Nirvana's 'Something In The Way' Is A Streaming Hit Now Thanks To The Batman
Maybe this will help put a smile on the face of our favorite sadboi goth? On second thought, maybe not ... but that feels fitting, somehow.
Despite some typical examples of consternation among fans about an unexpected casting choice ("The 'Twilight' guy?" as most people, my own mom included, likely stated at one point or another), Matt Reeves' "The Batman" has certainly lived up to expectations and done exactly what you'd expect a "Batman" movie to do at the box office. The only doom and gloom to report here is the kind that comes from the relatable emo's own disturbed and traumatized headspace, brought to life so compellingly by Robert Pattinson. But at the very least, we have some fun news to report that might brighten the day of his version of Bruce Wayne — a tiny little bit, at the very least.
If you remember, the very first teaser footage we received from "The Batman" back in August of 2020 was set to Nirvana's "Something in the Way," as perfect a match between dark and grumpy comic book character and moody music as there could possibly be. For one thing, Reeves has talked previously about how his conception of Bruce Wayne was heavily inspired by singer Kurt Cobain in the first place. But as an added treat, the director went one step further and actually had Bruce listening to Nirvana while moping around a decrepit Wayne Manor in the film.
In a fun instance of how popular comic book movies can have a real-life effect among audiences, Variety reports that "Something in the Way," originally released in 1991, has received quite a boost from "The Batman." While the film has raked in the money in theaters worldwide, the Nirvana song has similarly climbed the rankings lists for both Spotify and Billboard.
Emo is back, baby
It isn't all that unusual for blockbuster marketing to take advantage of the publicity that comes with a famous band and use it to their mutual advantage. Most recently, Amazon's "The Boys" unleashed a new Imagine Dragons song on us with an exceedingly well-edited trailer that will inevitably leave "Bones" stuck in your head for the foreseeable future. What's remarkable, then, is just to what extent that "The Batman" and the use of "Something in the Way" has had an effect on millions of viewers across the globe. The official Spotify Twitter account first announced a week ago that streaming numbers increased by a whopping 1200% in the wake of the release of "The Batman." As of last week, in fact, the Nirvana single had come in at #3 on the daily rankings that track the top 50 streaming songs in the U.S.
Something In The Way 🤝 #TheBatman pic.twitter.com/dRX5WogLka
— Spotify (@Spotify) March 9, 2022
Elsewhere, Billboard and MRC Data that the first four days after the debut of "The Batman" resulted in 3.1 million on-demand streams, a number that translates to a 734% increase from the prior four days before the blockbuster's release. All of this feels like tangible evidence of just how much audiences embraced this version of Batman, even despite some criticisms that "The Batman" hued a little close to what Christopher Nolan had done previously. Credit should also go to composer Michael Giacchino, who directly incorporated parts of the song into his brilliant score, as well. And as /Film's Chris Evangelista previously wrote, the presence and specific use of the song within the marketing and the film itself added an important layer of subtext to the overall story.
I have to think that if Pattinson's Batman could ever catch wind of how his influence led to a wide-ranging and newfound appreciation for "Something in the Way," he'd take a solid five-second break from relentless pouting, sweep his hair out of his eyes, and most likely crank up the volume in his mask as his own soundtrack while fighting crime. Can some talented artist whip up some fan art of exactly that, please?
"The Batman" is currently playing in theaters.