"Sympathy For Delicious" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Sympathy for Delicious (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What happens when a paralyzed turntablist discovers he can heal others — but not himself? The soundtrack answers with cracked-glam rock, Montreal post-rock textures, and bruised hymns that turn miracle-making into a hangover. It’s a collision of swagger and conscience: club grit, faith-tinged motifs, and a fictional band that actually rips.

Director Mark Ruffalo taps The Besnard Lakes for an aching, guitar-and-organ score that keeps the film grounded while the story lurches from skid row clinics to metal stages. Around those cues, the licensed cuts do character work — The Kills purr for nocturnal L.A.; Do Make Say Think supply meditative hangtime; a Bee Gees classic shows up as a melancholy punchline. Meanwhile the in-movie group — delightfully named Burnt the Dipthongs — supplies diegetic brawlers written with help from Omar Rodríguez-López and performed (in-universe) by Orlando Bloom, Juliette Lewis, DJ Disk, Cedric Bixler, and Deantoni Parks. All of it frames Dean “Delicious D” O’Dwyer’s uneasy slide from street to spotlight.

Genres in phases: post-rock — doubt, reflection; garage/alt-rock — temptation, ego; dirge-metal swagger — fame as false sacrament; gospel/blues fragment — yearning; classic pop — irony and aftermath.

How It Was Made

The Besnard Lakes composed and performed the original score after Ruffalo temp-tracked with Montreal post-rock, then courted the band for a custom approach. For the on-screen group, Ruffalo recruited Omar Rodríguez-López to craft songs that a charismatic but chaotic frontman could sell — with Orlando Bloom channeling a Brit-rock peacock and Juliette Lewis supplying feral stage energy. Music supervision fell to Howard Paar, who also produced the soundtrack release. Lakeshore Records issued the album commercially.

Tracks & Scenes

“Playing for Nina” (Burnt the Dipthongs feat. Cedric Bixler, Orlando Bloom, DJ Disk, Juliette Lewis, Omar Rodríguez-López & Deantoni Parks)

Where it plays:

Audition/tryout energy as the band works up material for ruthless manager Nina Hogue (Laura Linney). It’s diegetic — amps, attitude, and a room that smells like sweat and bad coffee.

Why it matters:

Shows Dean’s talent weaponized by other people’s ambition. The groove sells the contract as a seduction instead of a business decision.

“Mark’s Master” (Burnt the Dipthongs …)

Where it plays:

Rehearsal-to-stage montage that pivots Dean from skid row healer to hype machine. Diegetic; the camera rides cymbals and crowd-surge.

Why it matters:

The title’s jab about control lands; who’s steering — the priest, the manager, or the market?

“The Healing Song” (Burnt the Dipthongs …)

Where it plays:

Concert sequence where the band baits faith into spectacle. Stage smoke, outstretched hands, and a riff that bullies the moment. Purely diegetic.

Why it matters:

Turns miracle into merchandise; a ferocious mirror held up to Dean’s gift.

“U.R.A. Fever” (The Kills)

Where it plays:

Night-driving montage through grimy Los Angeles blocks — neon reflected in windshield glass. Non-diegetic cool-that-cuts.

Why it matters:

Gives the film its stalker pulse; desire and danger smeared together.

“Auberge le Mouton Noir” (Do Make Say Think)

Where it plays:

Early reflective passage as Dean weighs the cost of asking for help. Non-diegetic; long-limbed drums and guitars stretch time.

Why it matters:

Post-rock patience = spiritual patience. It lets the story breathe.

Score cues by The Besnard Lakes — “Dean Wakes,” “Dean Ponders,” “End of 1st Day of Healings,” “Wages of Fame”

Where it plays:

Threaded throughout: morning-after regret, clinic lines, backstage cooldowns, hospital corridors. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Haunted organ and guitar shimmer tie the film’s rough edges to Dean’s private conscience.

“El Mago Cardona” (Xocoyotzin Herrera)

Where it plays:

Street-corner vignette near Skid Row — a fleeting human-scale sound amid the hustle. Mostly diegetic ambience.

Why it matters:

Re-centers the film in the neighborhood Dean risks abandoning.

“I Started a Joke” (Bee Gees)

Where it plays:

Late-film/credits placement — a bittersweet curtain as consequences settle.

Why it matters:

The lyric’s rueful arc pairs perfectly with a story about gifts you can’t control.

Notes & Trivia

• The Besnard Lakes wrote and performed the film’s original score after Ruffalo temped with Montreal post-rock.
• On-screen band Burnt the Dipthongs features (in credits/recording) Cedric Bixler, Omar Rodríguez-López, Deantoni Parks, DJ Disk — with Orlando Bloom and Juliette Lewis performing in character.
• Howard Paar handled music supervision and co-produced the soundtrack.
• Label: Lakeshore Records — commercial release in June 2011.
• The soundtrack mixes score cues with licensed songs by The Kills, Do Make Say Think, and the Bee Gees.

Music–Story Links

When Dean first tries the band on for size, “Playing for Nina” treats ambition like gasoline — loud, flammable, irresistible. “Mark’s Master” frames the machinery behind his gift; the song’s grind makes exploitation feel inevitable. At the shows, “The Healing Song” blurs faith and commerce, with the crowd’s chant swallowing doubt. After each high, Besnard Lakes cues (“Wages of Fame,” “End of 1st Day of Healings”) pull us back to aftermath — hospital fluorescents and moral hangovers. Finally, “I Started a Joke” closes the loop: confession, not applause.

Reception & Quotes

Critics split on the film but agreed the music world felt vivid — sometimes pointed, sometimes parodic — and the soundtrack landed as its own curiosity: post-rock reveries meeting swaggering, fictional-band bangers.

“Original score by Montreal rockers The Besnard Lakes … plus songs by Do Make Say Think, The Kills, and the Bee Gees.” Release coverage

“Underground music component is an often tone-deaf caricature.” Los Angeles Times

“Music: The Besnard Lakes; music supervisor, Howard Paar.” Variety (Sundance review credits)

Interesting Facts

• Two releases quoted: Press noted a June 7, 2011 street date; Apple lists June 28, 2011 for digital — both under Lakeshore.
• Band name: “Burnt the Dipthongs” is the film’s joke-moniker; the album uses that spelling.
• Mars Volta family tree: Rodríguez-López/Bixler/Parks bring their rhythmic DNA to the band cuts.
• Trailer cue spotlight: “U.R.A. Fever” by The Kills doubled as a marketing tone-setter.
• On-camera swagger: Orlando Bloom reportedly borrowed attitude from 90s Brit-rock frontmen.

Technical Info

• Title: Sympathy for Delicious (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2011 (film premiered 2010; U.S. release 2011)
• Type: Film soundtrack — score by The Besnard Lakes + various artists / diegetic band recordings
• Composer: The Besnard Lakes
• Music Supervision: Howard Paar (also soundtrack producer)
• Label: Lakeshore Records
• Release notes: Reported June 7, 2011 street date; Apple/retail list June 28, 2011 digital
• Selected placements: Burnt the Dipthongs — “Playing for Nina,” “Mark’s Master,” “The Healing Song”; The Kills — “U.R.A. Fever”; Do Make Say Think — “Auberge le Mouton Noir”; Xocoyotzin Herrera — “El Mago Cardona”; Bee Gees — “I Started a Joke”.
• Availability: Streaming/download widely; original CD/digital via Lakeshore.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score?

Montreal’s The Besnard Lakes — their shimmering guitars and organ anchor Dean’s interior life.

Who’s in the movie’s band?

Burnt the Dipthongs: in credits/recordings you’ll see Cedric Bixler, Omar Rodríguez-López, Deantoni Parks, DJ Disk — with Orlando Bloom and Juliette Lewis in character.

What label released the soundtrack?

Lakeshore Records, June 2011 (CD/digital).

Is “I Started a Joke” really in there?

Yes — the Bee Gees’ classic caps the album as a rueful coda.

What song drives the club-night vibe?

The Kills’ “U.R.A. Fever,” plus multiple snarling diegetic cuts by the in-film band.

Key Contributors

Sources: Apple Music album page; Lakeshore Records retail listings; The Playlist soundtrack announcement; IMDb soundtrack & credits pages; Variety (Sundance review credits); Los Angeles Times review; Reverse Shot review; Rotten Tomatoes page; Gulf News feature on Bloom’s rocker inspiration; trailer on YouTube.

November, 27th 2025