The Booksmart soundtrack is fresh, timely, and unforgettable. Olivia Wilde's coming-of-age comedy includes modern hip-hop tracks and utilizes old school classics for pivotal narrative moments.
In Booksmart, Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein star as Los Angeles high school students Amy and Molly, respectively, who passed up on partying and having fun in order to study hard and get into good colleges. They decide to end their high school careers by making up for lost time at an end-of-year party, and making the night as wild, crazy, and irresponsible as possible. Booksmart is far more than a typical coming-of-age flick, and the soundtrack effectively complements the most moving sequences.
For the most part, the Booksmart soundtrack is lively and upbeat. Amy and Molly essentially road trip throughout Los Angeles, and the songs underline their shifting perspectives from sequence to sequence; they’re hopeful but slightly skeptical, excited but nervous. But Amy and Molly have each other for steady support. Here are the main songs featured in Booksmart.
- “Boys” - Lizzo
- “To Whom It May Concern” - Sam Spiegel, CeeLo Green, Theophilus London, Alex Ebert
- “Nobody Speak” - DJ Shadow, Run The Jewels
- “Attitude” - Leikeli47
- “Holy Calamity [Bear Witness II]” - Handsome Boy Modeling School, DJ Shadow, DJ Quest
- “Full Star” - Dan The Automator
- “Slip Away” - Perfume Genius
- “Cold War” - Cautious Clay
- “Open” - Rhye
- “Can You Discover?” - Discovery
- “Double Rum Cola” (Single Edit) - FATA BOOM
- “Osaka Loop Line” - Discovery
- “I’ve Seen Footage” - Death Grips
- “Batshit” - Sofi Tukker
- “Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)” - Parliament
- “Push It” - Salt-N-Pepa
- “Come Down” - Anderson .Paak
- “What’s Golden” - Jurassic 5
- “You Oughta Know” - Alanis Morissette
- “High on Your Love” - Kings Go Forth
- “Freeway” - Scapegoat Wax
- “Just Like Love (Jam City Remix)” - Perfume Genius, Jam City
- “Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2” - Ludwig van Beethoven, Istvan Szekely
- “How We Are” - Lia Ices
- “Carries On” - Edward Sharp & The Magnetic Zeros
- “Unchained Melody” - Lykke Li
- “oh baby” - LCD Soundsystem
- “Can You Tell” - Ra Ra Riot
- “Money” - Leikeli47
- “Throw It Down” - Dominique Young Unique
- “Look at These Hoes” - Santigold
- “Wildfire” - SBTRKT, Little Dragon
- “May” - Dizolve
- “Tomboy” - Princess Nokia
- “Bad Girls” - M.I.A.
- “F E M A L E” - Sampa the Great
- “Sonja Smokes Me Out” - Anjimile
- “288” - Anna St. Louis
- “Who Are You” - Arnetta Johnson, SunN.Y
- “Mirror” - IDER
- “Work 4 Me” - Jean Deaux feat. Kari Faux
- “Due West” - Kelsey Lu
- “Toast” - Koffee
- “More” - Mvstermind
- “Poke Bowl” - Radiant Children
- “Faraway Look” - Yola
- Additional Scene Scores by Dan the Automator
Early on in Booksmart, “To Whom It May Concern” plays over an establishing sequence when Amy and Molly first appear together, with the former poppin’ and lockin’ on the street. At school, “Attitude” complements a slo-mo sequence in which Amy approaches her crush Ryan (Victoria Ruesga). After Amy and Molly prep for the big party and hit the road, the funk classic “Give Up The Funk” scores a comedic moment when the girls ride in the backseat of their principal’s car, shortly before arriving at the wrong party.
During one of Booksmart’s most memorable sequences, in which Amy and Molly imagine themselves as nude dolls after being drugged by Billie Lourd's Gigi, the old school track “Push It” scores the moment. Once the girls reach the right party, at the home of Mason Gooding’s Nick, Amy delivers an impressive karaoke performance of the ‘90s alternative hit “You Oughta Know.” To comedically contrast this thrashing Booksmart scene, the orchestral “Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2” plays shortly after when Amy unfortunately vomits during a sexual encounter with Diana Silvers’ Hope.
By Booksmart's final act, the 2016 hip-hop track “Nobody Speak” plays after Amy winds up in the Glendale City Jail. And to close out Wilde's feature directorial debut, a cover of “Unchained Melody” scores a goodbye moment that turns out to be more of a comedic set-up for an off-screen meet-up.