The Batman trailer has brought Nirvana’s 1991 song “Something in the Way” into top digital music charts. Matt Reeves unveiled the first trailer for the movie during the DC FanDome event over the weekend. In the trailer, a reworked version of the Kurt Cobain-written song can be heard in the background, adding an audible dark vibe to the footage. It sets a tone, though many believe a song from the Cure would have been better since Robert Pattinson looks a lot like front man Robert Smith in the footage.
As of this writing, the official trailer for The Batman has been watched well over 15 million times. That’s a lot of people checking out the upcoming movie and hearing the classic Nirvana song, some of which may have never even heard of the band. That new publicity has brought “Something in the Way” to number 18 on the Amazon digital music chart and number 22 on the iTunes top 200. The song was nowhere near the top 200 before this weekend.
“Something in the Way” was written about a short period of time when Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain was reportedly homeless and living underneath an Aberdeen bridge. The acoustic song features sparse instrumentation on the original record with a cello, along with some bass and drums. In the studio, Cobain was having a hard time getting the feel right, Nevermind producer Butch Vig had him record it live in the control room. The Batman version of the song adds more orchestral elements, along with industrial elements too, making it a lot different from the nearly 30-year old version from the record.
The Batman version of “Something in the Way” continues to build until it reaches crescendo and reveals the highly anticipated movie’s logo. The original song does not build like this, but the new version definitely elevates the footage of Robert Pattinson, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, Zoe Kravitz, and Colin Farrell. This is not the first time that a Nirvana song has been used and drastically changed for a movie. “Come As You Are” is featured in Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel, which also differs from the 1991 version of the song.
Matt Reeves unveiled a lot more of The Batman than anybody expected. The DC FanDome event dropped a lot of big news, but Reeves dominated the event and the weekend, sending DC fans into a frenzy, while possibly introducing a new generation to the music of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. The studio version of “Something in the Way” can be found on 1991’s bestselling Nevermind. Another acoustic version of the song can be found on the Unplugged record, while the Live! Tonight Sold Out DVD boasts an electric version that some might consider to be more intense that the new version that Reeves used in The Batman trailer. You can watch the trailer above and listen to the new version of “Something in the Way,” thanks to the Warner Bros. Pictures YouTube channel.
