‘Loser’ is the needle drop of the decade

Lily McMenemy, Assistant Opinion Editor

This summer has been a mouthwatering showcase of new films for cinephiles, the most successful of which being “Spider-man: Brand New Day”. The movie earned $2.3 billion globally – beating out yet another Christopher Nolan blockbuster, “The Odyssey”, which earned $1.5 billion. Both films generated legendary buzz and incredible reception, and left cinemagoers well-fed this season. 

“Spider-man: Brand New Day”, however, marks the start of a much needed redemption arc for Marvel. After “Avengers: Endgame”, the studio faced a massive loss of direction and identity while they pumped out sub-par movies and shows that felt like chores rather than an engrossing universe. July 31 wasn’t just a brand new day for spider-man, but certainly for Marvel Studios as well. 

Aside from stunning cinematography and actually memorable, enjoyable moments, this movie brings a beautifully complex energy to Tom Holland’s spiderman, who cemented himself as my favorite Peter Parker with this story. He is newly evolved; stronger, lonelier and more relatable than ever. The featured song, “Loser” by Tame Impala, does the perfect and precise job of capturing this essence. The rest of the soundtrack is also worth celebrating, and each song has its moment to shine, including Steve Lacy’s “oh yeah?” and Bad Bunny’s “EoO”. 

There have been a thousand great licensed songs used well in movies recently. Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” in “The Batman”, Steely Dan’s “Dirty Work” in “One Battle After Another”, “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee for “Spider-man: Into The Spider-verse”, so it’s not the first spiderman movie to have an incredible soundtrack by any means. 

“Loser”, however, does something more compelling than any licensed song used in a film for the last ten years. The song becomes the identity of the film, and within it, of Peter Parker’s mindset. The second the needle dropped in theaters, I sat up in my chair, struck by the nervous excitement of the scene, and how the first electric notes seemed to course through my veins. I’ve probably listened to the song at least every day since, and there is truly something deeply charged about that song. Other featured songs may have iconic scenes, remind you of a film or even make you feel like a character for thirty seconds. “Loser” doesn’t make you feel like spiderman – it makes you feel the part of yourself that makes everyone relate to him. 

“Loser” is a testament to screwing up and beating down on yourself. It feels like being young, dumb and lost, and change happening before you’re ready when life keeps going even though you’d rather stick behind for a little bit. It’s an angsty coming-of-age anthem for mistakes, and the painful process of growing through failure – all emotions explored by Peter Parker in the film. His journey is one that most people can relate to. It is such an essential part of the human experience to be hard on yourself while working to find out who you even are. 

Some of the best advice I ever received was after I made a blunder and my supervisor told me to lean into the feeling of being ashamed – not to feel bad about yourself, but to learn the most from the mistake and honor yourself by not making similar ones to have to feel bad about. The journey isn’t actually about hating yourself, even though it can sometimes feel like it. Rather, it’s the awkward discomfort of figuring it out. 

This song is an auditory forgiveness of being overly critical to become a better person. The sound injects you with a psychedelic, vibrational understanding of adolescent introspection, and is exactly like feeling your own heartbeat in your ears – all while holding this lively upbeat reassurance that, ultimately, this feeling is temporary. Regret is painful and embarrassing, but everyone has it, and it is an uncontrollable force of improvement. The lyrics describe the process and emotional toil, but it’s paired with addictive basslines and a punchy, exciting sound, which is the promising feeling of potential. “Loser” romanticizes that feeling of melodramatic loneliness and self-deprecation, and it has never been more inspirational.

If you’re feeling lost, like a screw up or simply like a person, go listen to “Loser” by Tame Impala. You won’t regret it, and even if you do, that’s an emotion worth experiencing.