"I Give It A Year" Soundtrack Lyrics

"I Give It a Year (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What happens when a breakup comedy dresses like a wedding romance? The soundtrack splits the difference: sleek, radio-ready catalog cuts for the “honeymoon montage” energy; edgier pop and sly needle-drops for the awkward reality that follows. The compilation leans on familiar names (Paul Weller, Eurythmics, Snow Patrol) while slipping in contemporary voices (Jessie Ware, Maverick Sabre, Lolo) that track a modern London setting.

Composer Ilan Eshkeri’s score supports the comedy’s snap and the characters’ drift, but the album’s center of gravity is songs. According to Apple Music’s listing, the official release is a various-artists set under Universal Island Records, with 15 tracks clocking just under an hour. The curation mirrors Dan Mazer’s tonal needle: sweet on the surface, wry underneath.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score?

Ilan Eshkeri composed the original score for the film.

Is there an official songs album?

Yes. A 2013 various-artists soundtrack was released commercially (digital/CD).

Who handled music supervision?

Nick Angel is credited as music supervisor.

Are all featured songs on the album?

No. A few cues heard in the film (e.g., TEED, Tinie Tempah) are notable even when not always listed on every retail edition.

What styles dominate?

UK pop-soul, adult-contemporary ballads, 80s synth-pop staples, and a handful of indie/alt selections.

Is the trailer music on the album?

Trailers mix multiple cues; the retail album focuses on the film’s primary needle-drops and tone-setting cuts.

Notes & Trivia

• Jessie Ware opens and reprises the finale with “Never Knew Love Like This Before,” bookending the year-long arc.
• Paul Weller’s “You Do Something to Me” underscores the wedding dance—romance with a warning label in the lyric.
• Snow Patrol cover Prefab Sprout’s “When Love Breaks Down,” tilting the heartbreak more atmospheric.
• Two comic diegetic moments: Nat belts bits of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and later “We Built This City.”
• Zero 7 and Corinne Bailey Rae nudge the texture toward mellow, post-party afterglow—right before the cracks show.

Genres & Themes

UK pop-soul & neo-soul → honeymoon gloss: Warm vocals and satin rhythm sections sell the couple’s meet-cute momentum.

80s synth-pop & power-pop → denial as karaoke: Big hooks wallpaper over trouble; when characters sing along, it’s bravado more than bliss.

Indie/electronica → metropolitan spin: TEED, Zero 7, and Maverick Sabre map presentation decks, shared cabs, and polite white lies.

Alternative balladry → “we need to talk” energy: Snow Patrol and Lolo turn the film from banter to consequence.

Tracks & Scenes

“Never Knew Love Like This Before” — Jessie Ware
Where it plays: 0:00 opening montage of Nat and Josh falling fast; reprise around 1:27–1:29 as new pairings lock in (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Bookend device—glossy infatuation framing a year of misalignment; Ware’s modern sheen updates the rom-com grammar.

“You Do Something to Me” — Paul Weller
Where it plays: ~0:06, wedding dance (non-diegetic within the reception).
Why it matters: A classic that whispers doubt; the lyric foreshadows a marriage assembled on momentum, not fit.

“Like a Star” — Corinne Bailey Rae
Where it plays: ~0:15, dinner with friends, background source (diegetic-adjacent ambience).
Why it matters: Soft-focus romance undercuts the barbed table talk—music says “glow,” dialogue says “hmm.”

“Give It Away” — Zero 7
Where it plays: ~0:19, kitchen chat among the women while washing dishes (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Airy electronica for private disclosures; friendships, not vows, carry the scene.

“On and On” — Maverick Sabre
Where it plays: ~0:27, domestic/office cross-cut; Nat misplaces her phone as Guy enters the picture (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Street-level pulse signals outside temptation and the couple’s diverging lanes.

“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” — Eurythmics
Where it plays: ~0:29, Nat and Josh in disguise; Nat sings along in the car (diegetic sing-along).
Why it matters: Comedy via mismatch—iconic synths as brittle armor against embarrassment.

“Sparks” — Kristina Train
Where it plays: ~0:42, Josh receives Chloe’s message and goes to see her (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Torch-tinted cue that reframes “old flame” as present tense.

“Stuck (Jr Blender Remix)” — Lauren Pritchard (LOLO)
Where it plays: ~1:05, billiards double-date with Guy and Chloe (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Flirty syncopation; the remix’s twitch mirrors conversational feints.

“Don’t Dream It’s Over” — LOLO
Where it plays: ~1:13, pact montage as Nat and Josh “try harder” (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: A hopeful cover that can’t hide the lyric’s resignation—truth in plain sight.

“We Built This City” — Starship
Where it plays: ~1:15, kitchen sing-along; Nat hams it up (diegetic).
Why it matters: Big goofy chorus = big avoidance. Laughter defers the talk that matters.

“When Love Breaks Down” — Snow Patrol
Where it plays: ~1:16, cross-cut: Nat alone; Josh sees Chloe and Guy kiss (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: The cover’s gauzy texture makes the betrayal feel oddly gentle—worse, because it’s inevitable.

“Please Forgive Me” — The Pierces
Where it plays: ~1:23 search and realization montage; reprises over end credits (~1:29).
Why it matters: A wry apology that doubles as liberation—no villains, just wrong fit.

Also heard (not always on every retail edition): Tinie Tempah’s “Pass Out,” Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs’ “Your Love,” DJ Shadow’s “This Time (I’m Gonna Try It My Way).”

Music–Story Links

Up-front pop (Ware, Weller) does the rom-com heavy lifting—montages, milestones, the myth of momentum. As cracks widen, covers and mid-tempo ballads take over: LOLO, Snow Patrol, The Pierces. When characters sing along to 80s hits, the movie lets denial speak in choruses; when outside artists narrate, the truth lands between the lines.

How It Was Made

Ilan Eshkeri’s score anchors transition beats and emotional resets; Nick Angel’s supervision secures a mix of UK staples and recognizable 80s catalog that read instantly on-screen. Editorially, the needle-drops often start bright and pull down to stems, letting dialogue take control without losing tone. As per industry listings, the album itself is packaged as a various-artists compilation, with the score represented separately in the film mix.

Reception & Quotes

The film drew mixed notices, but reviewers consistently praised the cast chemistry and the soundtrack’s breezy listenability.

“The jokes are strong… It’s easy to laugh, but hard to care.” Empire

“Funny and plausible, with a fair bit of newly modish bad taste.” The Guardian

“Conspicuous cynicism masquerading as comedy.” The Washington Post

Additional Info

• Opening and closing with the same Jessie Ware song gives the film a circular structure—hope, lesson, reset.
• Two big 80s sing-alongs are played for cringe; they also fingerprint character coping styles.
• Retail metadata varies by territory; some editions list 14 tracks, others 15.
• Working Title and StudioCanal production; London settings justify the UK-leaning artist list.
• Streaming availability is robust on major platforms; track order follows the retail album, not the film sequence.

Technical Info

• Title: I Give It a Year (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2013
• Type: Feature film soundtrack (Various Artists)
• Composer (score): Ilan Eshkeri
• Music Supervision: Nick Angel
• Label: Universal Island Records (compilation)
• Notable placements: “Never Knew Love Like This Before,” “You Do Something to Me,” “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” “When Love Breaks Down,” “Please Forgive Me.”
• Release context: UK theatrical release February 8, 2013; soundtrack issued the same window.
• Availability: Widely streaming (album pages on Apple Music and Spotify); CD editions circulated in 2013.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Apple Music (album page); Spotify (album page); IMDb (full credits & soundtrack); SoundtrackRadar (timestamps & scene notes); Wikipedia (film overview & composer).

November, 11th 2025