"Old Dads" Soundtrack Lyrics

“Old Dads — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2023)” – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

Can a soundtrack roast modern life and still play wingman for a midlife crisis? Old Dads says yes — by slamming vintage hard rock and old-school hip-hop against library bangers and casino lounge silk. Arrival → adaptation → rebellion → collapse: the songs greet middle-aged fatherhood, try to adjust, rebel when egos flare, and finally cool into self-awareness.

Christopher Willis’s score stitches the jokes together, but the needle-drops do the public talking: Judas Priest struts over title cards; N.W.A. booms from SUV speakers; Beastie Boys and The Kinks bookend a last-chance road trip and a rueful homecoming. The palette feels intentionally “dad-coded”: crunchy guitars, retro breakbeats, crooner soul, and a wink of kitsch.

Functionally, the soundtrack is a character — it calls out bravado, punctures delusion, and glosses tenderness without getting sappy. What makes it distinct is the unapologetic clash between swagger and consequence: rap classics soundtrack bad decisions, while a suave Lou Rawls track reminds these guys that charm can still buy a little grace… but not absolution.

Genres & themes in phases: arena metal (bluster → public mask), golden-age/’90s hip-hop (tribal hype → group ego), production library bangers (algorithmic hustle → startup satire), crooner & R&B (nostalgia → brief tenderness), Brit-rock classicism (comic perspective → acceptance).

How It Was Made

Original score by Christopher Willis; music supervision by Matt Aberle. Orchestration and editing support (Jonathan Beard, Benjamin Hoff; Jeff & Jason Lingle) helped thread song cues with Willis’s cues; Netflix distribution meant clearances had to work globally. The soundtrack strategy mixes recognizable catalog (Judas Priest, Beastie Boys, The Kinks) with production music (APM, Universal Production Music) to flex tone and budget.

Director/star Bill Burr leans on music as punchline and pressure valve. A road-movie spine (casino run, night drives) gives space for rhythmic montage; scenes about “what’s appropriate” are scored with deliberately inappropriate bravado — the joke landing because the music is so on-the-nose it stings.

Tracks & Scenes

“You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” — Judas Priest
Where it plays: ~00:05:00, title sequence. Jack (Bill Burr) stumbles through parenting and pride; the track rides over an exterior montage as credits hit.
Why it matters: Sets the album’s chest-out tone — bravado first, consequences later.

“Turn the Lights Up” — APM Music
Where it plays: ~00:28:00. Flex Gym, Woodland Hills: Jack works out while Connor offers advice. Non-diegetic cue with glossy library sheen.
Why it matters: Satirizes self-optimization — a stock cue for a man who isn’t stock.

“Straight Outta Compton” — N.W.A.
Where it plays: ~00:40:00, on the road. Mike lectures Travis about lyrics; the song blasts diegetically from car speakers, needle-dropping irony into the scene.
Why it matters: Collides generation talk with generational anthem — the gag is the gap.

“All Gold Everything” — Trinidad James
Where it plays: ~00:46:00, post-firing video sequence; Travis raps at home and nukes his own optics.
Why it matters: Social-media sheen vs. real-world fallout — a meme beat turned plot device.

“Eye of the Tiger” — Paul Anka
Where it plays: ~01:10:00. Night drive into a bender; montage of bad choices as the crooner cover subverts macho cliché.
Why it matters: Comedy via contrast — soft tuxedo over hard stupidity.

“Lady Love” — Lou Rawls
Where it plays: ~01:11:00, arrival at Fantasy Springs Casino; Jack and crew negotiate “monetary justice.”
Why it matters: Velvet groove that briefly humanizes the chaos.

“Root Down” — Beastie Boys
Where it plays: ~01:13:00. Slo-mo casino stalk; Aspen enters the frame; adrenaline and attitude spike.
Why it matters: Old-school swagger as hunter’s theme — comic predation made funky.

“Splish Splash” — Sha Na Na
Where it plays: ~01:24:00, road transfer to L.A. hospital. Richie (Bruce Dern) croons and curses while driving.
Why it matters: Silly comfort food right before panic — tonal whiplash as joke.

“Apeman” — The Kinks
Where it plays: ~01:35:00 to end credits; domestic beat lands, wine poured, day exhaled.
Why it matters: A wry, retro curtain — accepting absurdity with a grin.

Also heard (select): “My My My Little Baby” — The Conquest; “New Ting” — Stella Mwangi; “Love Is Gone” — Kid Krono & Angelo Diaz; “Trap Club” — Kid Krono; multiple APM/Universal Production Music cues (“The Lucky Ones,” “The Blue Star,” “Name in Lights,” “Renewed Strength,” “High Rollers,” “Days Gone By”).

Notes & Trivia

• Composer Christopher Willis’s brief score cues thread between library tracks — a practical blend for Netflix-first comedies.
• Music supervision leans heavily on APM/Universal libraries, which double as satire of startup “brand music.”
• “Apeman” by The Kinks runs through the final scene into credits; the needle-drop lands like a shrug and a smile.
• That “Eye of the Tiger” isn’t Survivor — it’s Paul Anka’s suave cover, used for comedic deflation.
• End-credits needle-drops vary slightly by territory on some streaming playlists, but the film mix is consistent.

Music–Story Links

When Jack blusters through the opening montage, Priest’s riff is basically his inner monologue — defiant, a little delusional. Later, “Straight Outta Compton” turns from hype to evidence: blasting the song is how a younger coworker gets himself fired. “Eye of the Tiger” (crooner edition) scores the casino run like a tuxedo on a car crash — the men think they’re in a comeback movie; the music knows they’re not. And as domestic calm returns, “Apeman” reframes the ranting dads as harmless throwbacks, not conquerors — a curtain lowered with wit.

Reception & Quotes

Critical response to the film was mixed, but listeners singled out the muscle of the needle-drops and the efficient use of library cues. The eclectic music choices help the jokes travel across scenes, even when the characters don’t.

“A time-capsule playlist of swagger and denial.” — Vague Visages

“Features Judas Priest, Beastie Boys, The Kinks — placements that do a lot of the comedic heavy lifting.” — Netflix Life

“Composer Christopher Willis scores Burr’s debut; Matt Aberle wrangles the needle-drops.” — Film Music Reporter

“Rotten Tomatoes: 27% critics; Metacritic: 42/100 — music cues remain a bright spot.” — Aggregates summary

Interesting Facts

• No commercial OST (yet): as of now there’s no official album — only individual tracks and fan playlists.
• Production music with purpose: cues from APM/Universal double as satire of “corporate motivational” sounds.
• Cover as punchline: Paul Anka’s “Eye of the Tiger” flips the expected sports-montage trope.
• Diegetic switch-ups: several songs start in-world (car, casino) then bleed into score, smoothing comic beats.
• End-credit tone-set: “Apeman” softens the film’s bark into a reflective smirk.

Technical Info

• Title: Old Dads — (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack guide)
• Year: 2023
• Type: Film soundtrack (Netflix comedy)
• Composer: Christopher Willis
• Music Supervisor: Matt Aberle
• Notable placements: Judas Priest “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”; N.W.A. “Straight Outta Compton”; Beastie Boys “Root Down”; The Kinks “Apeman”; Lou Rawls “Lady Love”
• Release context: Netflix premiere — October 20, 2023
• Label/album status: No official soundtrack album released; songs available via original artist catalogs/streaming; mix of library tracks licensed from APM/Universal Production Music
• Runtime: Film 104 minutes
• Availability: Film streaming on Netflix; score suite/clips circulate online; several third-party playlists compile song selections

Questions & Answers

Who composed the original score for Old Dads?

Christopher Willis composed the original score; he’s known for Veep and The Personal History of David Copperfield.

Is there an official soundtrack album?

No — there’s no commercial OST as of now. The featured songs exist on artist releases and library catalogs.

What’s the big end-credits song?

“Apeman” by The Kinks plays into and over the end credits, capping the movie’s tone with wry nostalgia.

Which songs drive the road-trip/casino run?

Paul Anka’s version of “Eye of the Tiger,” Lou Rawls’ “Lady Love,” and Beastie Boys’ “Root Down” fuel that middle-act stretch.

Why so much production-library music?

It fits the satire of startup culture, keeps tonal flexibility, and stretches a streaming-first budget.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Vague Visages; Netflix Life; IMDb; Film Music Reporter; Metacritic credits; Wikipedia; Soundtracki.

November, 18th 2025