Music is the one thing that can transport me anywhere at any time. It’s the one thing that can really make me feel something, deep within my soul.
I listen to it as background noise when I’m doing homework, when I’m driving with the car windows down, and when I’m dancing around my room. I think my favorite way to enjoy music, though, is to pretend I’m somewhere else, specifically the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Movies are all I like to talk about. I make them my whole personality. There are so many movie franchises to binge-watch, but I think the greatest one ever created was the MCU.
I’ve grown up with these movies. From watching the first Avengers movie at six years old to seeing The Fantastic Four: First Steps last summer, I’ve seen basically every single thing that Marvel has put out.
My love for Marvel runs so deep that sometimes I listen to songs that make me feel like I’m living in the MCU.
- “Heroes” by David Bowie
-
Marvel is all about superheroes; it’s kind of the whole point. They’re people we look up to and are rooting for. When I hear this song, all I can think about is the core six Avengers. They were formed at the beginning so they could be Earth’s mightiest heroes and save it whenever it was in danger.
The six Avengers are no longer together: some of them are doing their own thing, some of them are dead (rest in peace), and one of them stayed in the past to be with their old lover.
Although they aren’t a team anymore, they were at some point, allowing them to be heroes, even if it was “just for one day” (or years).
- “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears
-
Every time I hear this song, all I can think about is the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ride at Disney World’s Epcot in Orlando. This song is just so Guardians coded, I had to include it in the list.
Even though they’re not technically saving the world, they’re saving everything outside of it, so at that point, I’ll give it to them.
The Guardians are honestly some of the most iconic characters in Marvel, so I’d definitely say that they “rule the world.”
- “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac
-
This song was also used for the Guardians of the Galaxy, but I think it’s one of those songs that fits everything. To me, this song is Avengers: Endgame.
The build-up of everyone coming together again after five years, and then the vanished reappearing in the main battle, is exactly what the build-up in this song feels like. The chorus of the song suits the final fight scene so well, and I’ll stand on that hill till the day I die.
- “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie
-
The bridge of this song means everything to me. Marvel is obviously about superheroes who are “under pressure” 24/7, but it’s so much more than that. There’s so much love that goes into these stories. Whether it’s romantic love, familial love, or just friendship, the way these characters care about each other is just so beautiful to watch.
If it weren’t for the amount of love involved in these films, I wouldn’t like Marvel as much as I do, and this song perfectly captures that.
- “Champagne Supernova” by Oasis
-
So much of Marvel takes place in outer space. For one, we have superheroes who take care of the galaxy, but Tony Stark and Nebula were also stuck in space for a good while. I think of how they were drifting in space, trying to enjoy their last few days before they thought they were going to die.
This song is genuinely what that scene feels like, with them trying to have fun, but it still feels bittersweet at the same time.
- “American Idiot” by Green Day
-
Some of the characters in Marvel were very against the government. They didn’t want to follow the rules and regulations that they had set up for them and thought it would be best if they did things their own way.
This is quite literally what started the disagreement in Captain America: Civil War. Plus, this song just sounds very Marvel-coded to me.
- “One Way Or Another” by Blondie
-
This is another song that sounds like it came straight from Star-Lord’s Walkman. This is one of those songs where I can just imagine a cool scene of Gamora and the rest of the Guardians walking away in slow-mo as something blows up behind them.
It’s the perfect song for a fight scene or a quick getaway scene.
- “My Own Worst Enemy” by Lit
-
There are so many characters that I feel like would suit this song. The two who come to mind first are Peter Quill and Peter Parker, so basically the Peters. Peter Quill would definitely be dancing around while listening to it, not being aware of any of his surroundings. Peter Parker would probably be swinging around Queens, New York, not having a care in the world.
These are two fantasies I want to experience: Quill’s is realistic, while Parker’s isn’t so much.
- “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” by Jeff Buckley
-
Ah, the song of doom and despair. Marvel has so many love stories that end terribly. Most of the time, the couples never get a happy ending. Peter and Gamora, Peter and MJ, Tony and Pepper, the list goes on. One of the couples who did get a happy ending is Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter.
This song specifically reminds me of the time before that, when Steve went under the ice and had to leave Peggy behind. He never forgot about her, and when he got the chance to be with her again, he took it and ran.
- “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore
-
This song is so Spiderman. Peter Parker is one of my favorite characters; he’s such a teenage boy, and I, being a teenage girl, feel like I can relate to him in many ways. This song just encapsulates Peter Parker in a way no other song can. When I listen to this song, I am Spiderman.
Although half this playlist sounds like something that you’d hear straight off Star-Lord’s mixtape, I think it portrays Marvel perfectly. If anything, I think that makes it more Marvel than it already is.
Next time you listen to music, let it transport you to an alternate universe that you’ve always dreamed of going to.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest!