"And So It Goes" Soundtrack Lyrics

---

"And So It Goes" Soundtrack Description

What this soundtrack actually feels like

It plays like a sunny porch with weathered wood: familiar songs, friendly tempos, and a score that refuses to grandstand. Marc Shaiman keeps his cues small—piano, strings, gentle rhythm touches—then lets a handful of classic cuts and lounge standards handle the social work. The surprise is Diane Keaton herself, stepping to the mic in-character. Not a stunt, more a story beat: a woman finding nerve in public, with the band close and the room hushed. I went in expecting wall-to-wall oldies; what lands is how the music keeps reintroducing these people to themselves.

Production

Rob Reiner called on long-time collaborator Marc Shaiman for the score—no surprise if you’ve tracked their history. The brief: keep it human-scaled, make room for source music, and spotlight Keaton’s diegetic performances without turning the film into a jukebox musical. Music supervision (Julia Michels) lined up tasteful catalog picks—folk pillars, Southern rock, evergreen standards—so the soundtrack has two voices: the tunes you already know and Shaiman’s empathetic glue. Also in the mix: a winking cameo by Frankie Valli, which matters because some singing happens right in front of him. Nerve-wracking? A little. Worth it on screen? Definitely.

Musical Styles & Themes

• Late-in-life romance standards: Tin Pan Alley gems and mid-century ballads, arranged lean so character beats can breathe.
• Americana/folk memory: A 60s folk classic turns up like an old friend who knows the room; it frames the film’s themes with disarming clarity.
• Road-worn rock: One Southern-fried staple pops in for mood and motion—sunlight, highways, a second chance.
• Intimate score writing: Shaiman’s cues sit close—piano and strings that don’t wave their arms, they nod.
• Diegetic performances: In-scene vocals (Keaton) anchor character growth; you feel the nerves and the lift.

Track Highlights (moments, not a full list)

• Opening credits folk classic: A crystalline 1967 cover of a Joni Mitchell song opens the door with bittersweet grace. The lyric—seeing love “from both sides”—isn’t subtle; it’s perfect for these two.
• “It Could Happen to You” — sung by Diane Keaton: The audition scene trades polish for honesty. Her delivery is unforced, tremor and all; you can hear a life lived between phrases.
• “Cheek to Cheek” — sung by Diane Keaton: A standard that refuses to age; here it plays like a dare to believe in pleasure again.
• “Blue Moon” — sung by Diane Keaton: Night air in song form. The arrangement leaves space for glances and second thoughts.
• Southern rock needle-drop: A classic “ramblin’” cut swings through to push a scene down the road. It’s a grin and a gear shift.
• Shaiman’s tender interludes: Short piano-string cues that arrive like a hand on a shoulder—no speeches, just presence.

Plot & Character Threads

An irritable Connecticut realtor (Oren Little) wants quiet and gets a granddaughter on his doorstep instead. Leah, the neighbor with a stubbornly open heart, becomes co-conspirator, conscience, and, eventually, a partner in the mess of trying again. The movie angles for gentle redemption; the music handles the heavy lifting when words won’t.

Who the music shadows

• Oren Little (Michael Douglas): Score cues keep him honest—lighter textures when the armor cracks.
• Leah (Diane Keaton): Standards voiced in-scene map her arc from tentative to luminous.
• Sarah (Sterling Jerins): Warmer motifs and easy tempos; the kid resets the room.
• Claire (Frances Sternhagen): Dry wit gets dry arrangements—little stingers that wink.
• Artie (Rob Reiner): A piano-bench cameo and supportive underscoring; a friend who knows just enough chords.
• Club Owner (Frankie Valli): Presence matters. His silent approval (or scrutiny) flavors the performance scenes.

Cast snapshots

Michael Douglas — Oren

Edges first, softness later; the music mirrors that thaw.

Diane Keaton — Leah

Voice as character study; the standards are her diary pages.

Sterling Jerins — Sarah

The rhythm quickens when she arrives; life insists on itself.

Frances Sternhagen — Claire

Comments with timing sharp enough to need only a two-note sting.

Rob Reiner — Artie

At the piano, nudging the room toward courage.

Frankie Valli — Club Owner

A meta wink: the legend listening while a new singer finds her feet.

Behind the Scenes

Keaton’s on-camera singing wasn’t a gimmick; she’d done it before, but this time the stakes were baked into the scene. The kicker: she performed without realizing Frankie Valli was sitting in the dark, listening. When she found out—right before a take—her reaction was very human. That shock lives in the performance, in the best way. Meanwhile, Shaiman’s recording approach stayed intimate, tracking cues with a chamber feel and leaving headroom for those diegetic moments to land unforced. Music supervision aimed for songs that felt lived-in, not flashy—folk reflection for the opener, standards for Leah, a highway staple or two when the plot needed wheels.

Critic & Fan Reactions

Reception tilted mixed on the film; the soundtrack choices drew nods for warmth and fit. One review ribbed the movie for being “packed with oldies,” but that’s partly the point—the songs are emotional shorthand for characters learning to risk again. Fans of Keaton’s performance zeroed in on her club numbers; they work because they’re a little raw.

“That was scary… singing in front of Frankie Valli.”— Diane Keaton, on the club scene

“Looked at love from both sides now” felt like the right thesis to open on.— an interviewer’s gloss on Reiner’s choice

Technical Info

• Soundtrack/Album: And So It Goes (music from the motion picture)
• Type: movie
• Year: 2014
• Composer: Marc Shaiman
• Music Supervisor: Julia Michels
• Key Featured Songs: a 1967 folk cover of “Both Sides Now,” Southern-rock staple “Ramblin’ Man,” and standards performed in-scene by Diane Keaton including “It Could Happen to You,” “Cheek to Cheek,” and “Blue Moon.”
• Notable Cameo: Frankie Valli as a nightclub owner (in the performance sequence)
• Release (film): July 2014 (US)
• Label/Album Note: No widely released dedicated score album; songs/licensed cues appear across their original labels and digital platforms.
• Director/Writer: Rob Reiner / Mark Andrus

FAQ

Is the soundtrack mostly songs or score?

A blend. Shaiman’s intimate cues connect scenes, while folk/standards/source tracks drive character moments—especially Leah’s on-camera vocals.

Did Diane Keaton really sing?

Yes. She performs standards in the club scenes, in character, with live-nerves intact.

Is there an official soundtrack album?

No full commercial OST surfaced in 2014; the music exists via the film, scattered singles, and composer suites shared online.

Who else turns up musically?

Frankie Valli cameos as the club owner—an inside-baseball thrill given the setting.

What opens the movie?

A Judy Collins rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” sets the tone right out of the gate.

Additional Info

• Reiner slips behind the piano for a brief in-film accompanist bit; it adds to the “friends nudging friends” energy of the music scenes.
• The standards Keaton sings double as narrative therapy—each lyric tests whether these characters still believe in joy.
• Shaiman’s cues are short on ornament, long on empathy. The smallness is intentional; it leaves room for breath and side-eye.
• Watch how the needle-drops time entrances and exits—editorial rhythm as musical phrasing.
• If you’re building a companion playlist, mix the Collins “Both Sides Now,” Keaton’s standards (where available), and a light selection of Shaiman’s piano themes; it lands like a summer evening after a hard day.

Michael Douglas and Diane Keeton are holders of Oscars and very deserved. They act perfectly, and even such the impression that they live in acting. They make a picture of own heroes on the screen something like the living inside of the acting and much brighter as is it done by those who do not have these gold-plated statuettes. A lot of cynical jokes and even direct insults in the film ("I've got more who likes me, so you can die right now"). Many such absurd morals that are completely out of place and thus, sound so amazingly funny. The story plays with the usual things of life – swearing, situations such as the temporary raising of their grandchildren and even clumsy attempts to flirt with someone who hates you initially. It would seem perfectly normal story. If not an acting of two main characters who are so finely felt this atmosphere in front of cameras that it seems that they do not play at all, but live. Whatever it was, you’ll get a great aesthetic pleasure from the view. It seems that from the budget in USD 18 million the most is spent on fees of star actors. At the box office, the film gained USD 25 million, paying off without bringing a lot of trouble to its creators, who did not had to worry about the material aspects of their profession. Judy Collins is a typical sample of the mood that is created on the screen – a cheerful and serene, though strong. Ramblin' Man is for fans of country music. Let's Work Together we praise for excellent quality. Diane Keaton sang almost half of the collection (she has willed voice and she conducts herself on stage deliciously). And Cheek To Cheek is a good melodic jazz. Selection is of very high quality, recommended!

September, 23rd 2025

More info about 'And So It Goes' movie: Wikipedia, IMDb

---

A-Z Lyrics Universe

---