"Two Weeks Notice" Soundtrack Lyrics

“Two Weeks Notice (Original Motion Picture Score/Soundtrack)” – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Review

What’s the soundtrack to falling in love with someone who drives you nuts? Two Weeks Notice answers with urbane needle-drops and John Powell’s nimble score: torch-lit standards for courtship, snappy pop for city bustle, and woodwind wit for every “Lucy vs. George” volley. The music never fights the dialogue; it leans into it — the way a good rom-com should.

On screen, songs sketch character: a Brook Benton/Dinah Washington classic opens with old-school charm; Norah Jones at a piano sells genuine tenderness; Counting Crows & Vanessa Carlton wave us out with a wink. Powell stitches the banter with breezy motifs (“Trying to Get Fired,” “Helicopter Ride”), then slows time whenever real feeling breaks through. It’s glossy, but not empty — New York polished, not marble cold.

Phases & palettes: standards & jazz-pop — intimacy, civility, second chances; turn-of-the-millennium radio — bustle, montage, end-credit glow; light orchestral score — comic velocity and heart.

How It Was Made

Composer John Powell scored the film; his 15-track album landed via Varèse Sarabande (shipped Jan 28, 2003), while Warner/Varèse handled digital storefronts. The film also uses licensed songs (Counting Crows, Norah Jones, Michael Bublé, Mel Tormé, Perry Como, and others). Rather than a separate “songs” CD, the studio promoted a then-novel plan to let fans download the film’s sourced tracks around release.

Production kept the music close to character: an on-screen club pianist (Jones) for the boat date; a bright, radio-ready cover to juice the credits; and Powell’s playful cues recorded with New York-savvy players, mixed by Alan Meyerson. The end result: a score album for collectors, and a song set that lived in the film and the airwaves.

Tracks & Scenes

Key placements below — with concise scene mapping. (Times can shift between releases/TV edits.)

“Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes)” — Dinah Washington & Brook Benton (Two Weeks Notice Remix)

Where it plays:

Opens the film under titles and early New York montage — a velvet handshake before the bickering begins.

Why it matters:

Establishes classic-romance bones beneath the modern gloss.

“The Nearness of You” — Norah Jones (on-screen performance)

Where it plays:

The boat scene: George and Lucy drift from quips to candor while Jones sings at the piano in-scene; the camera lingers on small looks and unsaid things.

Why it matters:

Diegetic intimacy — the film’s most sincere heartbeat.

“Comin’ Home Baby” — Mel Tormé

Where it plays:

Lucy, in a pink dress, sprints to the hotel after the interrupted wedding — a brisk, jazzy vamp under sidewalk chaos.

Why it matters:

Turns panic into propulsion and keeps the rom-com engine humming.

“Magic Moments” — Perry Como

Where it plays:

Mattress-shopping interlude: fluorescent lighting, awkward sales talk, and two people who can’t help acting married.

Why it matters:

Old-fashioned sweetness under modern farce — a tone the movie likes.

“Come Fly with Me” — Michael Bublé

Where it plays:

High-society function and travel beats — tuxes, city lights, and George’s charmingly shallow glide through rooms.

Why it matters:

Cements George’s world: effortless, weightless, in need of ballast (Lucy).

“Big Yellow Taxi” — Counting Crows feat. Vanessa Carlton

Where it plays:

Leads the end-credits roll — a bright, radio-friendly cap after the last kiss.

Why it matters:

Brand-level earworm that tied the movie to 2002–03 pop memory.

“The Way (Radio Song)” — Dana Glover

Where it plays:

Follows “Big Yellow Taxi” in the credits sequence.

Why it matters:

Soft-focus closure; plays like an epilogue for the couple.

Powell’s score: “Trying to Get Fired” / “Helicopter Ride” / “George’s Speech” — John Powell

Where it plays:

Comic schemes (Lucy’s sabotage attempts), swoony city-from-above tour, and the public-facing confession beat.

Why it matters:

Orchestral glue — breezy woodwinds for repartee, warm strings for feeling.

Other in-film cues

• “Bailo con el Ritmo” — party backdrop grooves during social-scene cuts.
• Gala standards — “If I Had You” surfaces under a black-tie evening (diegetic orchestra).

Notes & Trivia

• The only commercial album at release was the score — Varèse Sarabande (cat. no. 302 066 434); the “songs” lived in-film and on singles/radio.
• “Big Yellow Taxi” (Counting Crows with Vanessa Carlton) became a radio hit tied to the movie’s campaign.
• Norah Jones appears on-screen singing “The Nearness of You.”
• Opening titles use the Benton/Washington duet (“Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes)”) in a custom “Two Weeks Notice” remix.

Reception & Quotes

Reviewers were mixed on the film but friendly to the music: Powell’s light touch, the credible standards, and a credits banger you couldn’t escape on FM.

“Powell keeps the banter buoyant — woodwinds that smile without smirking.” Score commentary

“Counting Crows nail the curtain call; Jones seals the romance.” Soundtrack roundups

Interesting Facts

• Download, not disc: Warner promoted a then-new idea: download the film’s songs individually while the score got the physical CD.
• Hidden-track history: The Counting Crows cover began as a hidden track on Hard Candy — then got Carlton’s vocal for the film push.
• Diegetic romance: Using an on-screen pianist (Jones) lets the scene play like a real date, not a montage.
• Powell in rom-com mode: Between action franchises, Powell turned in a deft, 30-minute charmer here.

Technical Info

• Title: Two Weeks Notice — Original Motion Picture Score (with additional licensed songs in film)
• Year: 2003 album (film released late 2002 in U.S.)
• Type: Feature film score (John Powell) + sourced songs
• Label (score): Varèse Sarabande (cat. 302 066 434; ship date Jan 28, 2003)
• Key licensed tracks: “Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes)” (Benton/Washington); “The Nearness of You” (Norah Jones, on-screen); “Comin’ Home Baby” (Mel Tormé); “Magic Moments” (Perry Como); “Come Fly with Me” (Michael Bublé); “Big Yellow Taxi” (Counting Crows feat. Vanessa Carlton); “The Way (Radio Song)” (Dana Glover).
• Score standouts: “Trying to Get Fired,” “Helicopter Ride,” “George’s Speech.”
• Music supervision: Laura Z. Wasserman (studio campaign & clearances as reported contemporaneously).

Questions & Answers

Was there a separate “songs” soundtrack CD?

No. The commercial physical release was John Powell’s score; the songs were promoted as singles/downloads.

Who performs the end-credits opener?

Counting Crows with Vanessa Carlton — “Big Yellow Taxi.” Dana Glover’s “The Way (Radio Song)” follows.

Is Norah Jones actually in the film?

Yes. She appears on-screen performing “The Nearness of You” during the boat scene.

What plays during the hectic pink-dress run?

Mel Tormé’s “Comin’ Home Baby.” It keeps the sequence bouncing.

Where can I hear Powell’s cues?

On the Two Weeks Notice (Original Motion Picture Score) album — 15 tracks, ~30 minutes.

Key Contributors

Sources: official trailers; IMDb Soundtracks & credits; Los Angeles Times release-era coverage; Varèse/Apple Music/Spotify listings; SoundtrackINFO Q&A; MovieMusicUK review notes.

November, 29th 2025