"Super" Soundtrack Lyrics

“Super (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) — 2011” – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What happens when a superhero movie swaps destiny for desperation? Super answers with a mixtape that snaps from bubblegum power-pop to bruised score in seconds — a sonic mirror for Frank Darbo’s (Rainn Wilson) whiplash morality.

James Gunn’s black-comedy vigilante tale tracks a short-order cook who becomes the Crimson Bolt, a wrench-swinging avenger trying to win back his wife (Liv Tyler) from a smarmy dealer (Kevin Bacon). The soundtrack leans hard into hooky, slightly left-of-mainstream cuts — Tsar, Cheap Trick, Eric Carmen, Moneybrother — then stitches them to Tyler Bates’s muscular, handmade-sounding cues. It’s funny, jagged, sometimes sweet. And when the film gets uncomfortably real, the music doesn’t flinch.

Genres & themes in phases: power-pop swagger — delusional bravado; AM-radio balladry — Frank’s fuzzy nostalgia; indie/alt cuts — comic-book grit; purposeful score cues — ritual, resolve, relapse. The line between heroic and harmful is a sound, not a rule.

How It Was Made

Written and directed by James Gunn, the film is scored by Tyler Bates. The commercial soundtrack arrived via Lakeshore Records in late March 2011: a 17-track compilation that blends Bates’s cues with licensed songs (Tsar, Cheap Trick, Eric Carmen, Terra Naomi, Moneybrother, Aceyalone & Bionik, Lo-Def Dollz). Music supervision on the picture was handled by Kathleen Hasay.

Gunn foregrounds punchy power-pop (his taste skews tuneful), while Bates threads leitmotifs for the Crimson Bolt’s “mission” — prayer-like progressions and thick, gritty textures that feel recorded a room away from the action. The album sequencing keeps that push-pull intact.

Tracks & Scenes

“Calling All Destroyers” (Tsar)

Where it plays:

Kicks off the animated opening titles — a cheeky, comic-panel overture that sells the fantasy before the pain. Frank’s cartoon bravado lands first; reality comes later.

Why it matters:

Sets the movie’s tonal contract: sugar-rush hooks for a story about hurt. It’s the Crimson Bolt’s theme in pop clothing.

“Two Perfect Moments” (Tyler Bates)

Where it plays:

Early montage as Frank narrates his life’s only “perfect” memories (marriage; a tiny act of heroism). The cue moves like a modest anthem — sincere, a little embarrassing, fully Frank.

Why it matters:

Humanizes the joke. We meet the wound before the mask.

“If You Want My Love” (Cheap Trick)

Where it plays:

Over a tender, pre-meltdown love scene with Sarah. The song’s Beatle-ish ache frames what Frank thinks he’s fighting for — not vigilante glory, just a marriage that used to be gentle.

Why it matters:

Nostalgia as motive. When later violence arrives, this memory colors it — and makes it queasier.

“It Hurts Too Much” (Eric Carmen)

Where it plays:

Plays into a lull of rejection and obsession — radio-warm gloss over blunt loneliness. The cut drifts under transitional scenes as Frank loses the plot and clings to the plan.

Why it matters:

Perfectly on-the-nose title, deliberately so; Gunn weaponizes pop softness to underline denial.

“What It Was” (Aceyalone feat. Bionik)

Where it plays:

Urban-pulse montage energy — driving between stakeouts, comic-shop chatter, late-night prep. The track’s swagger resets the pace after heavier scenes.

Why it matters:

Gives the film a street-level bounce that the score intentionally avoids.

“Nobody Knows You Anymore” (Terra Naomi)

Where it plays:

A quieter beat for emotional fallout — the aftermath of a choice that can’t be uncrossed. Introspective vocals over small framing shots.

Why it matters:

The song voices the film’s saddest truth: vigilante fantasies isolate before they save.

“God Knows My Name ’11” (Moneybrother)

Where it plays:

Late-film release — a ragged uplift cue as consequences settle and the story angles toward grace. It plays like a cracked hymn after a very human mess.

Why it matters:

Hope, not triumph; the record keeps the ending honest.

Score picks (Tyler Bates): “The Prayer” / “Finger of God” / “Holy Avenger’s Advice”

Where they play:

Short, ritual-like motifs around Frank’s “missions,” TV-evangel hero daydreams, and the wrench-grit action beats. Thick bass pulse, choral colors, percussive jolts.

Why they matter:

They sound like belief — small, insistent, and a little scary. The cues glue the pop needle-drops into one character’s crusade.

Trailer note: The official trailer front-loads Tsar’s power-pop punch and Bates’s stabs to sell the movie’s blunt, comedic edge — “Shut up, crime!” indeed.

Notes & Trivia

• Super premiered in 2010; the commercial soundtrack landed March 29, 2011 via Lakeshore Records.
• Tsar’s “Calling All Destroyers” literally opens the movie — over the animated title sequence.
• Cheap Trick’s “If You Want My Love” is used for an unusually tender early love scene — a sweet outlier before the chaos.
• Composer Tyler Bates folds a “pop single” of his own into the album (“Two Perfect Moments”), bridging songs and score.
• Music supervisor on the film: Kathleen Hasay.

Music–Story Links

When Frank declares his “two perfect moments,” Bates’s theme makes them feel earned — which is why the later, uglier choices hurt. The animated opener’s Tsar blast clothes the hero fantasy in pure candy; the next time a big hook drops, we’re primed to question whether the music is lying to us. Cheap Trick’s ballad softens Sarah into a memory Frank can’t release. The score’s short, prayer-like cues return whenever the Crimson Bolt talks himself into violence — faith as fuel, motif as mask.

Reception & Quotes

Reviewers split on the film’s tone but tended to praise the album’s cohesion: power-pop sparkle against pummeling cues, all curbed to character.

“A hooky, power-pop leaning selection — Gunn’s taste is the tell.” PopRockRecord

“Bates’s ‘Two Perfect Moments’ ties the whole album together — the tone of the film in one track.” The Flickcast

“Dark, uncomfortable, funny — and the music keeps pace.” Collider (film review)

Interesting Facts

• Label/date: Lakeshore Records — March 29, 2011 (17 tracks; digital & CD).
• Pop ballast: The tracklist pairs AM-gold romanticism (Eric Carmen; Cheap Trick) with indie one-offs (Terra Naomi; Moneybrother).
• Composer crossover: Bates contributes both songs and score — rare on mixed-artist comps.
• Opener as thesis: “Calling All Destroyers” isn’t just first — it’s framing. The album starts where the film’s fantasy does.
• After-credits: The film features an extra audio stinger after the credits — a little wink for anyone still in their seat.

Technical Info

• Title: Super (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2011 soundtrack (film 2010/2011 release window)
• Type: Feature film — compilation + original score
• Composer: Tyler Bates
• Key songs/artists: Tsar — “Calling All Destroyers”; Cheap Trick — “If You Want My Love”; Eric Carmen — “It Hurts Too Much”; Moneybrother — “God Knows My Name ’11”; Terra Naomi — “Nobody Knows You Anymore”; Aceyalone & Bionik — “What It Was”
• Music Supervision: Kathleen Hasay
• Label: Lakeshore Records
• Availability: Streaming (Apple Music/Spotify) and CD in circulation

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score cues?

Tyler Bates — he also contributes the album’s hybrid vocal track “Two Perfect Moments.”

What song plays over the animated opening?

Tsar’s “Calling All Destroyers,” which launches the comic-panel title sequence.

What’s the big romantic needle-drop?

Cheap Trick’s “If You Want My Love,” used in an early, tender love scene with Sarah.

Who supervised the film’s music?

Kathleen Hasay handled music supervision on the movie.

Where can I hear the album?

Lakeshore’s 17-track soundtrack is available on major streamers and as a physical CD.

Key Contributors

Sources: Apple Music album listing; Spotify album page; IMDb (film credits & soundtrack page); Lakeshore Records materials/previews; PopRockRecord feature; The Flickcast review; Wikipedia (film & soundtrack overview); Mediastinger (credits stinger note); blog coverage of scene placements; official trailers on YouTube.

November, 27th 2025