"Stuck in Love"Soundtrack Lyrics

"Stuck in Love (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack / Score)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What happens when a family of writers treats love like material — and music supplies the margin notes? Stuck in Love answers with a diarist’s honesty and a mixtape’s nerve. The soundtrack leans indie and intimate, a collage of tender score cues and sharp needle-drops that sketch the Borgens clan: Bill clinging to the past, Erica testing the future, Samantha avoiding mess, Rusty sprinting toward it.

Across one holiday-to-holiday year, songs behave like annotations: a bright guitar figure softens a hard admission, a late-night ballad opens a door that dialogue can’t. The original score by Mike Mogis and Nathaniel Walcott threads everything together — guitar, piano, light percussion — as if you’re turning pages in the characters’ journals. Then the placements (Conor Oberst, Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes, Bill Ricchini, Friends of Gemini) give each chapter a temperature.

Genres & themes in phases: indie folk & chamber pop — vulnerability and reflection; college-bar alt-rock — bravado and flirtation; classic singer–songwriter hues — confessions and reckonings; minimalist score — the quiet “after” when choices land.

How It Was Made

Writer–director Josh Boone built a music-forward drama, inviting a cohesive palette rather than a jukebox free-for-all. Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis and Nathaniel Walcott composed, arranged, performed, and produced the score — then nudged the world of songs to feel like it naturally lives in the Borgens’ homes, cars, and classrooms.

Music supervision paired literary motifs with indie textures, clearing album cuts and commissioning new material. The soundtrack arrived in two flavors: a Writers Playlist–style “songs + select cues” album and a separate score release, with physical editions for collectors.

Tracks & Scenes

Selected song placements with scene context and approximate timing. (Diegetic = heard by characters.)

“A Mountain, A Peak” (Bill Ricchini)

Where it plays:

~00:15. In Rusty’s room and on the roof, he and Samantha trade apologies while he sneaks a smoke. The guitar shimmer feels like early-summer air. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Establishes the siblings’ détente and Rusty’s romantic idealism; a breezy tone over guarded feelings.

“Are We Just Doomed” (SKATERS)

Where it plays:

~00:29–00:30 at a bar. Lou clocks Samantha from across the room and tries to derail her interest in the band’s frontman. Diegetic (band PA).

Why it matters:

Scruffy post-punk swagger vs. Sam’s defenses — the cue frames Lou’s earnestness as a risk worth hearing.

“No Time to Speak” (Bear Driver)

Where it plays:

~00:25 party sequence. Rusty watches Kate, jealousy brewing; after a confrontation he swings at her boyfriend. Diegetic then bleeds into score.

Why it matters:

Party-glow indie gives way to impulsive fallout, mirroring Rusty’s first, messy stab at chivalry.

“Shattered Ideals” (Score — Mogis & Walcott)

Where it plays:

Bathroom at the party as Rusty discovers Kate’s drug use. Non-diegetic, close-miked and tense.

Why it matters:

Undercuts romance with reality — fragile motifs for a fragile girl.

“Between the Bars” (Elliott Smith)

Where it plays:

Car scene with Lou and Samantha, late evening. She asks his favorite song; the hush of Smith’s voice wraps the conversation. ~00:?? mid-film. Diegetic (car stereo).

Why it matters:

A trust exercise in song form. Smith’s intimacy becomes the vocabulary of their courtship.

“Martian Rings” (Jesse Voccia)

Where it plays:

~00:30 in a bar; Lou attempts to keep Sam engaged and away from the lead singer. Diegetic ambience.

Why it matters:

Light, wiry groove echoes Lou’s awkward persistence — endearing, not slick.

“2 That Top / 2 tha Top” (Tarik NuClothes)

Where it plays:

~01:02 during a Dance Central 2 moment at Gus’s/Erica’s; Rusty and Kate dance, laughter spilling over. Diegetic (in-game track).

Why it matters:

Pure dopamine — a small oasis before the film’s heavier turns for Rusty and Kate.

“At Your Door” (Mogis & Walcott feat. Big Harp)

Where it plays:

~01:32, first end-credits song. After reconciliations and new beginnings, the track rolls under the first credit cards. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

A purpose-written closer — gentle lift, like setting a bookmark for next year’s chapter.

“Somersaults in Spring” (Friends of Gemini)

Where it plays:

Second end-credits piece, ~01:35 onward. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

A curtain-call coda tying score DNA to a standalone song form.

“I Won’t Love You Any Less” (Nat & Alex Wolff)

Where it plays:

Late-film tender stretch over Rusty’s romantic throughline (non-diegetic). Studio version on the “Writers Playlist.”

Why it matters:

Actor-to-artist synergy — the Wolff brothers’ cut folds youthful point-of-view back into the film’s fabric.

“Will You Be By Me” (Wallpaper Airplanes)

Where it plays:

Plays over an introspective montage near the film’s final passages; returns on the albums. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Floaty, hopeful — the breath after a hard conversation.

Trailer music notes

The US trailers primarily cut to editorial cues from the finished albums and select indie tracks rather than bespoke trailer cues; the official trailer circulated on Movieclips’ channel.

Notes & Trivia

• The film originally played festivals under the more pointed title Writers.
• Two coordinated releases: a “songs + select cues” album and a separate, full score album.
• Physical editions include CD and vinyl; the CD adds bonus tracks not found on the LP.
• Music supervisors co-piloted clearances to land both legacy acts (Elliott Smith) and newly commissioned pieces.
• Nat Wolff’s on-screen role dovetails with a cut by Nat & Alex Wolff on the album — a neat diegetic/extra-diegetic echo.

Music–Story Links

When Sam finally listens — not argues — “Between the Bars” acts like an emotional solvent. Lou isn’t just choosing a song; he’s choosing a tone of conversation. Later, the score’s plaintive guitar figure tiptoes under Bill and Erica’s encounters, letting the dialogue land without melodrama. Rusty’s arc toggles between bright indie party cues and spare score stingers: music literally marks the line between fantasy and the bathroom truth. And the end-credits handoff (“At Your Door” → “Somersaults in Spring”) frames closure as provisional — pages still turning.

Reception & Quotes

Critics were mixed on the film overall, but the soundtrack drew consistent nods for cohesion and mood. Reviewers praised the Mogis/Walcott score and the curation of intimate indie cuts; some flagged a pleasant, if modest, listen on album.

“Solid, likeable; the score cues are the best part — good moments outnumber the mediocre.” — The Vinyl District

“The songs evoke a contemplative atmosphere, conjuring a younger mindset.” — Musoscribe

“Indie-leaning, guitar-based textures that fit an introspective dramedy.” — Entracte

“Mixed film reviews; performances and tone still offer an appealing diversion.” — Rotten Tomatoes critics’ consensus

Interesting Facts

• Two albums, one palette: the “Writers Playlist” (songs + cues) pairs with a dedicated score LP/digital.
• Bright Eyes DNA: Mogis & Walcott bring Bright Eyes’ arrangement instincts to film scoring.
• Festival-to-theatrical rename: from Writers to Stuck in Love between circuit and release.
• Clearance craft: landing Elliott Smith’s “Between the Bars” adds instant character shorthand.
• CD vs. vinyl: the CD pressing includes bonus tracks not on the LP.
• Actor track: Nat & Alex Wolff contribute “I Won’t Love You Any Less,” blurring cast/album lines.
• Cue-as-dialogue: “Are We Just Doomed” effectively becomes Lou’s pickup line substitute.

Technical Info

• Title: Stuck in Love — Soundtrack & Score
• Year: 2013 US release (film 2012; limited US theatrical July 5, 2013)
• Type: Film — romantic comedy-drama
• Composers (score): Mike Mogis; Nathaniel Walcott
• Music supervision: Laura Katz; Andy Ross
• Label: Varèse Sarabande
• Release notes: Digital (May 21, 2013); CD & Vinyl (June 11, 2013)
• Notable placements (selected): “Between the Bars” (Elliott Smith); “You Are Your Mother’s Child” (Conor Oberst); “A Mountain, A Peak” (Bill Ricchini); “At Your Door” (feat. Big Harp); “Somersaults in Spring” (Friends of Gemini)
• Availability: Streaming, digital retail, and collector vinyl; separate score album also available.

Questions & Answers

Is the film’s album one release or two?

Two: a “songs + select cues” album and a dedicated score album released alongside it.

Which end-credits songs play — and in what order?

First “At Your Door” (feat. Big Harp), then “Somersaults in Spring.”

What’s the most pivotal diegetic use?

Lou and Samantha sharing “Between the Bars” in the car — the music is part of the scene’s dialogue.

Who supervised the music?

Laura Katz and Andy Ross co-supervised, coordinating clearances and placements with Boone and the composers.

Was the film always called Stuck in Love?

No — it played early festivals as Writers before release.

Key Contributors

Sources: WhatSong song-by-song listings; SoundtrackRadar scene list; Varèse Sarabande/retailer album pages; MovieMusic/Discogs catalog data; New Releases Now release notes; The Playlist announcement; Rotten Tomatoes pages; Musoscribe review; The Vinyl District review; Filmmusicreporter score notice; Wikipedia (film + soundtrack overview).

November, 27th 2025