You remember the first time you saw it. The screen is black. Then, the soft, fluttery acoustic strumming of a 1981 soft-rock ballad kicks in. You’re confused. This is a Marvel movie—or at least Marvel-adjacent. Where are the horns? Where’s the epic orchestral swell? Instead, you get Juice Newton.
Specifically, you get Angel of the Morning.
As the camera pans across a mid-air car crash frozen in time, we see a guy getting a cigarette lighter shoved into his eye socket. We see Deadpool—the Merc with a Mouth himself—mid-flight, reaching for a drawing of himself. It’s chaotic. It’s disgusting. It’s also weirdly beautiful because of that song.
Using Angel of the Morning in Deadpool wasn't just a quirky choice by a music supervisor. It was a statement of intent. It told the audience exactly what kind of ride they were in for: one that blends extreme, bone-crunching violence with a heart that is surprisingly, almost disturbingly, earnest.
The Genius Contrast of Juice Newton
Why does it work? Honestly, it’s all about the "ironic juxtaposition." That’s the fancy film school term for "playing pretty music while people get punched in the face."
Director Tim Miller and Ryan Reynolds knew that if they started the movie with a standard action track, it would feel like every other superhero flick. By choosing a song about a one-night stand and "touching my cheek before you leave me, baby," they created a cognitive dissonance. You're laughing because the song is so sweet and the visuals are so sour.
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The opening credits don't just use the song; they dance with it. The camera glides through the wreckage of a highway battle, highlighting "Easter eggs" like a coffee cup labeled "Rob L." (a nod to Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld) and a "Sexiest Man Alive" magazine featuring Reynolds. The slow-motion gore—teeth flying, blood droplets suspended in the air like rubies—feels like a ballet. Without Juice Newton’s vocals, it’s just a fight. With them, it’s a masterpiece of tone.
Who actually wrote this song?
A lot of people think Juice Newton owns this track. She doesn't. It was actually written by Chip Taylor back in 1967. Fun fact: Chip Taylor is actually the uncle of Angelina Jolie.
Before Juice Newton made it a massive hit in the early '80s, it was recorded by Merrilee Rush. But the Deadpool team specifically went with the 1981 version. Why? Because the '80s production has that specific layer of "earnest cheese" that fits Wade Wilson’s personality. Deadpool is a guy who unironically loves Wham! and Salt-N-Pepa. He doesn't listen to music to be cool; he listens to it because it makes him feel something.
Setting the Stage for the "Anti-Hero"
The song does more than just provide a laugh. It humanizes a character who is, by all accounts, a degenerate.
"Angel of the Morning" is a song about vulnerability and making mistakes. It's about a woman saying, "Look, this might be a sin, but it's what I wanted now." If you look at Wade Wilson’s journey—a guy who undergoes a horrific experiment to save his relationship, only to end up looking like a "testicle with teeth"—the lyrics actually hit home.
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- The Irony: Violence vs. Soft Rock
- The Connection: Wade's internal "softness" hidden under scar tissue
- The Meta-Joke: Breaking the fourth wall before a single line of dialogue is spoken
Screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have said in interviews that the song was in the script from the very beginning. It wasn't a post-production fix. They knew that to sell a character this vulgar, they needed to anchor him in something nostalgic and familiar.
Beyond the Opening: The Deadpool Musical Legacy
Because the first movie was such a hit, the "ironic pop song" became a staple of the franchise.
In Deadpool 2, they went for a James Bond-style opening with Celine Dion singing "Ashes." It was hilarious, but it lacked that raw, "I can't believe they’re doing this" energy of the first film's opening. Then, in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, they upped the ante again with the *NSYNC "Bye Bye Bye" dance sequence.
But none of those sequels quite captured the shock of that first "Angel of the Morning" needle drop.
What This Taught Hollywood
Before 2016, R-rated superhero movies were seen as a massive risk. Studios thought they had to be dark, gritty, and "serious" (think Logan or Watchmen). Deadpool proved that you could be R-rated, violent, and incredibly silly all at the same time.
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The success of the opening credits—which won numerous design awards—showed that audiences were craving something "meta." We didn't want to see a list of names; we wanted to see "Directed by An Overpaid Tool" and "Produced by Asshats." The song gave the production the "permission" to be that disrespectful to itself.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators:
If you’re a filmmaker or a content creator, there is a huge lesson here about tonal subversion.
- Don't follow the "correct" vibe. If you’re making something scary, try a lullaby. If you’re making something sad, try a joke. The contrast creates a more memorable experience than a direct match ever could.
- Use nostalgia as a bridge. People might not know who Deadpool is, but they know that song from their mom’s car radio. It makes the "weird" feel "safe."
- Visual pacing is everything. The slow-motion "freeze frame" technique used in the opening allowed the song to breathe. If the action was full speed, the music would have been drowned out.
If you want to experience the magic again, go back and watch the opening 3 minutes of the 2016 film. Don't look at the blood. Listen to the lyrics. It’s basically a love letter from Wade Wilson to the audience, telling us that he’s okay with being our "angel," even if he has to kill a few dozen people to prove it.
To dive deeper into how this choice influenced later films, look at the soundtrack for Promising Young Woman, which used the same song for a much darker, much more serious climax. It shows just how versatile a simple 1980s pop song can be when put in the hands of a clever director.
Next Step: Watch the Deadpool opening credits side-by-side with the Deadpool & Wolverine opening. Notice how the camera movement in the first film is "observational" (gliding through a frozen moment), whereas the third film is "participatory" (Deadpool dancing with the camera). It’s a fascinating evolution of how Ryan Reynolds uses music to define his character's growth.