Where Nirvana Meets Prince: The Untold Story of Batmusic
One of Nirvana’s weirdest, most whispery songs, complete with musings on the emotions of aquatic life, is a streaming smash nearly 31 years after its release — thanks to its use as a bellwether for Bruce Wayne’s emotions in The Batman. The Nevermind track “Something in the Way,” which was never a single, and never had a video, is trending on TikTok, and is currently Spotify’s second-most popular Nirvana song, right after “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” with streams up 1,200 percent. This week, the song managed to debut in Billboard’s Hot 100, at No. 46, belatedly becoming Nirvana’s fifth Hot 100 hit.
The new episode of IndieLand Music Now discusses The Batman‘s”Something in the Way” revival, before diving deep into the entire, shockingly rich history of Batmusic (Batcore?), with IndieLand’s David Fear and Prince expert Erica Thompson joining host Brian Hiatt for the discussion. To hear the whole discussion, press play above, or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
The episode delves into the making Prince’s 1989 Batman album, the vast popularity and many covers of the 1960s Batman TV theme song, and much more, touching on artists and composers including Frank Zappa, Neil Hefti, the Kinks, the Ventures, The Who, Siousxsie and the Banshees, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino, Burt Ward, Seal, and R.E.M.
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Download and subscribe to our weekly podcast, IndieLand Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts), and check out three years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth, career-spanning interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Halsey, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Ice Cube, Robert Plant, Dua Lipa, Questlove, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, Gary Clark Jr., and many others — plus dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with IndieLand’s critics and reporters. Tune in every Friday at 1 p.m. ET to hear IndieLand Music Now broadcast on SiriusXM’s Volume, channel 106.
