David Byrne writes new song for Musk documentary

David Byrne wrote and performed an original song for Alex Gibney's Elon Musk documentary.The song, written by Byrne and composer Daniel Pemberton, is arranged at the end of the documentary.The film is 235 minutes long and is planned to use this song to compete for Best Original Song at the 2027 Oscars.

Byrne said that he did not come up with a new story when writing the lyrics. He asked the creative team for words that Musk himself had said, and found more public speeches, and selected sentences from them to enter the lyrics.He described these words as exaggerated enough in themselves, and tried to retain the original meaning when writing.Gibney said Byrne used music to find the issues the film wanted to discuss.

Pemberton has previously been nominated for an Oscar for film songs and has scored several films.According to reports, the song collaborated by the two will appear in its entirety in the film, and will then be eligible to participate in the film through the film's U.S. theatrical release.Distributor Bleecker Street has confirmed that the film will be released in the United States on October 16.

The documentary will have its world premiere in the non-competition section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on September 8, and will then go to the Toronto International Film Festival.Gibney calls it a direct observation of the entrepreneur.The film will start shooting in 2023 and has been produced for more than three years.

The last time Byrne was in the discussion for an Oscar music award was back in 1988 for The Last Emperor.He won the Best Original Score Award together with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Su Cong that year.Now, if this new song can be nominated, it will be his return to the Oscar competition after nearly 40 years.

The film caused controversy when it was announced.Musk once predicted on social platforms that it would be an offensive work, and Gibney later responded.The report did not disclose the complete content of the film in advance, but confirmed that it will be based on Musk's public experience and related figures, and will last nearly four hours.

In addition to directing, Gibney also participated in the production, with Jesse Dieter, Erin Edikon and others participating.The report's production list also includes Ronan Farrow and Lawrence Wright.The Venice premiere and October US release are the two clearest time points at present.

As for the music part, Byrne's participation gave the documentary an ending song specially written for the film.Whether the song can be included in the final Oscar nomination list depends on the results of the awards season.The film's full trailer and more footage are still to be announced by the distributor.

According to reports, the song will enter the evaluation process along with the film's theatrical release in the United States.Byrne and Pemberton co-signed the song, and Byrne sang.The film will first go to the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals, and then hit U.S. theaters on October 16. The official listening experience of the song will have to wait for the screening of the film or the release of follow-up materials.

Gibney has been filming this documentary for many years and it is nearly four hours long.The existing introduction confirms that it will have its world premiere in Venice, but does not reveal the full chapter and interview list in advance.Bourne's song is at the end, which is a musical message specially stated by the film crew.

Byrne described the writing as a rare collaboration.He sourced lyrical material from public speeches, and Pemberton co-wrote and produced the film's music.Before the film was released, the distributor did not announce independent release plans for the song.