🎶 Mixtape Monday: Black History Month Spotlight - Bumblebee! 🎶

[MissInkBlot]

Welcome, everyone!

Last week’s theme on Black Lightning caused quite the surge of activity, and we’re excited to be able to share our brand new playlist - see the list of turbocharged tunes below!

• “Thunder,” by Imagine Dragons
• “Believer,” by Imagine Dragons
• “Storm,” by Storm (Original Club Mix, 1998)
• “Ride The Lightning,” by Metallica
• “Light It Up” (Remix), by Major Lazer ( (feat. Nyla & Fuse ODG)
• “Let It Rain,” by 4 Strings
• “Don’t Sweat The Technique,” by Eric B. & Rakim
• “Hot for Teacher,” by Van Halen
• “Electric Boogie” (The Electric Slide), by Marcia Griffiths
• “Black Man in A White World (Ghetto Gettysburg Address),” by Michael Kiwanuka (feat. Nasir Jones as Mr. Books)
• “Thunderstruck,” by AC/DC
• “Black or White,” by Michael Jackson
• “To Be Human,” by MARINA
• “Lightning Crashes,” by Live
• “Remember When,” by Bad Wolves
• “Another Brick in the Wall,” by Pink Floyd
• “Hall of Fame,” by The Script
• “Atomic Dog,” by George Clinton
• “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” by Gil Scott-Heron
• “Eye of the Tiger,” by Survivor (from Rocky)

This Week’s Theme:
Black History Month Spotlight - Bumblebee!

Continuing our celebration of Black History Month, we’re starting out week 2 with a focus on DC Universe’s first African American superheroine, Bumblebee! Equipped with a one-two punch of brilliance and creative talent, Bumblebee’s inventiveness, and scientific know-how puts her in a league above the rest! What songs come to mind when you think of her?

Let us know in the comments below!
Don’t forget to check out our Bombshell Bumblebee Sweepstakes, while you’re at it, too!

Read the info below to learn a bit more about her background!

Bumblebee: A History

Debuting in 1976, Bumblebee was created by Bob Rozakis and Irv Nocik, appearing first in Teen Titans #45 as Karen Beecher, with her heroine alias appearing for the first time in Teen Titans #48.

Karen’s life as a superhero began as a ruse. Her boyfriend, Mal Duncan, a.k.a. the Herald, was a new member of the Teen Titans and anxious to prove himself worthy of the team. Wanting to help Mal, Karen made herself a costume and took up the name Bumblebee. Pretending to be a super-villain, she attacked the Titans and took a fall— all to make her boyfriend look like he’d saved the day. Surprisingly, when Karen revealed what she’d done to the team, they were impressed with her skill in crafting her costume and executing her plan. They immediately offered a place on the team alongside Mal, and she officially adopted Bumblebee as her alias.

As DC’s first African-American superheroine, Bumblebee continues to leave a special, and significant mark on the DC Universe!

See our in-depth articles below for additional gems of insight!
Bumblebee: Encyclopedia Page
The History of Bumblebee: DC’s First African-American Superheroine

While lyrics must abide to Forum Guidelines, the songs can be anything, of any genre, as long as it meets each week’s theme!

Curious what Mixtape Monday is?
Every week, we’ll post the title of our latest Mixtape, and you post a track of your choice in the comments below! We’ll follow up next Mixtape Monday with the full list of tunes collected from the week before. And if our “What’s the Last Song You Heard?” thread is any indication, you all have superb taste in tunes!

[MissInkBlot]

Soo, this week, I’m going to go with another twofer… the first one being Tal Bachman’s, “She’s So High,” as what ended up being an interesting play on the fact that Bumblebee flies, and, with all I described about her, as said, she’s definitely a league above the rest! As for the second song, I can see her rocking out to Janet Jackson’s “Control.” Can you?

[Reaganfan78]

I love that movie about Bumblebee, I think it’s the best Transformers film… Wait not that Bumblebee? This is gonna be fun!

[Reaganfan78]

Here’s a soundtrack from Bumblebee, singing by the main star of the film, hope this fit the character well.

[anon52107441]

So here we go:
Bullet with Butterfly wings-You know who wrote this:
I am sooo sorry, but the Encyclopedia heading demanded I put this here! “Move like a butterfly, sting like a bee”
Fly on the wall-1000 foot krutch:
The constant struggle for equality and recognization that Karen faces (I think of this in the pretense of her Emancipation)
Welcome Home-Hellyeah:
When she regains her powers and friends *warning: contains language
Doom Patrol theme:
I mean, she WAS in the DP.
Twister-Carrie Underwood:
Okay, the name is helpful to this. She gave birth fighting MR. Twister, and the song does invite the emotions of fear she must’ve felt at the time
Teen Titans Go! theme:
Again, it is agiven
To be continued… maybe.

[anon52107441]

Also @MissInkBlot, I thank you for including my suggestions in the playlists, some are stretch, yet you continue to be appreciative and encouraging! I also would like to invite you to today’s Name the Character(s) Best Fit: Season 4 !
Also, I see what you did there!

@MissInkBlot

Last week’s theme on Black Lightning caused quite the surge of activity,

[MissInkBlot]

@Reaganfan78 - Hehe, your sense of humor’s off the charts today. Though who can blame you? I love Bumblebee from Transformers, too, so I’m all for bringing him up, and sharing that song. After going through some more of her quotes and clips over the weekend, I think Bumblebee would enjoy an upbeat song like that, especially when it comes to her character in DC Super Hero Girls. Thanks for linking to the soundtrack playlist on yt, as well, by the way. The other songs on there are just as good!

@AmberButane2814 - Wow, that’s an assortment of songs I can’t wait to get through! Will add my thoughts on them when I come back, but please do continue to add to the list as the inspiration strikes for you! I like how all the songs shared have managed to apply to each week’s themes, and think there’s a way to make most apply in some way, especially when the theme’s left to hands as skillful as those in this community. I’m also a fan of unexpected connections, so I never end up thinking any are a stretch.

Aww, I appreciate the invitation - I promise to check it out when I return! And as for that quoted part… nah uh, no one saw anything (or, to quote Bart Simpson, “I didn’t do it. No one saw me do it. You can’t prove anything.” Well, I mean, you obviously can, but… shh. ).

[Pow-Pow]

Lol, I got nothing.

First thing that pops into my head - Flight of the bumblebee, but then I think - no, that’s a terrible song.

Then I think, who is she? I haven’t really read much Bumblebee and from what I’ve seen she seems like one of those characters that keep changing with iterations leaving me to wonder - is there even a consistent bumblebee character beyond the suit and the name? Maybe, but I can’t pin it down. I’m thinking, maybe go for a specific iteration? Lauren’s version is an introvert wallflower, do I know any good introvert songs? Maybe Small World by Idina Menzel, but that’s not really good either. That song is for someone with a trauma. Karen is just a normal introvert.

I then think - a consistent aspect of the character seems to be that she is always a scientist. Do I know any good female scientist songs? No, someone should make some. What do I see a mechanical/robotics engineer listen to? Probably Kraftwerk. Die Mensch-Machine is a nice fit. Does that fit Karen though? No… I think she is next gen scienceer and I have no idea what science kids today listen to. Lol.

So I tap out this week. I look at Karen and have no clue what music to associate her with.

I’ll be listening in to all your suggestions and widen my perspectives this week.

Keep em coming.

[capo-mage]

Smashing Pumpkins bullet with butterfly wings was on the Melancholy & the Infinite Sadness double album.

[capo-mage]

Tom Petty -Honey Bee.
Red Hot Chili Peppers-Aeroplane

[AnonymousHQ]

Good vibrations- The Beach Boys

I kinda just “guessed“ on this…I really have no clue.

[capo-mage]

You can’t be wrong if it’s The Beach Boys. Pet Sounds is one of the best albums ever made. Good Vibrations isn’t on it so nobody attack me. I’m just saying how great that album is. Good Vibrations is an amazing song & totally fits a bumblebee.

[Reaganfan78]

Now this really came to my mind when thinking about Bumblebee, if this wasn’t made for the Green Hornet, then it should be her theme. Here’s the theme from 1966 The Green Hornet!

[seitan]

I can’t think of anything for this one. The only thing I think of is the transformer and actual bees

[MissInkBlot]

@AmberButane2814 - Oh my, I read through the thread you linked to, and it was excellent! I’m so happy to see there’s a new season of “Name the Character(s) Best Fit” and thought you did a great job in @kingofspeedsters’ stead! You two certainly know how to keep a person on the edge of their seats with those prompts; that topic’s been a welcome read-through during the week for us!

As for your song list, wow, I love the thought you put into it, and the intricate details of Bumblebee’s background. Because you go through a list of so many of the pivotal points of her story, and emotions, is there a specific song that stands out for you as representing her most? The variance between musical genres for your choices is particularly intriguing, so I’m rather curious about that. Thanks for the language warning, as well! It comes in handy, since our songs can’t violate the Forum Rules.

@Pow-Pow - Aww, the “Flight of the Bumblebee” option makes me laugh! I actually really like that song, all things considered. But I feel your pain… especially when it comes to trying to think of songs about scientists or science, in general (my mind immediately sang out, “she blinded me with science!” which is sad, lol). Still, I like the options you gave as food for thought, as I wasn’t familiar with “Small World,” or “Die Mensch-Machine.”

While I understand why you didn’t choose it, the former song’s beautiful, and the latter, fits well, I think, when I consider how science can, to some degree, be both forward and backward looking - backward in considering what came before, and forward in building upon that foundation to come up with ideas for the future. As a double dose of goodness, I know who to ask when I’m in need of great German bands to listen to, because I loved that song!

@capo-mage - Ooh, I quite like “Honey Bee” - that’s the sort of song I’d need an additional instrumental version of just because of how good it is. Then again, the same’s true of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, too. It’s been a little while since I’ve listened to anything by them, and doing so now, I’m struck by how authentically themselves that song is - 100% RHCP style, and all the more lovely because of it (sort of like the Foo Fighters). While I can understand what stood out with “Honey Bee,” the lyrics of “Aeroplane” are interesting to apply to this, and I think it would go hand in hand with some of the situations @AmberButane2814 mentioned. Your choices always make me feel so pensive!

@AnonymousBB - For a guess, that song’s lovely! The title, and general essence of it makes me think of that movie, “The Butterfly Effect,” and how the vibrations from the wing movement of something so tiny can have a ripple effect that has such a prominent influence on everything around it. With what I’ve been learning in doing research on these characters this month, and specifically, Bumblebee this week, I think it applies well when thought about with that in mind. The “Good Vibrations” have my mind going to some interesting places, it seems. And I’m with @capo-mage there - can’t go wrong with The Beach Boys!

@Penguinfan78 - Ahh, that name change (“excuse me, do I know you? You remind me a bit of someone I used to know…” hehe)… AND that swarm of bees! I love the song choice, and it reminds me of what @Pow-Pow mentioned with “Flight of the Bumblebee” - very busy, very energetic, and very buzzworthy! Thanks so much for bringing that up - I’d have never thought of it!

@seitan - Aw, that works for me! After hearing the Bumblebee soundtrack that @Penguinfan78 was kind enough to share with us (and, ahem, watching Transformers movies this week, as a result lol), I’m not complaining. I doubt Bumblebee would, either, as this playlist has songs that stuck with me all week, and that’s made it worthwhile!

Thank you for the different perspectives shared, everyone! Even if you couldn’t find one to choose, hearing your thought process and why things might’ve made it difficult, has been just as much fun as listening to the songs you’ve added to playlists in the past, so while this one might’ve been a bit of a toughie (it was for me, too!), the effort is very much appreciated!

If you have any in mind, which characters would you be interested in selecting tunes for in the future, be it for this month’s Black History Month spotlight, or another week? Are there any you’ve already created playlists for?

[anon52107441]

I know, but I didn’t source it because if you don’t know, you don’t get to know!!!

[anon52107441]

Hey, @MissInkBlot, I want to ask: So, I checked Spotify and was aghast when I couldn’t find our playlists. I was wondering, if you could send me the past lists we have made, I could then make the official DCUC playlists for those characters. If we want to refrain from that, I get it. But if you would ike to share our tunes with the world, or at least where Spotify is available, I would love to do that for you!

[Reaganfan78]

Sure you know me @MissInkBlot, I’m you’re friendly neighborhood Penguinfan78, formerly known as Reaganfan78. I’m still the same person but only the name been changed.

[capo-mage]

I hope u like pensive? Lol, agree 100% can’t go wrong with The Beach Boys.

[anon52107441]

How could you ditch my homeboy Reagan like that?