WXPN's 885 Greatest Songs From Movies And TV, #6: Nicholas Britell - Succession (Main Title Theme From The TV Show Of The Same Name) (2018)

Nicholas Britell has made a name for himself composing music for both television and films. He's a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from Harvard where he was a keyboard player for an instrumental hip-hop group. He also has a degree from Julliard. Apparently, he's a very smart dude.

Britell's music has been influenced by an unusual combination of artists and composers. Among them are Phillip Glass, Sergei Rachmaninoff, George Gershwin, Quincy Jones and Dr. Dre.

Britell has composed scores for over two dozen movies. Even though HBO's Succession was his first effort writing for television, he quickly proved he belonged by winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme.

The composer's instrumental arrangement is unique. Most notably, the lead piano is deliberately out of tune. It employs hip-hop beats, a drum machine and a dark, classically based, string arrangement. If Britell's intent was to create a mood for the viewer to match what they were about to watch, he easily achieved his goal.

Rolling Stone listed Succession at #25 on their 2022 list of the 100 all-time great TV theme songs.

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