It's a particularly satisfying feeling when a movie chooses the perfect song to accompany its trailer, and I felt that when watching the first promo for the third Wolverine movie. From the first few seconds, I could tell that it was the exact right choice, setting the tone immediately for what we could expect not just from the trailer but also from the movie. So what is the song in the Logan trailer? It's nothing you'll hear on the radio, unless you're listening to the oldies.
It's performed by Johnny Cash, and it's called "Hurt." The late, great country star released the song in 2002 on his album American IV: The Man Comes Around , just a year before his death. There's a lot of weight and meaning to the song, even though Cash wasn't its writer. That honor goes to the band Nine Inch Nails , who released the original version of "Hurt" on their 1994 album The Downward Spiral . Even before Cash covered it, "Hurt" was highly acclaimed, getting nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Song in 1996, even though it ultimately didn't win. (Shakes fist at Alanis Morisette's classic "You Oughta Know.")
No shade to NIN or anything, but Cash's full-throated, husky rendition of "Hurt" couldn't have been a better choice for the Logan trailer. Pitched as the final appearance of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Logan is based on the Old Man Logan storyline from the comics. The mutant has promised himself not to use his abilities, making lines like this one from "Hurt" chilling: "I hurt myself today / to see if I still feel / I focused on the pain / the only thing that's real."
It gives me goosebumps, it's so perfect. Take a look:
It's a truly impeccable song choice, and it makes me even more excited for Logan, which will hit theaters on Mar. 3, 2017. We'll have to say goodbye to Wolverine, but if this trailer is any indication, we as an audience are in very good hands.
Images: 20thCenturyFox/YouTube
