Hear Nick Cave Sing Cheery ‘What the World Needs Now Is Love’ Cover for ‘Joker 2’ Soundtrack

No joke: That’s Nick Cave singing a cheery rendition of Burt Bacharach‘s cheery “What the World Needs Now Is Love” on the newly released soundtrack to Joker: Folie à Deux. The performance comes at the end of a medley that includes “Slap That Bass” and “Get Happy,” those his voice isn’t obvious on those songs.

Although Cave is best known for writing soul-searching songs that tackle the themes of loss and redemption, it’s not a stretch to assume he’s a fan of Bacharach’s songcraft and, even if the context of the song is a little strange and might seem insincere when paired with Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga waltzing through Gotham City, Cave would probably agree that the world needs a little more love. (Just listen to his latest album, Wild God, on which he sincerely sings, “We’ve all had too much sorrow, now is the time for joy” on the song “Joy.”)

The tune is second that Cave, who has been composing film scores with his creative partner Warren Ellis for years, has contributed to a movie soundtrack this year. In April, he and Ellis contributed “Song for Amy” to the soundtrack for Back to Black, a biopic of Amy Winehouse. They also composed the movie’s score.

“Nick and Warren were the only musicians in my mind to score Back to Black,” Back to Black’s director Sam Taylor-Johnson said. “Over the years, I’ve listened to everything they’ve composed and longed to realize the dream of working together.  Their sensibility as well as understanding of this story has led to a profoundly deep and moving film score.”