Watchmen (soundtrack)

Following their experimental lean towards dark ambient on Ghosts I–IV (2008), composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails have collaborated on scoring a number of successful films, beginning with soundtracks to David Fincher's three consecutive films including The Social Network (2010), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), and Gone Girl (2014). The duo made their television debut with the score for the PBS documentary series The Vietnam War in 2017, but had never composed music for a scripted series prior to their work on Watchmen.

Reznor, a personal fan of both the original Watchmen comic series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons as well as the work of Damon Lindelof, creator of the television series, reached out to Lindelof offering to score the series alongside Ross after HBO greenlit the project; the duo were officially announced as the series' composers in September 2018.[2] Reznor stated that he admired the creative risk Lindelof undertook in approaching the Watchmen property, remarking, "It would be a lot easier for Damon to make something that was not called Watchmen than it is to make something for fans that are unpleasable. (...) Just taking on the IP doesn't feel safe, so Atticus and I are all in with this show."[3] The duo began composing the series' score after meetings with Lindelof in which he pitched them the series' concept and presented a rough cut of the pilot episode.[3]

Reznor and Ross experimented with various styles and genres for the Watchmen soundtrack, combining their signature electronic and dark ambient sound with jazz, blues, and gospel influences.[4] Reznor noted that some of the score's stylistic range was informed by the tonal shifts of the pilot script, which he and Ross read before filming had commenced. He remarked, "We’d read the script for the first episode, (...) and it was tough to tell, is the tone of this dead serious? Is it self-aware? Is there any humor? Is it pitch black? When we saw the first cut, which wasn’t perfected yet, it really defined what it was. There’s a playfulness to this, which we hadn’t expected." The two created "about 12 pieces" based on the pilot script prior to viewing any footage from the series.[4]

Several pieces on the album springboarded from the track "How the West Was Really Won," which was said to have "captivated" Lindelof.[5] Ross stated that many pieces on the album were crafted using a similar approach to what he and Reznor took to their work as Nine Inch Nails, particularly on electronic tracks like "How the West Was Really Won" and "Nun With a Motherfucking Gun," which serves as the theme for protagonist Angela Abar/Sister Night.[4][6] The duo also introduced orchestral elements for pieces containing in-universe content, such as the theme for the fictional series American Hero Story, which functioned both as a parody of the American Horror Story franchise as well as a way for Lindelof to lightheartedly "troll the Marvel movies," according to Ross.[4]

Furthermore, Reznor and Ross incorporated the series' historical themes and period settings into the score, particularly on the track "The Way It Used to Be," a jazz composition inspired by music from the 1940s. The piece is used in the episode "This Extraordinary Being," which is largely set in the 1940s, during a sequence where a character is lynched; Reznor recalled that the producers initially intended to use a track by Doris Day for the sequence, but that the record's publishers denied their request due to the context of the scene. This led to Reznor and Ross composing an original, period-authentic track for the episode.[6] Reznor noted that it was the first time he and Ross had attempted a jazz record.[7] The duo additionally created a cover of David Bowie's "Life on Mars", which is used in the end credits for the episode "An Almost Religious Awe". Reznor, who was personal friends with Bowie prior to the latter's death in 2016, remarked that composing the cover was a daunting task, but that he and Ross were ultimately "very proud" of the end result.[6] In addition to the Bowie cover, the track "No Rhythm" contains an interpolation of Wham!'s "Careless Whisper".[8]

Covers of Watchmen vinyl editions

Rorschach-themed cover of Volume 1, designed as The Book of Rorschach by a fictional band the Sons of Pale Horse

Hooded Justice on the cover of Volume 2, as a fictional soundtrack to the "original series" American Hero Story: Minutemen

Doctor Manhattan on the cover of Volume 3, in the form of a fictional album The Manhattan Project, credited to "The Nine Inch Nails"

The score for Watchmen was released in three volumes over the series' broadcast, with a new volume released every three episodes. The three albums collectively span 39 tracks.[9] The first volume was released on November 4,[10] the second on November 25, and the third on December 16, 2019.[11] Reznor reasoned that releasing all the tracks as part of one volume would exceed the "short attention span[s]" of general audiences, and that splitting the score into three volumes would allow it to "be part of the [series'] story."[12]

The albums were released in both physical and digital formats, with the vinyl editions containing various pieces of faux artwork, track titles and credits referencing in-world content from the series, as well as supplemental material written by Lindelof and Jeff Jensen.[13][14] On the vinyl versions, Volume 1 is credited to the in-universe band the Sons of Pale Horse, with the faux title The Book of Rorschach;[15] Volume 2 is given the faux title Soundtrack to the Original Series American Hero Story: Minutemen (a show-within-a-show);[16] while Volume 3 is given the faux title The Manhattan Project, packaged as "the final album" for a fictional band called The Nine Inch Nails [sic].[17]

All tracks written by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, except where noted.

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[13]

Musicians

• Trent Reznor: performer, programming, arranging, producer
• Atticus Ross: performer, programming, arranging, producer, mixer
• Mike Garson: piano on "Trust in the Law"
• John Beasley: piano on "Nostalgia Blues" and "Dreamland Jazz"
• Keith Fiddmont: saxophone on "Nostalgia Blues" and "Dreamland Jazz"
• Chuck Berghofer: double bass on "Nostalgia Blues" and "Dreamland Jazz"
• Peter Erskine: drums on "Nostalgia Blues" and "Dreamland Jazz"
• Laura Dickinson: vocals on "The Way It Used to Be"
• Dan Higgins: producer on "The Way It Used to Be"

Technical

• Kyle Hoffmann: engineer
• Tommy Simpson: engineer
• Mat Mitchell: engineer
• Chris Richardson: engineer
• Sally Boldt: series music editor
• Nick Chuba: additional arrangements
• Austin Creek: engineer on "Trust in the Law"
• Tommy Vicari: engineer on "Nostalgia Blues" and "Dreamland Jazz"
• Rich Breen: engineer and mixing on "The Way It Used to Be"
• Jeff Jensen: writing and world building (vinyl only)
• Damon Lindelof: writing and world building (vinyl only)