Every Song We Heard In Moon Knight Episode 1

This post contains spoilers for the first episode of "Moon Knight."

"Moon Knight" has finally arrived, and with the latest Marvel series comes a treat for our ears. No, this isn't an ode to the wacky British accent from Oscar Isaac (though it very much could be). One major highlight makes itself known from the get-go. Within minutes of entering the wild world of "Moon Knight," you'll realize this is a series that understands the power of a solid needle drop. As Isaac has been alluding to for months now, this show is happy to lean into its own ridiculousness along with dissecting heavy themes, making room to embrace straightforward comic book-y insanity. And if "Guardians of the Galaxy" has taught us anything, it's how much better that becomes with the right music to amp up the fun.

So exactly what kind of chaos can you expect from "Moon Knight"? Well, depending on the time of day, the story either follows mercenary Marc Spector or anxious museum gift shop clerk, Steven Grant — two halves of the same man who becomes a conduit for an Egyptian god. If the grand power of a literal god doesn't make things complicated enough, Oscar Isaac's Moon Knight also has dissociative identity disorder. In the first episode of the series, "The Goldfish Problem," we first meet him as Steven, a totally normal fellow who opts to chain himself to his bed at night just in case he finds himself having wandered off into the middle of nowhere. Plagued by blackouts and strange dreams, he figures this will solve things — but as we find out over the course of a very entertaining hour of TV, his problems can't be so easily solved.

As the episode unravels, you really get to see the fingerprints of head writer and executive producer Jeremy Slater, also known for his time on "The Umbrella Academy" — another show with top-notch song picks. And since you were probably too wrapped up in feeling bad for poor ol' Steven to shazam each song, we've laid them out for your playlist pursuing pleasure.

"Moon Knight" showcases its musical taste right off the bat, with a cold open that introduces the series villain in suitably disturbing fashion. Ethan Hawke's Arthur Harrow is performing some sort of ritual, one he appears quite accustomed to given the ease with which he flattens out some fabric, sips from a glass of water, then neatly smashes said glass so he can preserve the shards to... put in his sandals. All the while, "Every Grain of Sand" plays in the background, Bob Dylan's voice a soothing reverie that wholly contradicts the obvious lunatic on our screen. As he goes for a stroll with his glass-filled shoes, suddenly, Hawke's "sane lunatic" comments make a lot more sense, because, as unhinged as his actions are, there's something calm and methodical about Harrow that the series makes clear right from the start.

Now that we've met our villain, it's time to meet the hero! Yes, the man with the chains on his bed is indeed our hero — no worries, this potential red flag isn't what it looks like. Steven Grant, we quickly learn, is just your average gift shop employee who would never fill his shoes with glass. Instead, he lines his bed with sand and keeps himself locked up at night to assure nothing strange happens. All that normalcy aside, "A Man Without Love" is a fitting theme song for poor Steven. Is it a little on the nose to hear Humperdinck croon, "every day I start out, then I cry my heart out" as Steven goes through his morning routine? Perhaps. But it establishes plenty about the episode to come and lays some pretty clear clues for the impact of Steven's lonely lifestyle. Seeming not very well-rested, he goes about his routine of feeding his one-finned fish, leaving a voice message for his mum (not the only time he'll miss her this episode), falling asleep on his morning bus ride, and arriving late to work.

This electronic track shows off Egyptian roots, coming from the acclaimed DJ Kabboo, who's been dominating night life in the Middle East. From the snippet we hear as Steven leaves work, you might think he's off to start a night of after-hours fun — but one cut later, we find him sitting on a park bench, chatting away to a living statue street performer who doesn't so much as blink in response to his prolonged rant about his upcoming date and mysterious sleepwalking issue. It'd be nice to think that this is just an anomaly for Steven, but he's so casual about the whole thing that I fear this is another part of his daily routine. This street performer might very well know his entire life story and seems to be the closest thing he has to a non-work friend — and he never even responds to him. And so "A Man Without Love" continues to be a painfully accurate theme song for poor Steven Grant.

This is the kind of scene-stealing song that needs no introduction, but is very much worth unpacking. The second half of the "Moon Knight" premiere takes an unexpected turn when Steven awakens to find himself intruding on a small village quickly revealed to be a creepy cult run by Harrow. Glass man returneth, and after an awkward-turned-threatening encounter, Steve discovers he has some intense fighting skills. But much like Jason Bourne, he has no recollection of why or how he can take down a team of four armed men with seemingly little effort. After a couple of black-outs, Steven steals a cupcake truck and tries to make a quick getaway, only to find himself being chased by more terrifying men with guns. You know what might make this situation better? Wham!

The cupcake car chase scene is set to Wham!'s "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," a hilariously upbeat tune to bop your head to as Steven freaks out over the dangerous henchmen trying to run him off the side of a mountain. The violently funny scene is laden with blackouts that see Steven knocking out his pursuers with no recollection of how and abruptly waking up to increasingly more dangerous scenarios before he eventually finds the whole thing has ended and he's back home, in bed. It's sort of like having a hilarious nightmare, except that he later discovers that it's a reality he can't wake up from.

Outside of the original score composed by Hesham Nazih, the last song featured in the episode comes at a low-point for Steven, as he heads to the restaurant to await his Friday night date. Except, as he soon learns, he's two days late and she furiously instructs him to lose her number as "Bahlam Maak" quietly plays in the background. The scene is sad enough on its own, and the melancholy song only serves to emphasize the painful moment for Steven. But if you'd like to add an additional layer of sadness to the whole thing, just know that the song is all about having someone to anchor your life to, which Steven is sorely missing. The english translation even features the apt lyrics, "the whole world / with its secrets / living with me / living inside me." Sadly, this is already a relatable sentiment for Steven.

An official soundtrack for the series hasn't been made available, but to coincide with the arrival of episode 1, Marvel has released Hesham Nazih's theme for the character to streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. Previous Marvel series have released music in two volumes (in the middle and at the end of a season) so expect to see the score released as more episodes arrive.

New episodes of "Moon Knight" drop on Disney+ on Wednesdays.