Nelson, the 1990s hard-rock band fronted by Gunnar and Matthew Nelson, are back and are enjoying their super-hero moment as their song “To Get Back to You” was showcased in the Season 2 finale of HBO Max’s Peacemaker.
The band is seen performing in the episode, appropriately titled “Full Nelson,” which in a sense is a full-circle moment for the legacy of the Nelson family.
The pair’s father was legendary singer-actor Ricky Nelson, who got his start on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, a TV show that starred his parents—Gunnar and Matthew’s grandparents– before launching his own chart-topping music career.
Ricky Nelson, who later went by the more mature-sounding Rick Nelson, topped the album chart with his debut album, Ricky, and the Hot 100 with “Poor Little Fool” in 1958, and later “Travelin’ Man” in 1961. While Nelson, the band, didn’t have a No. 1 album, they also topped the Hot 100 with “(Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection” from their 1990 debut album After the Rain.
“To Get Back to You” was originally released in 2010 but is getting renewed interest in wake of its inclusion on the Peacemaker Season 2 finale. The band just released the first-ever official music video for the song shot by acclaimed filmmaker and DC Studios co-chairman/co-CEO James Gunn, the creator, writer and producer of Peacemaker.
In the episode, John Cena’s Peacemaker character attends a concert by Nelson, which steps into the DC Universe.
“I wanted a band that was popular back in the Eighties or Nineties that would be potentially playing a rock cruise, which they’ve done, I believe,” Gunn explained, in an interview with Rolling Stone.
Though he personally favors punk rock, and wasn’t into Nelson during their prime, Gunn recently discovered the band after reading a book about hair metal titled Lightning Strikes Back. “I thought that album sort of revealed how talented they were,” Gunn said. “I truly believe it’s a great album that nobody knows, a pretty great example of melodic rock. And the song is fantastic.”
Gunn sent his producers out to check out Nelson to see if they were up for the task and still looked the part. “We couldn’t believe it,” Matthew told the outlet. “He said, ‘Our mission is basically to see if you guys still look OK and still play OK.’ It was like, ‘What was the verdict?’ And he said, ‘You passed the audition.’”
Foxy Shazam, a neo-glam band that performs this season’s Peacemaker theme song “Oh Lord” is enjoying increased popularity due to the exposure on the show and Nelson is hoping that lightening will strike twice now that they’re also part of the DC Cinematic Universe.
“I think that’s fantastic,” Matthew told Rolling Stone. “People always thought we were cartoons anyway.”
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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