It is no secret that I LOVE a good rom-com, and Netflix’s movie Someone Great was everything I needed: a captivating romance, a kickass group of friends, and a protagonist who just got her big break as a music journalist for Rolling Stone magazine. And while the movie itself is called Someone Great, there’s something else truly great about the movie: its playlist (which makes sense considering Jenny’s profession). In this article, I want to look at each song as it appeared in the movie and see the greatness in the song choice.
1. “Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You)” by UGK, OutKast—This song, with its synth-y overtones, makes a perfect song to roll in the opening credits and matches the mood… well, at least for a little bit.
2. “Supercut” by Lorde—Lorde is SUCH a good vocalist! Ugh, with lyrics from “Supercut” like “In your car, the radio up / We keep trying to talk about us / I’m someone you maybe might love / I’ll be your quiet afternoon crush / Be your violent overnight rush / Make you crazy over my touch,” it’s no wonder she made the soundtrack for this movie.
3. “Motion Sickness” by Phoebe Bridgers—Watching this movie helped me uncover this gem of a musician. Seriously, go listen to her right now… you won’t regret her ethereal and alt-pop realness. Also, if you’re a fan of Lord Huron (like I am), you might be pleasantly surprised to know she makes a feature on their incredible ballad, “The Night We Met.”
4. “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo—If you’re in need of a pump-up jam that’ll have your girl power vibes skyrocket and allow you to get down and groovy alone or with friends, look NO FURTHER. The line, “I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100% that b*tch / Even when I’m crying crazy / Yeah, I got boy problems, that’s the human in me / Bling bling, then I solve ’em, that’s the goddess in me” is equal parts badass and relatable; Lizzo is a queen.
5. “Mansard Roof” by Vampire Weekend—This song was so artfully incorporated into the plot and it makes me fall in love with A.) the band and B.) Gina Rodriguez in the grocery store.
6. “Everybody Wants to Be Famous” by Superorganism—The line “Feeling like a boss, and / Staring at the stars, it / Doesn’t matter the cost, ’cause / Everybody wants to be famous” serves as a nice change of pace from the last ballad and gets viewers hyped!
7. “Fake Nice” by The Aces—This is another band that the movie introduced me to. The melody is catchy and a smooth listen on the ears.
8. “Saturdays (feat. HAIM)” by Twin Shadows, HAIM—HAIM is such a cool-girl, aesthetically pleasing sister band, and it really is the cherry on the top of this bop.
9. “Scott Street” by Phoebe Bridgers—Another epic song by Bridgers as we go through the movie is so good! SO GOOD.
10. “Your Best American Girl” by Mitski—Okayyyy, but my heart really just moves to the groove of this song. It’s slow and haunting and incredible.
11. “The Jump Off” by Lil’ Kim—YAS. That’s it. Lil’ Kim will always be someone to play over the aux if you need the energy to get up, without a doubt.
12. “Dreaming of You” by Selena—I LOVE this choice of song for the movie, and it’s so well incorporated for Jenny’s flashbacks. It makes the viewer feel like they are, well, dreaming of you, alongside Jenny’s character.
13. “Deeper” by Saint Cava—This song has such rhythmic and tantric vibes. I can’t really explain why I like it so much, but I just do.
14. “Should I” by Phoebe Ryan—My heart definitely broke a little with the line “Cause I gave you my heart / I thought you wanted it / Should I take it back? / Should I, should I? / I gave you my love, thought you needed it / Should I take it back?” This song earned a surefire spot on a personal playlist for when I need a good tug of the heartstring or a cry fest.
15. “The Perils” by Old Man Saxon—The instrumentals in this tune are so smooth and satisfying to the ears, and the spoken word-style rap complements it. I’ll admit, that style of music usually isn’t my cup of tea, but I really vibed with this.
16. “Karaoke (feat. Lizzo)” by Big Freedia, Lizzo—Another cameo by my girl Lizzo is bound to get the mood boosted. The song’s title definitely makes sense as a karaoke ace-in-the-hole if you need a song to strut your stuff to.
17. “Great One” by Jessie Reyez—I’ve been a casual fan of Reyez for awhile now, but this song is my new obsession! She’s such a cool performer, too.
18. “Reasons Not to Die” by Ryn Weaver—This song’s softness fits the narrative arch in the movie; worth a listen if you need some new tunes!
19. “Missing You” by Robyn—If you like “Dancing on My Own,” this song is also right up your alley. Robyn does her craft so well!
20. “Do You Think About Me” by Captain Cuts, Zookeper, Georgia Ku—This is a club song for sure with some awesome lyrics!
21. “Moon River” by Frank Ocean—Frank Ocean’s name is very appropriate with the amount of listeners who can find themselves drowning in feels with his music—this song is no exception, but it is exceptional!
22. “Call on Me” (Ryan Riback remix) by Starley, Ryan Riback—The last song in the movie is such a feel-good one with the movie’s resolution, and I’ve definitely played it about 10x a day since I saw the movie.
The movie Someone Great has easily become one of my favorite rom-coms and the soundtrack (no pun intended) plays a big part of that! I hope you find the time to listen to these tunes or have a movie night and jam out.