The Suicide Squad soundtrack includes music by Johnny Cash, Louis Prima and Pixies. This info article contains spoilers and song details for James Gunn’s 2021 movie on HBO Max. Check out Vague Visages’ Soundtracks of Cinema section for more music guides.

Starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, The Suicide Squad  chronicles the latest big screen adventure of Task Force X. The revised unit travels to South America to destroy a military laboratory, and hopes to prevent a global catastrophe involving “Project Starfish.” Musically, The Suicide Squad soundtrack begins strong with an iconic country tune, and then primarily utilizes well-known indie gems throughout the rest of the 132-minute runtime. Here’s every song in the 2021 DCEU film.

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The Suicide Squad Soundtrack: Every Song in the 2021 Movie

• “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash (00:00:00): The Suicide Squad soundtrack song scores the opening sequence. Thematically, it’s used to complement the location of Brian Durlin/Savant (Michael Rooker), a hacker serving time at Belle Reve Federal Penitentiary in Louisiana. The song plays over the opening Warner Bros. visuals and then continues for about one minute.
• “People Who Died” by The Jim Carroll Band (00:13:00): “People Who Died” scores the title sequence in The Suicide Squad, with Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) admiring her work after assembling a revised Task Force X team. The song’s title correlates with the opening bloodbath, and the creative concept aligns with Waller’s frame of mind. The track was originally recorded by Jim Carroll, the subject of the 1995 movie The Basketball Diaries starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
• “Sucker’s Prayer” by The Decemberists (00:15:00): The Suicide Squad soundtrack song plays as Robert DuBois/Bloodsport (Idris Elba) cleans a toilet in prison. The moment itself takes place three days before the opening battle, with the lyrics suggesting that Bloodsport is destined to be locked up, at least unless a prayer is answered.
• “Samba Na Sola” by Céu (00:36:00): “Samba Na Sola” can be heard when Bloodsport’s team tracks down Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), who is shacked up with the guerrilla Sol Soria (Alice Braga). It’s a chill song that parallels the Colonel’s vibe before his life once again becomes especially chaotic. The lyrics tell a story about a soldier who leaves loved ones, which makes it a fitting selection for the scene.
• “Whistle for the Choir” by The Fratellis (00:43:00): When Harley Quinn gets courted by the Corto Maltese dictator, Silvio Luna (Juan Diego Botto), The Suicide Squad soundtrack song plays during a dream-like montage sequence. The music is used to thematically underline the loneliness of Robbie’s character, along with her influence over admiring men. When the song fades out, Silvio proposes to Harley.
• “Point of Know Return” by Kansas (00:52:00): After a moving monologue by Abner Krill/Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), Task Force X takes out various soldiers at a military compound. A driver, Milton (Julio Cesar Ruiz), panics in the moment and then teams up with Amanda Waller’s crew. The song title thematically links to his perspective in The Suicide Squad.
• “Sola” by Jessie Reyez (00:55:00): The Suicide Squad soundtrack song plays lightly during a vehicle sequence. Waller warns Task Force X about the military’s signal jammers being down, and suggests that Bloodsport’s daughter could be harmed. Davis’ character then tells John Economos (Steve Agee ) that he has no idea what she’s capable of doing, which links her loner personality to that of the narrator in Reyez’s song.
• “Can’t Sleep” by K.Flay (00:59:00): The Suicide Squad soundtrack includes “Can’t Sleep,” a hip-hop joint that scores a club sequence. The lyrics about an always-busy individual parallel the chaotic lives of the main characters in the DCEU movie. By the end of the song, Polka-Dot Man enjoys a moment of emotional release (see above).
• “Quem Tem Joga” by Drib Barbosa featuring Gloria Groove and Karol Conka (01:01:00): “Quem Tem Joga” is used briefly during a club sequence. The Suicide Squad soundtrack song first plays over a visual of Nanaue/King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), and then continues during an interior scene featuring Bloodsport. Overall, the song’s lyrics about an ambitious individual matches the mentalities of the aforementioned characters. They’re ready to rock.
• “Just a Gigolo (I Ain’t Got Nobody)” by Louis Prima (01:11:00): Recorded by the iconic Italian-American singer Louis Prima, “Just a Gigolo (I Ain’t Got Nobody)” kicks in as Harley Quinn escapes from her captors. She first hums the tune, and it then plays as she cracks her neck and eliminates various soldiers. The lighted-hearted nature of the song fits the personality of Robbie’s character.
• “Hey” by Pixies (01:18:00): “I love the rain,” Harley Quinn says, “it’s like angels are splooging all over us.” Moments later, The Suicide Squad soundtrack song ramps up to highlight that Robbie’s character and her team are figuratively chained together as one, a concept that is reinforced by a slo-mo wide shot. The song is also featured in the Fear Street Part One: 1994 soundtrack. In both films, the lyrics pinpoint the psychology of the collective characters.
• “So Busted” By Culture Abuse (02:02:00): The track plays Bloodsport breathes a sigh of relief and glances over at Harley Quinn, who delivers an expressive grin. However, the shared moment ends with Robbie’s character closing her eyes and Bobby DuBois petting Sebastian on his lap. And like that, The Suicide Squad ends with The Suicide Squad soundtrack song highlighting the perspective of… a rat.

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The Suicide Squad soundtrack also includes:

• “Adagio (Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra)” by Joaquín Rodrigo
• “Rain” by grandson & Jessie Reyez
• “I Ain’t Got Nobody” by Roger Graham and Spencer Williams
• “Oh No!!!” by grandson

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor.