Martinez was born in the Bronx, New York. Raised in Columbus, Ohio, his first job composing was for the popular television show Pee Wee's Playhouse. At the time, however, he was more interested in rock bands, and played drums in a variety of them, mostly in a temporary capacity.
After several years drumming for such acts as Captain Beefheart, The Dickies, Lydia Lunch and The Weirdos, in late 1983, he and Jack Sherman were drafted in to join the Red Hot Chili Peppers for the recording of their eponymous first album after Jack Irons and Hillel Slovak left the band to concentrate on their other project at the time, What Is This? Martinez again played on the recording of the band's second album Freaky Styley and its subsequent tour.
Eventually, Martinez' interests shifted and he focused his attention toward film scoring. A tape Martinez had put together using new technologies made its rounds, leading him to score an episode of Pee-Wee's Playhouse. The same recording also ended up in Steven Soderbergh's hands and Martinez was hired to score the famed director's first theatrical release, 1989's sex, lies, and videotape.[citation needed] Martinez's longstanding relationship with Soderbergh has continued through the years and they have worked together on ten theatrical releases including Kafka, The Limey, Traffic, Solaris and 2011's Contagion, as well the Cinemax series The Knick.
Perhaps it is because of his time in the punk scene that Martinez's approach to scoring is nontraditional.[citation needed] His scores tend towards being stark and sparse, utilizing a modern tonal palette to paint the backdrop for films that are often dark, psychological stories like Pump Up the Volume (1990), The Limey (1999) Wonderland (2003), Wicker Park (2004) and Drive (2011). Martinez has been nominated for a Grammy Award (Steven Soderbergh's Traffic), a Cesar Award (Xavier Giannoli's À L'origine), and a Broadcast Film Critics Award (Drive). He earned a Robert Award (Danish Academy Award) for his work on Only God Forgives.
Martinez's use of audio manipulations, particularly for percussive sounds, has been evolving through the years and is evident[citation needed] by the hammered dulcimer of Kafka (1991), the gray-areas between sound design and score for Traffic (2000), the steel drums and textures of Solaris (2002), what Martinez called "rhythmi-tizing pitched, ambient textures" of Narc (2002), and "using percussion performances to trigger and shape the rhythmic and tonal characteristics of those ambient textures," as he described his score for 2011's The Lincoln Lawyer.
Martinez served as a juror for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and served on the International Feature nominating committee for 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Martinez's recent films include Robert Redford's The Company You Keep, Nicholas Jarecki's Arbitrage, Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers (co-composed with Skrillex), and Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon.
Martinez composed the main menu titled "Galaxy Theme" for Spore with Brian Eno in 2008. In 2014, Martinez also composed the title score for Far Cry 4.
In 2013, Martinez scored the "Fly Beyond" Grey Goose vodka commercial. Martinez also composed two songs, "Vibe" and "Kotopulse", for the 2014 Lincoln Motor Company advertising campaign featuring Matthew McConaughey.
On April 14, 2012, Martinez was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Nightcall
Cliff Martinez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want to drive you through the night, down the hills
I'm gonna tell you something you don't want to hear
I'm gonna show you where it's dark, but have no fear
There something inside you
It's hard to explain
They're talking about you boy
There something inside you
It's hard to explain
They're talking about you boy
But you're still the same
I'm giving you a night call to tell you how I feel
I want to drive you through the night, down the hills
I'm gonna tell you something you don't want to hear
I'm gonna show you where it's dark, but have no fear
There something inside you
It's hard to explain
They're talking about you boy
But you're still the same
There something inside you
It's hard to explain
They're talking about you boy
But you're still the same
There something inside you (there's something inside you)
It's hard to explain (it's hard to explain )
They're talking about you boy (they're talking about you boy)
But you're still the same
The lyrics of Cliff Martinez's song "Nightcall" convey a sense of urgency and passion as the singer reaches out to a loved one in the middle of the night. The opening lines reveal the singer's desire to connect with someone and express their feelings. They want to take them on a romantic drive through the night, even if it means going into dark places. The singer is ready to reveal a truth that the person may not want to hear, but wants them to know that they have nothing to fear.
As the song progresses, the lyrics shift to focus on the person they are speaking to. The lines "There's something inside you, it's hard to explain" suggest that there is something unique and compelling about this person that others have noticed. The second verse repeats this idea, while emphasizing that despite the attention, the person remains fundamentally unchanged. This repetition reinforces the importance of this person to the singer and makes it clear that they want to be with them, even if it means dealing with outside opinions.
Overall, the song’s lyrics capture the longing and desire for connection, even when it means confronting difficult truths or facing personal fears. The lyrics convey the desire of the singer to have someone close to their heart whom they can talk to about their feelings, no matter how difficult it may be.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm giving you a night call to tell you how I feel
I am calling you at night to express my true feelings.
I want to drive you through the night, down the hills
I want to take you on a scenic drive through the night.
I'm gonna tell you something you don't want to hear
I have something unpleasant to say to you.
I'm gonna show you where it's dark, but have no fear
I will guide you to a dark place, but you do not need to be afraid.
There's something inside you
You possess something internally.
It's hard to explain
It is difficult to describe or clarify.
They're talking about you boy
People are gossiping about you.
But you're still the same
However, you have not changed and are still the same person.
There's something inside you (there's something inside you)
You possess something internally.
It's hard to explain (it's hard to explain)
It is difficult to describe or clarify.
They're talking about you boy (they're talking about you boy)
People are gossiping about you.
But you're still the same
However, you have not changed and are still the same person.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: GUY MANUEL HOMEM CHRISTO, VINCENT PIERRE CLAUDE BELORGEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jp
A modern classic. It typifies the male experience while adding the female perspective on intrigue. Cliff is the modern Mozart of our time.
Brian Bolger
Kavinsky not Martinez