"Spirited" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Spirited (Soundtrack from the Apple Original Film)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Review

What happens when a full-throttle Christmas musical asks whether even a guy labelled “unredeemable” can get a second chance and expects you to tap along? Spirited (Soundtrack from the Apple Original Film) answers with big-band brass, Broadway-sized choruses, and a surprising amount of melancholy threaded through the tinsel. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s songs turn this modern riff on A Christmas Carol into a wall-to-wall musical, where almost every major plot beat arrives riding a hook.

The album tracks mirror the movie’s emotional arc: workplace-Christmas giddiness in That Christmas Morning Feelin', Present’s midlife crisis in Present’s Lament, Clint’s showman swagger in Bringin’ Back Christmas, and the existential gut punch of Unredeemable. It is very much a musical-numbers score rather than a “quiet underscoring” one — big choirs, key changes, tap-break energy. When it works, songs like the rowdy Victorian insult song Good Afternoon and finale Do a Little Good feel like instant additions to the modern holiday playlist. When it does not, you still get spectacle: dozens of dancers, splashy modulations, and ghosts who clearly rehearse all year.

Genre-wise, the soundtrack moves in phases. Early cues lean on Broadway pop and brassy big-band writing to sell the bureaucratic afterlife — musical theatre sheen standing in for tradition and routine. Clint’s numbers tilt toward pop-rock and advertising-jingle slickness, underlining his spin-doctor cynicism. The ballads (The View from Here, Unredeemable) borrow classic show-tune structure to dig into regret and self-doubt, while the closing stretch folds in gospel-tinged ensemble writing and even a tiny alt-hip-hop edge, framing redemption as something noisy, messy, and communal rather than solemn.

How It Was Made

Spirited goes all-in on being a musical, which meant building almost an entire Broadway score from scratch. Songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote a dozen original numbers (with contributions from Sukari Jones, Mark Sonnenblick, and Khiyon Hursey), while Dominic Lewis handled the orchestral score. Executive music producer Ian Eisendrath pushed the cast to sing live on set as much as possible, then blended those takes with studio vocals so the performances felt tied to the acting rather than pasted on later. Music supervisor Linda Cohen threaded in familiar holiday needle-drops — Brenda Lee, Elton John, Vince Guaraldi — to keep one foot in classic Christmas-movie territory.

Choreographer Chloé Arnold stages the songs like full production numbers: tap breaks in puddles, flashlight formations, snow-covered crowd scenes, and a cobblestone riot for Good Afternoon. Republic Records released two companion albums on the film’s Apple TV+ launch day: the vocal soundtrack and Lewis’s score, both mixed to feel big and “stagey” even on headphones. Add in a Record Store Day 12-inch single and later sing-along screenings, and the music was clearly designed to live beyond the film.

Tracks & Scenes

This section walks through the standout numbers and major needle-drops, focusing on where they land in the story and what they actually do for the characters. Timestamps are approximate from the Apple TV+ cut.

“That Christmas Morning Feelin’” (Will Ferrell, Patrick Page, Sunita Mani, Tracy Morgan & The Spirited Ensemble)

Where it plays:

Around 00:05:00, the film opens on the Ghost of Christmas Present and the afterlife team finishing another successful redemption. The number explodes across the ghostly bureaucracy: desks slide, files fly, and the ensemble pours through office corridors and snowy streets as they celebrate the yearly “save.” It is non-diegetic in the sense that it swells beyond realistic space, but characters clearly experience and participate in it.

Why it matters:

It sets the rules. The song introduces the organization, the idea of one targeted soul per year, and Present’s addiction to that “Christmas morning feeling.” Musically, it establishes the show’s upbeat Broadway-pop palette and the motif that will return in the curtain call.

“Present’s Lament” (Will Ferrell)

Where it plays:

At about 00:10:00, Present leaves an HR meeting where retirement is gently suggested. Alone in the office, he drifts into song, pacing past glowing case files and half-decorated cubicles. The number feels semi-diegetic: he sings as if alone with his thoughts, but the orchestration swells as the camera glides around him and the afterlife stacks.

Why it matters:

This is the midlife crisis song. It reveals that Present could have retired long ago and is terrified of facing Earth again. The big, yearning melody undercuts the bubbly opening and hints that the story will redeem him as much as Clint.

“Bringin’ Back Christmas” (Ryan Reynolds & The Spirited Ensemble)

Where it plays:

Around 00:15:00 at a National Association of Christmas Tree Growers convention, marketing guru Clint Briggs hijacks the podium. He starts with a slick corporate speech before the floor literally becomes a stage. Dancers in branded scarves spin through neon-lit trees while Clint jumps on signage and strolls through the crowd, turning a keynote into a full pop spectacle. The song is diegetic within the fantasy logic of the haunt, blurring between his bravado and the ghosts’ staging.

Why it matters:

The number introduces Clint as a charismatic manipulator who sells outrage as a product. The horns and jingle-like chorus parody commercial Christmas cheer while revealing why the ghosts think affecting him could “change the world’s algorithm.”

“Tiny Ripple” / “Ripple” (Will Ferrell, Sunita Mani, Tracy Morgan, Patrick Page & Ensemble)

Where it plays:

At roughly 00:22:00, Present pitches Clint’s case to Jacob Marley and the other spirits. He starts a short, comedic version of a song about how one changed man can create a “ripple” through the world, only to be shut down mid-number by a weary Marley. Later, the full song appears as Ripple (Cut Song) over the closing credits, where Present finally finishes his thesis with a complete choreography sequence among the afterlife staff.

Why it matters:

In-story, the interrupted version is a running joke about how over-the-top Present is. In the credits, it becomes a manifesto for the film’s optimistic worldview: small acts of decency ripple outward, even from ghosts who once needed redemption themselves.

“The View from Here” (Octavia Spencer)

Where it plays:

At about 00:27:00, Kimberly, Clint’s overworked head of communications, sits alone late at night in her glass-boxed office. City lights flicker behind her as she steps away from her desk and walks the corridors, singing about the lonely vantage point of the person who spins everyone else’s stories. Present watches, invisible, from the sidelines and catwalks. The song is non-diegetic but staged as if she is confessing to herself.

Why it matters:

The ballad widens the point of view beyond Clint and Present. Musically softer and more introspective, it frames Kimberly as an emotional anchor — the one who will eventually choose conscience over career.

“The Story of Your Life (Marley’s Haunt)” (Patrick Page & Ryan Reynolds)

Where it plays:

Around 00:35:00, lights flicker in Clint’s chic apartment and Jacob Marley appears in full, dusty chains. As Clint tries to dismiss the haunting, Jacob rolls out a darkly comic patter song, pulling out scrolls and files that chart Clint’s greatest moral offenses. The walls stretch, spectral figures appear behind frosted glass, and Clint gets literally dragged through the verses.

Why it matters:

This is the curtain-raiser for the actual Dickens-style haunt. The song packages exposition — Clint’s sins, the three-ghost structure — into a vaudeville-tinged showpiece tailored to Patrick Page’s rumbling bass.

“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (Brenda Lee)

Where it plays:

Right after Jacob’s initial scare, around 00:38:00, the film cuts from spectral horror back to the human world. Brenda Lee’s classic bursts in over a montage of festive city life and Clint’s public profile as a lovable troublemaker. The track plays as radio-style source music while we see decorations, social media clips, and holiday ads.

Why it matters:

The needle-drop anchors the film firmly in the canon of cozy Christmas movies, contrasting its nostalgic warmth with Clint’s cold, calculated business persona.

“Für Elise Piano” (Sean Wiggins & Zane Taylor)

Where it plays:

At about 00:57:00, Clint revisits key childhood memories. A delicate piano arrangement of Beethoven’s theme plays on a stereo in the background — ostensibly source music in the scene, but mixed loud enough to color the flashback as Present guides him toward a “kicker” memory.

Why it matters:

The familiar melody acts like a lullaby turned ache. It supports the idea that Clint’s cynicism grew from older wounds rather than pure greed.

“Good Afternoon” (Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell & The Spirited Ensemble)

Where it plays:

Around 01:03:00, the Ghost of Christmas Past takes Clint to Victorian London, where he sees how a politician weaponized a simple phrase as a vicious dismissal. Present and Clint tumble into a full-scale music-hall riot, complete with Reynolds’ deliberately bad Cockney accent, tap dancing on toppled walls, mobs waving newspapers, and even a Dame Judi Dench cameo in the chaos. It is diegetic within the vision but performed like a showstopper staged for the camera.

Why it matters:

The song is pure comic release and meta-joke about how language can be spun. It also quietly shows Clint learning how a tiny phrase — or a tweet — can poison public space, teeing up his later change of heart.

“Step into Christmas” (Elton John)

Where it plays:

At about 01:09:00, Clint wakes in his apartment during a lavish holiday party. Elton John’s classic is blasting from another room as guests mingle, pose for photos, and gossip about his latest PR wins. The track is purely diegetic, the kind of playlist choice a brand-obsessed consultant would make.

Why it matters:

It underlines how commercial and performative Clint’s world is. Even his parties feel like ad campaigns set to a greatest-hits playlist.

“Santa Baby” (Maria Z)

Where it plays:

Roughly 01:12:00 in, Clint’s older brother talks about him while the sultry cover of Santa Baby plays under the conversation. Kimberly arrives, sharing a charged look with Present as the music wraps the scene in ironic flirtiness.

Why it matters:

The cue plays against the dialogue, highlighting how transactional Clint’s personal relationships have become. The suggestive tone contrasts with Kimberly’s growing discomfort with his tactics.

“The Story of Your Life (Clint’s Pitch)” (Ryan Reynolds & Will Ferrell)

Where it plays:

At about 01:15:00, Clint flips the script and tries to recruit Present as a real-world business partner. In a warehouse-like space between haunt set-ups, he launches into a fast sales-pitch duet about rebranding Present’s entire afterlife operation. Sets slide in and out like mock-ups while Present imagines a different kind of life.

Why it matters:

This is the hinge where the haunter becomes a potential client. The jaunty melody makes the idea of “turning haunting into a business” sound almost reasonable, tempting Present toward retirement.

“Unredeemable” (Will Ferrell & The Spirited Ensemble)

Where it plays:

Around 01:24:00, Present stands alone in a memory space, surrounded by ghostly projections of his past as Ebenezer Scrooge. The room darkens, snow drifts in, and the ensemble joins in like echoes of people he failed. The ballad starts as a quiet soliloquy and swells into a choral plea as he asks if someone like him can ever truly change.

Why it matters:

It is the emotional peak of the album, reframing the story so Clint’s arc gives Present hope for himself. The soaring bridge makes the big question explicit: are some people beyond saving, or is redemption a daily choice?

“The View from Here (Riverwalk)” (Octavia Spencer & Will Ferrell)

Where it plays:

At about 01:35:00, after Present takes retirement and wakes up human, he and Kimberly stroll along the Manhattan waterfront. Christmas lights reflect in the water as they confess their fears in a duet, trading verses and harmonies. Street noise fades and the world narrows to the two of them on the riverwalk.

Why it matters:

The reprise reframes Kimberly’s earlier solo in a hopeful key. It locks in their relationship and gives Present a human stake in the story beyond the ghostly mission.

“Funeral Dirge” (Benj Pasek & Justin Paul)

Where it plays:

Around 01:38:00, the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come leads Clint to a bleak winter funeral after Wren’s classmate dies by suicide following an online pile-on. A darkly comic yet unsettling dirge underscores the mourners and the too-small coffin as Clint watches the consequence of his “it’s just engagement” philosophy.

Why it matters:

The cue bridges comedy and horror. It leans into macabre humor, but the subject matter lands hard, forcing Clint to confront the human cost of weaponized virality.

“Do a Little Good” (Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, Patrick Page, Sunita Mani & Tracy Morgan)

Where it plays:

At roughly 01:51:00, after Clint sacrifices himself to push Present out of the path of a bus, the two burst into song in the middle of a New York street. Time seems to bend: pedestrians join in the choreography, the ghosts reappear, and the city becomes a giant chorus line. By the final verse, real-world bystanders are helping people, picking up trash, and making small kindnesses as the lyrics urge everyone to “do a little good.”

Why it matters:

This is Clint’s redemption anthem and the film’s thesis. Musically, it fuses all the earlier styles — big-band, gospel-ish choir, catchy pop chorus — to argue that everyday decency is as dramatic as any haunt.

“That Christmas Morning Feelin’ (Curtain Call)” (Ensemble)

Where it plays:

At about 01:59:00, the story wraps and the film slides straight into a meta curtain call. The whole cast, living and spectral, floods an afterlife soundstage, repeating and remixing the opening number. Clint and Present joke about how to pronounce “reprise” as dancers cycle through big flourishes and bows.

Why it matters:

It closes the circle. The reprise shows that the ghosts still run their annual operation, but with Clint now inside the system, pushing for more ethical “targets.” It also turns the film into a stage show in miniature.

“Ripple (Cut Song)” – Credits Version (Will Ferrell, Sunita Mani, Tracy Morgan, Patrick Page & Ensemble)

Where it plays:

Around 02:03:00, an additional credits tag brings us back to Present in the afterlife cafeteria. He finally gets to finish Ripple properly, roaming between tables, dragging in coworkers, and even addressing Jacob directly as lyrics spell out how one changed person can start systemic change.

Why it matters:

It is an Easter egg for musical-theatre fans and a wink at how overstuffed the film already is. Cutting it from the main runtime but leaving it on the soundtrack gives the album a little extra “bonus track” glow.

Other Notable Needle-Drops & Cues

Where they play:

Across the film, classic Christmas cuts like Joy to the World, kids’ covers of It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, jazzy arrangements of O Christmas Tree, and Vince Guaraldi’s Linus and Lucy and Charlie Brown Theme pop up in parties, lobby music, and background TV. A playful original cue called Blansky’s Redemption underscores the opening success story, while The View from Here (Kimberly’s Turn) functions as an extended character-focused version of her ballad in some releases.

Why they matter:

These tracks tether the wildly new material to decades of Christmas-movie sound. They also let the film comment on how recycled, commercialized holiday sounds coexist with genuinely new stories about change.

Notes & Trivia

• The film’s internal “Tiny Ripple” gag and the full Ripple credits number mean the score technically has more story songs than are used in the main narrative.
• Present’s songs often start in cramped offices or liminal spaces, then blow open into enormous sets, mirroring his longing to break out of a rigid job description.
• Clint’s first big number, Bringin’ Back Christmas, is staged like a marketing reel. His last, Do a Little Good, is shot like a spontaneous flash-mob he did not plan, tracking his move from control to vulnerability.
• Kimberly’s ballads consistently place her near windows, glass, or water, underlining that she is always watching but rarely being seen.
• The score album by Dominic Lewis fills in the many joke beats between songs, often quoting fragments of That Christmas Morning Feelin' or Unredeemable as character motifs.

Reception & Quotes

Critics were split but rarely bored. Some felt the Pasek and Paul score tipped toward “too many songs” and complained that a few melodies blur together, while others praised the sheer density of musical ideas and how numbers like Good Afternoon and That Christmas Morning Feelin' lodge themselves in your head. Almost everyone agreed that Chloé Arnold’s choreography and the cast’s commitment helped sell material that might otherwise feel like pastiche.

Among musical-theatre fans, the album quickly picked up a following for its mix of earnest show-tune ballads and meta-comedy, and the Hollywood Music in Media Awards nomination for Do a Little Good gave the finale a bit of awards-season shine. A later Nickelback cover of Unredeemable, released online with Ryan Reynolds’ involvement, turned that song into a small cult favorite outside the film’s usual audience.

The tunes come thick and fast, sometimes more humbug than hum-along, but the energy rarely dips.

Empire, on the film’s musical overload

Many songs feel more like exuberant set-pieces than confessional solos, but they’re undeniably diverting when paired with the choreography.

TheWrap, on the soundtrack’s style

Good Afternoon ties the film back to Dickens with a raucous, music-hall wink and a chorus that lingers.

Live for Films, on the breakout comic number

The melodies may be uneven, yet Arnold’s dazzling tap-hip-hop-jazz mash-ups keep the musical sequences alive.

The New York Times, on the staging

The main vocal soundtrack and Dominic Lewis’s score are available on major streaming platforms and digital stores. Republic Records also issued a CD edition and a limited 12-inch vinyl single pairing That Christmas Mornin’ Feelin' with Do a Little Good, plus a later full-album LP pressing for collectors.

Interesting Facts

• Two separate albums dropped on the same day as the Apple TV+ release: the vocal soundtrack and the full orchestral score, both under the Republic Records banner.
• Do a Little Good was pushed as the awards song and nominated at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards for Best Original Song in a Feature Film.
• Ryan Reynolds later revealed that Nickelback recorded a playful cover of Unredeemable to celebrate the movie becoming Apple TV+’s most-watched film at the time.
• The film’s sing-along theatrical re-release leaned heavily on the soundtrack’s call-and-response choruses, with on-screen lyrics helping audiences join in on numbers like Good Afternoon.
• The phrase “Good afternoon” itself sparked online debates about whether it was ever truly an insult in Victorian England, mirroring the film’s obsession with how language can be spun.
• Several of the musicians on the album, like guitarist Dillon Kondor and bassist Bobby Wooten, previously worked with Pasek & Paul on other projects such as The Greatest Showman and Dear Evan Hansen.
• The MusicBrainz entry for the album links it directly to the film’s IMDb page, reflecting how tightly the release is tied to the movie rather than being a loose “songs inspired by” compilation.

Technical Info

• Title: Spirited (Soundtrack from the Apple Original Film)
• Year: 2022
• Type: Original motion picture soundtrack album (with companion score album)
• Primary songwriters: Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (with additional writing by Sukari Jones, Mark Sonnenblick, and Khiyon Hursey on select numbers)
• Score composer: Dominic Lewis (on the separate score album Spirited (Score from the Apple Original Film))
• Executive music producer: Ian Eisendrath
• Music supervision: Linda Cohen (feature needle-drops and clearances)
• Label: Republic Records (under license from Apple Video Programming LLC)
• Core vocal cast on album: Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer, Patrick Page, Sunita Mani, Tracy Morgan, Andrea Anders, Marlow Barkley, Jen Tullock & The Spirited Ensemble
• Notable original placements: That Christmas Morning Feelin' (opening/curtain call), Bringin’ Back Christmas (tree-growers convention), Good Afternoon (Victorian London fantasia), Unredeemable (Present’s crisis), Do a Little Good (final street-wide redemption)
• Key additional songs in film: Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee), Step into Christmas (Elton John), Santa Baby (Maria Z), themes from A Charlie Brown Christmas, and various carols and kids’ versions of holiday standards.
• Release context: Film premiered in select US cinemas 11 November 2022 and streamed globally on Apple TV+ from 18 November 2022; albums released digitally and on CD the same day, with selected vinyl issues following (including a Record Store Day Black Friday single).
• Availability: Streaming on major music platforms (Apple Music, Spotify, etc.), digital purchase stores, CD via retail partners, and limited vinyl editions.
• Associated film: Spirited (2022), a Christmas musical comedy directed by Sean Anders and written by Anders and John Morris.

Key Contributors

Questions & Answers

Is Spirited a full musical or just a holiday film with a few songs?

It is absolutely a full musical. Across twelve original numbers plus needle-drops, major plot beats, character turns, and even jokes are delivered through song.

How many original songs are on the main Spirited soundtrack?

The vocal album features twelve original songs, from the opening That Christmas Morning Feelin' to the credits piece Ripple (Cut Song), all written by Pasek and Paul with select co-writers.

What is the difference between the soundtrack and the score album?

The soundtrack album focuses on vocal numbers performed by the cast, while the separate score album by Dominic Lewis contains instrumental cues and thematic underscoring heard between songs.

Which song received awards attention from the soundtrack?

Do a Little Good, the big finale duet-turned-ensemble, was nominated for Best Original Song in a Feature Film at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards.

Where can I listen to or buy the Spirited soundtrack today?

It is available on major streaming services, digital download stores, CD releases, and select vinyl editions, including a Record Store Day single featuring two of the key tracks.

Sources: Wikipedia – Spirited (soundtrack); Wikipedia – Spirited (film); Vague Visages – Soundtracks of Cinema: Spirited; Republic Records and Apple Music album pages; MusicBrainz release group; selected reviews from Empire, TheWrap, The New York Times, Live for Films; LA Times and AwardsDaily coverage of songs; Entertainment Weekly and Collider coverage of the Nickelback cover.

November, 27th 2025