Sure, The Batman is a broody masterpiece. But that doesn’t mean the people making it didn’t have a good time. Composer Michael Giacchino is famous for the hilarious track names he gives his movie scores His scores for Pixar films—especially the Zootopia track names—are legendary. Not to mention his Spider-Man: No Way Home score featured tracks called “Octo Gone” and “Peter Parker Picked a Perilously Precarious Profession.” (It’s a sweeping, tragic, somewhat hopeful tune! But the name does make me laugh.) And I’d be remiss to not mention his closing tune “Arachnoverature.”
This is all to say Giacchino clearly has an excellent sense of humor in addition to stunning compositions. It’s what makes him one of our favorite composers currently working. But he has really outdone himself with The Batman. The score itself, absolutely brilliant. It captures The Batman‘s dark, foreboding energy. (This is, of course, a movie with an emo Bruce Wayne and a sinister incel serial killer in the Riddler.)
But the track listing is a treasure trove of punny beauty. The Batman‘s original motion soundrack features 39 original compositions from Giacchino. And shockingly only a few of them feature a straightforward name—and those are the themes for Batman, Catwoman, and the Riddler.
Here’s a full look at the track listing:
- “Can’t Fight City Halloween”
- “Mayoral Ducting”
- “It’s Raining Vengeance”
- “Don’t Be Voyeur with Me”
- “Crossing the Feline”
- “Gannika Girl”
- “Moving in for the Gil”
- “Funeral and Far Between”
- “Collar ID”
- “Escaped Crusader”
- “Penguin of Guilt”
- “Highway to the Anger Zone”
- “World’s Worst Translator”
- “Riddles, Riddles, Everywhere”
- “Meow and You and Everyone We Know”
- “For All Your Pennyworth”
- “Are You and Kenzie or a Can’t-zie”
- “An Im-purrfect Murder”
- “The Great Pumpkin Pie”
- “Hoarding School”
- “A Flood of Terrors”
- “A Bat in the Rafters, Pt. 1”
- “A Bat in the Rafters, Pt. 2”
- ‘The Bat’s True Calling”
- “All’s Well That Ends Farewell”
- “The Batman”
- “Catwoman”
- “The Riddler”
- “Sonata in Darkness”
I’ve had the score on repeat since catching the film during its opening weekend. I cannot get enough of it. So suffice to say I’ve been cackling over these track names for days. There was a world in which I was going to highlight my favorites. But they are ever-rotating. Still, there are a few that I chuckle at whenever I glimpse the title.
“Riddles, Riddles Everywhere” suggests Giacchino’s seen John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch. And that he too is obsessed with Jake Gyllenhaal’s wacky character. Then there’s “Escaped Crusader,” a beautiful homage to our titular character’s nickname–as he escapes the scrutiny of GCPD headquarters. “Highway to the Anger Done” captures our angsty Batman during the car chase oh so well. Finally, there’s the tragically funny “Gannika Girl.” Annika, you were too kind for the ruthless Gotham world.
And since this is a story about a bat and cat, there are some delightful cat puns. My Favorite? “Meow and You and Everyone We Know,” of course. The Batman’s score is really worth a listen. But fair warning it will make you want to rewatch The Batman ASAP.