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Listen to Danny Elfmans Duel Lecture, the First Song From Noah Baumbachs White

Four-time Oscar nominee Danny Elfman has released the first song from Noah Baumbach’s “White Noise.” The number, titled “Duel Lecture,” gives audiences a taste of Elfman’s score for the film, which will be released in theaters on Nov. 25 and streaming on Dec. 30

Greta Gerwig, Adam Driver and Don Cheadle lead the ensemble in this adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel. Driver is Jack Gladney, a professor of Hitler studies at the College-on-the-Hill. He lives with his wife Babette (Greta Gerwig) and their four children, but when an “Airborne Toxic Event” takes place in their community, the family must grapple with the universal mysteries of love, death and uncertainty.

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Elfman says one of his favorite scenes was an academic speech in which Driver and Cheadle’s perform a sort of academic duet, bringing together their fascinations with Elvis and Hitler — combined with the sight of a potentially deadly speeding train.

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“I just loved writing that because it was classical but not classical, playing to the kind of Bulgarian sense of the way Adam Driver is playing the speech. He gets so drawn up in it and is so theatrical that I just kind of went with him,” Elfman says. “It was just really fun following Adam Driver starting this relatively simple speech, and soon he’s giving wild gestures, and then at the same time we’re seeing a huge train crash. That was a delightful moment for me.”

Elfman heads into awards season with this score offering and a hot 2022. Earlier this year, the composer was the toast of Coachella after performing a rock concert over two nights. He recently brought his music to the Hollywood Bowl for a few nights as he performed over Halloween weekend. He also scored Marvel’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and reunited with Tim Burton for the new “Wednesday” series.

Elfman also landed two Grammy award nominations, including best arrangement, instrumental or a cappella” for the “Main Titles” sequence from “Doctor Strange.”

With four Oscar nominations behind him, the composer has yet to land a win for original score. With “White Noise” Elfman faces competition from other likely contenders including Terence Blanchard, Michael Giacchino, Alexandre Desplat, John Williams, Hildur Gudnadottir and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Listen below.

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