Critically admired composer and songwriter Peter Melnick officially steps into a new musical chapter with the release of his debut single, “Bring Them Home,” available now on all streaming platforms alongside an accompanying music video.
Written and composed by Melnick, “Bring Them Home” was produced by Joseph E-Shine (aka Yossi Mizrahi) and features vocals from Michael Harpaz. The track serves as the first glimpse into a deeply personal forthcoming project that showcases Melnick’s songwriting front and center after decades of highly regarded work behind the scenes.
On “Bring Them Home,” Melnick responds to the aftermath of October 7 and the Israeli hostage crisis with a song shaped by grief, witness, and human urgency. Written on the morning of a Santa Barbara vigil and performed publicly for the first time that same evening, the standalone single is not intended as commentary or argument, but rather as a personal expression of emotion and reflection. In keeping with Melnick’s broader artistic voice, the song becomes a feeling given form — a plea for human kindness in the face of the incomprehensible, carried by the simple, aching refrain: “Bring them home.”
Melnick has built an acclaimed career as a film and television composer, contributing scores to more than three dozen productions. His credits include the Steve Martin classic L.A. Story, The Only Thrill starring Diane Keaton and Sam Shepard, Horton Foote’s Convicts featuring Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones, and Farce of the Penguins directed by Bob Saget. His television work includes the PBS documentary Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood, Indictment: The McMartin Trial, Grand Avenue, and Lily Dale.
A Drama Desk-nominated musical theater composer, Melnick is currently adapting Snow in August for Broadway alongside lyricist Mindi Dickstein and librettist Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.
Melnick comes from an extraordinary artistic lineage. His father, Daniel Melnick, produced iconic films including Straw Dogs, All That Jazz, Altered States, and Footloose, along with the long-running sitcom Get Smart. His grandfather was legendary composer Richard Rodgers, whose work helped define the American Songbook through classics such as “Blue Moon,” “My Funny Valentine,” and “My Favorite Things,” as well as landmark musicals including The Sound of Music, Oklahoma!, Carousel, The King and I, and South Pacific.
After years spent helping shape the creative visions of others, Melnick is now turning inward with a body of work rooted in compassion, love, resilience, and hope. Collaborating closely with Joseph E-Shine — whose credits include work with Barns Courtney, Ninet Tayeb, Steven Wilson, and Infected Mushroom — Melnick has assembled an impressive collective of musicians and vocalists to bring these songs to life.
Deeply personal and emotionally resonant, this forthcoming project has been nearly a lifetime in the making, with “Bring Them Home” serving as a powerful introduction to an exciting new era for Peter Melnick.