"It's Complicated" Soundtrack Lyrics

"It's Complicated (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

Can a divorce comedy move like a great party playlist? It’s Complicated answers with a tasteful stack of soul, pop, and lounge, then stitches it with a brief, breezy score by Hans Zimmer and Heitor Pereira. The result: needle-drops carry mood and humor; the score handles entrances, transitions, and light romantic lift.

The official release is a six-track EP—It’s Complicated (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)—issued December 22, 2009 by Back Lot Music (≈16 minutes). It’s a sampler of Zimmer/Pereira cues (“It’s Complicated,” “The Original Five,” “iSight Surprise,” “Interrupted Kiss,” “How Much I Like You,” “No Regrets”). Most recognizable songs remain film-only licenses (period standards, 60s–80s radio staples, a French pop cut, and a dash of modern R&B/funk).

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score?

Hans Zimmer and Heitor Pereira co-compose the original cues; the EP collects six tracks.

Is there a full “songs” album?

No. Only the score EP is commercial. The film licenses a larger set of songs for specific scenes.

What label released the EP—and when?

Back Lot Music, December 22, 2009 (digital).

Which big songs viewers remember from the party scene?

Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets,” David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel,” Leo Sayer’s “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” Fine Young Cannibals’ “Good Thing,” The Specials’ “Monkey Man,” and The Beach Boys’ “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.”

Any notable deep cuts?

Yes: Benjamin Biolay’s “L’Ombre et la Lumière,” Sanseverino’s “Mal ô Mains,” Basement Jaxx’s “Do Your Thing,” Oscar Peterson takes on Cole Porter, and Dave Grusin’s “Singleman Party Foxtrot.”

Does the movie use the graduation march?

Yes—“Pomp and Circumstance” appears at Luke’s ceremony.

Notes & Trivia

• The EP is short (≈16 minutes) by design; the film’s identity leans on sourced songs.
• One bar sequence runs four cuts in a row—John Legend → Raphael Saadiq → Joss Stone → Tom Petty—so the scene literally dances forward.
• “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” turns a late-party dance into a thesis about nostalgia vs. grown-up choice.
• Dave Grusin’s Graduate cue (“Singleman Party Foxtrot”) winks at cinematic history during a sly visual homage.

Genres & Themes

Sunlit soul & 70s/80s pop → optimism, flirt energy, and comic buoyancy (Orbison-to-Bowie palette).

Continental lounge & French pop → culinary spaces, travel, and a touch of adult romance (Biolay, Sanseverino).

Light, tuneful score → scene glue and emotional punctuation (Zimmer/Pereira cuelets between songs).

Tracks & Scenes

“Save Room” — John Legend
Where it plays: Hotel bar reunion; first round lands and old rhythms return (diegetic/over speakers).
Why it matters: Sets the “grown-and-flirty” meter; smooth R&B as social lubricant.

“Love That Girl” — Raphael Saadiq
Where it plays: More drinks, easier laughter (diegetic).
Why it matters: Retro-soul warmth that flatters nostalgia without freezing in it.

“Girl They Won’t Believe It” — Joss Stone
Where it plays: The bar talk loosens into private jokes (diegetic).
Why it matters: Flirts with the idea of secret adventure—then the film takes the dare.

“Don’t Do Me Like That” — Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Where it plays: The tipping point on the bar dance floor (diegetic).
Why it matters: Playful purr with a warning label—perfectly on-brand for this couple.

“Bennie and the Jets” — Elton John
Where it plays: Getting ready / date arrival; Steve Martin’s entry catches a glam-piano groove (source).
Why it matters: Announces an entirely different, gentler suitor with a big, familiar chord hit.

“Rebel Rebel” — David Bowie
Where it plays: Party sequence when inhibitions drop (source).
Why it matters: Anthemic mischief; the riff cues rule-breaking.

“You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” — Leo Sayer
Where it plays: Party continues into kitchen/house flow (source).
Why it matters: Effervescent movement; bodies say yes before brains do.

“Good Thing” — Fine Young Cannibals
Where it plays: Mid-party conversation cut-ins (source).
Why it matters: A hook that smiles and moves the camera between pockets of talk.

“Monkey Man” — The Specials
Where it plays: Bathroom hijinks (source).
Why it matters: Ska as slapstick metronome.

“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” — The Beach Boys
Where it plays: Late-party dance with layered subtext (source).
Why it matters: Pure California yearning; the lyric’s “someday” collides with grown-up complications.

“L’Ombre et la Lumière” — Benjamin Biolay
Where it plays: Early restaurant meet with Adam (source).
Why it matters: Continental polish maps to Jane’s culinary world.

“Mal ô Mains” — Sanseverino
Where it plays: Chocolate-croissant sequence (source).
Why it matters: Gypsy-swing sparkle for a signature kitchen flourish.

“Do Your Thing” — Basement Jaxx (feat. Richard Mitchell)
Where it plays: Jake pulls up, radiating confidence (source).
Why it matters: Brash, catchy swagger—his theme, basically.

“Since I Fell for You” — Gladys Knight
Where it plays: Hotel scare—Jake staggers from the bathroom (source, low-mix).
Why it matters: The cruelest kind of romantic classic: tender while chaos erupts.

“Pomp and Circumstance” — The Band of the Grenadier Guards
Where it plays: Graduation ceremony (diegetic).
Why it matters: A formal frame before the movie gleefully un-formals everything.

Score highlights — Hans Zimmer & Heitor Pereira
Where they play: Opening sun-on-tile montage; flirt walk-and-talks; final grace notes (non-diegetic).
Why they matter: Light, melodic punctuation between big, beloved songs.

Trailer note: Marketing leans into the Meyers vibe—bright kitchens and bouncy cuts—without relying on a single “signature” trailer song.

Music–Story Links

Bar songs function as consent to mischief; party songs test whether nostalgia equals happiness. French-leaning cues belong to Jane’s craft world—precision and pleasure. When the score slips in, it’s there to guide a choice or soften a landing; it never fights the records for the spotlight.

How It Was Made

Zimmer and Pereira reprise a collaboration mode familiar from other Meyers projects: compact, tuneful cues recorded and mixed for warmth. The broader songbook—curated from 50s–00s pop, R&B, and lounge—was cleared to let scenes pivot through recognizable hooks (as detailed in song-by-scene guides and credits).

Reception & Quotes

Coverage of the film often mentions how the “Meyers mix” (sunny classics + modern soul) buoys tone while the story goes thornier in the middle.

“A party playlist masquerading as character psychology.” Soundtrack coverage

“Zimmer/Pereira keep it light, letting the songs do the winking.” Album/film notes

Additional Info

• Score EP: 6 tracks; digital on Back Lot Music.
• No commercial “songs album”; placements are film-only.
• Key party run: Elton John → Bowie → Leo Sayer → Fine Young Cannibals → The Specials → Beach Boys.
• French cuts frame culinary beats (Biolay, Sanseverino).
• Dave Grusin’s The Graduate cue appears in a brief homage moment.

Technical Info

• Title: It’s Complicated (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) — EP
• Year: 2009
• Type: Film score EP + licensed songs in film
• Composers: Hans Zimmer; Heitor Pereira
• Label: Back Lot Music (EP)
• Release: December 22, 2009 (digital)
• Selected notable placements: “Save Room,” “Love That Girl,” “Don’t Do Me Like That,” “Bennie and the Jets,” “Rebel Rebel,” “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” “Good Thing,” “Monkey Man,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “L’Ombre et la Lumière,” “Mal ô Mains,” “Do Your Thing”

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Apple Music album page (label/date/runtime); Wikipedia (film credits; composers); curated song-by-scene guide; Beach Boys usage note (cultural/film appearances list); trailer (YouTube).

November, 11th 2025