"I Love You Man" Soundtrack Lyrics

"I Love You, Beth Cooper (Music From the Motion Picture)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What does first love sound like when the night keeps derailing? This soundtrack splits the difference between classic radio sing-alongs and mid-2000s alt-pop, then lets Christophe Beck’s score patch the scrapes. It’s a true “songs + score” package: needle-drops drive the comedy beats, score cues reset the heart rate.

ABKCO’s commercial release collects marquee placements (Kiss, Foreigner, The Hives, OK Go, Gym Class Heroes) plus select Beck cues (“Last Kiss,” “Beth Cooper Suite”). The film itself uses even more source music than the album can hold; scene-by-scene logs document about twenty cues with time stamps, from graduation to daybreak. According to the film’s credits, Christophe Beck composed the score and Patrick Houlihan handled music supervision.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score?

Christophe Beck composed the original score for the feature.

Which label released the soundtrack album?

ABKCO issued the various-artists album (June 23, 2009) with two Beck score cues included.

Is every song from the movie on the retail album?

No. The film uses ~20 commercial songs; the album trims to a tighter set but hits the big moments.

What kicks off the movie musically?

“Forget Me” (Violet Columbus) opens at graduation as an in-story performance; it later returns over the credits (a different version).

Does the movie feature diegetic sing-alongs?

Yes—“School’s Out” becomes a car sing-along, and “Beth” (Kiss) plays on Denis’s iPod while the characters react in-scene.

Any classical or left-field cues?

Yes—Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” blares from Kevin’s truck; it’s used for a gag rather than gravitas.

Notes & Trivia

• Album highlights include two Beck cues amid songs—uncommon for teen comedies of the era.
• “Beth” (Kiss) is both plot-relevant and on the retail album; the title’s a built-in soundtrack joke.
• Three versions of “Forget Me” surface across the film/album (opening performance; party reprise; end-credits by Eleni Mandell).
• Patrick Houlihan is credited as music supervisor; ABKCO handled the commercial soundtrack release.
• Some international album variants add tracks; streaming editions often show 15 cuts.

Genres & Themes

Classic rock & radio gold → memory theatre: Foreigner, Kiss, Alice Cooper—songs characters already “know”—sell bravado and shared nostalgia.

Mid-2000s alt/indie → present-tense chaos: The Hives, OK Go, The Kooks provide sprinting guitars for bad decisions and quick pivots.

Hip-hop/pop crossover → party oxygen: Gym Class Heroes and Kevin Rudolf mark crush-drunk crowd energy and status games.

Score mini-suites → moral hangtime: Beck’s cues slow time after impacts—apology space, not punchlines.

Tracks & Scenes

“Forget Me” — Violet Columbus
Where it plays: 0:00, on-stage at graduation; in-story performance (diegetic).
Why it matters: Sets the earnest-awkward tone; a school-auditorium guitar ballad before the chaos.

“Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast” — Airbourne
Where it plays: 0:19 / 0:22, the Trinity arrive; later as Beth’s ringtone (diegetic / then diegetic-adjacent).
Why it matters: Hard-charging riff cues Beth’s swagger and the film’s speed.

“Ride of the Valkyries” — Richard Wagner
Where it plays: 0:26, blasting from Kevin’s truck (diegetic, source in vehicle).
Why it matters: Iconic cue as punchline; weaponizes entrance music.

“New Wave” — Against Me!
Where it plays: 0:33, post-escape drive; the five barrel through town (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Motorik drive for a friendship-under-pressure beat.

“Feels Like the First Time” — Foreigner
Where it plays: 0:35, parents in the car while Denis calls (non-diegetic/background).
Why it matters: Irony: adult soft-rock scoring teenage fallout.

“School’s Out” — Alice Cooper
Where it plays: 0:37, full car sing-along (diegetic).
Why it matters: The night crowns youth… right before it humbles them.

“Sway” — The Kooks
Where it plays: 0:42, in the woods; Beth and Denis talk, Rich’s Nicholson bit bombs (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Indie melancholy cools the adrenaline for a truth-tinted moment.

“Beth” — Kiss
Where it plays: 0:44, on Denis’s iPod in the car; everyone reacts (diegetic).
Why it matters: Title as needle-drop thesis; vulnerability via a classic power-ballad.

“Try It Again” — The Hives
Where it plays: 0:50, night driving; Beth kills the headlights (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Snappy garage rock under a reckless stunt—thrill vs. sense.

“Catch Me If You Can” — Gym Class Heroes
Where it plays: 0:52, graduation party arrival; balcony stalking (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Pop-rap sheen = social-ladder music.

“Forget Me” — Violet Columbus (party reprise)
Where it plays: 0:56, a kid sob-sings it at Denis (diegetic, live).
Why it matters: The opener returns as a joke that deepens the theme: seeing vs. idealizing.

“Shut Up and Let Me Go” — The Ting Tings
Where it plays: 0:56, second party cut (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Snarky hook mirrors Beth’s push-pull with Denis.

“Let It Rock” — Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne
Where it plays: 0:58, party energy spikes; Denis and Rich try to exit (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Big-room chorus for a social face-plant.

“A Good Idea at the Time” — OK Go
Where it plays: 1:03, post-rescue drive in Kevin’s truck (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Title’s the gag; consequences incoming.

“Come Out of the Shade” — The Perishers
Where it plays: 1:14, car apology and quiet reset (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Breathes; lets Beth and Denis be people, not types.

“Let It Be Me” — Ray LaMontagne
Where it plays: 1:21, odd-glass vodka in the cabin; Beth and Denis slip out to the sunrise (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Folk warmth that finally matches the movie’s soft heart.

“Cruisin’” — Smokey Robinson
Where it plays: 1:25, Cammy/Treece flirt with Rich (source/ambient).
Why it matters: Slow-jam charm for a comic triangle.

“Forget Me” — Eleni Mandell
Where it plays: 1:35, end credits (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: A grown-up echo of the opener; perspective arrives after the night is over.

Score note: Album-included cues “Last Kiss” and “Beth Cooper Suite” bracket the movie’s gentler beats (non-diegetic). Scene-by-scene time marks per a curated listings log.

Music–Story Links

Diegetic bangers (“School’s Out,” Wagner from the truck) let characters perform confidence. When the masks slip, the palette turns to indie/folk (“Sway,” “Let It Be Me”) and Beck’s cues. The same song recurring (“Forget Me”) works as mirror: first naive, then needy, finally reflective.

How It Was Made

Score by Christophe Beck; music supervision by Patrick Houlihan. ABKCO produced the commercial soundtrack curated from studio-cleared placements plus two score cues. The music brief favors songs that read instantly in short beats (party, road, prank) and a light score to land the emotional turns.

Reception & Quotes

Reviews were mixed-negative on the film, but several noted the easy-listening pull of the familiar needle-drops and Beck’s gentle bookends.

“Rock staples shoulder most of the mood.” Variety

“Beck’s cues stitch together what the jokes can’t.” Review summaries

“When pop steps back and score breathes, scenes actually land.” Album coverage

Additional Info

• Retail album streeted June 23, 2009; film opened July 10, 2009.
• Streaming editions commonly tag: “This Compilation ℗ 2009 ABKCO Music & Records.”
• Company credits list ABKCO among music companies alongside the studio.
• Film’s soundtrack section confirms 15-track commercial lineup; movie uses ~20 cues in total.
• Trailer cuts emphasize the party-rock side (“Let It Rock”-style energy), while the film closes on folk/score calm.

Technical Info

• Title: I Love You, Beth Cooper (Music From the Motion Picture)
• Year: 2009
• Type: Feature film soundtrack (Various Artists) + original score (select cues)
• Composer: Christophe Beck
• Music Supervision: Patrick Houlihan
• Label: ABKCO Music & Records
• Selected notable placements: “School’s Out,” “Beth,” “Try It Again,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Let It Rock,” “Let It Be Me.”
• Release context: Album — June 23, 2009; U.S. theatrical — July 10, 2009.
• Availability: Streaming (international edition ~15 tracks) and CD; album art varies by territory.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: ABKCO album page; Spotify album listing; Discogs release page; Wikipedia (film + soundtrack section); SoundtrackRadar (scene timestamps); IMDb/Music Dept. credits; Variety review.

November, 11th 2025