‘Fallout’ Music Supervisor Blends Fan Fav, Scripted Song Choices

Fallout music supervisor Trygge Toven chooses the musical moments for the acclaimed fantasy series. Toven balances when to put in fan favorites from the games like Big Iron with figuring out how going to New Vegas changes the musical choices. Here in an interview with The Contending, he shares his favorite music moment of the season… even though he didn’t choose it!

The Contending: When the first episode aired and Big Iron was played, that seems to have caused a great deal of excitement within the fan community. Was that something you knew was going to be a big moment? What made you decide that that was the time to use that song?

Trygge Toven: I’m not surprised by the response. I think because that song is such a big part of the games and, with these iconic songs from the games, it’s always a matter of picking and choosing the right moment to bring them out. Most of the time the action sequences are scored, and even half of that big sequence was scored as well. So it was really fun to get into that part of the show. A lot of the music in “Fallout” is much more emotional and you’re telling these darker stories hidden under a love song. Big Iron was pretty straightforward, just big fun; I think that that scene really spoke to that. We were lucky to have that opportunity to get that song out there and, you know, especially in the first episode. So, it kind of kicked off the new season.

The Contending: Another big song moment was the Uranium Fever scene at the inbreeding support group with that dance number. What was the decision behind that moment?

Trygge Toven: Yeah, that was scripted. I don’t know exactly whose idea it was, but Lisa Joy directed that episode and it was fun working with her because she had the vision of this old time full musical. I love that overhead shot with the spinning table and everyone dancing around it. It just has that old Hollywood throwback to the era feeling synchronized movement with their legs moving. The big thing we were trying to figure out was how we got into that moment. We finally had the idea to have him playing Mary Had a Little Lamb at the end, showing it was all in his head. It helped that the song was pretty well known from the games and connected those two dots. Plus it was just really, really, really fun.

The Contending: With the show going to Las Vegas this season, both in the past and in the iconic New Vegas, what did that open up for you in terms of the kind of music you wanted within the show?

Trygge Toven: I think that opened up the door for a more rockabilly sound and, with Lucy and the Ghoul on the road trip, we could lean further into that and use that to differentiate from the music we were using in the vaults. I had a lot of fun diving deeper into slightly different tones, you know? What was really cool with Lucy and the Ghoul together was a lot of those songs would switch who they were for. One for the Ghoul and then one for Lucy. The music was talking to them and what they’re going through. Lucy’s on a journey where she’s still finding herself. Taking risks and going deeper into what surviving in the Wasteland involves. And it feels like the Ghoul is going the opposite way. He’s getting more human, reverting back to being a real person versus just being a ghoul. So it’s interesting seeing that cross section and how you can play with that musically.

The Contending: You worked again with composer Ramin Djawadi this season. What was working on season two like compared to season one? How much do you guys go back and forth with each other on your work?

Trygge Toven: Ramin’s incredible. When the Ghoul is on screen we wonder, are we going to hear that incredible theme that he wrote for him? Or are we gonna do something different that speaks to the character and the irony of the situation through the songs? It is really pivotal connecting those dots between me and Ramin, because he’s the one in the room meshing it all together. So we do these spotting sessions with the showrunner, the producing team, the editor, and our amazing music editor Chris Kaller. Then we have discussions as a group of, do we need a song here? Or do we see where the score takes it? Because a lot of times a scene will really turn on a dime in what is happening, and there’s a lot of different plot points. While a song usually has one specific emotion to it, so you’re not going to be able to hit all those points, so then we go with the score in that moment.

We also have scenes where it may start with a score and then eventually that goes into a song. Or we start with a song, and then we decide to have the song start later, so there is a lot of back and forth. We are kind of doing handoffs. And I’ve heard him say on other panels we’ve done where that works great for him, because a lot of times the songs are in there before he starts working so he’ll match the key, and be able to come out of the song, and so they’re really handed off quite seamlessly.

The Contending: There’s a moment in the show that has stayed with me. Where Coop is unknowingly handing over cold fusion to the Enclave, then in the present the Ghoul uses cold fusion to turn Mr. House on. The song “Balada de la trompeta” sung by Raphael is playing over it all and it first perfectly. It’s got this sinisterness as well as melancholiness. I’m just curious, how did you figure out that song for that sequence?

Trygge Toven: Yeah, I can’t take the credit, but it’s my favorite as well. It came from one of our showrunners. So I don’t know exactly where the idea to use it came from, but it is one of the longest uses of a song we have had on the show. I think it’s like five minutes long. I was more wondering if we could get this song with everything that is happening on screen. Especially Lucy finding that head connected to the machine. What was interesting about that is it was kind of a departure for us in general because the song is in a different language and it’s a little bit different than you would expect. But I agree with you that it just spoke to the moment and, even though it was a long sequence, it was able to cover all of it. I think it did a beautiful job. So I’m glad you liked it.

The Contending: With Mr. House appearing this season and being such a fan favorite (including for me), what did you think about the kind of music needed for his character?

Trygge Toven: I can’t remember if we had a song specifically for him that really speaks to his character. But I think the way they introduced him where you don’t know it’s him, and there’s obviously a major mystery to him the whole time. He also has this very 50s American feel to him but, at the same time, he seems like this sinister bad guy and you’re like, which one is it? So I think mystery is really the focus for me anytime he’s on, because you just don’t know where he’s gonna take it. And we still don’t know half of what he’s up to, so that’s incredible.

The Contending: I read 3 songs that Lynda Carter wrote for Fallout 4 were put into this season. What was behind that decision?

Trygge Toven: I think anytime that we’re pulling from the games it’s really about making sure the fans get that experience. In the games the music is usually played on the radio, and it’s not necessarily narrative to what exactly is happening. I think what’s great about this beautiful music from this era is it has this dark underbelly. Like, how can we kind use those songs and their messages and really connect it narratively and to foreshadow what’s happening. I think a lot of times when we use something from the game it’s either like Big Iron, where we are, like, we got it, so hear you go fans. Or there might be a little Easter egg in the song of what is to come. Whenever it’s something very specific to the game, we’ve planned out when that moment should happen very intently.

The Contending: Final thoughts?

Trygge Toven: Just thank you for the opportunity and I am glad fans liked the show, and we start shooting season 3 very soon!