"Someone Like You" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Someone Like You (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2001)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What does a turn-of-the-millennium breakup sound like when the city won’t stop moving? Someone Like You answers with a high-gloss pop/alt mix and a feather-light score: arrival → adaptation → rebellion → collapse, as Jane Goodale (Ashley Judd) goes from swept-off-her-feet to burned-by-theory while Manhattan keeps the tempo.

The retail soundtrack plays like a smart radio hour — Tom Jones & The Cardigans crash the door with “Burning Down the House,” Annie Lennox cools things down with “Train in Vain,” Madness flips on the lights with “It Must Be Love,” and Van Morrison’s “Someone Like You” lands the romantic promise at curtain. Meanwhile, Rolfe Kent’s score threads breezy woodwinds and light percussion between needle-drops, the kind of rom-com glide he’d perfect all decade. As per widely cataloged album listings, the compilation gathers a mix of contemporary and catalog gems, from Shelby Lynne’s “Dreamsome” to The Magnetic Fields’ bite-sized “Absolutely Cuckoo.”

Genres & themes by phase: Brit-pop & modern soul (meet-cutes) → jangly alt & coffeehouse country (doubts) → wry indie miniatures (self-owns) → legacy ballad (resolution).

How It Was Made

Score: Rolfe Kent composed a light, urbane score — brushed drums, pizzicato figures, and sly woodwinds — designed to sit between well-known songs without losing character.

Song curation: The team leaned on high-recognition acts (Madness; Annie Lennox; Tom Jones with The Cardigans; Wynonna Judd) alongside left-field indie cuts (The Magnetic Fields) and Americana warmth (Taj Mahal with The Phantom Blues Band). The result: a soundtrack that feels like a well-thumbed CD wallet from 2001.

Tracks & Scenes

Key placements and how they land (scene-focused; not a full tracklist). Time marks vary by cut; diegetic = heard in-world (radio/TV/party).

“Burning Down the House” — Tom Jones & The Cardigans
Where it plays: Early montage energy as Jane’s world spins up — city cuts, wardrobe snaps, workplace bustle. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A brassy, wink-heavy opener that says this romance is going to have teeth.

“It Must Be Love” — Madness
Where it plays: Meet-cute/rosy-glow stretch; quick-cut city dates and soft-focus smiles. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Classic ska-pop sugar to sell the first-act high.

“Train in Vain” — Annie Lennox
Where it plays: The rug-pull aftermath — Jane’s long walk and shell-shocked errands. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A cool cover of heartbreak to freeze the fallout.

“Absolutely Cuckoo” — The Magnetic Fields
Where it plays: Dating-misfire montage; awkward calls and self-aware quips. Non-diegetic, miniature length.
Why it matters: A 90-second shrug — perfect for rom-com comic beats.

“Dreamsome” — Shelby Lynne
Where it plays: Quiet, late-night regrouping; the apartment turns into a thinking box. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Smoky Americana to give Jane’s theory-spiral some air.

“Woulda Coulda Shoulda” — Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band
Where it plays: Bounce-back errand montage; Jane starts choosing herself again. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Groove and grit — the soundtrack’s shoulder roll.

“You Are” — Wynonna Judd
Where it plays: Tender bridge into late-act vulnerability; conversation turns honest. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Country-pop warmth that softens the edges.

“Someone Like You” — Van Morrison
Where it plays: Final grace note and into end credits; the camera lingers while the promise lands. Non-diegetic/credits.
Why it matters: A wedding-classic ballad used as a curtain-call benediction.

“Habanera” from Carmen — (classical source)
Where it plays: A comedic juxtaposition beat (brief, sourced). Diegetic/source.
Why it matters: High-drama operatic wink inside a modern romance.

Notes & Trivia

• The official soundtrack album compiles marquee artists (Tom Jones & The Cardigans; Annie Lennox; Madness; Van Morrison) with Americana and indie gems.
• Composer Rolfe Kent provides the film’s original score — light, melodic, and dialogue-friendly.
• Indie miniatures like The Magnetic Fields’ “Absolutely Cuckoo” serve as scene buttons rather than full sequences.
• Several classical cues appear briefly in-film (including “Habanera”) as tongue-in-cheek source music.

Music–Story Links

When Jane’s romance feels frictionless, the soundtrack leans on buoyant earworms (“It Must Be Love”). When reality slams shut, a cool-to-the-touch cover (“Train in Vain”) keeps the camera honest. Her theory-writing spree rides indie miniatures for humor and distance, then the film pivots to warmth — Wynonna and Van Morrison — once the script starts telling the truth about what she wants.

Reception & Quotes

Reviews of the film were mixed, but the album drew notice for stacking recognizable names with tasteful deep cuts. The closer — Van Morrison’s “Someone Like You” — remains the cue most listeners recall years later.

“A radio-friendly companion that smooths the film’s pivots without sanding off the jokes.” — album capsules

“Kent’s airy cues keep conversations breathing between the bangers.” — score notes

Interesting Facts

• The album’s opener (“Burning Down the House”) is a Tom Jones/Cardigans collaboration — glossy, cheeky, and very 2001.
• Annie Lennox’s “Train in Vain” is a Clash cover that flips punk nerviness into elegant ache.
• The Magnetic Fields track clocks ≈90 seconds — perfect for montage timing.
• Van Morrison’s “Someone Like You” has a long film life beyond this movie; it’s also heard in multiple ’90s rom-coms.
• The mix balances British and American acts, mirroring the film’s urbane tone.

Technical Info

• Title: Someone Like You (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2001 (film & album)
• Type: Songs compilation + original score
• Composer (score): Rolfe Kent
• Selected featured tracks: Tom Jones & The Cardigans — “Burning Down the House”; Annie Lennox — “Train in Vain”; Madness — “It Must Be Love”; Shelby Lynne — “Dreamsome”; The Magnetic Fields — “Absolutely Cuckoo”; Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band — “Woulda Coulda Shoulda”; Wynonna Judd — “You Are”; Van Morrison — “Someone Like You”
• Label/Album status: Commercial soundtrack release with the above artists; Kent’s score is interwoven around licensed songs.
• Availability: Streaming/digital storefronts; various catalog pages document the track stack.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score?

Rolfe Kent, known for elegant, dialogue-friendly rom-com writing.

Is Van Morrison’s “Someone Like You” in the movie?

Yes — it plays at the end and into the credits, functioning as the film’s benediction.

Which big pop cuts anchor the album?

Tom Jones & The Cardigans (“Burning Down the House”), Annie Lennox (“Train in Vain”), Madness (“It Must Be Love”), plus Americana/indie highlights.

Does the movie use very short songs?

Yep. The Magnetic Fields’ “Absolutely Cuckoo” is a quick, witty scene button rather than a full sequence.

Are there classical pieces too?

Briefly — e.g., the “Habanera” from Carmen appears as tongue-in-cheek source music.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: soundtrack album catalogs and credits; IMDb soundtrack/credits; song-by-scene databases; official trailer channel listings.

November, 27th 2025