"Get Low" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Get Low (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" Soundtrack Description

Overview

How do you score a living funeral? Get Low answers with two intertwined threads: a lyrical dramatic score by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek and a roots-heavy song set that sounds like 1930s Tennessee breathing through the reels. The album release on Rounder Records blends new recordings—most notably Alison Krauss and The SteelDrivers—with era-faithful sides by The Ink Spots and Paul Whiteman.

Kaczmarek’s cues carry the quiet burden of Felix Bush’s secret, while dobro master Jerry Douglas (with Stuart Duncan) adds earthy interludes that feel carved out of pine and dust. The result is restrained but resonant: fiddle, dobro, and chamber textures hold the story’s moral weight without sentimentality. Apple Music and Spotify list companion releases for both the song compilation and Kaczmarek’s original score.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the original score?

Jan A. P. Kaczmarek composed the score; Jerry Douglas contributed additional music.

Who supervised the film’s music?

Evyen Klean is credited as Music Supervisor in the Sony Pictures Classics press kit.

What label released the songs soundtrack?

Rounder Records released the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack in July 2010.

Is there a separate score album?

Yes—Varèse Sarabande issued Get Low (Original Motion Picture Score) by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek in 2010.

Which artists headline the needle-drops?

Alison Krauss, The SteelDrivers, The Ink Spots, Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra, plus period cuts by Gene Austin and Bix Beiderbecke.

Do any musicians appear on screen?

The SteelDrivers appear in the film; their bluegrass numbers are performed diegetically.

Notes & Trivia

• The soundtrack includes a new Alison Krauss recording, “Lay My Burden Down,” cut specifically for the film.
• Rounder’s album mixes fresh sessions (Krauss, The SteelDrivers) with vintage masters like The Ink Spots’ 1939 “If I Didn’t Care.”
• Bill Murray reportedly strummed mandolin between takes with the bluegrass players on set, setting the mood for crowd scenes.
• Kaczmarek’s score album runs ~39 minutes and was issued separately from the Rounder songs compilation.

Genres & Themes

Appalachian/bluegrass instrumentation → community, memory, and the feel of hand-worked lives; dobro and fiddle embody Felix’s rural isolation.

Vintage pre-war popular music → social spaces and radios of the era; Ink Spots and Whiteman signal time-stamp and propriety.

Contemporary Americana recordings with period feel → Alison Krauss and The SteelDrivers bridge modern fidelity with 1930s spirit; they play like living tradition rather than museum pieces.

Chamber-inflected dramatic score → Kaczmarek’s light-touch strings and piano trace guilt, penance, and the courage to speak a buried truth.

Tracks & Scenes

“Lay My Burden Down” — Alison Krauss
Where it plays: featured late in the film and over the end section/credits (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: a plainspoken benediction that reframes confession as release; the lyric dovetails with Felix’s final testimony.

“If I Didn’t Care (Single Version)” — The Ink Spots
Where it plays: used as a period needle-drop (radio/ambient); non-diegetic in the cut as placed.
Why it matters: instantly sets late-30s tone—lacquered harmonies against small-town rumor mill.

“Jesus Come for Me” — The SteelDrivers
Where it plays: at the public “living funeral” gathering; performed on screen (diegetic).
Why it matters: bluegrass gospel roots the crowd scene in community ritual, not spectacle.

“Whiskey Before Breakfast” — The SteelDrivers
Where it plays: festival/party atmosphere around the big event (diegetic).
Why it matters: buoyant picking takes the edge off a heavy day—life pushes alongside death.

“East Virginia Fast” — The SteelDrivers
Where it plays: on-stage during the gathering (diegetic).
Why it matters: dance-time propulsion; the camera finds faces rather than plot—music becomes social glue.

“Farewell Blues” — Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra
Where it plays: parlor/venue source music (diegetic as period record).
Why it matters: urbane 1930s swing brushing up against rural lives—subtle class contrast.

“Sitting Mule/Drive to Town” — Jerry Douglas (score feature)
Where it plays: montage of Felix heading to town to commission the funeral (non-diegetic score).
Why it matters: dobro figures move the plot without melodrama; you feel purpose, not hurry.

Trusted references used for song/artist confirmation: Sony Pictures Classics press kit; Rounder Records/industry trade coverage; Apple Music and Spotify album pages; IMDb Soundtracks; Soundtrack.net.

Music–Story Links

Kaczmarek’s quieter cues carry Felix from solitude to confession; they thin out when the town gathers, letting The SteelDrivers’ live, diegetic music take over. That swap signals ownership: the story isn’t just Felix’s secret—it belongs to the community he’s avoided. Krauss’s closing hymn functions as forgiveness without absolution.

How It Was Made

Score & supervision: Jan A. P. Kaczmarek composed; Evyen Klean served as Music Supervisor. The production brought in dobro legend Jerry Douglas (with Stuart Duncan) for additional music, aligning the score’s timbre with the on-screen string band.

Album strategy: Rounder Records issued the song compilation (with new recordings by Alison Krauss and The SteelDrivers), while Varèse Sarabande released the separate score album. Trade notes emphasized Nashville’s role, with sessions and on-set appearances reinforcing authenticity.

Reception & Quotes

Critics praised the film’s restraint and period feel, to which the music contributes in quiet ways.

“A small, beautifully acted film… scored with delicacy rather than push.” Screen Daily

“Rounder’s set smartly mixes new Americana with vintage masters.” MusicRow

Availability: both the Rounder soundtrack and Kaczmarek’s score stream widely (digital storefronts and major platforms).

Additional Info

• Rounder’s soundtrack streeted in late July 2010 to align with the U.S. rollout.
• The score album is ~39 minutes; issued under license to Varèse Sarabande.
• The SteelDrivers’ cameo ties directly to their contributions on the album.
• Ink Spots’ “If I Didn’t Care” is a 1939 hit—perfect for the story’s late-Depression setting.
• Some track titles on the album (“Sitting Mule/Drive to Town,” “No Haircut”) mirror scene beats rather than leitmotifs.

Technical Info

• Title: Get Low (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2010 (film wide U.S. release July/August 2010; album July 2010)
• Type: Songs compilation + separate original score
• Composer (score): Jan A. P. Kaczmarek
• Additional music: Jerry Douglas (with Stuart Duncan)
• Music Supervisor: Evyen Klean
• Labels: Rounder Records (songs); Varèse Sarabande (score)
• Notable placements (selected): Alison Krauss — “Lay My Burden Down”; The Ink Spots — “If I Didn’t Care”; The SteelDrivers — “Jesus Come for Me,” “Whiskey Before Breakfast,” “East Virginia Fast”; Paul Whiteman — “Farewell Blues.”

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Sony Pictures Classics press kit; MusicRow; Apple Music; Spotify; IMDb; Soundtrack.net; Discogs.

November, 09th 2025