"Tick, Tick… Boom! the Movie" Soundtrack Lyrics

“tick, tick… BOOM! (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film)” – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Review

What does panic sound like when it’s tuneful? The film album for tick, tick… BOOM! answers with pop-rock adrenaline, Broadway polish, and a few lovingly cracked edges — exactly right for a composer who’s racing the calendar. Andrew Garfield’s vocals carry the vulnerable center; arrangements punch and pull back like breathwork. The soundtrack doesn’t just collect numbers — it narrates an artistic growth spurt in real time.

Alex Lacamoire, Bill Sherman, and Kurt Crowley reframe Jonathan Larson’s stage score for cinema, folding in archival gems and a brand-new rap interlude (“Play Game”) while keeping the show’s heartbeat intact. “30/90” sprints; “Boho Days” turns a cramped apartment into a choir; “Sunday” explodes into a Broadway dream sequence; “Swimming” literalizes writer’s block until inspiration arrives; “Why” strips everything bare. The album culminates with “Louder Than Words” — less finale than credo. It’s Larson’s voice, newly amplified, and the film knows when to get out of its way.

Genres & themes in phases — pop-rock and synths: momentum vs. dread; choral/Broadway grandeur: community and lineage; R&B gloss and hip-hop: 1990 NYC in the bloodstream; acoustic confessionals: grief, memory, and choosing the work.

How It Was Made

Direction & adaptation: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s feature directing debut reframes Larson’s monologue-turned-three-hander as a memory play with onstage narration and cinematic flashbacks. Screenwriter Steven Levenson threads Larson’s Superbia fragments and real-life ephemera into the narrative.

Music team: Producers/arrangers Alex Lacamoire, Bill Sherman, and Kurt Crowley supervised new film arrangements; Greg Wells mixed the album. Music supervision by Stephen (Steven) Gizicki balanced on-camera performance with clearances for end-credit cuts and archival material. The official album arrived via Maisie Music Publishing/Masterworks Broadway with digital singles (“30/90,” “Louder Than Words”) ahead of release; a CD followed.

Tracks & Scenes

“30/90” (Andrew Garfield, Joshua Henry, Vanessa Hudgens & company)

Where it plays:

Opens the film: Jon at the piano in a club set, freeze-frames, then smash-cuts to 1990 NYC life — diner shifts, a failing answering machine, rehearsal snippets. Non-diegetic performance intercut with diegetic prep.

Why it matters:

Establishes the thesis — time as antagonist — and the film’s concert-frame storytelling.

“Boho Days” (Apartment party ensemble)

Where it plays:

Friends crowd into Jon’s walk-up; counter-melodies bloom from clinking bottles and handclaps. Diegetic singalong that swells into performance.

Why it matters:

Community in a single room — Larson’s tribe, and the show’s oxygen.

“Johnny Can’t Decide” (Garfield, Hudgens, Henry)

Where it plays:

Interior tug-of-war after Susan’s ultimatum and Michael’s corporate pitch; the city blurs as Jon narrates both futures. Performance framing over montage.

Why it matters:

Turns ambivalence into counterpoint — the album’s first big knot.

“Sunday” (Garfield & the Moondance Diner Ensemble, Broadway cameos)

Where it plays:

The Moondance Diner becomes a proscenium in Jon’s mind; orders become arias; the frame shifts to a pointillist homage. Non-diegetic fantasy sprung from diegetic drudgery.

Why it matters:

A love letter to Sondheim and to service-industry artists; lineage meets longing.

“No More” (Garfield & Robin de Jesús)

Where it plays:

Tour through Michael’s luxury building — key fobs, valet, central air — as the friendship flexes between envy and pride. Performance cutting into on-location gags.

Why it matters:

Security vs. risk, in 3 minutes and perfect rhymes.

“Play Game” (Tariq Trotter)

Where it plays:

A slick, 90s-styled rap interlude underscoring Jon’s brush with commercial assignments and focus-group culture — beats, graphics, and anxiety.

Why it matters:

Mirrors the temptation to monetize the muse; a film-only addition that fits the era.

“Therapy” (Garfield & Vanessa Hudgens)

Where it plays:

A lovers’ quarrel becomes a patter duet; split screens and mis-emphasis underline how two people talk past each other.

Why it matters:

Comic fireworks that show the crack — and why “choosing” costs.

“Swimming” (Garfield)

Where it plays:

Blocked and desperate, Jon laps an indoor pool; staff paper appears on the tiles, lyrics float by, the missing song clicks into place. Recorded and staged to keep the vocals live-feeling; intercut with creative epiphany.

Why it matters:

Writer’s block visualized; a cut 1990 number reborn onscreen as a breakthrough moment.

“Come to Your Senses” (Vanessa Hudgens; end-credit single by Jazmine Sullivan)

Where it plays:

At Jon’s workshop, Karessa sings the power ballad from Superbia; later, a full R&B end-credit version arrives as a single.

Why it matters:

The fictional show’s song becomes Jon’s message to Susan — and to himself.

“Real Life” (Robin de Jesús)

Where it plays:

Michael’s confession reframes earlier bravado; the melody sits you down and tells the truth.

Why it matters:

Shifts the film’s center of gravity — friendship takes the spotlight.

“Why” (Garfield)

Where it plays:

At the Delacorte, just voice, piano, and memory. No tricks, no cutaways — just Jon and the city that raised him.

Why it matters:

Everything the movie believes, sung plainly.

“Louder Than Words” (Garfield, Hudgens, Henry & ensemble)

Where it plays:

Finale-turned-epilogue; company joins as Susan narrates the real-world coda. Performance leads into credits.

Why it matters:

Not closure — a charge. The album’s thesis statement.

End credits & extras

“Out of My Dreams” (Veronica Vázquez); “It Only Takes a Few” (The Mountain Goats)

Roof meet-cute callback and post-credit coda; both appear on the album. An archival Larson piano sketch, “Rhapsody,” also appears in-film, with additional rarities surfacing around release.

“Sextet Montage” (single)

Larson’s Superbia fragment, spotlighted in-film as rehearsal, later issued as a standalone track after fan demand.

Notes & Trivia

• Green Green Dress was filmed as a full duet but cut for pacing; the album preserves Garfield/Shipp’s version and Netflix later shared the deleted scene.
• Music supervision credit reads Stephen (Steven) Gizicki; the album credits Maisie Music Publishing and Masterworks Broadway.
• Two lead singles dropped ahead of release: “30/90” and “Louder Than Words.”
• “Play Game” (feat. Tariq Trotter) is film-only — not part of the stage score — and nods to 90s hip-hop aesthetics.
• “Sextet” from Superbia became “Sextet Montage” and was issued after the film’s release.

Reception & Quotes

The film earned raves for performance and concept; coverage repeatedly highlighted the musical staging — the “Sunday” fantasia and the underwater “Swimming” breakthrough — and Garfield’s live-feeling vocals.

“The ‘Sunday’ sequence is a love letter to Broadway lore and to Larson’s imagination.” Feature coverage

“‘Swimming’ turns writer’s block into cinema — and he sings it underwater.” Reporting & craft notes

“Garfield’s voice serves character first; the album keeps that honesty.” Interviews & reviews

Interesting Facts

• Concert bones: The film keeps the stage-show’s “onstage narrator” device — you hear the band count-ins and room tone on purpose.
• Archival rescue: Several Larson pieces came from Library of Congress tapes; a few appear only as underscore in the film.
• Bonus tracks with purpose: The end-credit “Come to Your Senses” (Jazmine Sullivan) and the cut “Green Green Dress” honor fan-favorite moments.
• Live-ish vocals: Key numbers (“Why,” portions of “Swimming”) were conceptualized to feel live; you can hear breaths and space.
• Label pairing: The album is branded Masterworks Broadway with publishing credited to Maisie Music — a Netflix/Sony pipeline used on multiple titles.

Technical Info

• Type: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (cast performances + end-credit cuts)
• Title: tick, tick… BOOM! (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film)
• Year: 2021 (digital 12 Nov; CD 3 Dec)
• Producers/Arrangers: Alex Lacamoire, Bill Sherman, Kurt Crowley
• Mix: Greg Wells
• Music Supervisor: Stephen/Steven Gizicki
• Labels: Maisie Music Publishing; Masterworks Broadway (Sony)
• Selected placements: “30/90” (opening); “Boho Days” (apartment party); “Sunday” (Moondance fantasia); “No More” (luxury tour); “Play Game” (ad/focus-group bite); “Therapy” (argument duet); “Swimming” (pool epiphany); “Come to Your Senses” (workshop; end-credit single); “Why” (Delacorte confessional); “Louder Than Words” (finale); “Out of My Dreams” / “It Only Takes a Few” (credits).
• Trailer ID for figures: YJserno8tyU

Questions & Answers

Is every film song on the album?

Almost — the core numbers are here; a few archival/underscore cues surface separately (e.g., “Sextet Montage”).

Who sings “Come to Your Senses” on the album?

Vanessa Hudgens (in-film) and Jazmine Sullivan (end-credit single version).

Was “Green Green Dress” really cut?

Yes. The duet was removed for pacing; the studio released the scene later, and the track appears as an album bonus.

What’s the new rap track?

“Play Game,” performed by Tariq Trotter (Black Thought) — a film-specific addition reflecting 1990 ad-culture temptation.

Who released the soundtrack?

Maisie Music Publishing/Masterworks Broadway (Sony) — digital first, then CD.

Key Contributors

Sources: Masterworks Broadway album page; Spotify/Apple listings; Discogs release; film & soundtrack Wikipedia entries; ScreenRant song rundown; Netflix trailer; LA Times/Vulture craft pieces on “Swimming”; Vague Visages end-credits timings; Playbill and press on Jazmine Sullivan, deleted “Green Green Dress,” and post-release “Sextet Montage.”

November, 29th 2025