While The Batman seems to be doing incredibly well in theatres, it also looks like the film has had a significant impact on the Nirvana song “Something In The Way.”
If you aren’t aware, the Nirvana song “Something In The Way” is an essential component to the film; not only is the song featured twice throughout The Batman, but director Matt Reeves has spoken to the song being a major influence for the film. In a conversation with Empire (via Billboard), Reeves shared the following regarding how the song inspired The Batman:
“When I write, I listen to music, and as I was writing the first act, I put on Nirvana’s ‘Something in the Way,’” Batman director Matt Reeves told Empire in December. “That’s when it came to me that, rather than make Bruce Wayne the playboy version we’ve seen before, there’s another version who had gone through a great tragedy and become a recluse. So I started making this connection to Gus Van Sant’s Last Days, and the idea of this fictionalized version of Kurt Cobain being in this kind of decaying manor.”
In other interviews, both Reeves and Batman/Bruce Wayne actor Robert Pattinson have also commented on how the Nirvana frontman was an inspiration for Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne.
This inspiration from the legendary grunge band has led to a truly compelling angle that reveals added depth to the classic comic book character. Nirvana is already a major band that is loved by many around the world, but what The Batman has done for the Nirvana song “Something In The Way,” well, let’s say the numbers are very impressive.
Per the same Billboard article, they reported the following statistics regarding the song:
“Since the film’s theatrical release, though, the song has seen an explosion in its streaming numbers, according to initial reports to MRC Data. In the first four days of The Batman’s release (encompassing Friday, March 4 through Monday, March 7), ‘Something In The Way’ earned 3.1 million on-demand official U.S. streams. That number is up from 372,000 on-demand official U.S. streams from the prior four days (Feb. 28 through March 3). That’s a 734% increase over the given period. Its steady growth also helped it crack the top 5 of Spotify’s Daily USA Top 50 songs ranking on Tuesday.”
That increase is no joke! The use of Nirvana’s “Something In The Way” makes for a hauntingly captivating experience. When you hear when the song pops up – in the context of the narrative and in coming to learn more about this new Bruce Wayne – the music does so much to elevate the character.
If you’ve seen The Batman already, what are your thoughts on the film? You can revisit the initial trailer to The Batman below, which features the use of “Something In The Way.”
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Words by: Michael Pementel
