"Book of Life, The" Soundtrack Lyrics

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"Book of Life, The" Soundtrack Description

Questions and Answers

Is there an official soundtrack album?

Yes. The Book of Life (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) released digitally on September 26, 2014 and on CD in October 2014; a separate album collects Gustavo Santaolalla’s original score. (according to Variety)

Who composed the score and who wrote the original songs?

Two-time Oscar winner Gustavo Santaolalla composed the score; the film’s original songs were written with legendary songwriter Paul Williams. (as noted by The Hollywood Reporter)

What well-known pop songs appear in the movie?

Mariachi/Norteño-flavored takes on Radiohead’s “Creep,” Mumford & Sons’ “I Will Wait,” Rod Stewart’s “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend,” among others.

Who performs in-character on the album?

Diego Luna (Manolo) sings several cues (including “Creep” and “The Apology Song”); Zoe Saldaña also provides vocals in selections tied to story moments.

What plays over the end credits?

“No Matter Where You Are” by Us The Duo, and “Live Life” by Jesse & Joy, both featured on the official soundtrack.

Did the soundtrack chart?

Yes — it reached the U.S. Billboard 200 and the Top Soundtrack Albums chart, and landed on the UK Official Soundtrack Albums chart.

Notes & Trivia

• The pop covers were deliberately “Mexicanized” — arranged with mariachi, bolero, and Norteño colors to live inside San Angel’s world. (according to Billboard)
• Recording took place in London at Abbey Road and AIR Studios, with large orchestra and choir sessions.
• Diego Luna’s version of Radiohead’s “Creep” was specifically cleared for the story — a rare approval the band granted because the lyric fit Manolo’s arc. (as reported by Time)
• Two key originals — “The Apology Song” and “I Love You Too Much” — come from the Santaolalla–Paul Williams partnership.
• End credits stack: Us The Duo’s “No Matter Where You Are” and Jesse & Joy’s “Live Life.”
• Music supervision is credited to industry veteran John Houlihan (Guild-nominated for this film).

Overview

Why does a Day-of-the-Dead fairy tale spin Radiohead and Rod Stewart next to rancheras? Because The Book of Life treats pop history like a living hometown band. Composer Gustavo Santaolalla threads a melodic, folkloric score through mariachi horns and marimba while slipping in witty, heart-on-sleeve covers that characters actually sing. The trick isn’t nostalgia — it’s translation: global hits retold in San Angel’s musical dialect. (according to Variety)

The resulting album is a two-part package: the Various Artists set for songs (covers, originals, end-credit singles) and a separate score album that showcases Santaolalla’s first animated feature score. You hear the film’s thesis in miniature — the border between memory and music is porous — whether it’s Manolo serenading with “Creep” or a choir lifting the Land of the Remembered. The vibe is festive, a little mischievous, and unabashedly romantic. (as The Hollywood Reporter noted of the “mariachi-flavored” choices)

Genres & Themes

• Mariachi & Bolero — sincerity, family duty, and courtship; the film’s emotional grammar.
• Norteño/Regional stylings — swagger and humor; a playful lens for reinterpreting pop anthems.
• Pop & Rock covers — familiar melodies reframed to match character POV (e.g., “Creep,” “I Will Wait”).
• Orchestral folk score — Santaolalla’s guitars, accordions, marimba, and full orchestra stitch worlds together.

Key Tracks & Scenes

“Creep” — Diego Luna (cover of Radiohead)
Where it plays: Manolo’s vulnerable serenade moment, voiced in-character; non-diegetic swells align with his self-doubt.
Why it matters: A modern outsider anthem reimagined as a tender bolero — a thesis for the film’s musical “translation” idea.

“The Apology Song” — Diego Luna / La Santa Cecilia
Where it plays: Sung diegetically by Manolo as a heartfelt plea; also appears in a full-band version on the album.
Why it matters: A story-turn hinge written by Santaolalla & Williams; it’s romance, contrition, and courage rolled into one.

“I Love You Too Much” — Diego Luna
Where it plays: Courtship cue between Manolo and María; flowing strings and guitars underpin the classic bolero feel.
Why it matters: One of the film’s original love themes, connecting tradition to pop melody.

“No Matter Where You Are” — Us The Duo
Where it plays: End credits; a buoyant, wedding-vow-shaped pop singalong.
Why it matters: Sends the audience out on a modern-folk high that mirrors the film’s family-first resolution.

“Live Life” — Jesse & Joy
Where it plays: Also during credits/epilogue vibes; upbeat bilingual flourish.
Why it matters: A pop-radio coda that matches the film’s color and optimism.

Track–Moment Index (selected)

Song	Scene / Moment	Diegetic?	Approx. Timing	Notes
Creep — Diego Luna	Manolo’s heartfelt serenade/realization beat	Mostly diegetic lead	Early–mid film	Mariachi-bolero arrangement approved for narrative fit
The Apology Song — Diego Luna (album also by La Santa Cecilia)	Public plea performed by Manolo	Yes	Mid–late	Original by Santaolalla & Williams
I Love You Too Much — Diego Luna	Romance cue for Manolo & María	Yes/heightened	Mid	Original love theme
No Matter Where You Are — Us The Duo	End credits	No	Final minutes	Popular streaming single
Live Life — Jesse & Joy	Credits / epilogue tone	No	Final minutes	Uplifting bilingual closer

Music–Story Links (characters & plot beats as connected to songs)

• Self-doubt into destiny: “Creep” reframes a global hit as Manolo’s inner monologue; the arrangement’s tenderness signals he’ll define courage on his own terms.
• Public voice: “The Apology Song” functions like a corrido of responsibility — a sung confession that literally changes how the town sees him.
• Romance without irony: “I Love You Too Much” uses classic bolero DNA to let Manolo & María speak plainly; no winks, just melody.
• Afterlife to after-party: The credits pair modern folk-pop with bilingual sparkle, bridging mythic stakes back to everyday love.

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

Santaolalla approached his first animated feature like a borderless songbook: folk instruments (marimba, accordion, mariachi brass) riding with a full London orchestra and choir tracked at Abbey Road and AIR. He and Paul Williams co-wrote key originals, then bent contemporary hits into the film’s idiom. (according to Variety)

Music supervision came from John Houlihan, who helped navigate clearances and the playful cover concepts — from Biz Markie to Mumford & Sons — and earned Guild recognition for the work. (as reported in Billboard’s guild coverage)

Reception & Quotes

Reviewers praised the “mariachi-flavored” pop choices and the heart-forward score; fans kept the album alive on streaming, and it notched chart placements in the U.S. and UK. (as The Hollywood Reporter noted)

“The score represents a series of firsts for Santaolalla… bold, upfront, and steeped in Mexican instrumentation.” Variety

“Fun, mariachi-flavored versions of pop hits… Luna and Saldaña provide their own singing.” The Hollywood Reporter

Availability: The song album and the separate score release remain widely streamable; “Creep,” “The Apology Song,” “I Love You Too Much,” “No Matter Where You Are,” and “Live Life” are easy entry points.

Technical Info

• Title: The Book of Life — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (songs) / The Book of Life — Original Score (Santaolalla)
• Year: 2014
• Type: Movie soundtrack (various artists) + separate score album
• Composer: Gustavo Santaolalla (first animated feature score)
• Original songs: by Gustavo Santaolalla & Paul Williams (“The Apology Song,” “I Love You Too Much”)
• Key in-character vocals: Diego Luna (with additional vocals by cast)
• End-credits singles: Us The Duo — “No Matter Where You Are”; Jesse & Joy — “Live Life”
• Label: Fox Music (songs & score releases)
• Recording venues: Abbey Road Studios; AIR Studios (London)
• Music supervision: John Houlihan
• Chart notes: US Billboard 200; US Top Soundtrack Albums; UK Official Soundtrack Albums

Canonical Entities & Relations

Subject	Relation	Object
Gustavo Santaolalla	composed score for	The Book of Life (2014)
Paul Williams	co-wrote songs for	The Book of Life — “The Apology Song,” “I Love You Too Much”
Diego Luna	performed vocals in	The Book of Life soundtrack (incl. “Creep,” “The Apology Song”)
Us The Duo	performed	“No Matter Where You Are” (end credits)
Jesse & Joy	performed	“Live Life” (end credits)
John Houlihan	supervised music for	The Book of Life
Fox Music	released	Official soundtrack & score albums (2014)
20th Century Fox	distributed	The Book of Life (film)

Sources: Variety; The Hollywood Reporter; Billboard; Time; IMDb (soundtracks/credits); Wikipedia (film & soundtrack); Discogs; Spotify listings; VGMdb; MediaStinger.

Pleasant and fascinating film about love. But not such as one’s might think hearing the words "love story". Princess, though sweet and charming, does not want her heart to be conquered – she is very independent girl. The main character descends to the underworld to be with his beloved, because some local god made him immortal. That is, in fact, translated into another world – the world of the dead. Channing Tatum plays again in the movie. He appears on the screen or in the voice acting more often than any other actor on this site. Now he has a period of active work and we cannot blame that he immersed himself in these duties. Everything in this film is done either with love serenades (I Love You Too Much) or a volume sound of a large orchestra (Ecstasy of Gold). But here still some catchy songs that you feel like dancing (El Aparato / Land of the Remembering by Café Tacuba). Half of the music performed by the professional singer, Diego Luna, who continues a good tradition – singer starring in a movie. A talented person should be talented in many aspects. He is a singer and performer of songs and actor and director and producer – all in one bottle. Very much influential personality at his native land. One of the most mentioned people in Mexico. There were more other famous actors voicing the film. Cheech Marin is among them, who played as much as three different characters in a movie From Dusk Till Dawn by Quentin Tarantino. And in general, he starred in 116 films. But you probably already know this. And another person here – Danny Trejo – has starred in 302 films, a tremendous amount! And yet as much as 27 films will come with his participation this and next years. And this number grows. Simply fantastic! As many as 56 actors involved in the voicing of motion picture – a legion – who made a decent quality movie.

October, 25th 2025

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