"Little White Lies" Soundtrack Lyrics

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

Overview

Can a vacation mixtape hold a fractured friend group together? Guillaume Canet’s Little White Lies wagers on familiar English-language classics—Jet, The Band, David Bowie, CCR, Nina Simone—threaded with intimate performances by Maxim Nucci (Yodelice). The soundtrack works like memory: buoyant needle-drops for the beach house rituals, then stark, soulful cues when truth finally arrives.

There are two widely seen configurations: the French 2010 compilation (Les Petits Mouchoirs — Bande originale du film) and an internationally marketed digital set branded Little White Lies (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) around the 2012 English-language rollout. Core songs overlap (Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” The Isley Brothers’ “This Old Heart of Mine,” The Band’s “The Weight,” Damien Rice’s “Cold Water,” Rodriguez’s “Crucify Your Mind,” Nina Simone’s “My Way”), with live/film takes from Maxim Nucci included on French editions.

Questions & Answers

Who chose a mostly English-language song palette for a French film?

Canet anchors the film with American/English-language recordings; the official music list reflects that emphasis.

Is there an official track list?

Yes—platform listings (2010 FR; 2012 INTL) and credits logs show the principal songs; not every piece used on screen appears on every album configuration.

Which songs bookend the film?

“Amen Omen” (Ben Harper) is tied to the funeral sequence; Nina Simone’s “My Way” closes the film over the final coda.

What role does Maxim Nucci (Yodelice) play?

He appears in-film and contributes songs (“Talk to Me,” “To Be True”); the soundtrack credits reflect his dual presence as performer and featured artist.

Was “Crucify Your Mind” by Rodriguez really in the film?

Yes; it’s listed in the film’s music credits and included on the principal soundtrack set.

Why is the year sometimes shown as 2012?

The film opened in France in 2010; the English-language marketing and some platform albums surfaced with a 2012 date tied to later releases in the UK/US.

Notes & Trivia

• The curated needle-drops sparked comparisons to The Big Chill; the final goodbye set to Nina Simone’s “My Way” was singled out by several English-language reviews.
• Platform editions show label credits to Les Productions du Trésor/EuropaCorp partners, with regional metadata variance (2010 vs. 2012 dates).
• Discographic entries document Maxim Nucci’s contributions and Guillaume Canet’s involvement on the studio cue “To Be True.”
• The sequel, Nous finirons ensemble (Little White Lies 2, 2019), continued the “canon of recognizable classics” approach with new selections.

Genres & Themes

Roots rock & heartland (The Band, CCR) = ritual, friendship, the summer-house groove. Glam/classic rock (Bowie) = nostalgia hits that mask denial. 60s/70s soul (Isley Brothers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Nina Simone) = intimacy and reckoning. Contemporary folk (Damien Rice) and indie-Americana threads = the aftertaste of choices. Nucci’s live-leaning performances add an in-scene, confessional texture that keeps the set from feeling like a pure jukebox.

Tracks & Scenes

Placements synthesized from official credits and platform listings; key scene anchors are included when reliably documented (funeral, end-credits, coda). Approximate timing refers to the theatrical cut; diegetic status noted where clear.

“Amen Omen” — Ben Harper
Scene: Funeral sequence and its aftermath; the camera lingers on faces and gestures, not speeches. Non-diegetic; ~final reel.
Why it matters: Cuts through bravado—an unvarnished grief cue that reframes the holiday. (Referenced by multiple contemporary reviews.)

“My Way” — Nina Simone
Scene: Closing movement and end credits; the last look holds while Simone’s phrasing hardens the moral. Non-diegetic; credits.
Why it matters: A famous standard, but her rendition plays like judgment rather than triumph.

“Crucify Your Mind” — Rodriguez
Scene: Reflective interlude on the coast; wide shots mute the dialogue while the track carries subtext. Non-diegetic; late mid-film.
Why it matters: Lyrical sting (“Did you keep the receipts…”) fits a film about self-editing among friends.

“Are You Gonna Be My Girl” — Jet
Scene: Early getaway energy—packing, driving, arrivals. Non-diegetic; early montage.
Why it matters: Establishes the “party muscle memory” the story later interrogates.

“This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)” — The Isley Brothers
Scene: Kitchen bustle and terrace dancing; speakers up, inhibitions down. Source-adjacent; mid-film.
Why it matters: A communal groove that papers over fault lines.

“The Weight” — The Band
Scene: Post-beach wind-down; night settles, conversations scatter. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Friendship myth-making set to an American road hymn—ironic for a group stuck in place.

“Cold Water” — Damien Rice
Scene: Quiet morning, reckoning by the jetty. Non-diegetic; mid-film.
Why it matters: Sparse arrangement matches the film’s first honest silences.

“Moonage Daydream” — David Bowie
Scene: A late-night burst; nostalgia framed as escape. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Glam swagger covering spiritual drift.

“Fortunate Son” — Creedence Clearwater Revival
Scene: Loud, defiant palate-cleanser between sober beats. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Irony: lyrics about privilege thread cleanly through the group’s blind spots.

“Talk to Me” (live) — Maxim Nucci
Scene: In-film performance moment (diegetic), intimate staging among friends.
Why it matters: One of the few times the music originates inside the world—vulnerability without the filter of a jukebox hit.

“To Be True” — Maxim Nucci (studio cue credited with Guillaume Canet involvement)
Scene: Transitional montage; a softer, inward turn. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Seam between the classic-rock spine and the film’s bespoke material.

“That Look You Give That Guy” — Eels
Scene: Unsaid feelings hang over a quiet two-shot. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Underlines the movie’s title promise: small lies, big consequences.

Also present across editions: “If I Were Your Woman” (Gladys Knight & the Pips), “Hang On Sloopy” (The McCoys), “Kozmic Blues” (Janis Joplin), “Fistful of Love” (Antony & the Johnsons), “Welcome to the Lounge” (Gianni Ferro). Some titles shift between regional album line-ups; the film’s credits remain the authoritative list.

Music–Story Links

Party songs are the armor: Jet, The Isley Brothers, and The Band stand in for rituals everyone knows by heart. When truth intrudes, the film hands the floor to voices that won’t flatter anyone—Harper’s ache, Rodriguez’s blunt imaging, Simone’s implacable cadence. The pivot from source music in the house to expansive, non-diegetic cues outside mirrors the friends’ movement from performance to consequence.

How It Was Made

Canet and producers at Les Productions du Trésor built a soundtrack of licensed staples plus in-film performances by Maxim Nucci (credited on selections such as “Talk to Me” and “To Be True”). The official album(s) were issued around the original French 2010 release and the later English-market push; platform metadata varies, but the core curation remains consistent.

Reception & Quotes

“By the time Nina Simone starts singing ‘My Way,’ you may find yourself wishing that Canet had remembered less is more.” Vogue (US) capsule

“A tearful, cringe-making funeral to the strains of Nina Simone’s version of ‘My Way’.” The Guardian review summary

“The American film that comes to mind is The Big Chill… There are times when Little White Lies seems to meander, until we realize it knows exactly where it is going.” Roger Ebert (US release)

Additional Info

• International album metadata often credits © Les Productions du Trésor; streaming dates show 2010 (FR) and 2012 (INTL).
• “Crucify Your Mind” appearances in European cinema helped fuel renewed interest in Rodriguez pre-Searching for Sugar Man’s wide impact.
• Maxim Nucci (aka Yodelice) is both a cast member and featured performer—rare dual credit on a high-profile ensemble drama.
• The sequel (Little White Lies 2, 2019) reprises the “needle-drops as memory” tactic with a fresh slate of songs.
• Not all film-used songs are present on every retail/streaming edition; regional rights differ.

Technical Info

• Title: Little White Lies — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (regional variants also as Les Petits Mouchoirs)
• Year: 2012 (INTL album issue); film release 2010 (France)
• Type: Various Artists soundtrack
• Key placements highlighted: “Amen Omen,” “My Way,” “Crucify Your Mind,” “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” “The Weight,” “Cold Water,” “Talk to Me,” “To Be True.”
• Label/credits: Les Productions du Trésor / partners on retail editions (platform attributions).
• Availability: Streaming on Spotify/Apple Music; physical releases documented via Discogs; regional differences apply.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: film’s Wikipedia entry (music list); Spotify/Apple Music album pages; Discogs release; IMDb Soundtracks; English-language reviews noting the funeral/credits cues; official trailers.

November, 13th 2025