12 Best Songs Inspired By Comic Book Superheroes - Page 2
6"Nobody Loves The Hulk" The Traits
Despite being a novelty-song originally sold at the back of comic books, "Nobody Loves The Hulk" by The Traits, a garage rock band from New York state, has actually stood up to the test of time. A near-perfect embodiment of the constant struggle that comes with being the green-skinned behemoth known as The Hulk, the track is much more nuanced than you'd think, and so it comes as no surprise that two bands covered the song in 2006 & 2007 (The Maggots and Tight Meat Duo, respectively). Touching upon various sympathetic elements of The Hulk's character, the song even comments on racism, though in a green-skin context.
5"Magneto And Titanium Man" Paul McCartney and Wings
A groovy and uplifting sound surrounds the tale of three major comic book villains, Magneto, the Titanium Man, and the Crimson Dynamo ("who came along for the ride"), who somehow convince Paul McCartney that his girlfriend is an evil villain robbing a bank. Apparently in-song McCartney doesn't realize he's teaming up with evil doers, and by the end of the track he realizes that his lady-friend is actually on the side of the angels, with the villains then fleeing in terror. The lady in question must pretty intimidating to scare off the master of magnetism and two robotic-Russian super soldiers. And yes, even though these comic book characters are villains, they're still of the “super” variety, so the track gets a place on this list. Besides, Magneto is more of an anti-hero anyway.
4"Thor (The Powerhead)" Manowar
Technically, this Manowar song could be an ode to the actual Norse god rather than the Marvel superhero incarnation of Thor, but that's just splitting hairs, as "Thor (The Powerhead)" can work both ways. No matter if the band is referencing the old school or modern version of Thor, the song's many references to thunder, Odin, and Mjolnir (Thor's hammer) still work, as does the track's hard rock energy and fierce guitar solos. Because if you're going to have a song all about Thor, it better be intense.
3"Batman and Robin" Snoop Dogg
Hearing Snoop Dogg rap about the Batman mythos, even going as far as to take up the mantle of the character within the song, is a piece geek-meets-hip-hop glory you never knew existed. Accompanied by The Lady of Rage (who assumes the role of Robin) the Batman-track uses sound bites from the live-aciton Batman show, and is very much a celebration of the franchise rather than a rap-parody.
2"Catch Me Now I'm Falling" The Kinks
Two songs feature super-heroic elements on The Kinks' sixth album Low Budget: "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" and "Catch Me Now I'm Falling." Since Superman songs are done to death, we're going to focus on the latter track, which used the character of Steve Rogers/Captain America to reflect the state of America at the end of the 1970s. With a "fall from grace" mood pervading the track, ""Catch Me Now I'm Falling" is praised as being incredibly poignant for the era, while also being a favourite among fans of the band.
1"Holy Wars...The Punishment Due" Megadeth
Thrash metal band Megadeth and Marvel's super badass known as the Punisher are a match made in music-comic heaven, and so it comes as no surprise Megadeth would create a song based on the character. The opening track to the band's 1990 album Rust in Peace, "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" is also a commentary on the Northern Ireland conflict known as The Troubles, which can easily be recognized after reading the first few stanzas of the song's lyrics.