"Faster" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Faster (Music from the Motion Picture)" Soundtrack Description

Overview

A revenge thriller that keeps names generic—Driver, Cop, Killer—leans on a soundtrack that’s anything but. The album folds cult cuts (“Just Dropped In,” “Short Change Hero”) into Clint Mansell’s brooding score cues. It feels lean: needle-drops sketch attitude; the score carries consequence. Apple Music and AllMusic list the release on Lakeshore Records in late November 2010.

Two threads run in parallel. Songs provide grit, irony, and a throwback twang; Mansell’s cues impose pulse and weight over the hunt, the hits, and the final moral turn in a church. The result is a mood that’s harder than glossy—more dust, less chrome. Trusted sources: Apple Music, AllMusic, Wikipedia.

Questions & Answers

Is there an official soundtrack album?

Yes. Faster (Music from the Motion Picture), released November 2010 on Lakeshore Records; it mixes songs and Mansell’s score cues (Apple Music).

Who composed the score?

Clint Mansell. The score album release aligns with the film’s November 2010 bow; AllMusic lists Air Studios, London, among recording locations.

What song plays over the final drive/closing stretch?

“Short Change Hero” — The Heavy. It’s featured in the film and widely associated with the ending; some edits surface the track earlier as well (Wikipedia + community logs).

Where does “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” appear?

Around the 25-minute mark, as a stylized non-diegetic needle-drop (Soundtrakd timestamp).

Is this a 2010 or 2011 release?

Film: U.S. theatrical November 24, 2010; several territories (e.g., Germany) in 2011. Home video: March 1, 2011 (Wikipedia).

Is there a post-credits scene?

No. MediaStinger notes no mid- or post-credit extras for Faster.

Notes & Trivia

• The album credits Lakeshore Records (2010) and includes both songs and select Mansell cues.
• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (the Evangelist) performs a brief, diegetic “John the Revelator.”
• Vintage Italian track “Goodbye My Friend” (Guido & Maurizio De Angelis) contrasts sharply with the film’s modern brutality.
• “Short Change Hero” gained broader fame later via Strike Back and Borderlands 2; Faster was an early film placement.
• Regional releases differ slightly in dating and some marketing materials; the music set remains consistent across platforms.

Genres & Themes

Blues/indie rock swagger: The Heavy’s “Short Change Hero” frames the film’s fatalism—cool on the surface, morally scorched underneath.

Psychedelic & punk heritage: Kenny Rogers & The First Edition’s “Just Dropped In” and Iggy Pop’s “I Wanna Be Your Dog” inject oppositional energy—irony, menace, and era echo.

Spiritual & traditional colors: “John the Revelator” and Baptist hymns mark repentance and judgment—the church scenes demand it.

Hybrid score textures: Mansell leans on low guitars, dark pads, and insistent ostinatos—momentum without melodrama.

Tracks & Scenes

“Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” — Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
Where it plays: ~25:00 (non-diegetic). A stylized bridge sequence tilts the mood from procedural to mythic (Soundtrakd).
Why it matters: Pop-psychedelia undercuts the violence with black irony—distance without detachment.

“Short Change Hero” — The Heavy
Where it plays: ~45:00 (per Soundtrakd) and widely tied to the closing drive/credits in many edits (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: The franchise-adjacent “anti-hero” refrain fits Driver’s code: not a savior, just finishing a ledger.

“Goodbye My Friend” — Guido & Maurizio De Angelis
Where it plays: Early/mid-film needle-drop (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: 1970s melancholy as commentary—vengeance is a cold inheritance.

“I Wanna Be Your Dog” — Iggy Pop
Where it plays: Mid-film montage/transition (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Raw abrasion for a story that keeps scraping moral bone.

“John the Revelator” — Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Where it plays: Church setting with the Evangelist (diegetic; ~1 minute).
Why it matters: Plain-spoken gospel sharpens the film’s repentance axis before a choice is made.

“I Am a Poor Pilgrim of Sorrow” — Old Regular Baptists
Where it plays: Brief sacred texture around the film’s spiritual beats (diegetic/ambient).
Why it matters: Sober, unadorned voices as moral counterweight.

“Grifos Muertos” — Jeffrey Luck Lucas
Where it plays: Bar/road-house color (source-adjacent).
Why it matters: Dusty Americana that smells like oil and bad decisions.

“En Mi Viejo San Juan” — Javier Solís
Where it plays: Background source music (brief).
Why it matters: A softer, old-world memory slipping into a hard-edged present.

“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Theme)” — (cover)
Where it plays: Short, stylized wink; used as source/motif in-film.
Why it matters: Western grammar—duels, debts, and dry humor—transplanted to muscle-car noir.

Music–Story Links

Irony as armor: “Just Dropped In” reframes brutality as fable; Driver isn’t redeemed—he’s mythologized, which is colder.

Fate over heroism: “Short Change Hero” denies the savior narrative. The music suggests a man finishing what the world started.

Grace notes: Hymnal and gospel fragments don’t absolve; they force a reckoning in the church scene before the gun smokes.

How It Was Made

Composer & recording: Clint Mansell’s score release lists a late-November 2010 date; AllMusic notes Air Studios (London) sessions. The album combines his cues with licensed songs (Apple Music/AllMusic).

Editorial stance: The team favors needle-drops as tonal pivots—ironic pop and classic punk—while keeping the score functional: propulsion, not themes.

Reception & Quotes

“The clumsy soundtrack… attempts a Tarantinoesque use of Kenny Rogers and The Stooges.” Den of Geek, 2011

“A logical choice to score Faster… [Mansell] had created something of a cult name.” Filmtracks review

Availability is stable across major platforms; Apple Music and Spotify host the assembled album. Fans routinely call out The Heavy’s placement as the film’s signature cue.

Additional Info

• Album credit: Lakeshore Records, November 2010 (Apple Music).
• Notable placements beyond this film: “Short Change Hero” later anchored TV/video-game uses (Wikipedia).
• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s vocal (“John the Revelator”) is brief but central to the church arc.
• Home release: March 1, 2011; some territories got theatrical in 2011 (Wikipedia).
• No post-credits sting; credits roll clean (MediaStinger).
• Ringostrack and Soundtrakd catalog additional cues (“Pobre Palomito,” “Lean’n,” etc.).

Technical Info

• Title: Faster (Music from the Motion Picture)
• Year: 2010 (album); film U.S. release November 24, 2010; select markets 2011
• Type: Songs + score compilation
• Composer: Clint Mansell
• Label: Lakeshore Records
• Key songs cited: “Short Change Hero” (The Heavy); “Just Dropped In” (Kenny Rogers & The First Edition); “Goodbye My Friend” (Guido & Maurizio De Angelis); “I Wanna Be Your Dog” (Iggy Pop); “John the Revelator” (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje)
• Availability: Apple Music, Spotify; digital worldwide

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Apple Music; AllMusic; Wikipedia; Discogs; Ringostrack; Soundtrakd; MediaStinger; Filmtracks; Den of Geek.

November, 09th 2025