"Suicide Squad" Soundtrack Lyrics

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"Suicide Squad (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack & Score)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What happens when a comic-book team-up gets a mixtape as loud as its costumes? Suicide Squad (2016) answers with a pop-rap-rock barrage that doubles as character shorthand — oldies for introductions, brand-new singles for marketing muscle, and a muscular original score for the action glue. The curated album (Suicide Squad: The Album) arrived day-and-date with the film and instantly framed the movie’s attitude: high-profile originals (twenty one pilots’ “Heathens,” Lil Wayne/Wiz Khalifa/Imagine Dragons’ “Sucker for Pain,” Skrillex & Rick Ross’ “Purple Lamborghini”) alongside darker mood pieces (Kehlani’s “Gangsta,” Grimes’ “Medieval Warfare”).

Styles come in waves that map to story beats: 60s & 70s catalog (Lesley Gore, The Animals, The Rolling Stones) — quick, ironic character sketches; contemporary hip-hop/EDM hybrids — the Squad’s swaggering missions; alt-pop and moody R&B — Harley/Joker psychology; and Steven Price’s orchestral/industrial score — propulsion, peril, aftermath.

How It Was Made

The movie shipped with two complementary releases: the song compilation on Atlantic Records/WaterTower Music (Aug 5, 2016) and Steven Price’s original score album (Aug 8, 2016). The compilation leaned on brand-new tracks commissioned for the film (“Heathens,” “Sucker for Pain,” “Purple Lamborghini,” “Standing in the Rain,” “Medieval Warfare”), while the film’s needle-drops folded in classics like “You Don’t Own Me” and “House of the Rising Sun.” Marketing synced the singles to trailers and promos — a strategy that helped the album debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 and hold for a second week.

Tracks & Scenes

Selected placements with scene context. (Diegetic = heard by characters; timestamps are approximate from home releases.)

“The House of the Rising Sun” (The Animals)

Where it plays:

~00:01 — Opening montage at Belle Reve as Deadshot’s incarceration is introduced. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Sets a grim, blues-tinted mood before the movie sprints into introductions.

“You Don’t Own Me” (Lesley Gore)

Where it plays:

~00:02 — Harley Quinn’s caged introduction, licking the bars as guards approach. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Vintage irony for a character defined by control — and revolt. (Note: the album uses SAYGRACE (Grace) feat. G-Eazy’s update; the film uses Gore’s original.)

“Sympathy for the Devil” (The Rolling Stones)

Where it plays:

~00:04 — Amanda Waller’s dossier presentation and early orientation. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Waller’s self-aware theme: cool control with a grin.

“Standing in the Rain” (Action Bronson, Mark Ronson & Dan Auerbach)

Where it plays:

Early flashback to Deadshot’s work and code with his daughter. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Blues-riff swagger softens into melancholy — a parent inside the assassin.

“Super Freak” (Rick James)

Where it plays:

Harley Quinn backstory beat amid earlier montage material. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Flashy funk underscoring chaos and magnetism — text and subtext for Harley’s pull.

“Purple Lamborghini” (Skrillex & Rick Ross)

Where it plays:

Club/underworld sequence tied to the Joker’s presence. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

All menace/no brakes — the Joker’s world in bass drops.

“Slippin’ Into Darkness” (War)

Where it plays:

El Diablo’s backstory reveal. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Title and groove speak to fear of his own power.

“Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” (AC/DC)

Where it plays:

Captain Boomerang’s rap sheet montage. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Cartoon-villain bravado set to bar-brawl rock.

“Gangsta” (Kehlani)

Where it plays:

Harley & Joker’s “chemical wedding” flashback at Ace Chemicals; their toxic romance visualized. Non-diegetic over intercut footage.

Why it matters:

Turns infatuation into a haunting — a leitmotif for their destructive bond.

“Spirit in the Sky” (Norman Greenbaum)

Where it plays:

As Task Force X flies into Midway City en route to the mission. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Classic-rock gallows humor for a team built to die trying.

“Come Baby Come” (K7)

Where it plays:

Elevator fight gag with Harley, briefly punctuating an action beat. Diegetic bleed/needle-drop vibe.

Why it matters:

Undercuts peril with a cheeky, 90s bounce — very Harley.

“Heathens” (twenty one pilots)

Where it plays:

End-credits lead track; also the campaign’s flagship single and music video set in Belle Reve. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Brooding pulse as curtain call — the Squad’s world doesn’t end; it simmers.

Notes & Trivia

• Suicide Squad: The Album released August 5, 2016 (Atlantic/WaterTower); Steven Price’s Original Motion Picture Score followed August 8.
• The soundtrack album opened at #1 on the Billboard 200 and held the top spot for a second week — a rare two-week run for a soundtrack in 2016.
• Film uses Lesley Gore’s original “You Don’t Own Me”; the album features SAYGRACE (Grace) feat. G-Eazy’s contemporary version.
• “Purple Lamborghini” (Skrillex & Rick Ross) earned a Grammy nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media; Jared Leto appears as the Joker in its video.
• “Heathens” became a signature twenty one pilots hit and anchors the end credits.

Music–Story Links

Waller’s briefings get the smirk of “Sympathy for the Devil.” Harley’s caged intro uses “You Don’t Own Me” to telegraph the tug-of-war between being possessed and breaking free. The mission needle-drops (“Spirit in the Sky,” “Come Baby Come”) play like winks between firefights, while custom singles (“Purple Lamborghini,” “Gangsta”) contour Joker/Harley’s world in bass and neon. Price’s score takes over when sentiment would slow the cut — percussion and low brass push the team through debris and bad ideas.

Reception & Quotes

Whatever critics thought of the film, the album itself became a phenomenon — a marketing engine that doubled as a genuinely hooky compilation. Singles arrived with high-gloss videos and dominated playlists the summer of 2016.

“The all-star soundtrack roars in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.” — Billboard

“‘Purple Lamborghini’… Jared Leto’s Joker co-stars in the video.” — Pitchfork

“Kehlani’s ‘Gangsta’ mirrors the Joker/Harley spiral.” — The FADER / Pitchfork news notes

Interesting Facts

• Two releases: the 14-track album (plus a 17-track Collector’s Edition) and a separate expanded score.
• Trailer vs. film: Panic! At The Disco’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” cover was a promo staple; Queen’s original pops up in film music lists, but the album carries the P!ATD version.
• Campaign singles: “Heathens,” “Sucker for Pain,” and “Purple Lamborghini” each launched with cinematic videos seeded with film footage.
• Charts: multiple singles charted globally; “Heathens” peaked at #2 on the Hot 100 and won Best Rock Video at the 2016 VMAs.
• Collector’s Edition: adds alt versions/extra cuts (e.g., Kehlani’s Harley/Joker flashback version of “Gangsta”).

Technical Info

• Title: Suicide Squad: The Album (songs) & Suicide Squad: Original Motion Picture Score (Steven Price)
• Year: 2016 (album Aug 5; score Aug 8)
• Type: Feature film — action/superhero
• Labels: Atlantic Records & WaterTower Music (album); WaterTower Music (score)
• Key singles: “Heathens” (twenty one pilots); “Sucker for Pain” (Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons w/ Logic & Ty Dolla $ign feat. X Ambassadors); “Purple Lamborghini” (Skrillex & Rick Ross); “Standing in the Rain” (Action Bronson/Mark Ronson/Dan Auerbach); “Medieval Warfare” (Grimes); “Gangsta” (Kehlani)
• Notable placements (film): “The House of the Rising Sun”; “You Don’t Own Me” (Lesley Gore); “Sympathy for the Devil”; “Spirit in the Sky”; “Come Baby Come”; end-credits “Heathens”
• Chart notes: Billboard 200 #1 for two consecutive weeks; significant international entries

Questions & Answers

Did the soundtrack really outsell expectations?

Yes — it debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and held for a second week, powered by multiple hit singles.

What’s the difference between the film’s songs and the album?

Some cues differ: e.g., the film uses Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me,” while the album uses SAYGRACE (feat. G-Eazy). Collector’s Edition adds alternates.

Who composed the original score?

Steven Price — his separate album dropped three days after the song compilation and covers the action cues and character motifs.

Which song plays over the end credits?

“Heathens” by twenty one pilots anchors the end-credit sequence.

Where does “Gangsta” fit in the movie?

It underscores Harley & Joker’s Ace Chemicals flashback — the so-called “chemical wedding.”

Key Contributors

Entity	Relation
Atlantic Records / WaterTower Music	released the song compilation
Steven Price	composer — original score album
twenty one pilots	perform “Heathens” (end credits single)
Lil Wayne; Wiz Khalifa; Imagine Dragons; Logic; Ty Dolla $ign; X Ambassadors	perform “Sucker for Pain”
Skrillex & Rick Ross	perform “Purple Lamborghini” (Grammy-nominated)
Kehlani	performs “Gangsta” (Harley/Joker flashback)
Grimes	performs “Medieval Warfare”
Lesley Gore	“You Don’t Own Me” — used in Harley’s intro (film)
The Animals	“The House of the Rising Sun” — opening Belle Reve sequence
Warner Bros. / DC Films	studio/distributor

Sources: Wikipedia soundtrack & score entries (release dates/labels); Apple Music & Spotify album pages; Billboard chart reports; Fandango’s scene-order list (noting Gore vs. Grace “You Don’t Own Me”); SoundtrackRadar/Soundtrakd scene timestamps; DCEU Wiki scene placements (plane, elevator, Ace Chemicals); Pitchfork news posts (singles); TIME & USA media items on campaign singles; Warner Bros. official trailer.

‘What’s that? I should kill everyone and escape? Sorry… the voices… I’m kidding, that’s not what they’ve really said’ – this phrase from cute, at first glance, girl-blond Harley Quinn, said by her with nice smile in between of song Bohemian Rhapsody by Panic! At The Disco, looks, at least, confusing. This film is a hellish fusion of fantastic oomph of crazy blond Harley (she immediately boils your blood till it turns to gore and you extremely want to… possess her in every way), plus tremendous special effects, chases, falls, shooting and every other believable action. Add here the inimitable creatures like water-living man-look-like-amphibian who eats people plus a fellow who looks like scull because of all his tattoos who burns people, and a girl, strongly possessed by witch (which, in fact, looks like she is a witch herself, familiar with extremely dark occultism stuff and she is pretty oomph herself). Add to this already sturdy fusion a re-embodiment of Joker who looks this time absolutely insane (‘I just will hurt you really really bad’) with unsurpassed hairstyle. Pepper it over with Will Smith & coolest soundtrack you’ve only heard for the last couple years. Copulate it with enormous halo of Margot Robbie that embodies Harley Quinn, this time armed with a bat, hot a hammer or gun as she used to be pictured by DC Comics. And you will receive about 50% of understanding of what the Suicide Squad is. I Started a Joke song absolutely fits a character of Harley (even the voice almost matches, not speaking of lyrics), the same as Heathens fits their all squad. Eminem slightly falls out, as he looks a little childish with his joyful lyrics compared to the alacrity of this movie. This film is for youngsters, as it is fervent, swelter, ardent, prompt & hellishly driving.

November, 27th 2025

"Suicide Squad" profile on IMDB, Official Website

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