Film scores are the symphonies of the 21st century. John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and Alan Menkin (just to name a few) are some of today’s top movie composers because they have helped define the genre of film music. Today, let’s talk about how the Black Panther score, composed by Ludwig Göransson, has earned its place as one of the top film scores of the 21st century.
The mark of an iconic film score is the composer’s ability to tell the story with just the music. By using specific (and memorable) themes, certain instrumentation, and sweeping gestures, these scores transport movie watchers around the world into the story itself.
The Black Panther Movie
The movie Black Panther tells the story of T’Challa, king of the African nation Wakanda. He’s faced with a powerful enemy (named Killmonger) that can destroy his nation (and the whole world), but it turns out he’s a superhero, so he uses his powers to help save his civilization. Check out the movie’s IMDB page for more information.
The Music
The Black Panther score is revolutionary. Göransson, known for his production work with hip-hop and rap artists like Childish Gambino, masterfully infused typical film score-
Check out this video of Göransson describing the process of creating this epic score:
Africa’s Influence
After getting the script for the movie, Göransson went to Africa for a month traveling, listening to, and recording many different kinds of African music. He created the opening theme for the movie with African musician Baaba Maal:
The words tell the story of an elephant dying. This represents T’Challa’s father, the king, who dies at the beginning of the movie. Göransson used African talking drums to say T’Challa’s name – because he’s the new king. (Check out 3:01 in the interview video above to hear Göransson talk about the African talking drum! It’s really cool.)
The African Fula flute (also called the
The drums and flute obviously play a huge role in the film score, but so do French horns. Listen for horn calls, symbolizing royalty (0:51):
For more information on the score, check out this interview with Göransson here.
The best film scores tell the story of the movie without the visuals, and the Black Panther score does just that. It’s no wonder it won a 2019 Oscar award for best original film score!
