When your name is almost as synonymous with a film’s soundtrack as the film itself, you’d think that it might take quite a bit to impress you. Nevertheless, legendary film composer Hans Zimmer has opened up about how he was “starstruck” when he met Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood for the first time.
Hans Zimmer’s career stretches back to the late ’70s, and over the ensuing decade the German composer has made a name for himself crafting the music for films as beloved as The Lion King, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Gladiator, Inception, The Dark Knight, and even The Simpsons Movie. However, even with an impressive resumé such as that, it appears that even famous composers can still get nervous around their idols.
Hans Zimmer, Jonny Greenwood, and the rest of Radiohead recently teamed up to provide a reworking of the band’s 2011 track ‘Bloom’, for David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II documentary. “Oh, I’ll just admit it, I was a bit starstruck,” said Zimmer during an interview with CBS Radio. “He is my favourite film composer.”
Apart from Greenwood’s career as Radiohead’s guitarist, he’s also led a rather successful career as a film composer as well, having provided the music for films such as Bodysong, Inherent Vice, We Need To Talk About Kevin, and There Will Be Blood, the latter of which Zimmer claimed was one of the best soundtracks of the last decade, describing it as “recklessly, crazily beautiful”.
Speaking of the band’s contribution to the soundtrack for Blue Planet II, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke praised the sequel, saying their own music as inspired by the original, as NME notes. “’Bloom’ was inspired by the original Blue Planet series so it’s great to be able to come full circle with the song and reimagine it for this incredible landmark’s sequel,” said Yorke.
Blue Planet II began its broadcast on British TV on Sunday night, and is set to premiere in Australia in February.
Check out Hans Zimmer & Radiohead’s ‘(Ocean) Bloom’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODsUpq0WAYY
