"Paul" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Paul (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What if your road-trip playlist kept winking at every sci-fi movie you loved? Paul makes that playlist the point. Greg Mottola’s comedy sends two British nerds across the American Southwest with a stoner E.T. in tow; David Arnold’s score hums like ship systems while crate-dug bangers drop at truck stops, diners, and wide-open night.

The soundtrack comes in two flavors: a song-and-score compilation and a release keyed to Arnold’s cues, both built around the same 22-track spine. The vibe toggles between analog synth shimmer, chase-scene ostinati, and joyfully on-the-nose needle-drops (“Another Girl, Another Planet,” “Dancing in the Moonlight,” “Hello It’s Me”). According to the label’s advance track list, the album intersperses Arnold’s short road-trip cues with marquee songs so it feels like one rolling mix.

Genres in phases: guitar pop & classic soul (arrival/Comic-Con buzz), twangy rockabilly (Area 51 kitsch), AM-gold confessionals (heart-to-hearts), and Arnold’s hybrid action (government-van mayhem). It’s a breezy listen that still leaves contrails.

How It Was Made

Composer & concept. David Arnold (Bond, Sherlock) scored the film in late 2010, writing punchy travel cues (“Road Trip Number 1/2”), glassy suspense beds, and an end-suite that nods to ‘80s sci-fi warmth. Production notes flagged his session while the picture was still locking.

Music supervision. Nick Angel (Working Title’s longtime music chief) handled the song side — hence the deft blend of UK/US crate classics: The Only Ones, Todd Rundgren, King Harvest, Billy Lee Riley, Marvin Gaye, ELO, and more. The selections thread geek in-jokes with toe-tappers.

Albums. The UK/Europe “Paul: Music from the Motion Picture” (Universal/UMTV) and the US “Paul: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” (Hip-O/UMe) streeted around Feb–Apr 2011; both carry 22 cuts mixing Arnold cues and featured songs. A digital edition (22 tracks, ~59 minutes) circulates widely on streaming.

Tracks & Scenes

“Another Girl, Another Planet” — The Only Ones
Where it plays: Over the San Diego Comic-Con intro bustle and meet-cute with the States. Posters, cosplay, fluorescent optimism — a perfect jangly welcome. (Song placement noted in multiple soundtrack indexes.)
Why it matters: Signals the film’s dopey-romantic affection for sci-fi culture and for America’s pop-myth road trip.

“Paul Opening Title” — David Arnold
Where it plays: Logo and desert prologue beat; synth pads and ticking percussion ease us from convention chaos into the big-sky night where weird things happen.
Why it matters: Establishes the score’s glass-and-steel palette — wonder with a smirk.

“Flying Saucers Rock ’n’ Roll” — Billy Lee Riley
Where it plays: Area-51 tourist stops and roadside Americana. Neon UFOs, rubber masks, souvenir coffee; the rockabilly thump turns cheese into charm.
Why it matters: The joke writes itself — and lands — because the cue is so perfect.

“Just the Two of Us” — Bill Withers & Grover Washington, Jr.
Where it plays: The RV turns into a confessional after a long day dodging Feds; the song oozes in from a radio, making the alien hangout feel almost domestic.
Why it matters: A syrupy palate cleanser that sells the odd little family forming in the van.

“Hello It’s Me” — Todd Rundgren
Where it plays: A leave-taking and a phone-call spiral; time stretches as the melody reminisces for us.
Why it matters: AM-gold nostalgia reframed as nerd-romance melancholy.

“Dancing in the Moonlight” — King Harvest
Where it plays: Night drive under a mile-wide sky; windows down, shoulders finally unclenching.
Why it matters: Road-movie serotonin hit — it’s impossible not to grin.

“A Little Talk with Paul / Campfire Confessions” — David Arnold
Where it plays: The firelit scene where everyone says a bit too much; guitar harmonics, soft pulses, then a modest swell as secrets sound less scary out loud.
Why it matters: Arnold keeps it small and human so the jokes don’t puncture the heart.

“Got to Give It Up” — Marvin Gaye & “All Over the World” — ELO
Where they play: Source-music pops that juice barrooms and travel beats; the film uses them like postcards with rhythm.
Why they matter: Era-stamped fun that doubles as world-building.

“Planet Claire” — The B-52’s
Where it plays: UFO-tour montage turns knowingly kitsch; Farfisa and space-punk surf make the joke sing.
Why it matters: A wink to retro-futurism that Pegg/Frost fans will clock immediately.

Trailer notes: US trailers cut to a medley of the above plus Arnold’s title cue; domestic/international trailers circulated widely in early 2011.

Notes & Trivia

• Two commercial variations: Music from the Motion Picture (Universal/UMTV) and Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Hip-O/UMe) — both 22 tracks interleaving songs with Arnold cues.
• Music supervisor: Nick Angel (also supervised Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), which explains the savvy crate-digging.
• Streaming editions clock ~59 minutes and include marquee songs plus short “Road Trip” cues.
• The film itself is a Working Title/Big Talk/Universal co-production; the music catalog draw leans accordingly on Universal repertoire.
• Arnold singled out “End of the Road Trip” as a personal favorite in later interviews.

Music–Story Links

Comic-Con’s bustle needs guitars, not strings — hence The Only Ones laying out the thesis: ordinary dweebs, extraordinary weekend. As the RV pushes into desert, rockabilly and surf-space cues (“Flying Saucers…,” “Planet Claire”) turn roadside kitsch into ritual. When the group starts telling truths, Arnold dials down to plucked, patient cues so the jokes can carry warmth. And whenever the Feds close in, the score’s arpeggios and low-end pulses remind you there’s still a sci-fi escape movie underneath the banter.

Reception & Quotes

Reviews for the film were mixed-to-warm; the soundtrack drew steady praise from fans for being exactly the road-mix you wanted it to be. Trade blurbs at the time highlighted Arnold’s “sleek, funny” textures and the Working Title-style song craft.

“Intersperses David Arnold’s score with the rock songs appearing in the film.” — album overview

“David Arnold is recording the score.” — pre-release report

“Music supervisor: Nick Angel.” — credits listings

Interesting Facts

• Yes, that’s two versions of “Just the Two of Us” credited on databases — Withers/Washington Jr. is the featured album cut; Grover’s version turns up in some listings.
• “Cantina Band” is credited via a live country-bar cover (Syd Masters) in cue sheets — on-brand fan service.
• ELO turns up twice in common indexes (“Don’t Bring Me Down,” “All Over the World”), doubling the movie’s retro-pop wink.
• The UK album streeted earlier (Feb 2011) than the US CD (April 2011), a quirk confirmed in discographic entries.
• Arnold’s “Road Trip” cues are deliberately short — bridges between big, singable source songs.

Technical Info

• Title: Paul — Music from/Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Year: 2011 (albums; film)
• Type: Various-artists + original score hybrid
• Composer: David Arnold
• Music Supervisor: Nick Angel
• Labels: Universal Music TV (UK); Hip-O/UMe (US) — 22 tracks (approx. 59 minutes on streaming)
• Representative songs/cues: “Another Girl, Another Planet” (The Only Ones); “Just the Two of Us” (Bill Withers & Grover Washington, Jr.); “Hello It’s Me” (Todd Rundgren); “Dancing in the Moonlight” (King Harvest); “Flying Saucers Rock ’n’ Roll” (Billy Lee Riley); “Planet Claire” (The B-52’s); Arnold’s “Paul Opening Title,” “Road Trip #1/#2,” “Campfire Confessions,” “End of the Road Trip.”
• Film credits (sel.): Dir. Greg Mottola; Writ. Simon Pegg & Nick Frost; Stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader; Voice: Seth Rogen.

Questions & Answers

Is there a single “official” album?

Two aligned editions: UK/Europe (Music from the Motion Picture) and US (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), both mixing songs with David Arnold’s cues.

Who supervised the songs?

Nick Angel — the Working Title music hand behind Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and more.

What plays over the Comic-Con opening?

“Another Girl, Another Planet” by The Only Ones — a jangly mission statement for the trip.

Are all the songs on the album in the film?

Yes for the headliners above; cue sheets and the compilation line-up sync closely, with a few database-only alternates and cover credits noted by collectors.

Is there a score-only release?

No separate wide release; Arnold’s cues are woven into the hybrid album(s) and the streaming edition.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: label press listing; MusicBrainz release group; Discogs master & US release pages; streaming album page; credits listings (Metacritic/IMDb); pre-release scoring note; soundtrack indexes (ringostrack / charts).

November, 18th 2025