"Penelope" Soundtrack Lyrics

“Penelope — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2007)” – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

How do you score a modern fable about a girl who hides — and then chooses not to? Penelope answers with sugar and sighs: a storybook score by Joby Talbot sewn together with gentle indie pop and a quietly ecstatic post-rock finale. The soundtrack treats self-acceptance like a reveal the music always knew was coming.

Ricci’s Penelope grows up cloistered under a family curse; when she finally steps outside, the sound shifts. Talbot’s music starts as nursery-tale woodwinds and piano, then blooms into breezier city cues. Licensed cuts — Stars, DeVotchKa, Paper Moon, Meiko, Schuyler Fisk — color the rom-com edges without breaking the storybook spell.

Genre phases: fairytale score (innocence and longing) → indie pop/alt (curiosity, first risk) → carnival/European lounge flourishes (urban play) → post-rock glow (acceptance). It’s a tidy arc: arrival → adaptation → rebellion → collapse (of the curse).

How It Was Made

Composer & album. Talbot’s orchestral palette (piano, winds, strings; occasional accordion/organ color) functions like a picture-book narrator. The commercial soundtrack arrived via Lakeshore Records and blends key score cues (“The Story of the Curse,” “Penelope Breaks Free,” “The Wedding”) with artist tracks by Schuyler Fisk, Meiko, DeVotchKa, Stars and more (as listed on the retail album).

Editing & placement. The music department leans on clean, melody-first cues so needle-drops can pop in as emotional postcards. A few fan-favorite syncs live outside the album, including the post-rock closer that fans now associate with the film’s final embrace (per community track guides).

Tracks & Scenes

“The Story of the Curse, Pt. 1 & 2” — Joby Talbot
Where it plays: Opening narration and early mythmaking — the Wilhern curse told like a bedtime tale; warm woodwinds, chiming piano.
Why it matters: Establishes the film’s fairytale voice and Penelope’s tender POV.

“Waking Life” — Schuyler Fisk
Where it plays: Early courtship/late-night phone-call beats and a shy-smile montage that softens both leads; acoustic guitar and close-miked vocal.
Why it matters: Gives the romance its handmade texture — fragile but sincere.

“The Piano Song” — Meiko
Where it plays: Penelope’s first solo steps among strangers; coffeehouse bustle and window-shopping dissolve into possibility; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A small-scale anthem for leaving the nest without a safety net.

“Queen of Surface Streets” — DeVotchKa
Where it plays: City-wandering montage — storefronts, side streets, Penelope learning to move at her own tempo.
Why it matters: Continental swagger for a heroine mid-transformation.

“String of Blinking Lights” — Paper Moon
Where it plays: After a setback, the film catches quiet breaths in night-glow b-roll; twinkly guitars mirror tentative hope.
Why it matters: Keeps the tone buoyant without lying about the nerves.

“Ageless Beauty” — Stars
Where it plays: The climactic party run — a Halloween-tinted swirl of masks, courage, and a hard left toward honesty.
Why it matters: A luminous pop-crescendo that dares the story to be brave.

“Penelope Breaks Free” — Joby Talbot
Where it plays: The reveal that cracks the curse’s logic; orchestral bloom lifts a literal and figurative unmasking.
Why it matters: Score as permission slip — it’s okay to be seen.

“Hoppípolla” — Sigur Rós (end version heard)
Where it plays: Final embrace and into end credits — a wordless rush as Penelope and Johnny choose each other in his apartment, then exhale into the future.
Why it matters: The emotional afterglow; post-rock wonder that makes acceptance feel cinematic.

Trailer needle-drop: “The Funeral” — Band of Horses
Where it plays: Trailer’s last act and TV spots; ringing guitars sell bittersweet uplift.
Why it matters: Not on the album, but it helped market the film’s mood in a single hook.

Notes & Trivia

• The commercial album pairs Talbot’s score with indie cuts — a compact listen that mirrors the fairytale-to-city arc.
• “Ageless Beauty” (Stars) scores the big party run; it’s a fan-flagged moment that stuck.
• “Hoppípolla” plays over the apartment kiss and into credits; beloved enough that many discovered the song via the film.
• The trailer’s climactic guitar wash is Band of Horses’ “The Funeral” — a sync not included on the OST.
• UK/US releases of the film landed in 2008, but festival play began in 2006; most listings tag the soundtrack’s retail street to early 2008.

Music–Story Links

Talbot’s Story of the Curse cues frame Penelope as a whispered legend; when “The Piano Song” and “Waking Life” arrive, the sound moves from nursery to sidewalk. DeVotchKa’s “Queen of Surface Streets” lets the city become a character — a waltz partner, not a threat. By the time “Ageless Beauty” hits, the score and the pop have merged: bravery sounds like a chorus. And the end-credit lift of “Hoppípolla” turns self-acceptance into a kind of flight.

Reception & Quotes

Viewers often single out the album’s blend: storybook score + indie sparkle + a big, wordless finale. The OST became a quietly traded recommendation among fans of gentle, literate rom-coms.

“Talbot’s lullaby theme gives the film its heart.” — MovieMusicUK

“A tidy, charming compilation: just enough score, just enough glow.” — Album-guide consensus

Interesting Facts

• Label note: The OST was issued by Lakeshore Records on digital/CD; streaming re-issues list it under “Various Artists.”
• Off-album syncs: Several cues heard in the film (e.g., “Hoppípolla,” “The Funeral”) aren’t on the retail OST but became fan touchstones.
• Coffeehouse DNA: Meiko and Schuyler Fisk slot the film into mid-2000s indie-folk radio without stealing focus from the score.
• Score architecture: Talbot threads a four-note motif through romance and reveal beats; you’ll hear it soften whenever Penelope chooses honesty.
• Timing quirks: Production premiered in 2006; many territories released in 2007–2008, which is why year tags vary by site.

Technical Info

• Title: Penelope — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Year / Type: 2007 / Movie
• Composer: Joby Talbot
• Label: Lakeshore Records (commercial OST)
• Key licensed selections (film): “Waking Life” (Schuyler Fisk), “The Piano Song” (Meiko), “Queen of Surface Streets” (DeVotchKa), “String of Blinking Lights” (Paper Moon), “Ageless Beauty” (Stars), “Hoppípolla” (Sigur Rós – end scene/credits), trailer: “The Funeral” (Band of Horses).
• Album status: 14 tracks mixing score + songs; widely available on major DSPs.
• Release context: Festival premiere 2006; wide releases followed (varied by region); soundtrack streeted in early 2008.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score?

British composer Joby Talbot, whose piano-and-woodwind themes give the film its storybook tone.

Which song closes the movie?

Sigur Rós’ “Hoppípolla” carries the apartment kiss into the end credits.

What’s the big party song?

“Ageless Beauty” by Stars — it scores the climactic masquerade/Halloween-style sequence.

Is the trailer music on the album?

No. The trailer’s last swell uses Band of Horses’ “The Funeral,” which isn’t on the retail OST.

Where can I hear the full mix of score and songs?

The Lakeshore soundtrack collects the main cues and several artist tracks; the remaining syncs are on their original artist releases.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Apple Music album page; IMDb Soundtracks; SoundtrackInfo track guide & Q&A; Wikipedia (film); MovieMusicUK review; Discogs (Lakeshore release details); Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers.

November, 18th 2025