The Watchmen Trailer Song: Music by Smashing Pumpkins

Official Watchmen Trailer
One of the more interesting points that came out of the recently released Watchmen Trailer is the music that accompanies the preview. What's that Smashing Pumpkins song in the trailer?

While there's no doubt that it was Billy Corgan and the Pumpkins doing the song in the Watchmen trailer, I couldn't help but think that I had heard this song in another movie but I just couldn't remember where.

After a quick research I discovered a shocking tidbit. The song was used for another movie about 10 years back and it turned out to be another comic book inspired flick. It also turns out it's from a pretty bad one. The song is from one of the worst films ever, "Batman and Robin."

Yes, the movie that tried to killed the Batman franchise and gave us the now famous 'nipples' on the Batsuit is lending a song from its soundtrack to the adaptation of one of the best graphic novels ever. How great is that!

Basically, "The Beginning is the End is the Beginning" by Smashing Pumpkins is a remix of their song "The End is the Beginning is the End" which was made for the "Batman and Robin" Soundtrack. Here's a video below for each of the two songs and you'll noticed the slower version "The Beginning is the End is the Beginning" is the one you'll hear in the "Watchmen" trailer. I only have found a fan-made video for this one so far that's set to some "Final Fantasy" clips. But it has the whole song to listen to.


"The Beginning is the End is the Beginning" by the Smashing Pumpkins

Now, here's "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" from the "Batman and Robin" Soundtrack.


The Smashing Pumpkins - The End Is the Beginning Is the End
from Batman and Robin

MTV took notice, too. They asked Watchmen director Zack Snyder about why he used the Smashing Pumpkins in the trailer. They also dusted off their archives to bring out a story where "Batman and Robin" director Joel Schumacher and Billy Corgon of the "Smashing Pumpkins" talk shop about the song and video for the Batman movie.

"What compelled Zack Snyder, the, um … watchman … behind “Watchmen” to use the track? Was it because there’s that shot in the trailer of a guy (I’m sure he has a name, but seriously, people, the last graphic novel I read involved the name “Jughead”) falling from the sky that vaguely resembles something Batman might do? Is “Watchmen” sort of like watching “Batman & Robin” in slow-motion — much like how listening to “The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning” is somewhat of a stretched-out version of the original tune? Here’s what Snyder had to say:

“Smashing Pumpkins we picked for a couple reasons. For one, I felt like in mood, it was correct for what we were trying to do. We were trying to sort of get at the unwashed masses who don’t know anything about ‘Watchmen’ and find something provocative that makes you go, ‘What is that?’ … And then, also, I felt like the song itself spoke a little to the ‘Watchmen’ world. And then on the third hand … it will create controversy a little bit in the fanbase because they’re going to be like, ‘Wait, is that going to be in the movie? That ain’t 1985!’ ”

All good reasons, we suppose. But it doesn’t answer the bigger question: Did he have any idea that Corgan wrote the song expressly for that other nocturnal superhero?" (...more)