Rick And Morty’s musical palette is as diverse as it is weird, in no small part thanks to composer Ryan Elder who translates whatever rough ideas or lyrics Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland come up with into fully fledged songs. Elder invited us over to his L.A. studio to find out the artists and people in his life that influenced his music the most.
We also talked to Elder about his favorite musical moments from the show, which you can check out here.
5. Neil Young, kind of
“Interestingly, I learned how to play guitar from a guy who was obsessed with Neil Young.”
4. The Smashing Pumpkins
“I feel like a lot of my songwriting influence comes from having just been steeped in Smashing Pumpkins growing up.”
3. New jack swing
“I would listen to Bobby Brown’s Don’t Be Cruel record on repeat in sixth grade.”
2. His dad
“He taught me how to use computers to make music, and that’s, like, a huge part of my job.”
1. Jerry Goldsmith
“His scores for Alien and Planet Of The Apes are a big influence for Rick And Morty for sure.”