Iggy Pop on Closing Out ‘Superman’ Soundtrack: Hero is “the Best Friend You Could Have”

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James Gunn has a way with a movie soundtrack.

It quickly became apparent that he had a penchant for classic tunes from the ’70s, such as “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Swede and “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone, showcased in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. His soundtrack choices for The Suicide Squad leaned more towards ’80s punk, with tracks like “People Who Died” by The Jim Carroll Band and “Hey” by Pixies.

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The love for retro tunes from the ’70s, evident in songs like “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Swede and “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone, featured prominently in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. For The Suicide Squad, he opted for an ’80s punk vibe with tracks such as “People Who Died” by The Jim Carroll Band and “Hey” by Pixies.

Superman continues down the path of punk rock – a modern twist is added to it with the release of “Punkrocker,” a song produced by the Swedish dance music group Teddybears and featuring Iggy Pop, widely regarded as one of the greatest punk rockers ever.

The tune accentuates the touching and emotional finale of the hit movie, playing throughout the end credits, thereby perfectly concluding the critically acclaimed and popular DC Studios remake with a cool yet heartfelt tone.

Pop, 78, is tickled at playing such a key role in one of the summer’s biggest hits.

He shares with The Hollywood Reporter from his current location in Europe (during a tour), ‘I’ve always felt the track had a soul.’ He adds, ‘Superman is the ideal friend anyone could wish for.’

Superman, the Steel Man, might prove to be a valuable ally for Pop, in more than one manner. The song “Punkrocker” showed remarkable growth following its initial weekend release. As per Luminate’s data, the number of streams for the song skyrocketed from 1,572 on July 4 to an impressive 190,500 on July 12 – a day after Superman’s premiere night.

On the soundtrack for “Superman,” the song “5 Years Time” by English folk-rock band Noah and the Whale saw a significant surge in streams. On July 4th, it had approximately 7,300 plays, but by July 12th, that number skyrocketed to 85,400 – a staggering 1,000% increase.

It remains to be seen if those gains are an indication of even greater growth in the future. The popular songs “Hooked on a Feeling” and “Come and Get Your Love” experienced a remarkable comeback due to their extensive use in the Guardians movies. Notably, the album Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 achieved triple-platinum status, while its sequel for the second movie reached platinum.

Ethan Millman contributed to this report.

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2025-07-15 20:55