It’s that one piano hook. You know the one—the "City of Stars" melody that starts with those lonely, descending notes. But it isn’t just Justin Hurwitz’s jazz-infused score that keeps people coming back to Damien Chazelle’s 2016 masterpiece. Honestly, the lyrics from La La Land are what actually do the heavy lifting when it comes to the emotional wreckage the movie leaves behind.
Most movie musicals feel like they're trying too hard to be "Broadway." This one felt like a conversation you’d have at 2:00 AM in a parked car.
Written by the duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (before they became the Dear Evan Hansen and Greatest Showman juggernauts), the words in these songs aren't just rhyming couplets. They are tiny, jagged pieces of a specific Los Angeles reality. They capture that weird, desperate friction between wanting to be "someone" and actually having to pay the rent.
The Bittersweet Magic of City of Stars
If you look at the lyrics from La La Land, "City of Stars" is obviously the anchor. It’s interesting because the song appears twice, and the meaning shifts completely between versions. The first time, it’s Ryan Gosling’s Sebastian singing alone on a pier. He’s cynical. He asks, "Are you shining just for me?" It’s a plea for validation in a city that usually says no.
Then you get the duet.
Suddenly, the lyrics take on this domestic, cozy quality. When Emma Stone’s Mia joins in, they aren't singing about "The Dream" anymore; they’re singing about each other. "A look in somebody's eyes to light up the skies." It sounds cheesy on paper, but in the context of two people struggling to find their footing, it’s a lifeline. The genius of Pasek and Paul here is the simplicity. They didn't use big, operatic metaphors. They used "rushed crowds" and "smoky bars."
The Audition (The Fools Who Dream) and the Pivot
If "City of Stars" is the heart, "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" is the soul. This is the song that arguably won Emma Stone her Oscar.
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The structure of the song is fascinating. It starts as a story about her aunt who lived in Paris. "My aunt used to live in Paris. I remember, she used to come home and tell us these stories about being abroad." It’s conversational. It’s prose set to music. But then it pivots into a tribute to every person who has ever messed up or taken a leap.
"A bit of tin, a shiny piece of glass / A bit of hope, a bit of class."
That line captures the essence of the whole film. Everything in LA feels like a set—fake gold, fake sets, fake smiles—but the hope behind it is real. When Stone sings about the "mess we make," she’s acknowledging that the pursuit of art is inherently destructive. It ruins relationships. It ruins bank accounts. It’s "rebel," it’s "wild," and it’s usually quite painful.
Why the Lyrics Feel More Real Than Other Musicals
Most musicals use songs to advance the plot or explain a character's "I want" song. La La Land does that, sure, but it also uses lyrics to highlight the mundane. Take "Another Day of Sun." It’s the opening number on the freeway. It’s bright, it’s loud, and it’s technically impressive.
But read the words.
"I think about that day / I left him at a Greyhound station / West of Santa Fe."
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The very first song of this "happy" musical is about a woman leaving a man behind to pursue a career. It sets the stage for the ending before we even meet Mia or Sebastian. It’s a warning. The lyrics from La La Land are constantly telling you that success requires a sacrifice. You can have the career, or you can have the guy at the Greyhound station. You rarely get both.
The Contrast in "A Lovely Night"
Compare that heavy stuff to "A Lovely Night." This is the Fred and Ginger throwback. It’s snappy.
The lyrics here are actually quite funny because they are an "anti-love" song. They’re standing in one of the most beautiful places on earth (Griffith Park at golden hour), and they’re spending the whole time complaining that the view is wasted on each other. "The silver silver moon / Is shining through the trees / We've reached the climax of a brilliant day."
They’re mocking the tropes of the very genre they’re in. It feels human. Who hasn't been in a beautiful situation with someone they’re trying not to like?
The Technical Brilliance of Pasek and Paul
We have to talk about the craft. Pasek and Paul are masters of "internal rhyme"—where words rhyme within a single line rather than just at the end. It makes the dialogue feel faster, like a heartbeat.
In "Someone in the Crowd," the lyrics move at a frantic pace to match the anxiety of a Hollywood party.
"Is someone in the crowd the only thing you really need? / To finally be where you're headed?"
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The "crowd/headed" slant rhyme and the "need/be" internal rhyme create this sense of tumbling forward. You feel the claustrophobia of the party. You feel the desperation of Mia trying to be noticed by some nameless "someone" who can change her life.
Does it actually make sense?
Sometimes critics argue that the lyrics are a bit too "theatre kid." Maybe. But when you’re looking at the lyrics from La La Land, you have to look at the landscape of 2016. We were moving away from the cynical, "ironic" era into something more earnest. These lyrics didn't care about being cool. They cared about being felt.
Justin Hurwitz’s music provides the atmosphere, but the words provide the "Why." Why do we care if Mia gets the part? Because she told us about her aunt jumping into the Seine barefoot. Why do we care if Sebastian opens his jazz club? Because he told us about the "smoky bars" and the dying art form.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Writers
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of these songs or even apply some of their magic to your own creative work, here’s how to actually "use" the brilliance of this soundtrack:
- Analyze the "Bookend" Lyrics: Go back and listen to the "City of Stars" hum at the beginning and the "Epilogue" at the end. Notice how the absence of lyrics in the finale makes the previous songs feel more precious. The silence at the end of the film is only powerful because the words were so specific earlier on.
- Study the Conversational Openings: If you're a songwriter or writer, look at how "Audition" starts. It doesn't start with a hook; it starts with a story. Start your creative projects with a specific, personal detail rather than a broad theme.
- The "Sacrifice" Theme: Use the lyrics of "Another Day of Sun" as a writing prompt. The song asks: What are you willing to leave at the Greyhound station? It’s a great exercise for character development.
- Listen to the Demos: If you can find the early Pasek and Paul demos, do it. Hearing how the lyrics evolved from rough drafts to the final film shows you how much "trimming the fat" happened. Every word in the final version serves a purpose.
The lasting power of the lyrics from La La Land isn't in their complexity. It’s in their honesty. They admit that dreaming is kind of a nightmare sometimes. They admit that love isn't always enough to stop you from moving to Paris. And in a world of polished, perfect pop songs, that kind of messy truth is why we’re still talking about this movie nearly a decade later.
To really understand the impact, watch the "Epilogue" again. You’ll realize that even without the words being spoken in that final sequence, the lyrics you heard for the last two hours are what’s playing in your head. That’s the mark of songwriting that actually matters.