"Norbit" Soundtrack Lyrics

“Norbit (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)” – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What happens when a not-so-romantic comedy leans on romantic bangers and gospel uplift? The answer: a jukebox that smiles while the jokes go for the ribs.

Norbit pivots on arrival → adaptation → rebellion → collapse: Norbit endures a marriage he didn’t choose, glimpses an old love, resists the bulldozers (literal and figurative), then blows everything up to start again. The soundtrack mirrors that arc with church-floor gospel, 70s soul, early-00s hip-hop, and a handful of compact score cues by David Newman.

Distinctive mix: radio hits do the heavy lifting in set-pieces; short score cues stitch the gags. The album (Lakeshore Records) is a various-artists set with a small slice of Newman’s original score. As per Apple Music’s listing, it runs ~46 minutes with 16 tracks, pairing catalog staples (Dusty Springfield, Kelis, Marvin Gaye) with a few punchy Newman cues.

Genres & phases: gospel & oldies — innocence and small-town ritual; hip-hop club cuts — bravado and bad decisions; classic soul — desire with memory; light orchestral score — reaction shots and chase gags.

How It Was Made

Composer: David Newman. The score was recorded in Los Angeles with the Hollywood Studio Symphony; according to ScoringSessions, Newman blended pre-recorded textures with a 53-piece orchestra at the Sony Scoring Stage. The soundtrack album arrived February 6, 2007 on Lakeshore Records and mixes source songs with six brief score cues.

Key needle-drops were licensed across gospel, R&B, classic pop, and mid-2000s hip-hop. The album credits include The Fairfield Four, Yung Joc, Dusty Springfield, Kelis, Kirk Franklin, Slightly Stoopid, Perfect Circle (“The Hands of Time”), and Newman’s short cues (“Young Norbit,” “Rasputia’s Fury,” “Norbit and Kate”). As per a contemporary review roundup, only part of the score made it to the commercial album; most emotional punctuation stayed in-picture.

Tracks & Scenes

“Standing in the Safety Zone” — The Fairfield Four
Where it plays: Opening credits and small-town set-up around Mr. Wong’s orphanage; the gospel texture frames Norbit’s “innocent beginnings.” Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Sets the moral baseline before the film’s louder impulses kick in.

“Tonight I Celebrate My Love” — Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack
Where it plays: Wedding party for Norbit and Rasputia; performed diegetically by the reception singer, slow-dance sway and all.
Why it matters: Earnest 80s romantic gloss over a mismatch. That’s the joke.

“I Only Want to Be with You” — Dusty Springfield
Where it plays: Bike-riding lesson with Kate; bright daylight, stop-start wobble, tentative smiles. Non-diegetic, mixed gently under dialogue.
Why it matters: A sugary oldie turns afraid-of-change into sweet momentum.

“Milkshake” — Kelis
Where it plays: Rasputia’s quarry car-wash sequence; sun glare, hose spray, exaggerated strut. Diegetic feel from boom-box/location playback.
Why it matters: Maximal tease; the lyric winks while slapstick lands.

“Casanova” — Gerald Levert
Where it plays: Bedroom misadventures where the bed loses the fight — several times. Non-diegetic sweet-talk over physical comedy.
Why it matters: Smooth R&B + structural collapse = tonal mission statement.

“Dem Jeans” — Chingy feat. Jermaine Dupri
Where it plays: A club/party beat underscoring Rasputia-centric swagger gags. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Brings mid-2000s radio bravado to the film’s body-comedy centerpiece.

“Chain Hang Low” — Jibbs
Where it plays: Ex-pimps Pope Sweet Jesus and Lord Have Mercy post up beside their cars; idling engines, chrome, and clinking hook. Diegetic street loudness.
Why it matters: Comic character branding through a summer-2006 earworm.

“U Can’t Touch This” — MC Hammer (version)
Where it plays: Early intimidation bit with Rasputia’s brothers shaking down shop owners; the sample-famous riff telegraphs swagger. Non-diegetic sting.
Why it matters: Instantly readable 90s bravado for a one-beat gag.

“Temperature” — Sean Paul
Where it plays: Fairground dance — Kate chants “Go Norbit!”; bright lights, crowd laughter, Norbit loosens up. Diegetic speakers in the scene.
Why it matters: The franchise moment fans recall; the beat literally gets him moving.

“It’s Goin’ Down” — Yung Joc
Where it plays: A meltdown/standoff sequence with Rasputia; cut-to-cut energy spikes. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Title does the exposition.

“Walk It Out” — Unk
Where it plays: Party/lead-in around the fair set-piece; dance-floor bounce, quick crowd cuts. Diegetic.
Why it matters: Period-correct club command that keeps the comic tempo up.

“Looking for You” — Kirk Franklin
Where it plays: End credits; a gospel-pop lift after the finale reconciliations. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Resets the movie’s church-to-party spectrum with gratitude.

“You Are the Woman” — Firefall
Where it plays: Salon/bikini-wax comic business; polite soft-rock in a very impolite moment. Diegetic radio-style placement.
Why it matters: Counterpoint 101 — tenderness over shrieks.

“Big Poppa” — The Notorious B.I.G.
Where it plays: Rasputia’s “power tap” affair reveal; smug vibe against Norbit’s shock. Non-diegetic overlay.
Why it matters: Ironic luxuriance while the marriage blows up.

“Ride of the Valkyries” — Richard Wagner
Where it plays: Brief comic flourish aligned to over-the-top action; quick quotation for laugh value. Non-diegetic sting.
Why it matters: The most famous “here comes trouble” cue, weaponized.

Score highlights — David Newman
Where they play: “Young Norbit,” “Kate Returns/Tuesday, Tuesday,” “Rasputia’s Fury,” “Norbit and Kate” — short connective cues under chases, reunions, and reaction beats.
Why they matter: Compact, theme-light, rhythm-forward writing to button jokes and pivots.

Notes & Trivia

• Lakeshore Records released the album on February 6, 2007; 16 tracks, ~46 minutes.
• Only a short slice of David Newman’s score appears commercially — roughly 6 cues totaling about 11 minutes, per a contemporary review.
• Several prominent film cues are not on the album: “Tonight I Celebrate My Love,” “U Can’t Touch This,” “Chain Hang Low,” “Dem Jeans,” “Temperature.”
• ScoringSessions reports a 53-piece orchestra recorded at the Sony Scoring Stage.
• “The Hands of Time” is by Perfect Circle (soul group; Clyde Dixon & Carl Walker writers) — not A Perfect Circle.

Music–Story Links

Gospel at the open (“Standing in the Safety Zone”) anchors Norbit’s better angels. Club bangers tag Rasputia’s control — “It’s Goin’ Down,” “Dem Jeans,” “Chain Hang Low.” When Kate re-enters, vintage pop softens the picture (“I Only Want to Be with You”), while brief Newman cues (“Norbit and Kate”) give the couple private air. In the fair’s dance beat (“Temperature”), comic image and character truth finally align — movement as courage.

Reception & Quotes

Critical response to the film was rough; the album’s draw was its recognizable singles plus a taste of Newman’s score. According to ScoringSessions and AllMusic, the package is a straightforward various-artists tie-in with limited score.

“Accentuating it was a 53-piece orchestra … recorded at the Sony Scoring Stage.” ScoringSessions

“The release of Norbit is not a dedicated score CD … [it] features six of Newman’s cues.” Movie Music UK

Interesting Facts

• Kirk Franklin’s “Looking for You” (end credits) pre-dates the film; it charted on gospel radio before Norbit.
• The Fairfield Four track places a real quartet’s gospel in a broad studio comedy — unusual and effective.
• Newman’s cue titles (“Rasputia’s Fury,” “Norbit Sneaks Out”) telegraph scene function — useful for spotters.
• Firefall’s soft-rock “You Are the Woman” is used for an intentionally un-romantic gag (the wax scene).
• Per Discogs credits, Newman’s cues were conducted by the composer and recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony.
• Not every fan-favorite placement made the CD; playlists fill the gaps (e.g., “Temperature”).

Technical Info

• Title: Norbit (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year / Type: 2007 — Film soundtrack (various artists + select score cues)
• Composer (score): David Newman
• Label: Lakeshore Records
• Selected notable placements: “Standing in the Safety Zone” (open); “Tonight I Celebrate My Love” (wedding); “Milkshake” (car wash); “I Only Want to Be with You” (bike lesson); “Temperature” (fair dance); “Looking for You” (end credits)
• Release context: Album — Feb 6, 2007; Film — Feb 9, 2007 (U.S.)
• Availability: Streaming (Apple Music/Spotify); physical CD pressings exist (Lakeshore).

Questions & Answers

Who composed the original score?

David Newman. The album includes a handful of his short cues alongside licensed songs.

Which song plays during the fair dance (“Go Norbit!”)?

“Temperature” by Sean Paul — a diegetic loudspeaker drop in the scene.

What’s the end-credits song?

“Looking for You” by Kirk Franklin.

Are all film songs on the album?

No. Several placements (e.g., “U Can’t Touch This,” “Chain Hang Low,” “Tonight I Celebrate My Love,” “Temperature”) are not on the CD.

Where was the score recorded?

At Sony’s scoring stage with a 53-piece orchestra, per ScoringSessions.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Apple Music; Spotify; AllMusic; ScoringSessions; WhatSong; SoundtrackINFO; Wikipedia; Movie Music UK; Discogs; Reddit (scene ID).

November, 17th 2025