Jonny Greenwood and silver screen director Paul Thomas Anderson know each other very well. The Radiohead guitarist and keyboardist has composed the musical score for a number of Anderson’s films in the past, including the California oil drilling saga There Will Be Blood, the cult leader mind trip The Master, stoner detective flick Inherent Vice, and the ’50s British fashion period piece Phantom Thread. Greenwood has always expertly added the necessary musical drivers to help bring Anderson’s peculiar movies to life.
Anderson’s newest film is Licorice Pizza, a Hollywood coming-of-age story starring the youngest Haim sister, Alana, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s son, Cooper alongside Sean Penn, Tom Waits, and Bradley Cooper. Greenwood is the composer behind the film’s score cues and also one of its original tracks, titled simply “Licorice Pizza.” Greenwood flashes his uncanny ability to capture the distinct moods that arise from the film and with “Licorice Pizza,” the feeling of teenage nostalgia within the ups and downs of the fast lane is palpable. Droplet keys and evocative strings ring through the track, adding depth to a perceived moment of stillness.
Along with Greenwood’s song, the Licorice Pizza soundtrack also features songs from Nina Simone, The Doors, David Bowie, and Sonny & Cher.
Listen to “Licorice Pizza” above.
The Licorice Pizza (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is out now via Republic Records.
