It is the elevator scene. That is the moment everything shifts. Tom is wearing headphones, leaning against the back wall, probably thinking about how much he hates his job writing greeting cards. Summer walks in, hears the muffled tinny beat of "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" by The Smiths, and just says it. "I love The Smiths."
That one line didn't just kickstart a doomed cinematic romance; it basically handed an entire generation their musical identity. Honestly, the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack is less of a movie score and more of a curated time capsule for the late-2000s indie-pop explosion. It wasn't just background noise. It was the plot.
The curation that broke the "Manic Pixie" mold
Most people remember the film for its non-linear storytelling or the way it deconstructed the "boy meets girl" trope. But the music did the heavy lifting. Director Marc Webb, who cut his teeth directing music videos for bands like Green Day and My Chemical Romance, knew exactly how to use a song to manipulate your heartstrings. He didn't just pick hits. He picked vibes.
Take "Us" by Regina Spektor. It opens the movie with those frantic, staccato piano chords. It feels like a heartbeat. It’s whimsical but carries this underlying anxiety that perfectly mirrors Tom’s obsession. If you look at the tracklist, it’s a weirdly perfect blend of 80s nostalgia and the "twee" movement that was peaking in 2009.
You had The Temper Trap’s "Sweet Disposition" providing that soaring, atmospheric anthem that everyone played at their graduation. Then you had the gritty, melancholic soul of Hall & Oates. Actually, let's talk about that Hall & Oates moment. The "You Make My Dreams" dance sequence is arguably the peak of the film. It captures that specific, delusional high of thinking you’ve finally won at life. It’s cheesy. It’s colorful. It’s also the biggest lie the movie tells, which makes the inevitable crash even harder.
Why the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack feels different in 2026
Music supervision has changed a lot since this movie dropped. Nowadays, soundtracks are often built for TikTok virality or algorithm-friendly playlists. But the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack feels curated by a person, not a computer. It has flaws. It has deep cuts like "Quelqu'un m'a dit" by Carla Bruni that felt incredibly sophisticated to a nineteen-year-old in a suburban mall.
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The soundtrack essentially functioned as a gateway drug. It introduced a mainstream audience to Black Lips and Doves. It made "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" a universal anthem for the lonely.
There is a specific irony in the music. Tom loves The Smiths because he thinks they are deep and misunderstood. The movie eventually reveals that Tom is actually the one who is misunderstood—mostly because he isn’t listening to anyone but himself. The music isn't just a reflection of Summer; it’s a reflection of Tom’s idea of Summer.
A breakdown of the sonic architecture
The album doesn't follow a chronological order, much like the film's "Day 488" jumping back to "Day 1" structure.
- The Indie Folk Roots: Songs like "Mushaboom" by Feist brought that acoustic, earthy feel that defined the "Iron & Wine" era. It’s soft, repetitive, and feels like a Sunday morning.
- The Post-Punk Influence: Beyond The Smiths, the inclusion of Joy Division’s "Love Will Tear Us Apart" serves as a grim foreshadowing. It’s the dark undercurrent to the bright indie-pop.
- The Zooey Deschanel Factor: You can't talk about this movie without She & Him. Her cover of "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" is arguably more famous to Gen Z than the original. It’s cleaner, sadder, and fits the aesthetic of the "Tumblr Era" perfectly.
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix was also everywhere at this time, and while Phoenix didn't make the official cut, that vibe—the French-indie-pop-rock fusion—is all over the production of the film's original score by Mychael Danna and Rob Simonsen.
The "Expectations vs. Reality" of the tracklist
Remember the split-screen scene? "Hero" by Regina Spektor plays. It’s a haunting, stripped-back track that feels like a gut punch. The way the song builds as Tom realizes he’s not the protagonist of Summer’s story anymore is masterful.
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A lot of people think the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack is just a "greatest hits" of indie music. It’s not. It’s a study in rejection. Even the upbeat songs feel a bit desperate. "You Make My Dreams" is followed eventually by the silence of Tom’s apartment. The music disappears when the fantasy dies.
It’s worth noting that the soundtrack went to number 42 on the Billboard 200. For an indie film soundtrack, that’s massive. It stayed on the charts because it worked as a standalone album. You could put it on and live through a whole relationship in 45 minutes without ever seeing a single frame of the movie.
Facts that actually matter:
- The Smiths' Approval: Morrissey and Marr are notoriously difficult with licensing. Getting The Smiths' music was a huge win for the production and basically set the tone for the entire script.
- The Karaoke Scene: That wasn't just a fun montage. "Sugar Town" (sung by Zooey Deschanel) and "Here Comes Your Man" (sung by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) were recorded live-to-tape to keep the raw, awkward energy of a dive bar.
- The Mumm-Ra Inclusion: "She's Got You High" is the ultimate "ending credits" song. It provides a sense of closure while still feeling like a fresh start, which is exactly where the movie leaves us (in Autumn).
How to use this soundtrack to improve your own curation
If you're a filmmaker or just someone who makes really good Spotify playlists, there's a lesson here. Don't just pick songs you like. Pick songs that talk to each other. The (500) Days of Summer soundtrack works because the songs are in a dialogue. The 80s tracks provide the nostalgia, the 2000s tracks provide the immediacy, and the folk tracks provide the intimacy.
It’s also about silence. Some of the best musical moments in the film are when the music cuts out. The soundtrack teaches us that a song is only as powerful as the emotion it's tethered to.
If you want to experience the soundtrack properly today, don't just shuffle it. Listen to it in the original order. Notice how it moves from the hope of Regina Spektor to the heartbreak of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bookends." It’s a descent. It’s a journey.
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Step-by-step for the ultimate listen:
- Find the 10th Anniversary Edition: Some streaming platforms have "expanded" versions, but stick to the original 15-track sequence for the intended emotional arc.
- Watch the "Vagabond" sequence: Pay attention to Wolfmother’s "Vagabond." It’s the most "rock" the movie gets and represents Tom’s attempt to be a different person.
- Compare the covers: Listen to The Smiths' version of "Please, Please, Please..." and then the She & Him version back-to-back. It shows how a song's meaning changes depending on who is singing it.
The legacy of this music isn't just about "indie sleaze" nostalgia. It’s about how we use art to romanticize our own lives. We all want to be the person in the elevator with the cool headphones. We all want our lives to have a perfectly timed Hall & Oates dance number. Even if the reality is just a quiet walk through a park in the fall, this soundtrack makes it feel like it matters.
Actions to take now
Go back and listen to "Bookends" by Simon & Garfunkel. Really listen to the lyrics. It’s the shortest song on the album but it holds the most weight. After that, look up the discography of the music supervisors, Andrea von Foerster and Hope Hanafin. They’ve worked on dozens of projects, but this remains their masterpiece.
If you're looking to find new music with this specific vibe, dive into the "Neo-Twee" playlists or check out the early discographies of bands like Belle and Sebastian or The Decemberists. That's the DNA of this soundtrack. It’s a world built on cardigans, heartbreak, and the belief that the right song can save your life—or at least make the breakup bearable.
Don't just let the music sit in your "Liked Songs" library. Use it as a template for understanding how to tell a story through sound. Every track on the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack is a scene. Every lyric is a line of dialogue. And honestly? It’s still one of the best things to come out of that entire decade of filmmaking.