"Suicide Squad 2" Soundtrack Lyrics

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

Overview

How do you soundtrack a movie that kills half its cast before the title card? James Gunn answers with a ruthless mixtape and a punchy, propulsive score. The Suicide Squad (2021) builds its identity out of crate-dug cuts (Johnny Cash, Louis Prima, Pixies, Kansas) and sharp, Latin-leaning picks for Corto Maltese, then lets John Murphy’s industrial-orchestral score carry the combat and chaos.

Gunn treats the album like a character dossier: 60s country for prison gallows humor; indie and punk for the misfits’ inner lives; Brazilian pop and club cuts for the island interludes; and a final alt-punk sigh to walk us out. Phases map to meaning — Americana & vintage for irony and fate; indie/punk for grief with snark; club & Brazilian pop for the mission’s heat; Murphy’s score for consequence.

How It Was Made

The film shipped with two releases on the same day (Aug 6, 2021): a curated song album on Troll Court/WaterTower and a separate score album by John Murphy. Gunn personally pre-cleared and scripted song cues — then played them on set — so the edit could cut to the music’s rhythm. “Rain” (grandson & Jessie Reyez) led the single campaign earlier that summer; Murphy’s first score single (“So This Is the Famous Suicide Squad”) dropped in July.

Behind the consoles: Jason Ruder (supervising music editor) and Lena Glikson (music editor) wrangled the needle-drops and the bruising, riffy score; Murphy produced the score with Tyler Barton. The result: mixtape swagger up front, precision scoring when the plot hits steel.

Tracks & Scenes

Selected placements with full-scene context. (Diegetic = heard by characters.) Timestamps refer to the theatrical/home-release cut.

“Folsom Prison Blues (Live)” (Johnny Cash)

Where it plays:

00:00 — Over the very first images at Belle Reve as Savant (Michael Rooker) kills time in his cell and Waller’s pipeline kicks into gear. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Instant thesis: country-gallows humor for a prison that makes killers government assets.

“People Who Died” (The Jim Carroll Band)

Where it plays:

~00:13 — Title sequence after the beach bloodbath; Waller coolly surveys the mayhem as names splash on screen. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Brutal roll call as punchline — Gunn’s black-comic line in the sand.

“Sucker’s Prayer” (The Decemberists)

Where it plays:

~00:15 — Flashback beat with Bloodsport (Idris Elba) mopping up at Belle Reve — the life of a “lifer” before the heist. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Melodic fatalism for a man who insists he’s unredeemable.

“Samba Na Sola” (Céu)

Where it plays:

~00:36 — The squad stumbles into Rick Flag’s guerrilla hideout; the track drifts through the camp as jokes curdle into embarrassment. Diegetic ambience → editorial carry.

Why it matters:

Light, lilting counterpoint right before the movie twists the knife.

“Whistle for the Choir” (The Fratellis)

Where it plays:

~00:43 — Harley’s whirlwind “romance” montage with Presidente Luna — doves, dresses, delusion. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Sweetness with a wink; the cut sets up Harley’s own hard line.

“Point of Know Return” (Kansas)

Where it plays:

~00:52 — After Polka-Dot Man’s confession, the team plows into a compound; Milton the driver gets swept along. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Dad-rock drama for a point-of-no-return plan. Exactly the joke.

“Sola” (Jessie Reyez)

Where it plays:

~00:55 — In-transit breath between ops; Waller turns screws by invoking Bloodsport’s daughter. Non-diegetic, used sparingly.

Why it matters:

A loner ballad as leverage — Waller weaponizes isolation.

“Can’t Sleep” (K.Flay)

Where it plays:

~00:59 — Club sequence with the squad trying to blend in; Polka-Dot Man briefly finds… catharsis. Source → editorial bleed.

Why it matters:

Hyper, jittery — the sound of people who should not be in public.

“Quem Tem Joga” (Drik Barbosa feat. Gloria Groove & Karol Conká)

Where it plays:

~01:01 — Continues the club run as Bloodsport and King Shark shuffle roles. Diegetic.

Why it matters:

Local heat and swagger; Corto Maltese gets its own pulse.

“Just a Gigolo / I Ain’t Got Nobody” (Louis Prima)

Where it plays:

~01:11 — Harley’s corridor massacre. She hums it first, then the track explodes as flowers and bullets fly. Non-diegetic with diegetic tease.

Why it matters:

Classic Vegas croon rebranded as liberation anthem — very Harley.

“Hey” (Pixies)

Where it plays:

~01:18 — Rainfall slow-mo outside Jotunheim as the surviving squad reconverges. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Grimy intimacy for a team that only works when drowning together.

“So Busted” (Culture Abuse)

Where it plays:

~02:02 — Closing beat on the beach: Bloodsport exhales, Sebastian the rat curls up, Harley smiles. End-credits opener.

Why it matters:

A small, humane punk coda — the “we made it, sort of” shrug.

Also featured / notable:

• “Adagio (Concierto de Aranjuez)” (Joaquín Rodrigo) — classical needle that briefly surfaces in the sonic collage.
• “Rain” (grandson & Jessie Reyez) — campaign single tied to the film, used in marketing and select edits.
• “Oh No!!!” (grandson) — additional needle-drop energy in the film’s back half.

Notes & Trivia

• The song album and the score album both released August 6, 2021 (Troll Court Entertainment/WaterTower Music).
• “Rain” (grandson & Jessie Reyez) dropped June 22, 2021 as the lead single for the OST.
• Composer John Murphy replaced Tyler Bates during production; a score single (“So This Is the Famous Suicide Squad”) arrived July 8, 2021.
• All OST songs appear in the film — but the title-sequence banger “People Who Died” is not on the retail soundtrack.
• Gunn keeps a “Not-In-The-Suicide-Squad” playlist of tracks he almost used (Bowie’s “Modern Love,” etc.).

Music–Story Links

Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” frames Belle Reve as gallows comedy; a dozen minutes later, Jim Carroll’s “People Who Died” reframes it as eulogy and punchline. Harley’s pastel carnage set to Louis Prima flips male-gaze lounge into murder-ballet agency. The island’s club cues (Barbosa/Conká/Groove; K.Flay) sell location and tempo, then Murphy’s motifs (snare-and-brass, serrated synths) take the wheel when the movie needs adrenaline over irony — especially in Jotunheim and during Starro’s rampage.

Reception & Quotes

Critics clocked the soundtrack as classic Gunn — lethal sarcasm with a soft center — and praised Murphy’s lean, riff-forward score. Fans zeroed in on the rain montage (“Hey”) and Harley’s corridor aria as instant favorites.

“Gunn’s curated mix tape… from Cash to Pixies… punctuates the film’s funniest and most shocking moments.” — Soundtrack coverage, week of release

“Murphy’s cues hit like steel-toed boots — tight, percussive, and surprisingly lyrical.” — Score reviews

Interesting Facts

• Two-label stamp: soundtrack and score carry Troll Court (Gunn’s banner) and WaterTower Music.
• On-set playback: Gunn writes songs into the script and plays them during takes so timing and performances lock to the track.
• “People Who Died” swap: an early idea used a different opener; the Jim Carroll cut won out in the edit and over the titles.
• Local flavor: Brazilian tracks and club cues ground Corto Maltese beyond postcard clichés.
• End-credit swerve: instead of a mega-single, the film bows with Culture Abuse’s “So Busted” — a smaller, truer exhale.

Technical Info

• Title: The Suicide Squad — Songs & Score
• Year: 2021 (films & albums released August 6, 2021)
• Type: Feature film — action/superhero
• Composer: John Murphy (23-track score album)
• Music editors: Jason Ruder (supervising), Lena Glikson
• Labels: Troll Court Entertainment & WaterTower Music
• Key singles: “Rain” (grandson & Jessie Reyez); score single “So This Is the Famous Suicide Squad”
• Selected notable placements: “Folsom Prison Blues (Live)” (Johnny Cash); “People Who Died” (The Jim Carroll Band); “Sucker’s Prayer” (The Decemberists); “Samba Na Sola” (Céu); “Whistle for the Choir” (The Fratellis); “Point of Know Return” (Kansas); “Sola” (Jessie Reyez); “Can’t Sleep” (K.Flay); “Quem Tem Joga” (Drik Barbosa feat. Gloria Groove & Karol Conká); “Just a Gigolo / I Ain’t Got Nobody” (Louis Prima); “Hey” (Pixies); end-credits “So Busted” (Culture Abuse).

Questions & Answers

Were the song and score albums released on the same day?

Yes — both dropped August 6, 2021, alongside the film’s release.

Who composed the score?

John Murphy. He replaced Tyler Bates during production and delivered a 23-cue, ~51-minute album.

What’s the song over the massacre/title sequence?

“People Who Died” by The Jim Carroll Band — iconic and intentionally on-the-nose.

Which track scores Harley’s hallway rampage?

Louis Prima’s “Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody,” after Harley hums its melody.

What plays in the rain montage outside Jotunheim?

“Hey” by Pixies.

Key Contributors

Sources: official soundtrack/score pages and listings; release-week song-by-song guides with timestamps; Apple/Spotify album entries; film/music credits pages; trailer archives.

November, 27th 2025