You're listening to Song Exploder,
where musicians take apart their songs and piece by piece tell the story of how they were made.
I'm Rishikesh Hirway.
In the film Arrival, Amy Adams plays a linguist trying to decode an alien language.
This is the day they arrived.
The object touched down 40 minutes ago.
Mama, what's going to happen?
I don't know.
Dr. Banks, you're at the top of everyone's list when it comes to translations.
Do you hear any words?
It's their language.
The score was composed by Johan Johansson,
his third film collaborating with director Denis Villeneuve.
In this episode, Johan breaks down a piece from the score called Heptapod B,
and how, like the film, it revolves around the concept of language.
This episode is part of a series I'm doing over the next few months,
highlighting film music that I think could and should be considered for an Oscar.
These awards episodes are presented in partnership with New York Magazine's site Vulture.
Hi, my name is Johan Johansson, and I composed the score for the film Arrival.
The film is directed by Denis Villeneuve.