"Secretariat" Soundtrack Lyrics

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"Secretariat (Music & Songs from the Motion Picture)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What does “inevitable” sound like? In Secretariat (2010), it sounds like a gospel choir pushing daylight through a racetrack tunnel and a symphonic theme that breaks into a full gallop. The film braids classic soul and gospel (“I’ll Take You There,” “Oh Happy Day”) with Nick Glennie-Smith’s orchestral score and a tender end-credits original performed by AJ Michalka.

Arrival → adaptation → rebellion → collapse: Penny Chenery steps into her father’s stable, learns the business under pressure, refuses to flinch at the gate, and finally breaks records as myths catch up to fact. Musically the movie moves from carols and hymns (home, ritual) to jubilee-soul (resolve in public) to a score that surges when the gates spring. It’s a clean, uplifting palette—nothing ironic, everything earnest.

Distinctives? It’s a score-forward picture with a few strategically placed source songs. The soundtrack never drowns the hoofbeats; it paces them. According to the film’s credits and trade coverage, Glennie-Smith’s music was built tightly to picture, with big-air themes saved for the Triple Crown stretch runs.

Genres & themes by phase — Hymn/choral: family, ritual, faith under strain. Southern soul & roots: grit with grace. Orchestral fanfare & elegy: legacy, destiny, and the clean line of a horse in stride.

How It Was Made

Composer: Nick Glennie-Smith reunites with director Randall Wallace (they paired earlier on We Were Soldiers) for a melodic, brass-and-strings score that treats each race like a miniature overture—nervy ostinatos, then lift. Wallace also co-wrote the end-credits song “It’s Who You Are,” performed by AJ Michalka.

Songs strategy: a handful of period and spiritual cues—The Staple Singers’ “I’ll Take You There,” The Edwin Hawkins Singers’ “Oh Happy Day,” carol textures (“Silent Night”)—plus Kentucky standards (“My Old Kentucky Home”). The end-credits single gives the film its take-home benediction.

Tracks & Scenes

“I’ll Take You There” — The Staple Singers
Where it plays: Needle-drop over a build-confidence stretch as Penny leans into tough decisions and the barn turns hopeful. Non-diegetic; cut to smiles and movement.
Why it matters: Communal resolve in three minutes—the lyric fits Penny’s stubborn grace.

“Oh Happy Day” — The Edwin Hawkins Singers
Where it plays: Celebration montage and post-victory release; crowd sound rides the choir’s swells. Non-diegetic but mixed like a public cheer.
Why it matters: Gospel as permission to feel the triumph.

“Silent Night” — AJ Michalka
Where it plays: A quiet domestic interlude during holiday time—characters breathe amid pressure; the carol underscores tenderness and resolve.
Why it matters: Softens the film’s edges; recalibrates the stakes to family.

“My Old Kentucky Home” — University of Kentucky Wildcat Marching Band
Where it plays: Derby pageantry—crowd, hats, brass; the needle-drop feels like bluegrass ritual captured on tape.
Why it matters: Places us in Kentucky without a single establishing caption.

“It’s Who You Are” — AJ Michalka
Where it plays: End credits (and in promo materials). The lyric wraps Penny’s ethos—identity before outcome.
Why it matters: A gentle, modern coda; the film’s values sung simply.

Score: “Myth, Power and Beauty” — Nick Glennie-Smith
Where it plays: Thematic statement cue; you hear it in the film’s big race passages—the score goes widescreen as Secretariat finds open track.
Why it matters: Announces the movie’s thesis: the race is craft and miracle at once.

Score: “Finding Their Stride” — Nick Glennie-Smith
Where it plays: Mid-film training/race montage—string ostinatos and brass pulses sync with hoof rhythm.
Why it matters: Turns statistics into drama; the groove of a barn coming together.

Score: “Coming Home” — Nick Glennie-Smith
Where it plays: Post-triumph exhale; memory, family, and the farm’s quiet after noise.
Why it matters: Moves the movie from win to meaning.

Notes & Trivia

• Composer credit on the film is Nick Glennie-Smith; he and Randall Wallace previously collaborated on We Were Soldiers.
• “It’s Who You Are” was written by Wallace and released as a single performed by AJ Michalka; a music video appears on home media.
• Key licensed songs include The Staple Singers’ “I’ll Take You There,” The Edwin Hawkins Singers’ “Oh Happy Day,” and “My Old Kentucky Home.”
• Fan/score circles often trade a 30-plus-track promo of Glennie-Smith’s score; no wide commercial score album was issued at release.

Music–Story Links

When Penny absorbs a setback, the movie retreats to hymns—faith as ballast. When she pushes forward, soul grooves nudge the frame wider; the world starts to applaud. And when the gates slam open, Glennie-Smith’s brass takes over: racing scenes ride a cresting theme that doesn’t just accompany Secretariat—it measures him. The end-credits song then folds the public myth back into a private credo.

Reception & Quotes

Critics called the film “rousing” and “squarely traditional,” and several singled out how the big-hearted score turns the Belmont stretch into goosebumps. Fan chatter continues to praise the end-credits single as a neat summary of the film’s spirit.

“The whole movie feels authentic.” one veteran critic wrote

“A clean, confident orchestral push that makes the last race soar.” a score watcher noted

Interesting Facts

• “It’s Who You Are” is available as a 2010 single; the DVD/Blu-ray includes its music video.
• “My Old Kentucky Home” appears twice in credits listings—once as pageantry, once as a separate choral/march rendition.
• The film’s soundtrack stack is short on quantity by design; it leaves room for race ambience and commentary.
• Score cue titles (“Finding Their Stride,” “Fore!”, “Coming Home”) practically story-board the movie for listeners.
• The Staple Singers drop functions as a mood switch—after that needle-drop, the barn scenes feel lighter and braver.

Technical Info

• Title: Secretariat
• Year: 2010
• Type: Feature film — original score + selected licensed songs
• Composer: Nick Glennie-Smith
• Key licensed songs: “I’ll Take You There” (The Staple Singers); “Oh Happy Day” (The Edwin Hawkins Singers); “Silent Night” (AJ Michalka); “My Old Kentucky Home” (Univ. of Kentucky Wildcat Marching Band); “It’s Who You Are” (AJ Michalka; end credits)
• Album status: End-credits single released; the score circulates via promo/online postings rather than a wide commercial album at the time.
• Trailer: Official trailers widely available; the US cut spotlights the score’s main theme over race footage.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score?

Nick Glennie-Smith, whose brass-and-strings writing anchors the race set-pieces.

What song plays over the end credits?

“It’s Who You Are,” written by Randall Wallace and performed by AJ Michalka.

Is there a full commercial soundtrack album?

Not broadly at release—collectors share a lengthy score promo; the AJ Michalka single was officially issued.

Which classic soul/gospel tracks show up?

“I’ll Take You There” (The Staple Singers) and “Oh Happy Day” (The Edwin Hawkins Singers), among a small set of period/standard cues.

What do the score cue titles tell us?

Quite a lot—titles like “Finding Their Stride” and “Coming Home” mirror the film’s momentum and denouement.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Subject	Relation	Object
Randall Wallace	directed	Secretariat (2010)
Nick Glennie-Smith	composed score for	Secretariat
AJ Michalka	performed	“It’s Who You Are” (end-credits single)
Randall Wallace	wrote	“It’s Who You Are” (lyrics/music, with project oversight)
The Staple Singers	performed	“I’ll Take You There” (feature placement)
The Edwin Hawkins Singers	performed	“Oh Happy Day” (feature placement)
University of Kentucky Wildcat Marching Band	performed	“My Old Kentucky Home” (Derby pageantry)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures	distributed	Secretariat

Sources: IMDb soundtrack credits; DVD/Blu-ray track rundown; Apple Music single page; official trailers (YouTube); film page & credits; score cue lists circulated among collectors/track sites.

November, 27th 2025

'Secretariat' is an American biographical drama film produced and released by Walt Disney Pictures, written by Mike Rich and Sheldon Turner with music by Nick Glennie-Smith and directed by Randall Wallace. Read more on Wikipedia and read reviews on IMDb

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