"There's Something About Mary" Soundtrack Lyrics

“There’s Something About Mary (Music From the Motion Picture)” – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Review

Can a rom-com soundtrack be both a mixtape and a musical? There’s Something About Mary comes close. It stitches late-90s alt-pop and power-lounge to a running Greek-chorus gag — troubadour Jonathan Richman and drummer Tommy Larkins keep popping up onscreen to sing the movie’s feelings out loud.

The album leans jangly and hooky: Ivy’s breathy indie shimmer, The Lemonheads’ sugar-rush, The Dandy Warhols’ cool stride, Joe Jackson’s sharp classic, and a show-stealing end-credit sing-along to The Foundations’ “Build Me Up Buttercup.” In the film, songs mostly ride under montage or credits while Richman/Larkins handle the diegetic winks. It’s a neat split: needle-drops for vibe, troubadours for punchline and plot punctuation.

Genres & themes, in phases: alt-rock jangle — infatuation and chase; lounge/big-beat — Miami gloss and irony; vintage pop-soul — communal catharsis; busker interludes — meta-narration. Thesis: the movie sells obsession; the music sells charm.

How It Was Made

The soundtrack arrived mid-July 1998 on Capitol/EMI, curated around scenes and trailers rather than chart calculus. The Farrelly brothers built a running gag with Richman/Larkins playing musical narrators (a nod to Cat Ballou), while the compilation gathered contemporary cuts (Ben Lee, The Dandy Warhols, Ivy, The Lemonheads) plus catalog ringers (Joe Jackson, Danny Wilson, The Foundations). Propellerheads & Shirley Bassey’s “History Repeating” provides a cocktail-cool sheen that matched the film’s marketing beats.

Unlike scores that dominate, Mary uses minimal underscore: the personality is in the songs and the troubadours. The album sequencing mirrors that — short Richman cues as palate cleansers between fully formed pop tracks.

Tracks & Scenes

Key placements and how they play (story order). Timings vary by cut; descriptions reflect on-screen context.

“There’s Something About Mary” (Jonathan Richman)

Where it plays:

Opens the film with Richman & Larkins perched in a tree, serenading the title character and popping up later (golf course, street corners) as a cheeky Greek chorus. Diegetic — they exist in the world — and they return for the finale gag.

Why it matters:

Turns the soundtrack into a running joke and a narrative device — love, literally, has a theme singer.

“Every Day Should Be a Holiday” (The Dandy Warhols)

Where it plays:

Early stretchers and montage beats, underscoring Ted’s reset and the sun-drenched tone. Non-diegetic background cut, used to set pace between comic set pieces.

Why it matters:

That lazy-cool motor says “it might work out this time” — a tonal promise the movie keeps breaking for laughs.

“This Is the Day” (Ivy)

Where it plays:

Prominently tracked in multiple Miami passages — drive-bys, scene changes, and Mary-centric montage moments. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Breathy, bittersweet pop that frames Mary’s world with light instead of leering.

“If I Could Talk I’d Tell You” (The Lemonheads)

Where it plays:

Pre-date “pep talk” banter between Ted and Dom, playing under dialogue as Ted anxiously prepares. Non-diegetic background.

Why it matters:

A perfect nervous-energy loop — confessional lyrics under bad advice.

“Everything Shines” (The Push Stars)

Where it plays:

On Pat Healy’s Miami cruise — a windshield view of his “new man” confidence drive. Non-diegetic, needle-drop montage feel.

Why it matters:

Irony engine: the sunny rock strut sells how sure Healy is… right before the plot humbles him.

“History Repeating (Knee Length Mix)” (Propellerheads feat. Shirley Bassey)

Where it plays:

Stylish interstitials and promo usage; in-film, it lends that lounge-big-beat snap to Miami nightlife moments. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Retro-futurist polish that makes Mary feel upscale even when jokes go low.

“Mary’s Prayer” (Danny Wilson)

Where it plays:

Restaurant/romance connective tissue — a slyly on-the-nose 80s staple humming under a date-night beat. Non-diegetic.

Why it matters:

Title pun, sure, but also the movie’s thesis: everyone is praying for Mary, in their way.

“Build Me Up Buttercup” (The Foundations)

Where it plays:

End-credits curtain call: cast and crowd sing/dance along as the film releases all its chaos into a communal, grinning outro. Non-diegetic, full-screen karaoke vibe.

Why it matters:

One of the great credit buttons of the 90s — an instant memory warm-up for audiences leaving the theater.

Also heard / notable needle-drops & cues

• Ben Lee — “How to Survive a Broken Heart”: early montage color for Ted’s lovelorn mindset.
• Joe Jackson — “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”: classic bite to underscore the rivals’ merry-go-round.
• Lloyd Cole — “Margo’s Waltz”: softer interlude texture within the Miami stretch.
• Jonathan Richman — “True Love Is Not Nice” & “Let Her Go Into the Darkness”: brief in-world stingers, keeping the chorus gag talking back to the plot.

Notes & Trivia

• The album hit stores the week of the film’s July 1998 release on Capitol/EMI; AllMusic logs the street date as July 14, 1998.
• Richman & Larkins’ on-screen narrator idea was inspired by the singing duo device in Cat Ballou.
• Ivy’s “This Is the Day” was so visible in the movie that it helped trigger a label shift and a single push later in 1998.
• Only a handful of songs are foregrounded in-film; most album cuts function as scene glue or marketing color.
• “Build Me Up Buttercup” (1968) becomes a 1998 crowd-pleaser again thanks to the film’s end-credit sing-along.

Reception & Quotes

Retrospectives credit the film with pairing big laughs to a legitimately replayable alt-pop compilation; critics and fans still call out the credits sing-along as an all-timer.

“One of the better 90s soundtrack comps — jangle and cheek in equal measure.” AllMusic overview

“A 20th-anniversary reminder that the Richman device made the comedy sing.” Billboard feature

“End credits: The Foundations turn the theater into karaoke.” Fan and clip documentation

Interesting Facts

• Greek chorus gag: Richman & Larkins exist in the story world and even get caught in the finale’s stray gunshot joke.
• Radio ripple: Ivy’s “This Is the Day” picked up fresh U.S. radio life after its film placement.
• Promo polish: “History Repeating” gave trailers/TV spots a swanky snap that contrasted the movie’s crude gags.
• Alt-pop time capsule: Lemonheads, Dandys, Ivy, Danny Wilson, Push Stars — a neat snapshot of 90s adjacent tastes.
• Credits catharsis: “Buttercup” reframes the whole movie as a big, goofy sing-along — maximum crowd goodwill.

Technical Info

• Title: There’s Something About Mary (Music From the Motion Picture)
• Year: 1998
• Type: Film soundtrack — various artists + original interludes by Jonathan Richman
• Curatorial concept: 90s alt/indie selections with in-film troubadour cameos
• Label: Capitol / EMI (CD; later digital)
• Signature placements: Opening/chorus stingers by Jonathan Richman; montage cuts by The Dandy Warhols, Ivy, Lemonheads; Healy’s Miami drive to The Push Stars; end credits to The Foundations

Questions & Answers

Who’s responsible for the movie’s “singing narrator” gag?

Jonathan Richman (with drummer Tommy Larkins) — they appear in-scene, serenading the story like a cheeky Greek chorus.

What song plays over the end credits?

“Build Me Up Buttercup” by The Foundations — the cast joins in for a curtain-call sing-along.

Which tracks define the movie’s alt-pop vibe?

Ivy’s “This Is the Day,” The Lemonheads’ “If I Could Talk I’d Tell You,” The Dandy Warhols’ “Every Day Should Be a Holiday,” plus Joe Jackson’s classic “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”

Is “History Repeating” actually in the film or just in marketing?

It’s on the official soundtrack and used around the film’s Miami-gloss moments; it also helped shape the promo tone.

What label released the album and when?

Capitol/EMI released it the week of the July 1998 opening; AllMusic lists July 14, 1998.

Key Contributors

Sources: AllMusic (album page & release info); Discogs (credits/label); Wikipedia (film & soundtrack overview); Billboard 20-year retrospective; SoundtrackInfo Q&A; IMDb soundtrack page; Ivy’s single history; Push Stars posts; trailer/end-credits clips.

November, 29th 2025