"Little Miss Sunshine" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Little Miss Sunshine (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

How do you score a comedy about failure so it feels like grace? Little Miss Sunshine answers with an indie-folk palette that treats every setback like a waltz. DeVotchKa’s tuba, violin, and squeezebox wrap the Hoover family in a bittersweet hug, while Mychael Danna shapes those colors into motifs that keep the road movie breathing.

The album, released by Lakeshore Records in July 2006, folds score cues (“The Winner Is,” “First Push,” “No One Gets Left Behind”) alongside key needle-drops: Sufjan Stevens’ “Chicago” and “No Man’s Land,” Rick James’ “Superfreak” (Rocasound Revamp) for the climactic dance, and Tony Tisdale’s “Catwalkin’.” The result is unusually unified for a compilation; most tracks orbit DeVotchKa’s source material reworked for the film.

Questions & Answers

Who created the score?

DeVotchKa and Mychael Danna collaborated; DeVotchKa performed, and Danna helped arrange and compose new material.

Which label released the soundtrack?

Lakeshore Records released the original album in July 2006.

What are the big non-score songs?

Sufjan Stevens’ “Chicago” and “No Man’s Land”; Rick James’ “Superfreak” (Rocasound Revamp) drives the pageant finale.

Why does the score feel so cohesive with DeVotchKa’s songs?

Much of it adapts pre-existing DeVotchKa music; themes like “How It Ends” underpin score cues such as “The Winner Is.”

Was the score eligible for the Oscars?

No. Because a large portion derives from earlier DeVotchKa compositions, it didn’t meet Academy eligibility criteria.

Who supervised the music?

Susan Jacobs served as music supervisor.

What songs were used in trailers?

Promos featured The 88’s “Coming Home” (TV) and The Flaming Lips’ “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)” (internet).

Notes & Trivia

• The album hit U.S. Top Soundtracks (#24) and Top Independent Albums (#42) in 2006.
• DeVotchKa and Danna earned 2007 Grammy nominations for the soundtrack.
• “Til(l) the End of Time” by DeVotchKa scored a Satellite Award nomination for Best Original Song.
• “Superfreak” was a post-production swap; the script originally referenced Prince’s “Peach,” and ZZ Top temp was used during filming.
• Internet and TV trailers used different tracks (Flaming Lips online; The 88 on TV).

Genres & Themes

Indie folk–chamber waltz (strings, tuba, accordion) turns family dysfunction into gentle propulsion—music that forgives. Mid-2000s indie pop (Sufjan Stevens) scores possibility and open road, giving the van its lift. Funk/disco (“Superfreak”) detonates the finale with anarchy that doubles as radical acceptance.

Tracks & Scenes

According to credited listings and reliable soundtrack logs; timestamps are approximate for orientation.

"Chicago" — Sufjan Stevens
Scene: Early road-trip montage as the Hoovers set off in the yellow VW (~00:18). Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Maps hope onto highway—expansive strings and snare taps make the van feel bigger than its problems.

"First Push" — Mychael Danna & DeVotchKa (score)
Scene: The family learns to push-start the broken-clutch bus, sprinting then hopping in (~00:28). Non-diegetic cue built on a lilted ostinato.
Why it matters: A mission statement in miniature: move together or don’t move at all.

"No Man’s Land" — Sufjan Stevens
Scene: Quiet in-van passages as tempers cool after setbacks (~mid-film). Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Airy textures grant the characters room to breathe and reset.

"No One Gets Left Behind" — Mychael Danna & DeVotchKa (score)
Scene: A roadside regroup when someone falters; the bus rolls, the family refuses to abandon (~00:44). Non-diegetic, motif-driven.
Why it matters: The cue names the creed the movie earns by action, not speeches.

"Catwalkin’" — Tony Tisdale
Scene: Pageant pre-show bustle in the hotel hallways and backstage (~01:18). Source music.
Why it matters: Plasticky confidence tracks the pageant’s surface-first values the Hoovers will upend.

"Superfreak (Rocasound Revamp)" — Rick James
Scene: Olive’s infamous routine at the Little Miss Sunshine pageant (~01:33). Source music (onstage).
Why it matters: The cue flips scandal into solidarity as the family joins her; funk becomes a shield against shame.

"The Winner Is" — Mychael Danna & DeVotchKa (score)
Scene: Aftermath and epilogue beats; the theme returns as a tender exhale (~end). Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Title as joke, melody as truth—winning is staying together.

"Till the End of Time" — DeVotchKa
Scene: Early credits play-out. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A soft curtain call that keeps the van rolling in your head after the screen cuts to black.

Trailer songs not on the main album sequence: The 88 — “Coming Home” (TV spots); The Flaming Lips — “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)” (internet trailer).

Music–Story Links

Each cue reframes failure. “First Push” teaches cooperation; later repeats make the gag into ritual. Sufjan’s “Chicago” is optimism on credit—strings and choirs lend the family a dignity they haven’t yet earned. By the time “Superfreak” hits, funk isn’t mockery; it’s armor. The audience may jeer, but the Hoovers finally move in time.

DeVotchKa/Danna’s waltz figure—recast as “The Winner Is”—threads scenes as a promise that tenderness can survive embarrassment. The reprise at the end doesn’t crown Olive; it crowns the family’s decision to be ridiculous together.

How It Was Made

The directors discovered DeVotchKa via KCRW; they shared the band’s albums with cast and brought in Mychael Danna to arrange and co-compose. Much of the score adapts prior DeVotchKa material (notably “How It Ends”), which is why the otherwise acclaimed score was Oscar-ineligible. Music supervisor Susan Jacobs steered pivotal choices, including the post-production switch to “Superfreak” for Olive’s routine.

Reception & Quotes

“An intriguing experiment in smaller folk sounds with a slight Eastern European twist.” Soundtrack.net capsule

“The CD has a uniform tone—and it’s a lovely one.” Amazon editorial review

“Two great songs from Sufjan Stevens anchor an already cohesive set.” Public radio feature

Additional Info

• Album release: July 11, 2006 (Lakeshore Records).
• Chart peaks: U.S. Top Soundtracks #24; Top Independent Albums #42.
• Grammy nominations: DeVotchKa & Mychael Danna (2007).
• Pageant source songs also include Gordon Pogoda’s “Let It Go” and “You’ve Got Me Dancing.”
• Several later pressings/reissues exist on Lakeshore and partner imprints; streaming editions are widely available.

Technical Info

• Title: Little Miss Sunshine — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Year: 2006
• Type: Various Artists + Original Score
• Composers/Performers (score): DeVotchKa & Mychael Danna
• Music Supervisor: Susan Jacobs
• Label: Lakeshore Records
• Selected notable placements: “Chicago,” “Superfreak (Rocasound Revamp),” “The Winner Is,” “First Push,” “No Man’s Land.”
• Trailer cuts: The 88 — “Coming Home” (TV); The Flaming Lips — “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song.”
• Availability: Streaming (Spotify/Apple Music), CD/vinyl reissues.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Wikipedia soundtrack & film entries; IMDb Soundtracks & credits; Lakeshore/Apple Music/Spotify listings; Discogs master; SoundtrackINFO Q&A; public-radio featurettes.

November, 13th 2025