David Byrne Returns to Oscar Race With Original Song for Elon Musk Documentary ‘Musk’ (EXCLUSIVE)

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David Byrne Returns to Oscar Race With Original Song for Elon Musk Documentary ‘Musk’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Variety · 4 hours ago

David Byrne has written and performed an original song, "Let Me Sell You a Dream," for Alex Gibney's documentary "Musk," Variety reports exclusively. The track, co-written with Oscar-nominated composer Daniel Pemberton, is being entered as an Oscar-qualifying entry in the best original song category, marking Byrne's first return to awards contention since he won best original score for "The Last Emperor" in 1988.

The 235-minute documentary, described as a "scathing" and "unvarnished" look at Elon Musk, premieres out of competition at the Venice Film Festival on 8 September before heading to Toronto, ahead of a US theatrical release via Bleecker Street on 16 October that secures its Oscar eligibility. Byrne said the lyrics were drawn directly from Musk's own public statements, with "no editorialising," while Gibney praised the song as "kick-ass" and true to the film's tone. Musk previously predicted the documentary would be a "hit-piece," to which Gibney publicly retorted.

  • David Byrne wrote a song for Alex Gibney's Elon Musk documentary
  • Song lyrics are built entirely from Musk's own quotes
  • "Musk" premieres at Venice on 8 September, in US cinemas 16 October

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