at him with H-bombs but
The Hulk only became annoyed.
All he wanted to do was settle down
and get employed.
But
Nobody loves The Hulk!
Nobody loves The Hulk!
Nobody loves The Hulk!
“Captain America” (Jimmy Buffett, 1970)
This interesting tune from Jimmy Buffett’s debut album, Down to Earth, sounds more like Bob Dylan than it does the breezy, so-called Gulf and Western style that the King of the Parrotheads built his musical empire on. Nonetheless, it’s a clever and bouncy bit of folk rock that pays tribute to the hero who will “guard you against everything from atom bombs to rabies.”
“Ghost Rider” (Suicide, 1977)
Something about the spooky, droning arrangement to “Ghost Rider,” the first song on Suicide’s self-titled debut album, just feels right. In mind I can picture Ghost Rider, skull ablaze, riding a lonely, dark highway in search of evil. And as the pulsing synthesizers threaten to wash over me, I can almost forget that those horrible Nic Cage movies even existed.
“Holy Wars… The Punishment Due” (Megadeth, 1990)
If Megadeth was going to write a song about any comic book character, it only makes sense to write about one who is not afraid to do whatever it takes — kidnapping and murder among them — to fight his one-man war on crime. And so it was that Dave Mustaine wrote about the Punisher on the second half of the opening track to 1990′s Rust in Peace album, and created a thrash metal masterpiece in the process.
“The Ballad of Barry Allen” (Jim’s Big Ego, 2003)
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