"Long Game" Soundtrack Lyrics

"The Long Game (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2024)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What does perseverance sound like when you’re locked out of the club you love? In The Long Game—Julio Quintana’s 1950s-set sports drama about Mexican-American caddies building their own golf team—the music splits the difference between lived-in nostalgia and restrained, contemporary score. Hanan Townshend’s original cues keep the camera close to the boys’ grit and grace; period-leaning needle-drops sketch the world that keeps telling them “no.”

The album released by Lakeshore Records on June 14, 2024 collects 20 score cuts (~41–42 minutes)—“Opening Titles,” “Tournament Tee Off,” “The Winning Putt,” “Mustang Miracle”—while the film’s source tracks range from jukebox R&B and rockabilly to Mexican standards sung in-scene. As reported by trade listings and label notes, Townshend’s palette favors small forces, lyrical themes, and light percussion that swells only when the boys push past another barrier.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score album?

Hanan Townshend. The digital album contains 20 cues and was released by Lakeshore Records on June 14, 2024.

Is there a separate “songs” compilation?

No official various-artists album; licensed songs appear only in the film. The commercial release is Townshend’s score.

Who handled music supervision?

Brittany Douziech is credited as Music Supervisor.

When did the film open?

U.S. theatrical release was April 12, 2024 after an earlier SXSW premiere.

Which label released the score and how long is it?

Lakeshore Records; ~41–42 minutes across 20 tracks.

Any notable period songs used on screen?

Selections include Roy Perkins’ “Bye Bye Baby,” Billy “Crash” Craddock’s “Birddoggin’,” The Ink Spots’ “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire,” and Bob Crosby’s “Big Noise from Winnetka,” plus in-car “Cielito Lindo.”

Notes & Trivia

• The story is based on Humberto G. Garcia’s book Mustang Miracle; the score closes with a cue titled “Mustang Miracle.”
• The soundtrack album arrived two months after the U.S. theatrical release.
• Several licensed tracks are 1950s sides chosen to sit era-correct against West Texas locales.
• According to album/retail metadata, the label credits are ©/℗ 2024 Lakeshore Records.

Genres & Themes

Intimate Americana score (strings, piano, gentle rhythm) = perseverance without melodrama. Rockabilly/R&B jukebox (Perkins, Craddock, Crosby) = teens’ energy, dances, and pick-up games. Voz popular moments (e.g., “Cielito Lindo” sung together) = community and dignity. The mix is modest by design: small victories deserve clear air.

Tracks & Scenes

Scene anchors follow widely reported minute-marks and descriptions. Licensed-song entries note diegetic status; score cues are non-diegetic unless stated. Times are approximate to the 112-minute cut.

“What’s It All About” — Little Leo
Scene: Opening cue as the world is introduced (~00:01). Non-diegetic period cut.
Why it matters: Sets a 1950s radio frame before the film narrows to the boys’ POV.

“What Have You Done to My Heart” — Andrea Litkei & Ervin Litkei
Scene: Early beat as JB hunts for his green tie (~00:03). Source-like needle-drop.
Why it matters: Domestic detail, small comic relief before stakes arrive.

“Jelly Roll Man” — Bill Simpson
Scene: JB drives to the country club (~00:07). Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Road texture for a day that won’t go as planned.

“Bye Bye Baby” — Roy Perkins
Scene: Hallway chatter at school (~00:14). Source on a hallway radio vibe.
Why it matters: Youthful swagger in a world drawing lines around them.

“Birddoggin’” — Billy “Crash” Craddock
Scene: The boys sprint outside during JB’s speech (~00:17). Non-diegetic shove.
Why it matters: Rockabilly kick moves the story out of talk and into action.

“Round and Round” — Andy Starr
Scene: Building their makeshift course (~00:34). Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Work montage gets a backbeat and a grin.

“Sha-Ba-da-Ba-Doo (1955)” — The Jac-O-Lacs
Scene: Tournament day, first tee (~00:42). Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Light swing to steady nerves and pace.

“Cielito Lindo” — cast (in-car)
Scene: Post-game singalong in the car (~00:44). Diegetic—sung by the boys.
Why it matters: Community crystallized in one chorus; joy on their own terms.

“Colas, Colas (Instrumental)” — Carlos Periguez
Scene: Unloading gear from the red truck (~00:49). Non-diegetic/source-adjacent.
Why it matters: Regional color that keeps the film grounded.

“I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire” — The Ink Spots
Scene: Team montage (~01:04). Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Tender irony—ambition wrapped in a classic slow dance.

“Piccadilly Circus” — Smiling John Pickens
Scene: Bar dust-up; the boys flee into the lake (~01:14). Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Comic scramble; music leans into the mischief beat.

“Big Noise from Winnetka” — Bob Crosby
Scene: Regional tournament sequence (~01:20). Non-diegetic swing.
Why it matters: Old-school showmanship for a big step up in stakes.

“Tournament Tee Off” — Hanan Townshend (score)
Scene: Orchestrates the first serious competition push. Non-diegetic; mid-film.
Why it matters: Pulse and restraint—keeps focus on mechanics and nerves.

“Always Faithful” — Hanan Townshend (score)
Scene: Mentor-student promises and regrouping. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A clear, hymn-like theme that reads as backbone, not sentiment.

“The Winning Putt” — Hanan Townshend (score)
Scene: Climactic stroke and release. Non-diegetic; late film.
Why it matters: Hands the moment to performance, then breathes with it.

“Mustang Miracle” — Hanan Townshend (score)
Scene: Epilogue/title-echo in credits. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Ties the film back to its source story and larger legacy.

Music–Story Links

When the boys build their own course, the needle-drops do the cheering that the establishment won’t. When they finally get a fair tee box, Townshend’s motifs take over—quiet confidence, no victory blare. A car-full “Cielito Lindo” says more about belonging than any speech; later, the Ink Spots’ croon gently reframes ambition as tenderness rather than swagger.

How It Was Made

Hanan Townshend (known for his work with Terrence Malick) scored the film; Lakeshore Records issued the album digitally. Music supervision is credited to Brittany Douziech, whose department stitched era-appropriate sides to moments of teen bravado and team cohesion. According to release notes, the album sequencing mirrors the team’s arc from exclusion to hard-won poise.

Reception & Quotes

“A crowd-pleaser with heart; the music keeps things modest and authentic.” Review capsule

“Townshend’s cues give the film its backbone—never overplaying the victory.” Soundtrack write-up

Additional Info

• Album: The Long Game (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) — digital, 20 tracks.
• Label/date: Lakeshore Records, June 14, 2024.
• Key score cues: “Tournament Tee Off,” “Always Faithful,” “The Winning Putt,” “Mustang Miracle.”
• Licensed highlights in film only: Little Leo, Roy Perkins, Billy “Crash” Craddock, The Ink Spots, Bob Crosby; in-car “Cielito Lindo.”
• Film basics: Directed by Julio Quintana; U.S. release April 12, 2024; runtime ~112 minutes.

Technical Info

• Title: The Long Game — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Year: 2024
• Type: Original score album (with separate on-screen licensed songs)
• Composer: Hanan Townshend
• Music Supervisor: Brittany Douziech
• Label: Lakeshore Records (digital)
• Release context: Album streeted June 14, 2024; film released April 12, 2024 (U.S.).
• Availability: Streaming via Apple Music/Spotify/Amazon.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Lakeshore/retail album listings; Soundtrack scene logs; film databases/credits; trailer materials.

November, 13th 2025