How the late Kavinsky's Nightcall breathed magic into a 2011 Ryan Gosling classic

Kavinsky, the French musician and DJ, best-known for his song Nightcall, recently passed away on July 28, 2026. The musician had been complaining of headaches in the days leading up to his death, and thus it is suspected that he died of a stroke. A final cause of death is yet to be revealed.

Many artists and celebrities have paid their tributes to Kavinsky after news of his death was reported. As the world bids the musician goodbye, let's take a look at how his song Nightcall breathed magic into a 2011 Ryan Gosling classic.

How Kavinsky's Nightcall helped in shaping Ryan Gosling's Drive

Nightcall by Kavinsky was first released in 2010. Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo produced the song, and SebastiAn was the mix electronic artist on the song. Sung by Lovefoxxx, the song explores vulnerability that often comes to the surface late at night, feelings one doesn't usually talk about, and staying true to oneself despite judgment from others.

While the song was a celebrated one, it became more popular when it was used in Ryan Gosling's film, Drive. Kavinsky's Nightcall plays in the opening credits of the film, setting the tone right from the beginning. It seems like a teaser for who Gosling's character, The Driver, essentially is. In Drive, The Driver's name is never revealed; only what he does is. We see that the man works as a mechanic and stunt double, which are common jobs, but also as a criminal-for-hire getaway driver.

He thus leads a double life, and Nightcall hints at the danger of the criminal part of his life with the lyrics:

"I'm gonna tell you something you don't want to hear (We'll go all, all, all ight long)

I'm gonna show you where it's dark, but have no fear (We'll go all, al, al nightlong)"

The wolf howl at the beginning of the song also hints at the fact that the seemingly normal mechanic and stunt double turns into a criminal-for-hire getaway driver at night. Later on in the song, the lyrics,

"There's something inside you, it's hard to explain"

makes sense as one watches the film. The lyrics seem to hint at the silent and deeply repressed feelings of the The Driver, who is a silent protector. He protects Irene and her son Benicio without expecting anything in return, which tells us everything about him.

Nightcall was perhaps the best fit for the opening credits of Drive and has received much love since. The song was also performed at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.

Many artists who knew Kavinsky and had worked with him have paid their tributes to the late musician after his tragic demise. David Guetta spoke about the French musician, saying that the musician was

""a true icon of French electronic music."

The Belgian musician Angèle and The Weekend have also paid their tributes to the late musician. France's president, Emmanuel Macron, has also spoken about Kavinsky's death, saying that he was