David Byrne has found an unusual way to turn Elon Musk‘s own words into music. The former Talking Heads frontman co-wrote a song for an upcoming documentary about Musk. Its lyrics feature the billionaire’s actual quotes, without Byrne adding his own commentary.
David Byrne’s song “Let Me Sell You a Dream” uses verbatim quotes from Elon Musk
The song, titled “Let Me Sell You a Dream,” was created for Alex Gibney‘s documentary Musk. Byrne co-wrote the upbeat, punk-inspired track with composer Daniel Pemberton. Every lyric reportedly comes directly from Musk’s own statements.
“All his own words. No editorializing. Straight from the man’s mouth to mine,” Byrne told Variety. The musician explained his approach during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers. He wanted to explore Musk’s perspective rather than offer his own editorial.
“I didn’t want to make it a personal editorial on my behalf,” Byrne told Meyers. He said he wanted to get “inside Elon Musk’s head” and understand his thinking. Byrne eventually realized Musk had already supplied plenty of potential lyrics.
The song includes some of Musk’s more unusual public statements. “Let me sell you a dream” appears in the track’s lyrics. Another line features Musk’s claim, “I eat a glass sandwich / I eat them every day.”
Byrne said he found the material surprising because Musk had actually said those words. “I couldn’t make that up! But he said it,” Byrne explained. The song also includes lines about human emulation and multi-planetary exploration.
This is not Byrne’s first songwriting project built around another person’s statements. He previously used a similar approach for Here Lies Love, his 2010 project about Imelda Marcos. That work drew from statements made by the former Philippine first lady.
The new Musk documentary, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, has already attracted controversy. Musk criticized the film on X in September, calling it a “hit piece.” He also complained that it was “boring for 4 hours.”
The song is reportedly being submitted for Best Original Song consideration at the 2027 Oscars. The documentary is scheduled to reach U.S. theaters on October 16. Byrne even joked that he would prefer Musk claim co-writing credit rather than involve lawyers.
