Newman has been nominated for 15 Academy Awards and 4 Golden Globes, and has won 2 BAFTAs, 6 Grammys and an Emmy Award. Newman was honored with the Richard Kirk award at the 2000 BMI Film and TV Awards. The award is given annually to a composer who has made significant contributions to film and television music.
Born in Los Angeles, California, he is the youngest son of Martha Louis Montgomery (1920–2005) and composer Alfred Newman (1900–1970), who won the Academy Award for Best Original Score nine times. He is a member of a film-scoring dynasty in Hollywood that includes his father Alfred, brother David Newman, sister Maria Newman, uncles Lionel Newman and Emil Newman, cousin Randy Newman (also known as a singer and songwriter), and his first cousin, once removed, Joey Newman. His paternal grandparents were Russian immigrants, and his mother was from Mississippi.
During their upbringing, Martha herded her sons into violin lessons in the San Fernando Valley every weekend. Newman later studied composition and orchestration for two years at the University of Southern California, before transferring to Yale University, where he graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in 1977 and a Master of Music in 1978. While at Yale, he met composer Stephen Sondheim, who became an early mentor.
Newman and his wife, Ann Marie, have three children. They reside in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
At first, Newman was more interested in musical theater than in film composition, working with Sondheim in Broadway plays. Lionel, who succeeded Alfred as music director for 20th Century Fox, gave Thomas his first scoring assignment on a 1979 episode of the series The Paper Chase. In 1983, John Williams, who was a friend of both Alfred and Lionel, invited Newman to work on Return of the Jedi, orchestrating the scene where Darth Vader dies. Afterwards Newman met in New York producer Scott Rudin, who invited him to compose the score for Reckless (1984). Newman said that he thought "it was a tough job, at first" for requiring him to "develop vocabularies and a sense of procedure", only getting comfortable with writing scores "and not fraudulent in my efforts" after 8 years.
In 1992, Newman composed the score to Martin Brest's film Scent of a Woman.
In 1994, he got his first Academy Award nominations with the scores to The Shawshank Redemption and Little Women. He also scored the film The War. In 1996, he scored Diane Keaton's Unstrung Heroes, receiving yet another Oscar nomination. In 1998, he scored Robert Redford's The Horse Whisperer as well as Meet Joe Black. In 1999, Newman composed the score to Sam Mendes' first feature film American Beauty, created using mainly percussion instruments. Newman believed the score helped move the film along without disturbing the "moral ambiguity" of the script, saying "It was a real delicate balancing act in terms of what music worked to preserve that." This was his first collaboration with Mendes, and he would go on to score all of the director's subsequent films except for the comedy-drama Away We Go, which featured songs instead of a score. He received a fourth Oscar nomination for this score, and although he lost again (to John Corigliano for The Red Violin), he did receive a Grammy and a BAFTA.
His critical and commercial success has continued in the following years with his scores for films such as Meet Joe Black, The Green Mile, Erin Brockovich, In the Bedroom and The Salton Sea. He was nominated consecutively for a further three Academy Awards, for Road to Perdition (2002), Finding Nemo (2003), and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004). However, he lost on each occasion to Elliot Goldenthal (for Frida), Howard Shore (for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), and Jan A. P. Kaczmarek (for Finding Neverland) respectively.
He was again nominated for an Oscar for scoring Steven Soderbergh's The Good German (2006). At the Oscar ceremony, he appeared in the opening segment by Errol Morris, who jokingly stated that Newman had been nominated for and failed to win an Oscar eight times. Newman replied: "No, I've failed seven but this will be my eighth", and indeed, he again lost, this time to Gustavo Santaolalla for Babel.
His first score since The Good German was for the 2008 animated film WALL-E, collaborating for the second time with director Andrew Stanton (with the first collaboration being Finding Nemo). The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature (as had Nemo). Newman received two Oscar nominations: one for Best Original Score, and another for Best Original Song for "Down to Earth", which he co-wrote with Peter Gabriel. He was nominated in the Original Score category with two other veteran composers, James Newton-Howard and Danny Elfman, both of whom have also been nominated for several Oscars but each time unsuccessfully. Newman lost both the score and song nominations to A R Rahman for his work on Slumdog Millionaire. He and Peter Gabriel did however win a Grammy for "Down to Earth".
In 2008, Newman scored Towelhead and Sam Mendes' Revolutionary Road and in 2009 he scored Brothers. In 2011 he scored The Help, The Debt, The Iron Lady, and The Adjustment Bureau.
In 2012, Newman scored The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. He also scored the 23rd James Bond movie Skyfall, directed by his longtime collaborator Sam Mendes, which celebrates the film franchise's 50th anniversary. His work on this film earned him his eleventh Oscar nomination and a second BAFTA win. During 2013, he scored Steven Soderbergh's Side Effects and Saving Mr. Banks. The latter score was very well received by film music critics, earning Newman BAFTA and Oscar nominations for the second consecutive year, both of which he lost to Steven Price for Gravity.
Newman's 2014 projects included The Judge and Get on Up. He scored 2015's The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, marking the first time Newman has scored a sequel to a film he also wrote the score for.
In 2016, Newman scored the motion picture Passengers starring Andy Garcia, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt.
Newman likes to vary the instrumentation in his scores, ranging from full orchestra to percussion-only music. He is also fond of incorporating unusual instruments such as the zither, hurdy-gurdy, psaltery and hammered dulcimer, or unexpected sounds, like Aboriginal chants and the chirping of cicadas. The composer declared that he has "an interest in mundane experimentation."
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Thomas Newman Lyrics
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Your presence consumes me
With joy I sing to you
Your spirit now moves me
The cross You carried to Calvary
Walked, knelt, bled and died for me
With your mercy I am saved
I am blessed by Your love
And I′ll never be the same
Blessed by Your love oh Lord
I am blessed by Your love
And forever I'll be Yours
Blessed by Your love oh Lord
The opening lines of the song express a deep sense of tranquility and contentment that comes from the presence of someone special. The person being addressed brings a sense of peace and calmness to the singer's heart, filling them with a profound sense of inner peace. It implies that the relationship with this person is not only comforting but also transformative.
The following lines convey a strong connection and devotion to this person. Their presence has a consuming effect on the singer, indicating that they are deeply engrossed in the relationship. As a result, the singer is overwhelmed with joy and cannot help but express their feelings through song. It suggests that this person has a significant impact on the singer's emotional state.
The mention of the cross and Calvary alludes to Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. It portrays the image of Jesus carrying the weight of the cross before His crucifixion. The lyrics highlight how Jesus willingly endured pain and suffering, ultimately giving up His life for the singer's salvation. The mention of mercy implies that the singer believes they are forgiven and redeemed through Jesus' sacrifice. It emphasizes the profound gratitude and reverence the singer feels towards Jesus.
The final verse is a declaration of the singer's profound gratitude for the love they have received from the person being addressed, who is perceived as the Lord. The singer feels blessed and acknowledges that their life has been forever changed by this love. It signifies a deep commitment and loyalty towards the person, affirming that they will always belong to them. The repetition of the phrase "Blessed by Your love oh Lord" emphasizes the overwhelming impact of this love and the singer's recognition of its significance in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
You fill my heart with peace
Your presence brings a deep sense of calm and tranquility to my heart
Your presence consumes me
Being in your presence overwhelms and engulfs every part of my being
With joy I sing to you
I express my happiness and delight by singing praises to you
Your spirit now moves me
Your divine spirit stirs and motivates me to action and change
The cross You carried to Calvary
The burden of the cross that you bore on your journey to Calvary
Walked, knelt, bled and died for me
You walked, knelt, shed your blood, and willingly sacrificed your life for my sake
With your mercy I am saved
It is through your generous compassion and forgiveness that I find salvation
My life is in your hand
I entrust and surrender my entire existence to your care and guidance
I am blessed by Your love
I am deeply favored and enriched by the affection and love you bestow upon me
And I′ll never be the same
Your love transforms me completely, and I am forever changed
I am blessed by Your love oh Lord
I am truly fortunate and privileged to experience your divine love, O Lord
And forever I'll be Yours
I commit myself to be eternally devoted and belonging to you
Blessed by Your love oh Lord
I am abundantly graced and favored by your love, O Lord
Writer(s): Thomas Newman
Contributed by Camilla W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.