"Blue Like Jazz" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Blue Like Jazz (Motion Picture Soundtrack)" Soundtrack Description

Questions and Answers

Is there an official soundtrack album?

Yes. Blue Like Jazz (Motion Picture Soundtrack) arrived August 7, 2012 as a digital release by Blue Like Jazz, LLC (as confirmed by Apple Music).

Who composed the score?

Danny Seim (of Portland band Menomena) composed the film’s original score; the album mixes his cues with select songs by various artists.

What recognizable artists appear on the album?

Menomena contribute several cuts; Katie Herzig’s “I Hurt Too” appears; Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil provide the end-credits song “A Life Preserved.”

Does the movie use additional needle-drops not on the album?

Yes—one example often noted is Over the Rhine’s “All I Ever Get For Christmas Is Blue,” heard in a holiday sequence.

Where can I listen or buy it?

It’s available to stream and purchase digitally (according to Apple Music); some storefronts also list track credits and running times.

What’s the overall vibe of the soundtrack?

Indie-rock and post-rock textures with intimate, handmade score cues—very Portland, very campus-life. (according to Variety’s coverage around release)

Notes & Trivia

• Director Steve Taylor recruited Menomena’s Danny Seim as his first choice to score the film—leaning into Portland’s indie DNA (as noted by Sojourners).
• The official album blends Seim’s score cues with catalog tracks by Menomena and others rather than a wall-to-wall original score release.
• End-credits cut “A Life Preserved” later resurfaced (re-recorded) on Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil’s 2014 album—fun connective tissue for fans.
• Roadside Attractions acquired U.S. rights ahead of its SXSW premiere; the indie pedigree shaped how the music was positioned (per Deadline).
• Over the Rhine’s bittersweet holiday song turns up in a Christmas scene—an unexpected tonal pivot that fits the film’s mix of doubt and wonder.

Overview

How do you soundtrack a crisis of faith without sermonizing the chords? Blue Like Jazz answers with nervy indie-rock, soft-focus instrumentals, and a few well-placed needle-drops that feel like campus life overheard through dorm walls. The album captures that push–pull: Danny Seim’s cues pulse with curiosity and unease, while songs by Menomena, Katie Herzig, and others lend the story its messy, human texture.

Instead of “big-theme” orchestration, the music keeps close to Don’s internal monologue—small drum patterns, guitar loops, and hand-made textures suggest thought spirals more than spectacle. When the movie steps into montage or memory, the soundtrack leans into mood; when it hits a reckoning, a song like “I Hurt Too” provides the empathy valve. It’s modest on paper, but that restraint is the point. (according to Variety’s festival-era notes)

Genres & Themes

• Indie/alt-rock grit → identity in flux: Menomena’s cuts underline the film’s “try it on, see what fits” college experimentation.
• Post-rock/minimal score → interiority: Seim’s repeating figures feel like journal entries—private, provisional, searching.
• Singer–songwriter warmth → compassion: Katie Herzig’s contribution opens space for contrition and care.
• Holiday pop noir → irony: Over the Rhine’s Christmas tune frames a celebratory scene with bittersweet self-awareness.

Key Tracks & Scenes

“Taos” — Menomena
Where it plays: Used in marketing and featured on the album; a propulsive table-setter for Don’s leap into Portland.
Why it matters: Brash energy mirrors the film’s “new self” experiment and the culture shock of Reed College.

“I Hurt Too” — Katie Herzig
Where it plays: Heard during a reflective stretch as relationships fray and empathy becomes the only solvent.
Why it matters: A hush after the noise—Herzig’s vocal softens the film’s edges without letting it off the hook.

“E Is Stable” — Menomena
Where it plays: Featured on the album; punctuates the restless pacing of Don’s new life.
Why it matters: Stop–start rhythms track the oscillation between bravado and doubt.

“Theme from Rockie” — Danny Seim (score)
Where it plays: One of several intimate cues underscoring dorm-room and campus connective tissue.
Why it matters: Demonstrates Seim’s minimal toolkit: repeating motifs, small stakes, big feelings.

“All I Ever Get For Christmas Is Blue” — Over the Rhine
Where it plays: Holiday sequence on campus.
Why it matters: Seasonal sparkle with melancholy aftertaste; the song’s title practically winks at the film’s name.

“A Life Preserved” — Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil
Where it plays: End credits.
Why it matters: A curtain-call thesis about rescue and renewal, later re-recorded by the band—a rare case of credits music spawning a project.

Music–Story Links (characters & plot beats)

• Arrival jolt: High-velocity indie rock (“Taos”) frames Don’s reinvention—sound as swagger costume.
• Belief vs. belonging: Seim’s small, looping cues mirror the way doubts loop in one’s head; when Don quiets down, the score does too.
• Seasonal irony: The Christmas needle-drop lands joy and ache in the same breath, underlining the film’s ambivalence about tribe and tradition.
• After-care: The credits song (“A Life Preserved”) doesn’t tidy the plot; it names the rescue impulse that Don only begins to understand.

How It Was Made (supervision, score, behind-the-scenes)

Director–co-writer Steve Taylor leaned local for the film’s sound. Portland’s Danny Seim—best known from Menomena—handled the score, a decision Taylor made early and decisively (as noted by Sojourners). The resulting album isn’t a conventional wall-to-wall score; it mixes Seim’s cues with handpicked tracks from Menomena and others, reflecting the film’s indie production and SXSW-to-theaters release path (per Deadline and Variety).

Formal “music supervisor” billing isn’t prominent in public listings; what is visible are nuts-and-bolts roles like music editor (Matthew Sterling) and music coordinator (Dona Spangler), plus Taylor’s own band connection that birthed the end-credits song. It’s a very DIY pipeline, and you can hear that in the arrangements.

Reception & Quotes

“Features a soundtrack that’s largely the brainchild of Menomena.” Sojourners

“The soundtrack… with songs from Menomena and Katie Herzig… is also pretty swell.” Westword

Album availability: Digital album is live on major platforms, with clear artist credits and release date (as confirmed by Apple Music). The film’s U.S. release came via Roadside Attractions ahead of its SXSW premiere (per Deadline; according to Variety).

Technical Info

• Title: Blue Like Jazz (Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2012
• Type: Movie — Original Soundtrack (Various Artists + Original Score)
• Composer (score): Danny Seim
• Notable featured artists: Menomena; Katie Herzig; Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil
• Key placements (selected): “A Life Preserved” (end credits); “All I Ever Get For Christmas Is Blue” (holiday scene); album highlights include “Taos,” “E Is Stable,” and Seim’s cues like “Theme from Rockie.”
• Label/Imprint: Blue Like Jazz, LLC (digital release)
• Album release date: August 7, 2012 (as confirmed by Apple Music)
• Film release context: World premiere at SXSW (March 13, 2012); U.S. theatrical via Roadside Attractions (April 13, 2012).
• Music department credits (select): Music editor — Matthew Sterling; Music coordinator — Dona Spangler.
• Availability & formats: Digital streaming & download; storefronts list artists, times, and sequence.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Apple Music; FilmMusic.com; Sojourners; Variety; Deadline; IMDb; Metacritic; Westword; SPU Response; Rotten Tomatoes Trailers.

October, 25th 2025