"Storks" Soundtrack Lyrics

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"Storks (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What happens when an indie-folk singalong meets a cartoon chase scored like a feather-weight heist? Storks answers with a bright, surprisingly tender soundtrack that treats slapstick and sentiment as two sides of the same delivery label. The score leans playful and percussive, while smart needle-drops give comic side-characters their swagger and the finale its lump-in-throat lift.

Composers Mychael and Jeff Danna stitch together brisk cues that mirror the movie’s pace — sprint, pause, hug, repeat — while a handful of pop/alt tracks drop in at pressure points: REO Speedwagon for pint-sized wish-making, The Heavy for Pigeon Toady’s flex, Talking Heads for a breezy interlude, and Vance Joy to carry the soaring end-montage. The Lumineers’ original “Holdin’ Out” buttons the experience with a warm bow over the credits.

Genres & themes in phases — orchestral caper writing signals problem-solving and workplace chaos; plucky acoustic/folk textures underline vulnerability and found-family; big, beat-forward pop (Derulo, DNCE in marketing) telegraphs pure fun; a classic-rock power ballad (“Keep On Loving You”) winks at earnest, kid-written longing. It’s a family film that uses style as subtext: glossy pop = momentum, indie grit = heart, vintage rock = sincerity.

How It Was Made

Directed by Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland, the film’s original score comes from brothers Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna. Their approach favors compact cues (often under two minutes) that can pivot tone on a dime — perfect for animated timing. WaterTower Music released the 30-track album, with The Lumineers contributing the end-credits original “Holdin’ Out.” Marketing leaned on additional songs (Jason Derulo’s “Kiss the Sky,” Fitz and The Tantrums cuts) to amp trailers without overloading the film proper. Music editorial (supervising and score editing) helped thread licensed moments through tightly cut sequences, including the wolves’ set-pieces and Pigeon Toady’s gag scenes.

Tracks & Scenes

“Keep On Loving You” (REO Speedwagon)

Where it plays:

Around the 25:55 mark, Nate drafts his letter and drops it at Cornerstore’s rooftop post — a heartfelt, slightly goofy declaration scored by classic-rock sincerity. The placement reads diegetic-adjacent in tone (not source-on-screen) yet feels like the kid’s inner mixtape blasting.

Why it matters:

Turns his “wish” into a power ballad manifesto, motivating the plot’s baby-ordering inciting incident.

“How You Like Me Now?” (The Heavy)

Where it plays:

About 16:58, Pigeon Toady clocks Junior and Tulip calming the baby. The cue slinks in as a swagger theme for Pigeon’s meddling, non-diegetic but cut to his body language — chin up, feathers puffed, attitude for days.

Why it matters:

Gives a comic side-villain his entrance music, punctuating the film’s workplace-satire thread with funk-brass bravado.

“And She Was” (Talking Heads)

Where it plays:

On the road, while Junior and Tulip juggle baby Diamond’s needs en route to the boat. Non-diegetic needle-drop layering locomotion with airy guitars; the sequence breathes between slapstick spikes.

Why it matters:

Turns travel montage into character bonding; a buoyant, gently ironic counterpoint to logistical chaos.

“Fire and the Flood” (Vance Joy)

Where it plays:

Finale montage: storks fan out to deliver babies worldwide. The song swells over intercut families opening doors — an unabashed emotional crest. Non-diegetic, timed to slow-motion reveals and smiles.

Why it matters:

Provides catharsis — melody as airborne tailwind — unifying the film’s found-family thesis.

“Holdin’ Out” (The Lumineers)

Where it plays:

Credit-roll original. After the big release of the finale, this folk-pop tune settles the pulse, carrying viewers out with handclaps and close-mic’d vocals. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Custom-written for the project, it’s the album’s sing-along signature and the only non-score cut on the official release.

“Good Day” (DNCE) — trailer/marketing

Where it plays:

Used prominently in film marketing beats rather than the core album. Big, bouncy groove to sell hijinks.

Why it matters:

Sets expectation of a party-tempo caper, even as the film itself leans more on orchestral beats.

“Kiss the Sky” (Jason Derulo) — trailer/marketing

Where it plays:

Powers major trailers with a “launch” energy; not on the score album. Think jet-fuel chorus over quick-cut gags.

Why it matters:

The lyric hook (“kiss the sky”) mirrors the aerial imagery and the storks’ delivery mythology.

Score cues (Mychael & Jeff Danna)

Where they play:

“Stork Mountain,” “The Baby Factory,” “Wolf Pack,” “A Million Babies” — compact, rhythmic cues that snap to edit points: conveyor belts hiss, wolves morph into bridges and boats, chases pivot on pizzicato and quirky percussion.

Why they matter:

They keep kinetic sequences readable, then pull back for intimacy (soft strings/woodwinds) in family beats.

Notes & Trivia

• The official album is almost entirely score — only “Holdin’ Out” (The Lumineers) appears as a non-score track.
• Several fan-favorite songs heard in the film (REO Speedwagon, Talking Heads, The Heavy, Vance Joy) are not on the released album.
• “Kiss the Sky” was cut into trailers and features in the film’s promotion, but wasn’t included on the soundtrack release.
• In Japan, pop artist AI’s “Heiwa” served as the local theme.
• Marketing also tapped Fitz and The Tantrums (“The Walker,” “HandClap”) — instrumentals and edits included.

Music–Story Links

• When Nate writes his letter (“Keep On Loving You”), the power-ballad earnestness reframes a kid’s scribble as a destiny-setting vow.
• Pigeon Toady’s “How You Like Me Now?” needle-drop injects character POV — he hears himself as a headline act, so the scene plays like a music-video glare.
• “And She Was” floats over road-trip caretaking, easing tension while Junior and Tulip practice accidental parenting.
• “Fire and the Flood” turns the global delivery montage into communal ritual — a chorus of cutaways stitched into one emotional arc.

Reception & Quotes

Critics called the score “nurturing” and functional, with praise for pop placement payoff in the finale. Audience chatter often singles out the last-reel song’s goosebumps and Pigeon Toady’s swagger cue.

“A nurturing, understated score by brothers Mychael and Jeff Danna.” — The Hollywood Reporter

“Highly energized… all noise and no fun.” — Variety

“Struts his stuff to The Heavy… highly entertaining.” — Richer Sounds Blog

Availability: WaterTower Music’s digital release (30 tracks) is on major platforms. Physical CDr promos/copies circulate among collectors; retail CD availability has been spotty.

Interesting Facts

• Hollywood’s “composer brothers” theme: the Dannas also scored other 2016 releases, underlining a busy awards-season run.
• The finale song choice (“Fire and the Flood”) wasn’t on the album — a frequent rights/album-scope decision for family films of the period.
• Trailer music swaps (Derulo/Fitz & The Tantrums) helped sell momentum without locking those cuts to the album.
• REO Speedwagon’s classic rock needle-drop is used to sell sincerity from a child’s POV — a cheeky generational crossover.
• Raffertie’s remix of “How You Like Me Now?” circulated on listings alongside the original, reflecting alternate edit options.
• Japanese marketing localized with a bespoke theme (“Heiwa”), a common practice for family animation in that territory.

Technical Info

• Title: Storks (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2016
• Type: Film soundtrack — primarily original score
• Composers: Mychael Danna, Jeff Danna
• Music editors / supervision (select): Supervising music editor credit and additional music roles documented in production notes; trailer music editing leveraged external artists.
• Notable placements (in film, not on album): “Keep On Loving You” (REO Speedwagon), “How You Like Me Now?” (The Heavy), “And She Was” (Talking Heads), “Fire and the Flood” (Vance Joy)
• Album label: WaterTower Music (digital release; 30 tracks)
• Release context: Album issued the week before U.S. theatrical release
• Availability/format notes: Streaming widely; promotional CDs exist; the sole non-score song on album is The Lumineers’ “Holdin’ Out.”

Questions & Answers

Why aren’t all the movie’s songs on the album?

Licensing scope and album concept: WaterTower opted for a score-forward release. Several licensed cuts sit outside that package.

What song plays over the big delivery montage?

“Fire and the Flood” by Vance Joy — a non-album placement that powers the emotional climax.

Which song is Pigeon Toady’s swagger track?

“How You Like Me Now?” by The Heavy — timed to his preening and snooping antics.

Is the trailer anthem on the album?

Jason Derulo’s “Kiss the Sky” fuels trailers/marketing but isn’t on the soundtrack album.

What unique original song should I know?

The Lumineers’ “Holdin’ Out,” written for the film and used over the end credits.

Key Contributors

Entity	Relation
Mychael Danna	Co-composer — wrote original score cues
Jeff Danna	Co-composer — wrote original score cues
The Lumineers	Performed “Holdin’ Out” — end credits
Vance Joy	“Fire and the Flood” — finale montage placement (not on album)
The Heavy	“How You Like Me Now?” — Pigeon Toady scene
REO Speedwagon	“Keep On Loving You” — Nate’s letter scene
Talking Heads	“And She Was” — road/travel beat for Junior & Tulip
WaterTower Music	Label — released the official soundtrack
Nicholas Stoller; Doug Sweetland	Directors — shaped tone and music placement

Sources: WaterTower Music release notes; AllMusic album page; Apple Music listing; Wikipedia (film & soundtrack sections); WhatSong scene index; MoviesOST trailer & placements; Hollywood Reporter & Variety reviews; Richer Sounds blog note.

Storks – how much time do they deliver babies throughout the world? Centuries? Long millennia? Aren’t they tired of their job, how do you think? According to the opinion of this cartoon (well, in fact, it is an animated movie), they find what they do tiresome & thus, reconfigured their Storks Delivery Inc. (or whatever type of ownership this company has) in a delivery of everything but babies. Of course, there is one stork guy, who is totally out of this system and – you guess it right – the system eventually changes to fit him. There is many humor, not tiresome jokes & in general, this is a light family comedy, when two people overcome a line of artificially created, just for the plot’s sake, obstacles, which make them closer eventually. As for the music – it has light mood & the most part is of alternative way, like ethno, folk or a new wave (for example, neo-soul by Fitz And The Tantrums) or otherwise mixing of the genres (like pop-funk by Jason Derulo or Experimental pop ‘And She Was’ by Talking Heads). Only one song stands out of the crowd with its alcohol-containing lyrics – Good Day, a funk-pop by DNCE. The rest is sober-oriented & some of them are even inspiring (like ‘The Walker’ by Fitz and The Tantrums). Do you remember the recent African-American gangster’s film Keanu? It was about a little kitten, which was saved in an extremely hilarious way by two morons? They are Key & Peele’s TV show creators with the same family names. What is awesome? They play here too, voicing the wolves, which fall in love with a little child. They do so much – acting, writing, producing… If they would sing, their lyrics would be much better, we suppose, than of many of recent days black performers. We wish this film to gross over USD 0.1 billion & as of the day of this review, it already has 77% of the amount.

November, 27th 2025

Storks on Imdb.com, Read about Storks on Wikipedia, Movie page on Rottentomatoes.com

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