David Byrne Writes Original Song for Alex Gibney’s Elon Musk Documentary

David Byrne has written and performed an original song for Alex Gibney’s documentary “Musk,” with the track built entirely from Elon Musk’s own public remarks. Titled “Let Me Sell You a Dream,” the song was co-written with the film’s composer, Daniel Pemberton, and its release was first reported by Variety.

Every line of the song comes from things Musk himself has said in interviews, public statements and posts online, with Byrne adding no outside commentary of his own. “I asked for good quotes from the Martian, and found more of them online… I’m sure he loves dropping these wild statements, and those became the lyrics. All his own words. No editorialising. Straight from the man’s mouth to mine,” Byrne said.

• Song title: “Let Me Sell You a Dream,” co-written by David Byrne and composer Daniel Pemberton
• Documentary runtime: 235 minutes, directed by Alex Gibney
• Venice Film Festival premiere: September 8, 2026
• US theatrical release: October 16, 2026, via Bleecker Street
• Byrne’s prior Oscar: Best Original Score for “The Last Emperor” in 1987, shared with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su

What Does Alex Gibney Say About the Song and Byrne?

Gibney said landing Byrne to close out the film was a personal thrill, noting he has long admired the musician’s work and once attended a filming session for “Stop Making Sense” at the Pantages with his wife. He praised the finished track as “kick-ass,” describing the words Byrne pulled from Musk’s own statements as “extremely hard core, foot-tapping sardonic poetry.”

Is “Let Me Sell You a Dream” an Oscar Contender?

The song plays during the film and has been submitted as a qualifying entry for Best Original Song at the 2027 Academy Awards. A win would give Byrne his second Oscar, following his 1987 statuette for the score of “The Last Emperor.”

What Is Alex Gibney’s Documentary “Musk” About?

Gibney has called the nearly four-hour film a “definitive and unvarnished examination” of Elon Musk. The director’s past work includes “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” and the Oscar-winning “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.”

Musk publicly dismissed the project as a “hit piece” when it was announced in 2023, prompting Gibney to respond, “How would you know?” The film premieres at the Venice International Film Festival on September 8, 2026, before opening in US theaters on October 16, 2026, through distributor Bleecker Street.

Is David Byrne Also Working on a Concert Film?

Separately from the “Musk” project, Byrne’s “Who Is the Sky?” solo tour is being turned into a concert film, with hometown performances captured on 70mm by director Brady Corbet. The film is currently in post-production, and no distributor or release date has been set.

More Info

• David Byrne Returns to Oscar Race With Original Song for Elon Musk Documentary ‘Musk’ (EXCLUSIVE) | Variety Music
• David Byrne writes song for Elon Musk documentary based solely on CEOs words | Far Out Magazine
• David Byrne’s song for Musk documentary is comprised entirely of the tycoon’s quotes: “No editorializing. Straight from the man’s mouth to mine” | MusicRadar
• David Byrne has written a song using only Elon Musk quotes for “scathing” new documentary | NME
• David Byrne Wrote New Song “Let Me Sell You A Dream” Entirely From Elon Musk Quotes For Upcoming Docume… | music.mxdwn.com
• David Byrne wrote a song using only Elon Musk’s own words – | happymag.tv
• David Byrne Wrote A Song Using Only Elon Musk Quotes For Scathing New Documentary | Stereogum
• David Byrne Wields Elon Musks Words For Doc Song | SPIN