Soundtracks

Saadiq helped shape modern R&B and soul in Tony! Toni! Toné! and as a solo artist. Now he's up for an Oscar for his song, "I Lied to You" from the film Sinners. Originally broadcast July 8, 2025.

Ken Tucker reviews Robert Hilburn's biography of Newman, A Few Words in Defense of Our Country. Plus, we listen back to a 1998 archival interview with the Grammy Award-winning artist.

Ronson spent a year creating Barbie's music, and co-wrote the song, "I'm Just Ken," which has been nominated for an Oscar and a Grammy. Originally broadcast Sept. 7, 2023.

Coaxing great ideas out of pop stars is familiar territory for Ronson, but his instrumental score for the film, co-composed with Andrew Wyatt, was his first such project — and he admits that making it work meant stifling some of his usual instincts.

Greenwood is nominated for an Oscar for writing the music for The Power of the Dog. He also recently scored Spencer and Licorice Pizza. Originally broadcast Feb. 7, 2022.

Jonny Greenwood talks about the two aspects of his life: being lead guitarist for the band Radiohead, and writing film scores for directors Paul Thomas Anderson and Jane Campion. He recently wrote scores for their films 'Licorice Pizza' and 'The Power of the Dog.'

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new series of DVDs that are re-releases of movies starring Bing Crosby.

Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez tell Terry Gross about the inspiration for "Let It Go" and a "very strong strike across the bow at all princess-myth things" song that didn't make the film.

You might not recognize the name Randall Poster, but you're likely familiar with his work. Poster picks out and licenses music used in commercials, TV and film. He worked closely with director Wes Anderson on films like Rushmore and Moonrise Kingdom.

Banjo player Earl Scruggs, who helped shape the sound of American bluegrass music, died Wednesday. He was 88 years old. Fresh Air remembers Scruggs with excerpts from an interview.

The man behind Nine Inch Nails composed the music for the U.S. film adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Here, he discusses composing the film's unsettling score.

The filmmakers behind Forgetting Sarah Marshall have teamed up to create a new Muppet movie. "We set out to make a Muppet movie that harkened back to the late-'70s [and] early-'80s Muppets that we grew up with," says Jason Segel.

Songwriter Hugh Martin, who co-wrote the classic song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" for Judy Garland's 1944 movie, Meet Me in St. Louis died on Friday. He was 96. Fresh Air remembers Martin with highlights from a 1989 interview.

Guitarist and composer Marc Ribot's latest album, Silent Movies, pays tribute to film scores. The creation of the album, he says, allowed him to express his more lyrical side.

Authors Philip Furia and Laurie Patterson share the stories behind Hollwood's most beloved songs -- from Casablanca's "As Time Goes By" to the melodies from Mary poopins -- in their book The Songs of Hollywood.

Director Wes Anderson has worked on a lot of film projects, but with his latest film, Fantastic Mr. Fox, he ventured into new territory: animation. Anderson says that making a stop-motion picture is the most involved filmmaking he's ever done, but he also says that the process has "a sort of magic."

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new soundtrack album for the Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There. The movie does not open until November 21, but the 2-disc soundtrack is already available. It features 34 Dylan songs covered by artists including My Morning Jacket and Sonic Youth.

The latest CD from New Orleans trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard is A Tale of God's Will, whose subtitle is "A Requiem for Katrina."

Parts of the recording were heard in Spike Lee's HBO documentary When the Levees Broke. Blanchard, who's scored many films, including Eve's Bayou and Malcolm X, got his start with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.

He is artistic director for the Thelonious Monk Institute at the University of Southern California.

Singer Frankie Laine gained TV immortality by singing the theme of Rawhide. He first became successful as a jazz singer recording standards like "Black and Blue" and "West End Blues." (RB of 7/29/87)

Film historian Rudy Behlmer wrote the CD liner notes for the sound track of the film King Kong.