What is That Song in the New 'Spider-Man' Movie?

WARNING: mild spoilers ahead for the beginning of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The new Marvel blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home has been the target of endless speculation ahead of its release on Dec. 17, 2021. But now that it's in theaters, fans of the wall-crawler have been asking themselves a different question: what is that song playing in the beginning of the movie?

No Way Home picks up where 2019's Spider-Man: Far from Home left off. The villainous Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) sends out doctored footage of his last moments, framing Spidey for the damage created by his attack drones. But that's not all: he also lets it slip that the web-shooting former Avenger is actually Queens teen Peter Parker (Tom Holland).

In the ensuing chaos of thousands of Manhattanites discovering the truth and swarming upon Parker and his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya), a percussive rock tune with a set of nonsensical lyrics accompanies the pair's reaction to the reaction, and attempt to contain the news from getting out any further than it has. And Marvel fans with deep classic rock knowledge might recognize the song as "I Zimbra," the opening track off Talking Heads' 1979 album Fear of Music.

As the second of three Talking Heads LPs produced by Brian Eno, even "I Zimbra" is unique among the group's discography up to that point. With lyrics adapted from a Dadaist poem by Hugo Ball and a swirling background rhythm created by Brazilian and African percussion, the song anticipated the unique directions the Talking Heads would take in the decade to come. The band's keyboardist, Jerry Harrison, concurred - going so far as to name it his favorite song of the group's in 1997. "We also knew that our next album [1980's Remain in Light] would be a further exploration of what we had begun with 'I Zimbra,'" he told Liquid Audio.

i knew i was going to love SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME when "i zimbra" by talking heads started playing in the opening scene

— allegra frank (@LegsFrank) December 14, 2021

No spoilers, but even more respect is due to #SpiderManNoWayHome for the immediate needle-drop on the magnificent I Zimbra by #TalkingHeads pic.twitter.com/kDHhVSK6k1

— Steve Fawcett 💙 (@Steve_Fawcett) December 15, 2021

I don’t think it counts as a spoiler for me to say I never imagined I’d hear Talking Heads’ “I Zimbra” in a Marvel movie.

— Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen (@EricSchu_Ras) December 17, 2021

As you can see from some of the reactions above, people were pleasantly surprised - and if advance reviews are any indication, "I Zimbra" only sets the tone for even more cinematic thrills from your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.