I like superheroes. Big ones, small ones, dark ones, silly ones, male, female... a hero in spandex fighting crime and saving the world is just awesome and we have thousands of them. But no matter how popular Spider-man is, no matter how much money Captain America makes, no matter how iconic Superman is, there is one superhero who consistently just has THE best music.
I can't think of any hero that even comes close.
Let's start at the beginning. The VERY beginning.
Batman 1940s Serials
Even in his first on-screen appearances, while nothing that would get you humming, a certain tone was struck with the Dark Knight. The music is both bombastic and triumphant, yet also filled with minor key inflections that make it far moodier than the serials of, say, Captain America were at the time. It wasn't much... but it was setting the groundwork for the way Batman would sound decades later.
Of course, when Batman came back in the 60s, he came back in a BIG way... and everybody knows this one:
Adam West 60's Batman Theme
Na na na na na na... BATMAN! For years after its release, THIS was the theme of Batman. Even long after the 60's faded to memory, this song remained, stuck in our heads. Your brain is singing it right now. And yet... it's a perfect campy Batman song. This is the quintessential 60s Batman, the one in comics fighting Martians and wearing Zebra costumes for wacky reasons. it's energized, it's catchy, it's action-packed, and yet it's still in minor key with just a tinge of moody noir. What can I say? This song has endured for half-a-century and will continue to do so for years to come. For better or worse, it defined Batman for a whole generation.
Which is why it would take something major, in visuals and music, to challenge the public's perception of what Batman was. Cue the 1989 Tim Burton movie.
Batman 1989 Theme
Danny Elfman created, in my opinion, the perfect Batman theme song. To this day, THIS is the Batman theme I think of when I imagine Batman, in any and all medias. Dark, brooding, brassy, gothic... it's the song that truly feels like a creature of the night stalks the dark, smokey alleys of Gotham hunting criminal prey to terrorize. The movie OPENS with nothing but this music and the logo, and with music alone you fully understand what Burton's about to do with the character. The memory of the campy and colorful Batman fades as a new era of Batman appears that will forever alter the general public's perception of the character. Elfman's theme resonates and defines this new Batman and, in my opinion, no theme has since surpassed it.
But that's not to say we haven't gotten damn close, especially when Elfman himself had a hand with the Batman: Animated Series title theme.
Batman: The Animated Series Opening
Batman Animated Series Ending
The Batman: Animated Series is perfect. I mean that. It's flawless. I could go on about the series itself, but this is just the music, expertly adapted with Danny Elfman's help by the superbly talented Shirley Walker. The original opening is extremely similar to the movie theme, to its benefit... and if that was all, it STILL would be one of the best-sounding Batman adaptations ever made...
But Shirley Walker really went above and beyond and, in fact, her theme for Gotham itself eventually became the show's new theme into future seasons.
The Adventures of Batman and Robin theme
This theme was used far more frequently in the actual series and soon became just as iconic as the Elfman theme for many viewers. It was equally dark, brooding, tragic, sweepingly gothic, but also triumphant and heroic in the best ways. The show always managed to combine melancholic themes of sorrow and sacrifice against brooding heroics, and this theme accomplishes it in spades, which is why it was adapted even further...
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm theme
The culmination of all of Shirley Walker's brilliant work. No Batman theme has ever been as gothic, as orchestral, as transcendent. It gives me chills and is second only to the Danny Elfman theme in my mind as the greatest Batman theme ever... and it's REALLY close. It's mysterious, it's dark, it's just friggin' epic.
Batman Forever theme
Joel Schumacher's stab at the Batman movies is not often regarded fondly these days, but... the music isn't half bad. Schumacher specifically told composer Elliot Goldenthal to mimic Elfman's score and he does an admirable job, with a brooding, gothic, heroic score that pays homage to Elfman's classic while doing its own thing, adding in far more dissonance and industrial tones to the score, giving this Batman movie and its follow up a very strange, almost otherworldly sound.
Meanwhile, back in the animation world...
The Batman & Superman Adventures
Long before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Subtitles, WB smashed their two icons together in alternating cartoon blocks and took steps to create the bigger DCAU on the small screen. The music that introduced the episodes thus had to pull double-duty of being as dark, brooding, and mysterious as Batman... and as joyful, triumphant, and heroic as Superman. Pulling that off was going to be nearly impossible... and yet, here we are. While it's not the most memorable of the Batman soundtracks, it does a great job having his somber themes play counter to Superman's celebratory melodies and the two, like in the show, somehow work together in harmony.
Now, after Schumacher buried Batman, Christopher Nolan was rebuilding him in a new, grounded image, and he brought the legendary Hans Zimmer along for the ride.
Batman Begins theme
The Dark Knight theme
Zimmer's Batman Begins theme is... honestly, I find it to be a fairly generic, but supremely well-done, Batman theme. It's a beautiful theme, but I honestly feel like it lacks the memorable punch of prior Batman themes. But then The Dark Knight came out punching, with a drum-heavy, pulsating Batman theme that was a brooding, fast-paced ride of a theme of crashing, pounding minor melodies that felt frenetic, dark, and truly appropriate for an epic stand-off with a being as mad as the Joker. It's easily the most exciting Batman theme ever composed and there's a reason it stuck around for TDKR. It's the modern Batman theme for a modern world.
The TV shows were going through countless changes at this point, though, to many extreme results.
First, DCAU took Batman into the future...
Batman Beyond Theme
Techno-rock Batman. This isn't the slow, brooding Batman of the past. This is a new engine. Lightning fast and loud. Younger, edgier, forward-thinking. For such an experimental Batman show to begin with, its electronic rock theme quickly and effectively set the tone.
DC would try a new approach to Batman with The Batman a few years later.
The Batman theme
Sexy crime noir. Jazzy, a tad campy, but no denying it has a certain style all its own. It was a callback to detective eras long past and, while not my favorite, fit the show's style just fine. They changed up the theme every season, but I felt this was the most effective one.
Similar to Batman: The Brave & The Bold.
Batman: The Brave & The Bold Theme
Campy, silly, weird... This took obvious admiration and affection for the Adam West show and its tone and applied it to modern sensibilities. While punchy and energized, it's also probably the only major theme for Batman that I feel doesn't evoke "Batman" to me and could be applied to many other heroes. It would have made an equally good theme song for The Tick.
DC, at this point, has been rebooting Batman more and more frequently, and one of the latest stabs is Beware the Batman.
Beware the Batman
At just 30 seconds, it's one of the shortest themes... and that's kind of a shame, because what is there is actually pretty effective at creating a pretty interesting mood. It reminds me of something sung by 40's lounge singers in an atmospheric noir detective film. It's short, but it's effective at putting me in a particular Batman mood.
Meanwhile, in another medium, the Arkham series was just kicking off...
Batman: Arkham City theme
While Arkham Asylum's theme is also great, and Arkham Knight's theme has its merits, it's the Arkham City theme that really hits it out of the park and left its mark. This is the theme that I feel is like a "greatest hits" of the previous greats: it's got the feel of Elfman, the pulsating percussion of the Zimmer score, yet the sweeping gothic feel of the Shirley Walker pieces. Composer Nick Arundel created one of the greatest, underrated Batman themes, tapping into that tragic, gothic vibe that defines Batman's crusade, sweeping into the realms of pensive introspection, dynamic action, soaring heroics, and bittersweet resolutions. It's a brilliant look at Batman in a microcosm.
So many different Batman adaptions. So many different composers. So many different tones and styles. And yet... unlike Spider-man, unlike the X-men, unlike Superman, unlike almost every other hero, Batman's music to me is still instantly recognizable. I hear any of these themes and I can immediately tell you which hero they belong to, no matter how much they differ from one another. And this list was far from complete; there are many other melodic additions to the Batman soundtrack library.
Of course, it could be argued that only recently did we get the GREATEST Batman theme ever...
Batman Lego Song
Whether in films or on TV, in cartoons or in video games, no superhero packs the audible punch that Batman does. Regardless of the quality or merits of his upcoming shows or movie appearances, Batman's music continues to be a delight, and I look forward to whatever the future may bring.
So, what's YOUR favorite(s), and is there any noteworthy ones I missed?
I can't think of any hero that even comes close.
Let's start at the beginning. The VERY beginning.
Batman 1940s Serials
Even in his first on-screen appearances, while nothing that would get you humming, a certain tone was struck with the Dark Knight. The music is both bombastic and triumphant, yet also filled with minor key inflections that make it far moodier than the serials of, say, Captain America were at the time. It wasn't much... but it was setting the groundwork for the way Batman would sound decades later.
Of course, when Batman came back in the 60s, he came back in a BIG way... and everybody knows this one:
Adam West 60's Batman Theme
Na na na na na na... BATMAN! For years after its release, THIS was the theme of Batman. Even long after the 60's faded to memory, this song remained, stuck in our heads. Your brain is singing it right now. And yet... it's a perfect campy Batman song. This is the quintessential 60s Batman, the one in comics fighting Martians and wearing Zebra costumes for wacky reasons. it's energized, it's catchy, it's action-packed, and yet it's still in minor key with just a tinge of moody noir. What can I say? This song has endured for half-a-century and will continue to do so for years to come. For better or worse, it defined Batman for a whole generation.
Which is why it would take something major, in visuals and music, to challenge the public's perception of what Batman was. Cue the 1989 Tim Burton movie.
Batman 1989 Theme
Danny Elfman created, in my opinion, the perfect Batman theme song. To this day, THIS is the Batman theme I think of when I imagine Batman, in any and all medias. Dark, brooding, brassy, gothic... it's the song that truly feels like a creature of the night stalks the dark, smokey alleys of Gotham hunting criminal prey to terrorize. The movie OPENS with nothing but this music and the logo, and with music alone you fully understand what Burton's about to do with the character. The memory of the campy and colorful Batman fades as a new era of Batman appears that will forever alter the general public's perception of the character. Elfman's theme resonates and defines this new Batman and, in my opinion, no theme has since surpassed it.
But that's not to say we haven't gotten damn close, especially when Elfman himself had a hand with the Batman: Animated Series title theme.
Batman: The Animated Series Opening
Batman Animated Series Ending
The Batman: Animated Series is perfect. I mean that. It's flawless. I could go on about the series itself, but this is just the music, expertly adapted with Danny Elfman's help by the superbly talented Shirley Walker. The original opening is extremely similar to the movie theme, to its benefit... and if that was all, it STILL would be one of the best-sounding Batman adaptations ever made...
But Shirley Walker really went above and beyond and, in fact, her theme for Gotham itself eventually became the show's new theme into future seasons.
The Adventures of Batman and Robin theme
This theme was used far more frequently in the actual series and soon became just as iconic as the Elfman theme for many viewers. It was equally dark, brooding, tragic, sweepingly gothic, but also triumphant and heroic in the best ways. The show always managed to combine melancholic themes of sorrow and sacrifice against brooding heroics, and this theme accomplishes it in spades, which is why it was adapted even further...
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm theme
The culmination of all of Shirley Walker's brilliant work. No Batman theme has ever been as gothic, as orchestral, as transcendent. It gives me chills and is second only to the Danny Elfman theme in my mind as the greatest Batman theme ever... and it's REALLY close. It's mysterious, it's dark, it's just friggin' epic.
Batman Forever theme
Joel Schumacher's stab at the Batman movies is not often regarded fondly these days, but... the music isn't half bad. Schumacher specifically told composer Elliot Goldenthal to mimic Elfman's score and he does an admirable job, with a brooding, gothic, heroic score that pays homage to Elfman's classic while doing its own thing, adding in far more dissonance and industrial tones to the score, giving this Batman movie and its follow up a very strange, almost otherworldly sound.
Meanwhile, back in the animation world...
The Batman & Superman Adventures
Long before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Subtitles, WB smashed their two icons together in alternating cartoon blocks and took steps to create the bigger DCAU on the small screen. The music that introduced the episodes thus had to pull double-duty of being as dark, brooding, and mysterious as Batman... and as joyful, triumphant, and heroic as Superman. Pulling that off was going to be nearly impossible... and yet, here we are. While it's not the most memorable of the Batman soundtracks, it does a great job having his somber themes play counter to Superman's celebratory melodies and the two, like in the show, somehow work together in harmony.
Now, after Schumacher buried Batman, Christopher Nolan was rebuilding him in a new, grounded image, and he brought the legendary Hans Zimmer along for the ride.
Batman Begins theme
The Dark Knight theme
Zimmer's Batman Begins theme is... honestly, I find it to be a fairly generic, but supremely well-done, Batman theme. It's a beautiful theme, but I honestly feel like it lacks the memorable punch of prior Batman themes. But then The Dark Knight came out punching, with a drum-heavy, pulsating Batman theme that was a brooding, fast-paced ride of a theme of crashing, pounding minor melodies that felt frenetic, dark, and truly appropriate for an epic stand-off with a being as mad as the Joker. It's easily the most exciting Batman theme ever composed and there's a reason it stuck around for TDKR. It's the modern Batman theme for a modern world.
The TV shows were going through countless changes at this point, though, to many extreme results.
First, DCAU took Batman into the future...
Batman Beyond Theme
Techno-rock Batman. This isn't the slow, brooding Batman of the past. This is a new engine. Lightning fast and loud. Younger, edgier, forward-thinking. For such an experimental Batman show to begin with, its electronic rock theme quickly and effectively set the tone.
DC would try a new approach to Batman with The Batman a few years later.
The Batman theme
Sexy crime noir. Jazzy, a tad campy, but no denying it has a certain style all its own. It was a callback to detective eras long past and, while not my favorite, fit the show's style just fine. They changed up the theme every season, but I felt this was the most effective one.
Similar to Batman: The Brave & The Bold.
Batman: The Brave & The Bold Theme
Campy, silly, weird... This took obvious admiration and affection for the Adam West show and its tone and applied it to modern sensibilities. While punchy and energized, it's also probably the only major theme for Batman that I feel doesn't evoke "Batman" to me and could be applied to many other heroes. It would have made an equally good theme song for The Tick.
DC, at this point, has been rebooting Batman more and more frequently, and one of the latest stabs is Beware the Batman.
Beware the Batman
At just 30 seconds, it's one of the shortest themes... and that's kind of a shame, because what is there is actually pretty effective at creating a pretty interesting mood. It reminds me of something sung by 40's lounge singers in an atmospheric noir detective film. It's short, but it's effective at putting me in a particular Batman mood.
Meanwhile, in another medium, the Arkham series was just kicking off...
Batman: Arkham City theme
While Arkham Asylum's theme is also great, and Arkham Knight's theme has its merits, it's the Arkham City theme that really hits it out of the park and left its mark. This is the theme that I feel is like a "greatest hits" of the previous greats: it's got the feel of Elfman, the pulsating percussion of the Zimmer score, yet the sweeping gothic feel of the Shirley Walker pieces. Composer Nick Arundel created one of the greatest, underrated Batman themes, tapping into that tragic, gothic vibe that defines Batman's crusade, sweeping into the realms of pensive introspection, dynamic action, soaring heroics, and bittersweet resolutions. It's a brilliant look at Batman in a microcosm.
So many different Batman adaptions. So many different composers. So many different tones and styles. And yet... unlike Spider-man, unlike the X-men, unlike Superman, unlike almost every other hero, Batman's music to me is still instantly recognizable. I hear any of these themes and I can immediately tell you which hero they belong to, no matter how much they differ from one another. And this list was far from complete; there are many other melodic additions to the Batman soundtrack library.
Of course, it could be argued that only recently did we get the GREATEST Batman theme ever...
Batman Lego Song
Whether in films or on TV, in cartoons or in video games, no superhero packs the audible punch that Batman does. Regardless of the quality or merits of his upcoming shows or movie appearances, Batman's music continues to be a delight, and I look forward to whatever the future may bring.
So, what's YOUR favorite(s), and is there any noteworthy ones I missed?
