12 great original film scores from rock musicians who became composers

If you plan to see Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers this weekend, be prepared to be knocked on your ass by its propulsive score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Their synthwave-inspired compositions add an energy not just to the action on the tennis court, but to more intimate scenes between the characters as well. Whatever the configuration of the three main characters played by Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist, their fights, flirtations, and flings are underscored with the precision Reznor and Ross have honed through composing more than a dozen film scores together.

Reznor, who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and songwriter for Nine Inch Nails, is among a select group of rock stars who have tried their hand at film composing. Whether it’s the close connection between the music and film industries, the flair for drama needed to succeed in both, or the ability to express emotions without words, the pipeline from rock musician to film composer is reliably steady. It’s always neat when an artist shows a different side of their talent in an unexpected arena. With that in mind, we’ve created a list of our favorite examples of film scores by composers who got their start as rock stars.

A few caveats before we get to the list, because you may be wondering about a couple of omissions. It’s true that legendary film composer Hans Zimmer started out as a musician and record producer in the ’70s and ’80s, but he’s now spent far more time working in Hollywood than he did in the music industry, as his track record of more than 150 film scores attests. Since he doesn’t really fit the brief here, we’ve decided to leave him out. We’re also not including Danny Elfman.

Which rock musicians turned film composers did make our list? Read on to find out.

The Last Emperor (1997) — Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, and Cong Su

Director Bernardo Bertolucci approached Talking Heads founder David Byrne about composing the music for The Last Emperor after seeing the concert film Stop Making Sense. By the time Byrne came on board the project, Ryuichi Sakamoto had already been working on his own music for the film independently. At this point in his career Sakamoto was already an influential electronica artist, and had composed the music for the film Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence a few years earlier. Bertolucci decided to employ them both, as well as a Chinese composer, Cong Su. The resulting score is surprisingly cohesive for a team with such distinct styles and backgrounds, effortlessly combining East and West in its themes and instrumentation. The three of them were rewarded for their efforts with an Oscar for Best Original Score at the 60th Academy Awards.