USA: Hollywood film composer's music picked up by Obama campaign

Record ID: 499520

  • Title: USA: Hollywood film composer's music picked up by Obama campaign
  • Date: 12th November 2008
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) TREVOR RABIN, "REMEMBER THE TITANS" COMPOSER, SAYING: "It got to the end of the speech, and I thought, what an amazing speech, and then my music started, I almost got a quarter of the way through it when people started calling and saying switch on the tv, and I said, I am, goodbye. It was pretty amazing."
  • Embargoed: 27th November 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA18J1IWISVB09UIPPLGFF605XO
  • Story Text: The triumphant music played after U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's acceptance speech was a stirring and moving ballad, and to movie-buffs, perhaps a little familiar. The music was taken from the Disney movie "Remember the Titans," and for the film's composer, the use of his score came as a complete surprise.
    Platinum-selling recording artist Trevor Rabin is one of the biggest film composers in Hollywood. His musical compositions have given life to numerous blockbuster films, from "Titans" to "National Treasure."
    But Rabin had no idea that his soundtrack would also bring life to the Democratic party. He only learned that his music was chosen when he watched Obama's speech on television.
    "It got to the end of the speech, and I thought, what an amazing speech, and then my music started, I almost got a quarter of the way through it when people started calling and saying switch on the tv, and I said, I am, goodbye. It was pretty amazing."
    No one from the Obama camp contacted Rabin about using his score, and Rabin gets no royalties for his efforts: after he finished the "Titans" soundtrack, he turned over all rights to Disney.
    But, nevertheless, he said he's honored to have played a part in a historic election.
    As for why they selected specifically from "Titans," Rabin said, "I can only surmise that the music seems to be the right thing for what they were looking for. It's from a movie which was kind of steeped in civil rights and bigotry, so it seemed to be the most appropriate, I guess, from their point of view."
    2000's "Titans," starring Denzel Washington, follows the story of an integrated high school football team overcoming racial differences for the good of the team.
    As for Rabin, he said he hopes to get a call from the Obama campaign about a possible inauguration performance.
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