One of the best things about doing the music for Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is I felt that the central character, Harley Quinn, would be into everything. You name it—metal, hip-hop, opera, crazy exotica, acid house—if it was a good track, she would dig it. I can’t imagine Batman, Spider-Man, or any other comic-book hero being at home in CBGB, La Scala, and the Hacienda, but I can imagine Harley. She wouldn’t care if it was deemed cool or not—she doesn’t really care about anyone else’s judgments or taste but her own. Which, as we all know, is the secret to being supercool.
So here’s a bunch of random tracks that may have inspired me over the years to help create the sound worlds for her and the all-female superhero team Birds of Prey themselves—and a song I co-wrote for the film itself at the top. Enjoy …
Daniel Pemberton has composed music for Ocean’s Eight, Steve Jobs, Motherless Brooklyn, and the forthcoming Birds of Prey, which will be released February 7