Reflecting Light

Album: Crazy Heart soundtrack (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Sam Phillips is a huge fan of Jeff Bridges' performance in The Big Lebowski, so she jumped at the chance to write a song for his turn as an aging, alcoholic singer in Crazy Heart, a film co-produced by her longtime collaborator and former husband T Bone Burnett. She sought inspiration from '60s-era ballads to fit the pace of the slow-burning drama. "I was very proud to have a song in it," she told Magnet Magazine. "I wouldn't have called that one, I've gotta tell you. But T Bone fought hard for that. He felt that [Maggie Gyllenhaal's character's] moment needed to be more tender and not like the rest of the score. It was her moment, not his moment. For that, it worked well."

    T Bone also co-composed music for the film and won a Grammy, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "The Weary Kind" (along with Ryan Bingham).

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he Inspired

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he InspiredSong Writing

Before he was the champ, Ali released an album called I Am The Greatest!, but his musical influence is best heard in the songs he inspired.

Michael Sweet of Stryper

Michael Sweet of StryperSongwriter Interviews

Find out how God and glam metal go together from the Stryper frontman.

Devo

DevoSongwriter Interviews

Devo founders Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale take us into their world of subversive performance art. They may be right about the De-Evoloution thing.

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins

Tom Bailey of Thompson TwinsSongwriter Interviews

Tom stopped performing Thompson Twins songs in 1987, in part because of their personal nature: "Hold Me Now" came after an argument with his bandmate/girlfriend Alannah Currie.

Evolution Of The Prince Symbol

Evolution Of The Prince SymbolSong Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.