Sweet Smell of Success was backed up by an exciting Elmer Bernstein jazz score with dark overtones that underlined the black feeling of the film, intensifying the tension. "These are the sounds of a small section of New York. The section lies between Columbus Circle and Times Square," said Elmer Bernstein. "In this tiny empire lives are made and destroyed by the public, critics and columnists. The music reflects the tempo, anguish and frustration in a contemporary, popular idiom. The kind of musical sound which could be coming from any of the many night spots such people frequent." The Chico Hamilton Quintet-which appears in several scenes-furnished an integral section of the soundtrack of the film, accenting the pulsating Broadway-by-night setting of the story.