Creed (soundtrack)

In March 2015, it was announced that composer Ludwig Göransson would score Creed, marking the second feature-length film collaboration between Göransson and director Ryan Coogler after Fruitvale Station (2013).[2] Influenced by 1970s culture and the musical legacy of the Rocky film series, Coogler noted that "the music was a big focal point" for the film, stating, "'Eye of the Tiger', 'No Easy Way Out', all those songs were a massive hit. And we embraced that. We recorded original songs for the movie."[3] Göransson brought in an array of artists to modernize the orchestral aspects of the soundtrack. "The first name that came to mind was obviously Meek Mill, because we needed a voice from Philly," said Göransson. "For me that was an obvious choice for the big training montage. It's all full orchestral, and it has some dark 808s under it. In the middle there are all these dirt bikes coming out, and there's a 45-second rap verse that Meek Mill is doing over that."[4] Other musicians that recorded with Göransson specifically for the film include Donald Glover, Future, Vince Staples, and Jhené Aiko.[4]

A music video for Mill's "Lord Knows" was created as a companion to the film. Released on November 20, 2015, the Spike Jordan-directed video features footage from the film edited together with footage of Mill and Tory Lanez performing the song.[5] Both of Mill's respective tracks that appear on the film's soundtrack, the former, along with "Check", were originally listed on his sophomore album, Dreams Worth More Than Money, released earlier that year.

Actress Tessa Thompson, who portrays singer/songwriter Bianca in the film, was involved early with the film's preparation in order to write music for her character with Göransson.[6] "We spent two weeks in Los Angeles in a studio basically writing from morning until night," said Thompson. "It was cool and also gave me insight on [Bianca's] musical abilities, which is something I dabbled in."[7] Three tracks featuring Thompson are included in the film: "Grip", "Breathe", and "Shed You".[8]

Creed: Original Motion Picture Score
Soundtrack album by Ludwig Göransson
Released	November 20, 2015
Recorded	August 29–31, 2015 Eastwood Scoring Stage, Burbank, California
Genre	Film score, hip hop
Length	59:27
Label	WaterTower Music
Producer	Ludwig Göransson
Ludwig Göransson chronology
A Merry Friggin' Christmas (2014) Creed: Original Motion Picture Score (2015) Central Intelligence (2016)
Rocky soundtrack chronology
Rocky Balboa: The Best of Rocky (2006) Creed (2015) Creed II (2018)

Creed: Original Motion Picture Score is a soundtrack album for the 2015 film Creed, composed by Ludwig Göransson. It was released on November 20, 2015, through WaterTower Music.[12] The score was recorded with a 100-piece orchestra and a 24-piece choir at Warner Bros. Studios.[4]

† - Contains interpolations of "Going The Distance" and "Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky)" from the original Rocky film.[13]

Additional music credited in Creed:[14]

• Official soundtrack album entry at Atlantic Records
• Official score album entry at WaterTower Music