With the exception of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, every franchise featuring the Caped Crusader has had accompanying pop-oriented soundtracks, sometimes with the albums being superior to its associated movie. Here are my rankings of all the songs included in Batman-related movies and on their soundtracks going back to Prince’s 1989 Batman. I hesitate to call it definitive, because, as with all subjective lists, it is always fluctuating.
The requirement for inclusion is simple: the song had to be recorded specifically for the soundtrack, or have seen its initial release on one (or in the movie or its marketing—IE, Gang of Youths’ “Heroes”). There are plenty of remakes, but they were covered specifically for a Batfilm. Songs that had been previously released but were on a soundtrack did not meet the criteria; unfortunately, that omits tracks like Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose”—which very possibly could have topped the list—Bone Thugs~n~Harmony’s “Look into My Eyes”, and “Foolish Games” by Jewel. Exclusive b-sides are included (this uniquely applies to Prince’s soundtrack), but remixes aren’t. The final limitation is that the song had to be officially released; no bootlegged or leaked tracks count, meaning Prince’s “Dance with the Devil” doesn’t make it, but if it is ever released, it’ll probably be number one.
1. “Come Together”, Gary Clark Jr. & Junkie XL (Justice League)
2. “Trust”, Prince (Batman)
3. “The End Is the Beginning Is the End”, The Smashing Pumpkins (Batman & Robin)
4. “Electric Chair”, Prince (Batman)
5. “The Future”, Prince (Batman)
6. “The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning”, The Smashing Pumpkins (Batman & Robin)
7. “Heroes”, Gang of Youths (Justice League)
8. “The Arms of Orion”, Prince & Sheena Easton (Batman)
9. “Gotham City”, R. Kelly with The Chi-Towne Gospel Machine & Tyrone’s Kids (Batman &
Robin)
10. “200 Balloons”, Prince (Batman)
11. “Partyman”, Prince (Batman)
12. “Crossing the River”, The Devlins (Batman Forever)
13. “The Passenger”, Michael Hutchence (Batman Forever)
14. “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me”, U2 (Batman Forever)
15. “Everybody Knows”, Sigrid (Justice League)
16. “I Started a Joke”, ConfidentialMX feat. Becky Hanson (Suicide Squad)
17. “Face to Face”, Siouxsie & The Banshees (Batman Returns)
18. “Sex “the '80s are over and the time has come 4 monogamy and trust””, Prince (Batman)
19. “Scandalous”, Prince (Batman)
20. “Wreak Havoc”, Skylar Grey (Suicide Squad)
21. “Heathens”, Twenty One Pilots (Suicide Squad)
22. “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Panic! At the Disco (Suicide Squad)
23. “Fun for Me”, Moloko (Batman Forever)
24. “Bad Days”, The Flaming Lips (Batman Forever)
25. “Nobody Lives Without Love”, Eddi Reader (Batman Forever)
26. “The Riddler”, Method Man (Batman Forever)
27. “True to Myself”, Eric Benét (Batman & Robin)
28. “One Time Too Many”, PJ Harvey (Batman Forever)
29. “Batdance”, Prince (Batman)
30. “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game”, Massive Attack & Tracey Thorn (Batman Forever)
31. “Feel U Up”, Prince (Batman)
32. “When 2 R in Love”, Prince (Batman)
33. “Sucker for Pain”, Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Imagine Dragons, Logic, Ty Dolla $ign, & X Ambassadors (Suicide Squad)
34. “You Don’t Own Me”, Grace feat. G-Eazy (Suicide Squad)
35. “Breed”, Lauren Christy (Batman & Robin)
36. “Vicki Waiting”, Prince (Batman)
37. “Where Are You Now?” Brandy (Batman Forever)
38. “Lemon Crush”, Prince (Batman)
39. “Poison Ivy”, Meshell Ndegeocello (Batman & Robin)
40. “Lazy Eye”, Goo Goo Dolls (Batman & Robin)
41. “Smash It Up”, The Offspring (Batman Forever)
42. “The Bug”, Soul Coughing (Batman & Robin)
43. “Standing in the Rain”, Action Bronson, Mark Ronson, & Dan Auerbach (Suicide Squad)
44. “There Is a Light”, Nick Cave (Batman Forever)
45. “Tell Me Now”, Mazzy Star (Batman Forever)
46. “Purple Lamborghini”, Rick Ross & Skrillex (Suicide Squad)
47. “Gangsta”, Kehlani (Suicide Squad)
48. “Know Better”, Kevin Gates (Suicide Squad)
49. “Revolution”, R.E.M. (Batman & Robin)
50. “House on Fire”, Arkana (Batman & Robin)
51. “Medieval Warfare”, Grimes (Suicide Squad)
52. “8”, Sunny Day Real Estate (Batman Forever)
53. “Moaner”, Underworld (Batman & Robin)
