Music of Red Dead Redemption

Lore & Background

Bill Elm and Woody Jackson, member and former member of Friends of Dean Martinez respectively, collaborated to compose the score for Red Dead Redemption. Music supervisor Ivan Pavlovich noted that the game's large scale was a major difficulty, and that an original score was needed rather than solely licensed music. The duo composed over fourteen hours of music across fifteen months, which was recorded and mixed at Jackson's personal studio in Los Angeles and mastered at Capitol Studios. David Holmes then compiled fifteen instrumental tracks from the original score for the official soundtrack, spending three weeks on the selection.

Reader's Guide

The music of Red Dead Redemption is significant for being one of the first original scores by Rockstar Games, moving away from the licensed music typical of earlier titles. The score's imitation of 1960s Western film soundtracks, particularly Ennio Morricone's work, helped establish the game's atmosphere and was praised by critics for connecting appropriately with the gameplay and genre. The soundtrack won several awards, including Best Original Music from GameSpot, Music of the Year and Best Interactive Score at the Game Audio Network Guild Awards, and Best Original Score at the Spike Video Game Awards. The popularity of the music led to cover versions and live performances, including José González's performance of 'Far Away' at the Spike Video Game Awards and on BBC Radio 1. The soundtrack's vinyl release and the Undead Nightmare expansion soundtrack further extended its reach.

Did You Know?

• The composers used unconventional techniques such as playing a trumpet onto the surface of a timpani drum.
• Harmonica player Tommy Morgan, with a 60-year career, provided traditional harmonica segments for the game.
• The soundtrack was recorded at 130 beats per minute in A minor.
• The vinyl release of the original soundtrack split the album into four sides across two records and included an additional track.