"La La Land" Lyrics

"La La Land: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

Can a modern musical trade irony for sincerity and still feel new? La La Land does it with a double engine: Justin Hurwitz’s jazz-inflected score and a set of original songs that push story first. The soundtrack moves from freeway euphoria to a whisper-sung audition, mapping the film’s pivot from possibility to cost.

Released by Interscope in December 2016, the album combines cast performances (“Another Day of Sun,” “Someone in the Crowd,” “City of Stars,” “Audition”) with instrumental leitmotifs (“Mia & Sebastian’s Theme”). Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul sharpen character intent; “Start a Fire,” co-written with John Legend, deliberately clashes glossy R&B-pop against Sebastian’s jazz ideals. According to the film’s album notes and public discographies, Hurwitz produced alongside Marius de Vries and music supervisor Steven Gizicki.

Questions & Answers

When did the soundtrack release, and on which label?

December 9, 2016, on Interscope. A later “Complete Musical Experience” edition expanded the program.

Who created the songs and score?

Music by Justin Hurwitz; lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (except “Start a Fire,” written by John Legend, Hurwitz, and Marius de Vries).

Which songs are diegetic (performed in-world)?

“Start a Fire” (Keith’s concert), the 80s party covers (“Take On Me,” “I Ran,” “Tainted Love”), and much of Sebastian’s jazz playing; others play to the audience as classic musical numbers.

Which numbers anchor the story beats?

“Someone in the Crowd” (opportunity), “A Lovely Night” (chemistry/denial), “City of Stars” (romance & doubt), “Audition” (thesis), and the Epilogue dream-ballet (the path not taken).

Did the score and songs win major awards?

Yes—Best Original Score and Best Original Song (“City of Stars”) at the 2017 Oscars; the film also swept music categories at the Golden Globes.

What distinguishes this soundtrack from past Hollywood musicals?

Live-feel vocals, long unbroken takes, and jazz harmony woven into a classic MGM/Demy structure—nostalgia with present-tense performance.

Notes & Trivia

• The opening number “Another Day of Sun” was staged on a shut-down L.A. freeway ramp; the full take runs ~6 minutes.
• Ryan Gosling learned the piano parts and performs on camera, allowing seamless long takes without hand doubles.
• “City of Stars” appears twice (pier solo; apartment duet), the second time reframing its bittersweet promise.
• “Start a Fire” was built to sound like a radio hit that would plausibly catapult Keith’s band.
• The soundtrack peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 and hit #1 in the UK.

Genres & Themes

Golden-age musical grammar → characters sing when words can’t carry the feeling; long takes sell sincerity. Jazz harmony & motif writing → recurring piano figures (“Mia & Sebastian’s Theme”) tag memory and missed chances. Pop/R&B gloss (diegetic) → “Start a Fire” embodies the commercial compromise that tempts Sebastian. Big-band & orchestral color → dream-ballet sweep for the Epilogue, where orchestration replays the story as an alternate life.

Tracks & Scenes

Time windows are approximate; diegetic status noted. Scene placements draw on documented guides and on-screen context.

“Another Day of Sun” — La La Land Cast
Scene: Cold open on a gridlocked freeway (~0:00–6:00, diegetic within the number). Doors pop, dancers spill across car roofs, and the camera weaves until the cut to silence drops us into the city’s real noise.
Why it matters: States the thesis—optimism vs. reality—in one exuberant breath.

“Someone in the Crowd” — Emma Stone, Callie Hernandez, Sonoya Mizuno, Jessica Rothe
Scene: Apartment-to-party run (~0:10–0:20, transitions from diegetic prep to non-diegetic fantasia). Wardrobe changes hit on musical accents; a pool jump snaps back to realism.
Why it matters: Fame math: the right room, the right glance, the right song.

80s party covers: “Take On Me,” “I Ran,” “Tainted Love” — D.A. (cover band)
Scene: House party (~0:27–0:30, diegetic). Sebastian grinds through keytar duty while Mia needles the set list; the joke lands because the songs are so familiar.
Why it matters: Comic humiliation sets up their hillside walk.

“A Lovely Night” — Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone
Scene: Tap duet on the hill above the city (~0:30–0:36, non-diegetic performance). Sunset turns to blue hour as they neg each other into chemistry; a lamppost becomes a partner.
Why it matters: Screwball courtship in 4/4—charm and denial, impeccably blocked.

“City of Stars” (Pier Solo) — Ryan Gosling
Scene: Pier stroll (~0:45, diegetic performance into non-diegetic reprise). A whistle becomes a tune; Sebastian daydreams the melody into his hands.
Why it matters: The film’s calling card—hope sung softly.

“Mia & Sebastian’s Theme” — Justin Hurwitz
Scene: Recurrent piano motif (various, non-diegetic/score). First brushes of romance, then memory; the theme matures from fragile to fated.
Why it matters: The soundtrack’s emotional spine.

“Start a Fire” — John Legend (as Keith) & band
Scene: Concert sequence (~1:10–1:15, diegetic). LED walls, tight choreography, and a backbeat that leaves jazz purists cold—Mia’s face says it all.
Why it matters: Success with a catch; the song’s sheen tests the couple’s ideals.

“City of Stars (Duet)” — Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone
Scene: Apartment duet (~1:24, diegetic). Domestic intimacy replaces the pier’s solitude; the harmony lands like a promise they may not keep.
Why it matters: The same melody, now shared—until ambition wedges in.

“Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” — Emma Stone
Scene: Casting-room monologue-song (~1:46–1:50, diegetic/live take). One spotlight, one story about an aunt and a river; tempo and phrasing are hers to command.
Why it matters: The film’s thesis stated plain: leap first, count the cost later.

Epilogue — Justin Hurwitz (suite)
Scene: Dream-ballet alternate life (~1:55–2:04, non-diegetic). Orchestral reprises sweep through a might-have-been montage; color and choreography rewrite history for a few minutes.
Why it matters: The “what if” that lets the real ending land without cruelty.

Music–Story Links

Opportunity sings in major keys: “Someone in the Crowd” chases the rush of being seen, while “A Lovely Night” keeps feelings at arm’s length until rhythm says otherwise. “City of Stars” starts as a private wish and becomes a shared vow, only to be undercut by “Start a Fire,” which literalizes the commercial detour. Finally, “Audition” reframes success as the courage to imagine, and the Epilogue pays that courage a bittersweet respect.

How It Was Made

The freeway opener closed a ramp and ran a complex, multi-day choreography plan with live vocals and hidden cuts; A Lovely Night was designed as a long-take tap with sunset racing the schedule. Emma Stone’s “Audition” was captured live to camera with flexible tempo so performance could lead the music. According to interviews and production features, Gosling trained months at the piano so the camera could stay wide without doubling.

Reception & Quotes

“Hurwitz’s melodies make the city glow; the songs carry consequence as much as charm.” Film-music commentary

“The opening number is a dare: if you’re not smiling by the crane pullback, check your pulse.” Review snippet

“‘Audition’ lands like a confession in a crowded room.” Song analysis

Additional Info

• Oscars 2017: Best Original Score (Justin Hurwitz) and Best Original Song (“City of Stars”).
• Golden Globes 2017: wins include Score and Song; the film set a Globes record for total wins that year.
• Two principal editions: standard OST (15 tracks) and expanded “Complete Musical Experience.”
• Party-source cues feature 80s staples by a diegetic cover band; they’re absent from the standard OST but logged in scene guides.
• “Start a Fire” exists within the story world to contrast with jazz ideals—by design, it sounds like a contemporary radio single.

Technical Info

• Title: La La Land: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Year: 2016 (film & album)
• Type: Feature film soundtrack (songs + score selections)
• Composers / Lyricists: Justin Hurwitz; lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (“Start a Fire” with John Legend & Marius de Vries)
• Producers: Justin Hurwitz, Marius de Vries, Steven Gizicki
• Label: Interscope Records
• Selected notable placements: “Another Day of Sun” (opening), “Someone in the Crowd” (party montage), “A Lovely Night” (hilltop tap), “City of Stars” (pier & duet), “Start a Fire” (concert), “Audition” (casting-room solo), Epilogue (dream-ballet)
• Availability: Digital/physical; expanded edition adds cues and alternates

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: soundtrack album and chart records; awards announcements; production features; scene-by-scene song guides.

According to ScreenRant’s soundtrack guide, the film’s songs appear in the order and contexts summarized above. According to Time’s production feature, the freeway opener involved closing a ramp and staging the number over multiple days. According to Pitchfork’s awards reports, the film won Best Original Score and Best Original Song at the 2017 Oscars. According to the album’s public discography, Interscope issued the OST in December 2016, later followed by an expanded edition.

November, 12th 2025