"Bombshell" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Bombshell" Soundtrack Description

Questions and Answers

Is there an official soundtrack album for Bombshell?

Yes — Bombshell (Original Music from the Motion Picture) by composer Theodore Shapiro was released on December 13, 2019 by Lionsgate Records; it includes Regina Spektor’s original song “One Little Soldier.”

Who was the music supervisor on the film?

Evyen Klean served as music supervisor (Neophonic), with additional trailer music supervision credits listed for the campaign.

What’s the “voice” of the score?

A nervy, percussive chamber sound that uses women’s voices (vocalists like Caroline Shaw, Petra Haden, Susanna Hoffs) as instrumentation — signaling power shifts inside Fox News.

Where does “One Little Soldier” play?

It’s the end credits song — written and performed by Regina Spektor specifically for the film.

Are there licensed songs in the movie beyond the score?

Yes — a handful of source cues appear (e.g., Brad Mehldau’s “West Hartford”) alongside Shapiro’s score.

Did the soundtrack or song win awards?

Yes — “One Little Soldier” won the Guild of Music Supervisors Award for Best Song Written and/or Recorded for a Film (2020).

Notes & Trivia

• The album’s female-vocal textures feature Caroline Shaw, Petra Haden, and Susanna Hoffs — heard as part of the score’s sonic palette, not as traditional songs.
• One Little Soldier was released as a single on November 29, 2019 ahead of the film and soundtrack drop.
• Composer Theodore Shapiro built a “dry, hard, percussive” language for Roger Ailes’ world, then let women’s voices intrude as the tide turns. (according to Variety)
• Music supervision was led by Evyen Klean (Neophonic); the Guild of Music Supervisors later honored the film’s original song. (as stated by Variety’s awards report)
• Several subtle source cues sit under newsroom and lifestyle spaces (e.g., a Brad Mehldau piano piece) — a restrained contrast to the anxious score.

Overview

How do you dramatize a hostile newsroom without turning it into a courtroom drama? Bombshell answers with a score that thinks like a news cycle: terse, rhythmic, always pushing. Theodore Shapiro swaps sweeping themes for clipped motifs and a battery of ticks and taps, then threads women’s voices through the texture until they take the sonic foreground. (as noted by the Los Angeles Times)

It’s a clever inversion: the sound of institutional certainty (Ailes) arrives as hard angles, while the sound of resistance accrues as breath, vowel, and chant. The album plays well on its own — like a minimalist thriller suite — but in context it functions as commentary: every push of percussion is a deadline; every layered voice, a witness. (according to Variety’s craft feature)

Genres & Themes

• Minimalist thriller scoring — pulse-driven ostinatos map to deadlines, walk-and-talks, and discovery beats.
• Vocal chamber textures — female voices as instruments (not lyrics) signal a power shift from predator to plaintiffs.
• Source jazz & soft-pop — sparing cues (e.g., Brad Mehldau) locate scenes in upscale, media-adjacent spaces without sentimentalizing them.
• Anthemic coda — Regina Spektor’s “One Little Soldier” reframes the aftermath with sardonic bite over the end credits. (as reported by Filmmusicreporter)

Key Tracks & Scenes

“One Little Soldier” — Regina Spektor
Where it plays: End credits (original song written for the film).
Why it matters: A pointed, witty exit line that reframes the story as a cautionary chorus; it also became the film’s award-winning song.

“Clear and Simple” — Theodore Shapiro (feat. Caroline Shaw, Petra Haden & Susanna Hoffs)
Where it plays: Score cue used across newsroom movement and inner-calculation moments (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Establishes the score’s signature sonics — breathy vowels and tight pulses that suggest both control and anxiety.

“Problems with Women” — Theodore Shapiro
Where it plays: Associated with Ailes-centered sequences; a dry, percussive language stands in for the fortress of power (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: The cue title mirrors the film’s thesis, while the texture embodies institutional hardening.

“West Hartford” — Brad Mehldau
Where it plays: Licensed source music heard briefly in the film’s background environment.
Why it matters: A cool, cosmopolitan palate cleanser — the exact point: real life hums on while stakes sharpen.

Track–Moment Index (selected)

Music–Story Links (characters & plot beats as connected to songs)

• Ailes vs. the chorus: Shapiro gives Ailes rigid percussion; as accusations accumulate, women’s voices cut in, literally surrounding him.
• Newsroom velocity: Pulse cues mimic headline churn — when the phones light up, the music subdivides like a newsroom clock.
• Aftermath with teeth: Spektor’s end-credits song refuses a sentimental bow; it’s wry, bruised, and forward-looking. (according to Consequence’s write-up)

How It Was Made (supervision, score, behind-the-scenes)

Composer Theodore Shapiro (a Jay Roach collaborator on Trumbo and The Campaign) sought a “dry, hard, percussive” grammar for the Ailes machine, then layered women’s voices to mark the shift in power. (according to Variety; as noted by the Los Angeles Times) The album spotlights vocalists Caroline Shaw, Petra Haden, and Susanna Hoffs in this non-lyrical, textural role.

Music supervision came via Evyen Klean (Neophonic), whose team balanced a predominantly original score with tasteful needle-drops and an original end-credits song: “One Little Soldier” by Regina Spektor, released as a single two weeks before the film and soundtrack. (as reported by Filmmusicreporter and Apple Music’s listing)

Reception & Quotes

Critics consistently singled out the score’s unnerving drive and the women’s-voices idea. The end-credits song later earned a Guild of Music Supervisors win. (according to Variety and Wikipedia’s awards summary)

“Shapiro used a chorus of women’s voices to signal the beginning of the end for Fox News’ Roger Ailes.” Los Angeles Times

“A nervy, Philip Glass–like score.” South China Morning Post

“‘One Little Soldier’ … winner — Best Song Written and/or Recorded for a Film.” Guild of Music Supervisors (reported by Variety)

Availability: The score album is widely streamable (Lionsgate Records). The Spektor single remains available as a standalone release and within the album. (as stated on Apple Music)

Technical Info

• Title: Bombshell
• Year: 2019
• Type: Movie soundtrack (score + original song)
• Composer: Theodore Shapiro
• Featured vocalists (score): Caroline Shaw; Petra Haden; Susanna Hoffs
• Original song: “One Little Soldier” — Regina Spektor (single released Nov 29, 2019; plays over end credits)
• Music supervision: Evyen Klean (Neophonic)
• Label / release: Lionsgate Records — album released Dec 13, 2019
• Select licensed placement (example): Brad Mehldau — “West Hartford” (appears as source music)
• Awards note: GMS Award (2020) — Best Song Written/Recorded for a Film (“One Little Soldier”)

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Variety; Los Angeles Times; Filmmusicreporter; Apple Music; Spotify listing; Wikipedia (film & soundtrack); IMDb (full credits and soundtrack list).

October, 25th 2025