"No Hard Feelings" Soundtrack Lyrics

“No Hard Feelings (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)” – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What if a summer fling soundtrack keeps choosing honesty over cool — arrival → adaptation → rebellion → collapse? No Hard Feelings trades wall-to-wall pop for a witty blend of crate-dug classics, one brand-new end-credits song, and a tender piano cover that flips the whole movie’s perspective.

Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) needs a car; Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) needs a push; Montauk supplies salt air and chaos. The film threads sun-bleached rock (Tommy James, Billy Squier), glam sneer (The Stooges), and jukebox warmth (Bob Seger) with light, character-first score cues by Mychael Danna and Jessica Rose Weiss. The album package reflects that split: it’s primarily score, plus Feldman’s live-feeling “Maneater” cover and the end-credits single “Back to the Start” by Cary Brothers.

Distinctive move: the soundtrack resists “current Top-40.” It favors scene-smarts over trend-chasing; when a hit drops (“Hot in Herre”), it’s for a joke or a character reveal. And the movie’s ace — Percy’s vulnerable, rearranged “Maneater” — isn’t just a needle-drop; it’s plot.

Genres & themes (phases): 70s/80s rock & pop — bravado and screwball energy; indie/alt — soft confession; retro soul/heartland rock — closure and afterglow; chamber-light score — connective tissue and comic timing.

How It Was Made

Composers: Academy Award winner Mychael Danna and Jessica Rose Weiss shaped a nimble, melodic score aimed at buoying jokes and underscoring Maddie/Percy beats without crowding the songs. Music supervision: Susan Jacobs curated the featured tracks — crate-dig cool with a few unapologetic crowd-pleasers.

The official album (Madison Gate Records) released day-and-date with the film and is mostly score cues; it also includes Andrew Barth Feldman’s on-screen “Maneater” and Cary Brothers’ original “Back to the Start.” One neat making-of detail: Feldman’s “Maneater” arrangement is his own, performed live on set — the vulnerability you hear is the point.

Tracks & Scenes

“Draggin’ the Line” — Tommy James
Where it plays: 00:00 — Opens the film as Gary drives through Montauk to Maddie’s place; breezy swagger sets the summer tone. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Sun-bleached Americana as thesis: trouble’s coming, but the day is pretty.

“Another Camden Afternoon” — The Stranglers
Where it plays: ~00:03 — Transition after Gary leaves; Maddie rollerblades in a red top. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Punk-ish edge undercuts the sunshine — we’re not in a rom-com bubble (yet).

“Jezahel” — Shirley Bassey
Where it plays: ~00:05 — Title sequence while Maddie gets jammed in Gary’s car; brassy grandeur over indignity. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Glam vs. reality = the movie’s whole bit.

“Down on the Street” — The Stooges
Where it plays: ~00:11 (and again ~01:30) — Rollerblading montage; later reprise. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Grit shows through the gloss — perfect for Maddie’s bull-through-walls energy.

“The Stroke” — Billy Squier
Where it plays: ~00:24 — Green-van chaos; Percy maces Maddie mid-ride. Non-diegetic gag needle-drop.
Why it matters: Smirking on-the-nose title used as slapstick accelerant.

“Driver’s Seat” — Sniff ’n’ the Tears
Where it plays: ~00:28 — Percy heads to a bar to meet Maddie; transition glue. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Title and groove telegraph “someone else is driving.”

“Maneater” — Daryl Hall & John Oates
Where it plays: ~00:30 — Bar chatter; diegetic ambience from speakers as Maddie clocks Percy’s anxieties.
Why it matters: Plants the hook that will later blossom into his version.

“Hot in Herre” — Nelly
Where it plays: ~00:40 — Maddie cranks it and dances; Percy short-circuits. Starts diegetic, bleeds into montage.
Why it matters: The joke is the mismatch — song confidence vs. Percy’s panic.

“Back to the Start” — Cary Brothers
Where it plays: ~00:44 — Beach/day-date montage: dogs, arcade, thawing walls. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: The film’s new song — earnest, wind-in-hair momentum that makes the friendship feel real.

“Would You?” — Richard Swift
Where it plays: ~00:52 — Percy preps for a date; interstitial quiet. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A small, humane breath.

“Maneater (Percy’s version)” — Andrew Barth Feldman
Where it plays: ~00:55 — Party piano scene; Percy performs live, voice cracking but honest. Diegetic performance (arranged by Feldman).
Why it matters: The movie’s heart: a pop hit turns into a character confession.

“Anemone” — The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Where it plays: ~01:02 — House party spiral; Maddie searches for Percy. Non-diegetic haze.
Why it matters: Dreamy drift before the night tilts.

“Black Out Days (Future Islands Remix)” — Phantogram
Where it plays: ~01:22 — After a clash with his parents, Percy and Maddie split to lick wounds. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: The “lostness” cue — synth pulse with ache.

“That’s That” — Cass McCombs
Where it plays: ~01:27 — Letters, a fire, and grown-up choices. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Low-voice clarity as the movie sheds its bit.

“You’ll Accomp’ny Me” — Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Where it plays: ~01:37 — Farewells and the Princeton drive; final moments into credits. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A classic road song for an ending that chooses kindness.

Also heard: “Wondrous Place” (Billy Fury); “I Guess You Get It” (Earl Rose); “Semper” (Last Verse) — brief but flavorful placements that texturize transitions.

Notes & Trivia

• Andrew Barth Feldman arranged and performed the “Maneater” cover live for the scene — messy on purpose.
• Music supervisor Susan Jacobs steered the film’s needle-drops; the score’s guitars include session legend Marc Ribot.
• The score album (20 cues, ~28 minutes) is released by Madison Gate Records; the final track is Cary Brothers’ “Back to the Start.”
• The main-title card explicitly credits “Draggin’ the Line,” signaling the film’s crate-dig vibe from frame one.
• “Down on the Street” reprises late — a cheeky, full-circle wink for Maddie’s arc.

Music–Story Links

Song grammar maps the relationship: swagger cuts (“The Stroke,” “Driver’s Seat”) sell Maddie’s plan; Swift’s “Would You?” and Feldman’s “Maneater” uncover Percy’s softness; “Back to the Start” is their shared middle chapter — not lust, not pity, just joy. When Seger closes the film, it isn’t a rom-com promise; it’s a benediction for two people who finally tell the truth. The score threads between these poles, nudging comedy into empathy.

Reception & Quotes

Viewers locked onto two musical moments: the audacious “Hot in Herre” gag and Percy’s piano performance. Critics called the soundtrack “smartly specific” — neither wallflower nor wall-to-wall — and praised the decision to spotlight a new indie ballad in the montage instead of a chart behemoth. According to Film Music Reporter, the album foregrounds the Danna/Weiss score while preserving the two diegetic highlights (“Maneater,” “Back to the Start”).

“The needle-drops are purposeful, not perfunctory; they tell you how these two hear the world.” soundtrack roundups

“Feldman’s live ‘Maneater’ is the movie’s soul — shaky, sincere, disarming.” feature coverage

Interesting Facts

• “Back to the Start” was released as a single alongside the score album and plays during the beach/arcade montage.
• The album’s cue names (“Skinny Dipping,” “Get off the Hood”) read like a list of set-pieces — a handy roadmap.
• The opening titles page directly names “Draggin’ the Line,” a rare on-screen song shout-out for a main title.
• Several placements begin diegetically (bar stereo, party piano) before drifting into montage — a favorite trick of the film.
• The Hall & Oates studio recording appears in-film earlier, priming Percy’s later, intimate version.

Technical Info

• Title: No Hard Feelings (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) — score + select songs
• Year / Type: 2023 — Feature film; official album is primarily score
• Composers: Mychael Danna; Jessica Rose Weiss
• Music Supervisor: Susan Jacobs
• Label: Madison Gate Records (digital)
• Release date: June 23, 2023 (U.S. theatrical & album)
• Selected placements: “Draggin’ the Line” (main title); “The Stroke” (van chaos); “Driver’s Seat” (pre-date); “Maneater” (bar source); “Maneater” — Andrew Barth Feldman (party piano); “Back to the Start” (montage); “You’ll Accomp’ny Me” (finale/end credits)
• Availability: Streaming on major platforms (20 tracks, ~28 min). Separate song placements available via film credits.

Questions & Answers

Is there a full various-artists “songs” album?

No — the official release focuses on Danna & Weiss’s score, plus Feldman’s “Maneater” and Cary Brothers’ “Back to the Start.”

Who handled the needle-drops?

Susan Jacobs served as music supervisor.

Was “Maneater” performed live?

Yes. Andrew Barth Feldman arranged and performed it live on set for the party scene.

What closes the movie?

Bob Seger’s “You’ll Accomp’ny Me” plays over the final montage into end credits.

Where can I hear the album?

On Apple Music/Spotify under No Hard Feelings (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack); it’s 20 tracks, ~28 minutes.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Vague Visages song-by-song guide; Film Music Reporter (album details); Apple Music / Spotify album pages; Madison Gate Records track list; IMDb soundtracks & full credits; Metacritic credits (music department); Entertainment Weekly feature on Feldman’s live “Maneater”; Art of the Title (main-title song note); Sony Pictures trailer.

November, 18th 2025