As of 1992, his favorite genre had become easy listening and years later Patton named composer and arranger Les Baxter as the main influence on one of his film scores. In 2005 the frontman proclaimed: "The orchestration in that music is so dense and so complex and so amazing, if you can get beyond the kitsch. And I can do that in 30 seconds flat. ... I hear new stuff in there every time I listen." Besides Baxter, orchestral pop composer Burt Bacharach is a major influence on the writing by Patton and he constantly expressed his desire to work with him. Additionally, the singer was "besotted" with the music of Jean-Claude Vannier after discovering his arrangements for Serge Gainsbourg, and the two went on to collaborate in 2019.