Charlie Kaufman Now a Songwriter Too

Charlie Kaufman, presumably sick of standing around while other people make awesome movies out of his screenplays, is moving on up the control pole with Synecdoche, New York — not only did he direct the movie, he also actually co-wrote two songs for its soundtrack. Kaufman penned “Song for Caden” and “I’m Just a Little Person” alongside the Jon Brion, who wrote the rest of the score; a third collaboration, “Gravity,” appears in the movie but not on the disc. You can hear a bit of “Little Person” at the tail end of the movie’s trailer: It’s sad, as you might expect, highlighted by the lovely vocals of jazz singer Deanne Storey, and oddly straightforward. But we can only imagine the turns it takes in its second half, once Kaufman really gets cooking — an unexpected but brilliant timpani solo, perhaps, or a third verse with Storey going off on a meta-narrative in which she sings about singing the song she’s singing? [Playlist]

Charlie Kaufman Now a Songwriter Too