Though he may best be known as vampire Edward Cullen throughout the five films in the Twilight series, Robert Pattinson has designed a dynamic acting career beyond the creatures of the half-light with more eccentric and complex roles in independents like The Lighthouse through bigger box office hits like The Batman in 2022.
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Along with acting since his teens, Pattinson, born May 13, 1986, has always been drawn to music. Playing guitar and piano by the age of 4, Pattinson has also written a small collection of his own music and started performing in pubs before he segued into acting.
In addition to writing and performing a few songs on the original Twilight soundtrack, Pattinson has continued to dip into music on and off over the past 15 years and performed three songs on the soundtrack for the 2008 indie comedy How to Be, including “Chokin’ On The Dust (Part 1 and Part II)” and “Doin’ Fine,” all written by Joe Hastings and Oliver Irving.
After starring as Cedric Diggory in the fifth film in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, in 2005, Pattinson seriously considered pursuing music over acting. “I spent a lot of time living off the ‘Harry Potter’ money,” said Pattinson in 2022. “I moved to an apartment in Soho London. I really thought I was going to do music at that point. … I was doing a lot of gigs all the time. I was just constantly doing open mics all the time, and then I ran out of money, basically.”
Collaborating with a number of artists throughout the years, Pattinson also played guitar on the Death Grips’ track “Birds,” off the hip-hop group’s third album Government Plates, performed with British alt-rockers Tindersticks on the song “Willow,” featured in his 2018 film High Life, and wrote a song for his 2018 film Damsel.
Throughout his acting career, Pattinson has remained mostly hushed when it comes to his musical side. Mostly modest when it comes to releasing his own music, Pattinson has performed piano concertos, and his 2011 Songs from a Room performances in London featured original music but were never officially released, along with other under-promoted releases credited to him.
“I’ve never really recorded anything, I just played in pubs and stuff, and I really didn’t want it to look like I was trying to cash in,” said Pattinson in a 2008 interview on performing. “I hope it doesn’t come across as that. I’m not going to be doing any music videos or anything.”
He added, “Music is my backup plan if acting fails. I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket.”
Since music is still in the cards for the actor, here’s a look at five songs Pattinson wrote.
1. “Let Me Sign” (2008)
Written by Robert Pattinson, Marcus Foster, Bobby Long
In the first Twilight film, “Let Me Sign” plays as Bella (Kristen Stewart) nearly dies after being bitten by vampire James. The song, co-written and performed by Pattinson, was featured as a bonus track on the soundtrack and was also covered by the Vitamin String Quartet in 2008.
The first Twilight soundtrack also featured songs by Paramore, Perry Farrell, Linkin Park, Muse, Collective Soul, and Iron & Wine, among others.
She’s standing by
A broken tree
Her hand are all twisted
She’s pointing at me
I was damned by light coming
Over us she
Spoke with a voice that
Disrupted the sky
She said walk on over into
Beat of shade
2. “Never Think” (2008)
Written by Robert Pattinson and Sam Bradley
The second song Pattinson wrote for the Twilight soundtrack, “Never Think,” plays after Edward stalks Bella to Port Angeles, where he saves her from the biker boys. The song was also covered by the Vitamin String Quartet in 2008 and again in 2018 by Acoustic Heartstrings.
Pattinson’s tender acoustic ballad explores pushing away a love that’s dangerous. In relevance to Twilight, “Never Think” can be linked to Bella learning Edward’s true nature.
I should never think
What’s in your heart
What’s in our home
It’s all I want
You’ll learn to hate me
But still call me baby
Oh, love
So call me by my name
And save your soul
Save your soul
Before you’re too far gone
Before nothing can be done
3. “It’s All on You” (2011)
Written by Robert Pattinson
During his Songs for a Room performance in London in 2011, Pattinson performed a small solo set with his acoustic guitar. There, he shared a few original songs, including “It’s All On You,” which has never been officially released by the actor.
And their eyes were on a double string and their
hands lay softly on the street now.
And I do believe honestly that I know this is
where I want to be now
There are pictures in their eyes, they’re a thread
up for the skies.
So I wait
Now with our souls misunderstood
and our minds they saw a map of a way
4. “Honeybun” (2018)
Written by Robert Pattinson
In the 2018 black comedy western, Damsel, starring Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Forster, and Sparks singer Russell Mael, an affluent pioneer intends to marry the love of his life but must survive a treacherous journey across the American frontier with her.
In the film, Samuel Alabaster (Pattinson) plays a sweet ballad, “Honeybun,” which he wrote for his sweetheart Penelope (Wasikowska). In the song, he reveals how he always feels in sync with her, even when they are apart—The pit-a-pat of your beating heart / In sync with mine when we’re apart / My honeybun—and compare her to a horseshoe to his hoove, or the perfect “fit” for him.
I love you, can’t you see?
My honeybun, you’re my honeybun
My honeybun, I want you just for me
You’re a horseshoe to my hoove
And I need no further proof
You’re my honeybun
You’re my only one for me
5. “The Last I Think of You” (2022)
Written by Robert Pattinson
By 2022, Pattinson was starring in the highly anticipated The Batman film and released a new song called “The Last I Think of You.” The track was presumably written by Pattinson while he was filming The Batman in the outskirts of London. Most of the filming took place in the dark during the late hours of the night, and the entire experience was very insular, according to Pattinson, since he couldn’t walk outside with his Batman suit on and remained mostly hidden.
“I barely knew what was going on at all outside,” said Pattinson, who mostly stayed in a little tent to decompress. “I’d be in the tent just making ambient electronic music in the suit, looking over the cowl. There’s something about the construction of the cowl that makes it very difficult to read books, so you have to kind of almost lean forward to see out of the cowl.”
It’s funny trying to rely on you
I want you there, need you to be there for me
Even when I’m cross
I’m not so lost to tell the truth
I’m not sure I need you to tell the truth
I miss you
Honest, I think this might be the last night on Earth I think of you
Sometimes I felt like you had been together
There was no one to look for love
You’re always picking up the pieces
And then always moving on
What’s one more time being on my own?
And I’m not sure I need you to tell the truth
Since its release in June of 2022, it appears as if the song has been removed, but listeners can try to stream “The Last I Think of You” on Spotify or Amazon at the links below.
“The Last I Think of You” on Amazon, HERE.
Photo by Cindy Ord/WireImage
