You could say it’s the perfect song for a once-in-a-lifetime blowhard.
David Byrne, the legendary frontman of the Talking Heads, wrote a song for Oscar-winner Alex Gibney’s new documentary about Elon Musk, called “Musk”— and it has quite the twist.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks alongside U.S. President Donald Trump to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30, 2025, in Washington, D.C., Musk, who served as an adviser to Trump and led the Department of Government Efficiency, announced he would leave his role in the Trump administration to refocus on his businesses.
Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images
All the lyrics of the upbeat punk-inspired track — titled “Let Me Sell You a Dream” and co-written with the film’s composer Daniel Pemberton — are actual, verbatim quotes from the SpaceX founder himself.
“All his own words. No editorializing. Straight from the man’s mouth to mine,” Byrne recently told Variety.
“Now I’m running human and imitation mode / I’m a chill normal dude / I just have to keep going,” Byrne sings. “Let me sell you a dream / Do you think I’m insane? / I eat a glass sandwich / I eat them every day.”
Another verse, sung after a psychedelic bridge, goes: “Multi-planet exploration / I’m a human emulation / I’m a total simulation.”
Byrne explained his rationale for using Musk’s quotes for lyrics on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” Wednesday.
“I didn’t want to make it a personal editorial on my behalf,” Byrne told Meyers, explaining that he really wanted to get “inside Elon Musk’s head” and examine “what he’s thinking, how he feels, what he thinks of himself.”
“And I thought, ‘OK, he has lots of really quotable quotes,’” Byrne said.
The musician then began sourcing quotes from Gibney, his doc and the internet, and eventually realized, “Well, we got lyrics right here.”
“He puts it out there. ‘I eat a glass sandwich, I do it every day.’ I couldn’t make that up! But he said it,” Byrne said, referencing one of the more bonkers Musk quotes he used for his song.
This is not the first time Byrne has used someone’s quotes to write a song about them, music outlet Pitchfork notes. He used the same method for 2010’s “Here Lies Love,” in which he pulled statements from Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos.
Variety adds that the song will also be entered for best original song at the 2027 Oscars through the film’s theatrical run. It would be extremely funny if it won because apparently, Musk has seen Gibney’s documentary about him and doesn’t seem to be a fan.
“It’s a hit piece that misses, and makes the fatal sin of being boring for 4 hours,” Musk said of the film on X in September.
It’s a hit piece that misses, and makes the fatal sin of being boring for 4 hours
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 9, 2026
Meyers did have one interesting question for Byrne during his interview Wednesday. Meyers wanted to know if Byrne thought Musk would try to “get publishing” on the song.
“Do you think he’s going to be like, ’We both kind of co-wrote it?” Meyers asked.
“If he does that rather than sic his lawyers on me, I’ll take it,” Byrne said.
“Musk” will hit theaters in the U.S. on Oct. 16.