"Cherry" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Cherry (An Apple Original Film) — Henry Jackman" Soundtrack Description

Questions & Answers

Is there an official soundtrack album for the 2021 film?

Yes. Lakeshore Records released Cherry (An Apple Original Film)—Henry Jackman’s score—digitally on February 26, 2021.

Who composed the score?

Henry Jackman, collaborating again with directors Anthony & Joe Russo.

Was there a vinyl edition?

Yes—an RSD Black Friday 2021 pressing (2×LP translucent red) limited to 1,000 copies.

Which non-score songs appear in the film?

The movie features licensed cuts including Van Morrison (“Brand New Day”), Radar Bros. (“Rock of the Lake”), Ray Barretto (“El Watusi”), and more.

What song is used in the official trailer?

Apple’s trailer uses YUNGBLUD’s cover of “Time in a Bottle.”

Is the score on streaming?

Yes. It debuted exclusively on Apple Music, then rolled out to other services a few weeks later.

Overview

How do you score a life that keeps changing shape—romance, boot camp, war, withdrawal, heists—without losing the thread? Cherry answers with Henry Jackman’s deliberately experimental palette: ambient drift that turns to buzzing dread, elegiac cello over analog synth haze, and pulses that feel like a clock beating down choices. It’s unified, but never safe.

Jackman’s music does heavy lifting: it binds episodic chapters and humanizes the spiral. Licensed songs—Van Morrison to Ray Barretto—act like flashbulbs in memory: bright, specific, sometimes cruelly cheerful. Trusted sources: Lakeshore Records; Apple TV+; Screen Rant; Native Instruments.

Additional Info

• Digital rollout: The score premiered February 26, 2021 as an Apple Music exclusive, then expanded to other DSPs March 30, 2021.
• Vinyl: Record Store Day Black Friday 2021 “RSD First” — 2×LP translucent red, limited to 1,000.
• Recording: The score was recorded in London at AIR Studios.
• Trailer cue: YUNGBLUD’s “Time in a Bottle” features in the official trailer; it’s not part of the score album.
• Album length: 27 tracks, ~76 minutes.

Notes & Trivia

• Jackman leaned on analog processes (tape wow/flutter, Space Echo) to “rough up” the sheen and match the film’s fractured POV.
• The album track “Your Fate Is Darkly Determined” stretches minimal materials across seven minutes as a slow, grim advance.
• RSD Black Friday copies ship in a gatefold with printed inners; catalog no. LKS 35951.
• Apple’s trailer credit explicitly calls out the YUNGBLUD “Time in a Bottle” cover.
• The score marks another Russo/Jackman team-up following The Winter Soldier and Civil War.

Genres & Themes

Ambient/analogue haze → idealism and memory. Tracks like “When Life Was Beginning, I Saw You” bathe early love in luminous, slightly detuned glow.

Minimalist pulses & drones → anxiety, inevitability. Long suspensions and bell-like patterns pull focus to consequence rather than action.

Source-era pop, Latin soul, and classic rock → irony vs. reality. Cheerful textures (“El Watusi”, “Brand New Day”) collide with grim outcomes.

Tracks & Scenes

“When Life Was Beginning, I Saw You” — Henry Jackman
Where it plays: Establishes the film’s central love theme early; returns as a memory-glow at key pivots (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: The huge, analog-synth halo turns young love into a sacred object the film keeps revisiting.

“El Watusi” — Ray Barretto
Scene: After Cherry’s first bank robbery, he and Emily celebrate; the track spikes the giddy, dangerous high (diegetic/foregrounded).
Why it matters: Joy with a timer—brass and guaguancó percussion underline how short the “win” will last.

“You’re So Good for Me” — Humble Pie
Scene: Around the 82-minute mark, ushers in Part Five: Dope Life during the chapter title transition (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: A too-sunny needle-drop that frames the couple’s descent with bitter irony.

“Brand New Day” — Van Morrison
Where it plays: Early stretch in Cherry’s pre-deployment life—warm, deceptive normalcy (source/narrative bridge).
Why it matters: Sets up the “before” tone the score will keep corrupting later.

“Rock of the Lake” — Radar Bros.
Where it plays: Early party/social scene backdrop during college-era sequences (diegetic/low-mix).
Why it matters: Lo-fi comfort before the film’s palette narrows into withdrawal dread.

“Time in a Bottle” — YUNGBLUD
Where it plays: Official trailer only (not in the score album).
Why it matters: A fragile, modern cover foreshadows the movie’s love-vs-time tragedy in marketing materials.

Music–Story Links

Jackman’s love motif (“When Life Was Beginning, I Saw You”) functions like a talisman—whenever the couple tries to claw back normalcy, the cue returns, a little more eroded. Latin soul and classic-rock cuts (Barretto, Humble Pie) intentionally jar against the images: the music sells celebratory movement while the edit quietly promises consequences. That clash is the point.

How It Was Made

Henry Jackman described the brief from the Russos as “all bets are off—experimental,” building cues with analogue gear, tape abuse, and sparse, hymn-like cello. He recorded at AIR Studios and structured themes to mutate across chapters—romance to dread without swapping musical DNA. Trusted sources: Native Instruments (interview); Lakeshore Records (release notes).

Reception & Quotes

“All bets are off—experimental… variety, weirdness—yet unified.” Henry Jackman (Native Instruments interview)

“The soundtrack is available exclusively on Apple Music… then all DSPs on March 30.” Lakeshore Records

“Every featured song in Cherry… from Van Morrison to Ray Barretto.” Screen Rant

Critics noted the score’s bold textures and the pointed irony of several song placements. The vinyl edition quickly became a collector talking point due to its limited run.

Technical Info

• Title: Cherry (An Apple Original Film) — Original Score
• Year: 2021
• Type: Movie
• Composer: Henry Jackman
• Label: Lakeshore Records (digital; RSD-BF 2021 2×LP)
• Recorded at: AIR Studios, London
• Notable needle-drops: “El Watusi” (Ray Barretto); “Brand New Day” (Van Morrison); “You’re So Good for Me” (Humble Pie); “Rock of the Lake” (Radar Bros.)
• Trailer music: “Time in a Bottle” — YUNGBLUD (trailer only)
• Availability: Streaming (Apple Music & major DSPs); limited red vinyl (RSD Black Friday 2021)

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Lakeshore Records; Apple TV+; Screen Rant; Native Instruments (blog); Film Music Reporter; Discogs; IMDb.

October, 28th 2025