"Booksmart" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Booksmart (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" Soundtrack Description

Questions and Answers

Is there an official soundtrack album for Booksmart?

Yes—two. The score album, Booksmart (Original Motion Picture Score) by Dan the Automator, released May 24, 2019 on Lakeshore Records; a separate songs compilation, Booksmart (Music from the Motion Picture), arrived as a limited Urban Outfitters vinyl in August 2019. (as listed on Apple Music and Discogs)

Who composed the score?

Dan the Automator (Daniel Nakamura). It was his first full score for a major U.S. feature, recruited by director Olivia Wilde. (according to Variety)

Who handled music supervision?

Bryan Ling served as music supervisor, curating an eclectic mix that mirrors Gen-Z listening habits. (KCRW feature and credits summaries)

What’s the pool scene song everyone talks about?

“Slip Away” by Perfume Genius underscores the pivotal, heart-punch pool sequence—now a modern teen-movie needle-drop touchstone. (ScreenRant’s guide)

What song is performed at the karaoke scene?

Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know,” performed diegetically by characters on stage—equal parts comedy and catharsis. (IMDb Soundtrack; widely clipped in official scene posts)

Is there a streaming playlist of the film’s songs?

Fans maintain sequence-approximate playlists on Spotify/YouTube, but the official songs album was a vinyl-only retail exclusive. (Discogs; fan playlists)

Notes & Trivia

• The score album contains eight cues (~29–30 minutes), including “Full Star,” “Amy Devastated,” and “Molly and Nick Dance.” (as listed on Apple Music)
• The needle-drop compilation (Music from the Motion Picture) was a vinyl-only release (blue marble variants) exclusive to Urban Outfitters at launch. (Discogs catalog notes)
• Director Olivia Wilde publicly celebrated securing LCD Soundsystem’s “oh baby” for the film—a flex that shaped the dreamy slow-dance vibe. (per the director’s soundtrack diary posts)
• “Slip Away” by Perfume Genius became shorthand for the pool scene’s ache; critics repeatedly cite it as one of 2019’s defining music moments in film. (according to ScreenRant and The Guardian’s year-end)
• Wilde leaned on playlists from music supervisor Bryan Ling even during production to “set the vibe” on set—an old-school mixtape approach to directing. (KCRW feature)

Overview

Why does a teen comedy sound like a crate-digging DJ set? Because Booksmart treats music as identity in motion. Dan the Automator’s sleek, beat-driven score holds the film’s spine, while a fearless spread of hip-hop, electro-pop, alt-R&B, and indie gives each scene its own pulse. (as reported by Variety)

The needle-drops move story, not just bodies: the karaoke blast of “You Oughta Know” bulldozes Amy’s fear; LCD Soundsystem’s “oh baby” turns infatuation into slow-motion gravity; Perfume Genius’s “Slip Away” refracts a revelation in water. It’s a soundtrack that argues taste is character and timing is everything. (according to ScreenRant’s scene rundown)

Genres & Themes

• Beat-forward score (Dan the Automator) → momentum, montage energy, and emotional punch without syrup.
• Alt-R&B / hip-hop → confidence, swagger, and comic cutaways (Anderson .Paak; Jurassic 5; Leikeli47).
• Indie & art-pop → vulnerability and crush-logic (Perfume Genius; LCD Soundsystem; Rhye).
• ’90s icons, recontextualized → generational cross-talk (Alanis Morissette at karaoke). (as ScreenRant spells out)

Key Tracks & Scenes

“Slip Away” — Perfume Genius
Where it plays: The pool sequence as Amy’s crush crystallizes—non-diegetic; timestamped mid-party. (ScreenRant; FOX Home Ent. scene clip)
Why it matters: A weightless swell that drops you into her chest; the song’s catharsis mirrors a coming-of-age pivot.

“You Oughta Know” — Alanis Morissette
Where it plays: Karaoke room—fully diegetic performance by characters; a chaotic sing/scream. (IMDb Soundtrack; official scene posts)
Why it matters: The ’95 howl reloaded as millennial/Gen-Z bravado; it’s funny because it’s too real.

“oh baby” — LCD Soundsystem
Where it plays: The dreamy slow-dance stretch; non-diegetic, entwined with the score’s “Molly and Nick Dance” cue on album. (director’s soundtrack diary; Apple Music cue list)
Why it matters: Time dilates; the synth lullaby makes the room feel like a planet.

“Come Down” — Anderson .Paak
Where it plays: A kinetic injection during party-hopping momentum; non-diegetic. (ScreenRant list confirms placement)
Why it matters: Groove as decision-engine—when the bass hits, the girls commit.

“Nobody Speak” — DJ Shadow feat. Run the Jewels
Where it plays: A swaggering cut during an early confidence ramp-up; non-diegetic. (ScreenRant)
Why it matters: Sets the film’s “we’re done playing nice” thesis in motion.

Track–Moment Index (approximate)

Music–Story Links

Music doesn’t just dress the scenes—it drives the decisions. Amy’s karaoke plunge is a literal step on stage; the diegetic setting makes the song an action, not wallpaper. Minutes later, “Slip Away” refracts her inner life through underwater POV, turning a crush into a seismic aftershock.

When “oh baby” lands, the film shifts tempo. A night of sprinting slows to a sway; the score’s companion cue keeps the heartbeat steady. And the hip-hop cuts (“Come Down,” “Nobody Speak”) act like jump-buttons, flinging our leads into the next bad idea. (as ScreenRant’s walkthrough shows)

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

Olivia Wilde asked Dan the Automator to bring a beat-centric score—short cues with punch, able to collide with needle-drops without whiplash. He delivered a compact, hooky set released by Lakeshore the same day the film opened. (as listed on Apple Music and highlighted by Variety)

Music supervisor Bryan Ling worked with Wilde from pre-production, building on-set playlists and then clearing a roster that jumps from Lizzo and DJ Shadow to Rhye and Ra Ra Riot. It’s a mix built to feel like a real teen feed, not a retro mixtape. (KCRW feature; The Numbers credits)

For the songs album, the team partnered on a limited Urban Outfitters vinyl—blue marble variants, no wide streaming—giving fans a collectible while the score stayed digital-first. (Discogs; label posts) (as stated in the 2019 Variety coverage)

Reception & Quotes

The soundtrack drew raves for taste and timing; several critics singled out the pool scene needle-drop as the year’s gut-check. (as noted by The Guardian’s year-end and ScreenRant’s scene guide)

“A thumping, beat-driven score—infinitely cooler than its characters—supplying much of the energy.” Variety

“A sensational mix… elated by the time the credits rolled.” RogerEbert.com

Availability: the score album streams widely; the songs compilation was a 2019 vinyl-only retail exclusive with periodic restocks. (as listed on Apple Music and Discogs)

Technical Info

• Title: Booksmart — Soundtrack & Score
• Year / Type: 2019 — movie
• Score Composer: Dan the Automator (Daniel Nakamura)
• Music Supervisor: Bryan Ling
• Labels: Lakeshore Records (score); Urban Outfitters exclusive pressing for songs compilation
• Selected notable placements: “Slip Away” (Perfume Genius) — pool scene; “You Oughta Know” (Alanis Morissette) — karaoke; “oh baby” (LCD Soundsystem) — slow dance; “Come Down” (Anderson .Paak) — party momentum
• Release context: Film opened May 24, 2019 (U.S.); score album same date; vinyl songs album August 2019
• Album status: Score—streaming; Songs—vinyl-only retail (limited runs)

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Apple Music; Variety; ScreenRant; KCRW; IMDb Soundtrack; Discogs; FOX Home Ent. scene posts; The Guardian.

October, 25th 2025