Agatha All Along's Trailer Song Showcases Some Marvelous Good Taste
The latest Disney+ Marvel series "Agatha All Along" has dropped its first trailer, proving that this long-gestating "WandaVision" spin-off is, in fact, happening. Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), the witchy villain of said show, is looking to regain her memories and powers after Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen — don't expect to see her in this) stole them. Along the way, she'll be recruiting a whole coven of witches, likely including co-stars Aubrey Plaza and Patti LuPone.
About a minute in, the trailer drops a song. Not "Agatha All Along," the minute long, Grammy-nominated tune that played during the revelation of Agatha's true nature in "WandaVision" episode 7, "Breaking The Fourth Wall." (The song went viral for a bit and was probably a deciding factor in getting this show greenlit.)
No, rather the trailer uses "Seven Devils" by the English indie rock band Florence + The Machine. That eerie anthem's hellishly apocalyptic lyrics fit much better with the foreboding mood of this trailer than the pomposity of "Agatha All Along." It's double fitting because lead singer Florence Welch is also something of a witch herself — you can tell from both her dress sense and some of her songs ("Which Witch").
If Marvel really wants me to watch "Agatha," then breaking out a big gun like Florence is a good call on its part. However, this show would be far from the first to use her music.
Other Florence + The Machine needle drops, from Game of Thrones to Yellowjackets
"Agatha All Along" borrows its choice of "Seven Devils" as trailer music from "Game of Thrones." In 2012, that series used the song in the trailer for its second season. The title of "Seven Devils" can be seen as referencing the seven deadly sins; Westeros has those in abundance and they've been the downfall of many playing the game of thrones. The song's ominous lyrics about coming destruction (such as "I'll be dead before the day is done") fit well with the season's main conflict, The War of The Five Kings, while the mythological allusions reflect the looming threat of the White Walkers. Lastly, season 2 is when the show introduces the red witch Melisandre (Carice Van Houten).
Welch, meanwhile, is a fan of the Showtime horror series "Yellowjackets" — "[It] appeals to me because of my fascination with all things culty, but also it portrays the violence of the hormonal shift of girlhood so well," she once told Bustle. "Dream Girl Evil," featured on Florence + The Machine's 2022 album "Dance Fever," was even inspired by "Yellowjackets." During the show's second season in 2023, the show repaid the compliment by recruiting Florence + The Machine to cover "Just A Girl" by No Doubt for its trailer. "Yellowjackets" season 2, episode 7, "Burial," also featured the Florence song "Free" and played "Dream Girl Evil" over its end credits.
"Agatha All Along" isn't even the only Marvel series to needle drop Florence + The Machine. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" concludes with "Dog Days Are Over," from the band's 2009 debut album "Lungs." That song, about celebrating once you've climbed out of a rut, is much more optimistic than "Seven Devils." Like different corners of the Marvel Universe, Florence + The Machine's music can be both uplifting and creepy.
"Agatha All Along" debuts on Disney+ on September 18, 2024.