A “dark” cover of Nirvana’s classic Nevermind hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is set to soundtrack the opening credits of Marvel’s Black Widow. The 2015 cover, performed by singer-songwriter Malia J, was produced by composer collective Think Up Anger.
In an interview with Consequence, Malia J said at first she thought the request to use her cover was “a joke” and she “didn’t immediately respond.”
“A different version of this cover has been circulating in the TV and film industry since 2015, and I can only speculate that someone from their camp was a fan and wanted to put it in the movie.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4dh38DYvyQ
The Los Angeles-based performer also called the experience of her track being used “a dream come true.” “I’ve always written my own music, but when I started covering other artists’ music in a completely different light, people really connected to it,” she wrote on her artist website.
Without giving too much away, the orchestral reimagining of the song will play over a sequence looking back at Natasha Romanoff’s (Scarlett Johansson) dark past.
You can check out the track itself above.
Black Widow arrives in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 9. Read Uproxx’s Black Widow review here.