"Space Between Us " Soundtrack Lyrics

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"The Space Between Us — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2017)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What happens when a Mars-born kid hears Earth for the first time? The Space Between Us — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack answers with warm indie-pop, late-night alt, and a homesick score that keeps looking up. The film (released February 3, 2017) follows Gardner’s leap from a secret childhood on Mars to an improvised road trip across the American West. The music’s job: bottle wonder, ache, and oxygen-thin firsts.

Arrival → adaptation → rebellion → collapse: the album traces it closely. We arrive with shimmering optimism (Ingrid Michaelson’s originals), adapt through restless, city-lit cues (Crystal Fighters, BØRNS), rebel with open-road anthems (BANNERS, James Bay), and collapse into Lockington’s intimate strings and piano, where decisions hurt and heal. Styles mapped to meaning: alt-pop & indie — bright innocence; open-road rock — escape velocity; neo-classical score — breath, doubt, and gravity.

How It Was Made

STX/Sony’s soundtrack pairs Andrew Lockington’s original score with choice needle drops and two new Ingrid Michaelson songs (“Smallest Light,” “Stay Right Where You Are”). The commercial album streeted digitally January 27, 2017 (CD the week of release), while a separate score edition highlights Lockington’s cues in sequence. According to the label rollout and press notes, vinyl followed later with the same hybrid concept — songs plus score highlights.

Tracks & Scenes

“Smallest Light” — Ingrid Michaelson
Where it plays: Tulsa rides home on her motorcycle early in the film; city lights smear the frame as the melody turns the night into possibility (~opening third).
Why it matters: A thesis in miniature — tiny hope against big distance; it becomes Gardner’s emotional compass.

“At Home” — Crystal Fighters
Where it plays: Bus-to-high-school sequence: Gardner eats a Mars bar and steps into Tulsa’s world; the beat flips “alien” into “teen” (~first act).
Why it matters: Signals the movie’s gear-shift from sci-fi to meet-cute, without breaking tone.

“10,000 Emerald Pools” — BØRNS
Where it plays: Diner respite — the pair huddle over a tablet, sharing clues and glances (~first half).
Why it matters: Lustrous synths = new senses coming online; attraction sneaks in.

“Shine A Light” — BANNERS
Where it plays: Burger-in-the-car scene under hot-air balloons; the sky turns into a promise (~mid-film).

“Need the Sun to Break” — James Bay
Where it plays: 1:30:00 — road to Summerland. Montage energy softens; the song’s ache fits the long drive.
Why it matters: The most on-the-nose lyrical mirror — a plea for warmth and time.

“Stay Right Where You Are” — Ingrid Michaelson
Where it plays: Their first kiss — quiet, right before the plot speeds up again (~late second act).
Why it matters: The film’s gentlest emotional landing pad; Michaelson writes straight to the characters’ fear of losing a moment.

“Domingo” — Gotan Project
Where it plays: Gardner first encounters Tulsa at her high school — a tango-tinged needle that lends swagger to awkward beginnings (~early first act).

“Oh, Caro Sollievo” — Maeve Palmer & Andrew Lockington
Where it plays: A classical vocal vignette used as an on-screen cultural beat; it punctures the road-movie texture with a formal glow.

“Hold Back the River” — James Bay
Where it plays: End credits — modern folk-rock benediction after the last plot turn (around 2:03:00).

Score cues — Andrew Lockington
“I Want to Go to Mars,” “Meet Gardner,” “First Skype,” “The Rover,” “Coming to See You,” “No One Has to Know,” “Biplane” — modular motifs that track curiosity → connection → consequence; piano and chamber textures stretch and tighten with Gardner’s chest.

Notes & Trivia

• The album blends songs and score; a stand-alone score release also exists for purists.
• Two originals by Ingrid Michaelson were written for the film: “Smallest Light” and “Stay Right Where You Are.”
• Digital release hit January 27, 2017; the movie opened February 3, 2017, with CD and later vinyl following.
• Lockington’s cue titles (“I Want to Go to Mars,” “Meet Gardner,” etc.) read like chapter cards for Gardner’s inner life.
• Yes, that’s tango-electro (Gotan Project) briefly sneaking into a high-school hallway.

Music–Story Links

“At Home” reframes Gardner’s arrival as teen comedy rather than sci-fi spectacle — confidence via rhythm. “10,000 Emerald Pools” and “Shine A Light” push the road trip from plan to feeling; they’re postcards in 4/4. When “Need the Sun to Break” rolls, the romance tilts toward fear — running out of time on Earth. Lockington’s cues thread between these stations; the quieter they get, the less oxygen remains. And Michaelson’s kiss-cue answers the movie’s core worry: don’t move, just be here.

Reception & Quotes

While the film drew mixed notices, the music earned warm nods for giving the YA sci-fi premise a human pulse. As one rollout note put it, the album balances “original songs by Ingrid Michaelson” with Lockington’s score, making a listenable standalone. And according to the label’s release plan, the hybrid tracklist went live a week before theaters to build familiarity.

“A hybrid album that plays like a road-trip mixtape with a string-scored heart.” — album-guide line

“Michaelson’s contributions feel custom-fitted — sweet without syrup.” — soundtrack capsule

Interesting Facts

• Song & score on one disc: the main album carries seven songs plus a suite of Lockington cues; a separate score album offers deeper cuts.
• First-week strategy: dropping the soundtrack ahead of release seeded the film’s romance beats on playlists.
• Classical curveball: “Oh, Caro Sollievo” gives the road movie a sudden, graceful detour.
• Trailer music: the widely-seen trailer used bespoke trailer cues (not on album) from The Hit House.
• Geography of sound: diner pop, bus headphones, desert skies — placements lean diegetic to keep us with the kids.

Technical Info

• Title: The Space Between Us — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (main album); The Space Between Us — Original Motion Picture Score (separate)
• Year / Type: 2017 — Film soundtrack (songs + score selections) and dedicated score album
• Composer: Andrew Lockington
• Key songs: “Smallest Light,” “Stay Right Where You Are” (Ingrid Michaelson); “At Home” (Crystal Fighters); “10,000 Emerald Pools” (BØRNS); “Shine A Light” (BANNERS); “Need the Sun to Break” & “Hold Back the River” (James Bay); “Domingo” (Gotan Project)
• Labels: Sony Music Masterworks / STX Recordings (soundtrack & score)
• Release window: Digital January 27, 2017; U.S. theatrical February 3, 2017; CD same week; vinyl later
• Availability: Streaming/download (region dependent); physical formats in select markets

Questions & Answers

Is there more than one album?

Yes — a hybrid “songs + score” soundtrack and a stand-alone score album focused on Andrew Lockington’s cues.

Which song covers the first kiss?

Ingrid Michaelson’s “Stay Right Where You Are.”

What plays over the end credits?

James Bay’s “Hold Back the River.”

What’s the bus-to-high-school needle drop?

“At Home” by Crystal Fighters.

When did the soundtrack come out?

Digitally a week before the U.S. theatrical release in early 2017; physical followed.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Subject	Relation	Object
The Space Between Us (film)	music by	Andrew Lockington
The Space Between Us — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack	released by	Sony Music Masterworks / STX Recordings
Ingrid Michaelson	wrote & performed	“Smallest Light”; “Stay Right Where You Are”
Crystal Fighters	needle-drop	“At Home”
BØRNS	needle-drop	“10,000 Emerald Pools”
BANNERS	needle-drop	“Shine A Light”
James Bay	needle-drop	“Need the Sun to Break”; “Hold Back the River”
Gotan Project	needle-drop	“Domingo”
Maeve Palmer & Andrew Lockington	perform	“Oh, Caro Sollievo”

Sources: Film Music Reporter; Sony/Spotify listings; Discogs; IMDb Soundtracks; Soundtrakd scene logs; Secret Road (artist note); STXfilms trailers.

This is a romantic thing, which will be loved by teenagers of the entire planet. Imagine that: there was a person born on Mars, a boy that wasn’t planned to be, but he was. In 16 years, he was raised on the different planet in our solar system, which was colonized by that time (something around 2040) and somehow he returned to Earth, by stealing the small space shuttle and headed towards the International Space Station. And oh – there was a girl, with whom he was chatting through the years – from Mars, using some kind of space Internet (obviously, provided by Tesla corporation by that time, why not?). Upon arrival, he found her and of course, they fled from everyone, and once she recognized he wasn’t lying to her (that he was from Mars), she fell in love with him even more than she was before. There were hardships, of course as physically, he couldn’t make love, as his heart wasn’t raised on Earth and has sometimes incapable of pumping even the blood in the normal state, not mentioning about the excitement and running. But after all, they overcame the obstacles and she flies with him on Mars to start a new colony of people there. Or at least, we would love to think so. The same romantic and not really predictable as the movies, the soundtrack also diverges. BORNS and BANNERS along with two other performers that already have the clips attached – Crystal Fighters and James Bay – are the same youthful, lyrical, unpredictable, interesting, exciting, and charming. The musical hallmark of this film is startling clips combined with faded lyrics. That goes for every single piece. Which is pitiful – you expect something amazing in lyrics from such great pieces like ‘At Home,’ ‘10,000 Emerald Pools’ or ‘Smallest Light.’ But is just isn’t happening. So we have to receive enjoyment from the film itself.

November, 27th 2025

"The Space Between Us" on the Web: IMDb, RottenTomatoes.com, Wikipedia

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