Music has this weird, almost cruel way of acting like a time capsule. You hear a certain synth pad or a specific acoustic strum and suddenly you’re back in 2014, wearing a galaxy-print t-shirt and crying over a book by John Green. Honestly, the soundtrack Fault in Our Stars provided wasn't just a collection of songs for a movie. It was the definitive vibe of an entire era of internet culture. It captures that specific brand of "Tumblr-core" melancholy that defined the mid-2010s.
When the movie came out, it wasn't just about Hazel and Gus. It was about the sounds. You had Ed Sheeran, Birdy, Charli XCX, and M83 all crammed into one tracklist. It felt curated, not just assembled by a committee.
The Curation Magic Behind the Music
Most people don't realize that the music wasn't just a background thought. It was deeply intentional. Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott from Bright Eyes actually handled the score, which gave the film a folk-leaning, indie credibility that most YA adaptations lacked. They didn't go for the "epic" cinematic swells. They kept it intimate.
The soundtrack Fault in Our Stars used was heavily influenced by the director, Josh Boone, who is a massive music nerd. He didn't just want hits. He wanted songs that felt like they lived in Hazel’s headphones. When you listen to "All of the Stars" by Ed Sheeran, it’s easy to dismiss it as a radio play. But at the time? It was the anthem for every teenager who felt like they were looking at the same sky as someone they’d lost.
Why "Boom Clap" Was a Weird but Perfect Choice
Think about it. Most of the movie is devastating. It’s about terminal illness and the "liturgy of the dying." And yet, the biggest commercial hit from the album was "Boom Clap" by Charli XCX.
It’s upbeat. It’s poppy. It’s colorful.
💡 You might also like: Ashley My 600 Pound Life Now: What Really Happened to the Show’s Most Memorable Ashleys
Some critics at the time thought it felt out of place. But they missed the point. Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters were teenagers. They weren't just "cancer kids." They were kids who wanted to experience the "boom clap" of a heartbeat and the rush of first love. The song represents the Amsterdam trip—the fleeting moment where the weight of their diagnosis felt lighter than the air around them.
The Tracks That Actually Define the Emotional Core
If you're going back to listen to the soundtrack Fault in Our Stars released, you have to look past the radio singles. The real meat of the album is in the quieter moments.
- "Not About Angels" by Birdy: This song is basically the soul of the film. Birdy has this ethereal, almost ghostly voice that fits the theme of mortality perfectly. When she sings "How am I supposed to be an optimist about this?" she’s speaking for every person who has ever looked at a terminal diagnosis and found the "silver lining" talk to be total nonsense.
- "Wait" by M83: This track is pure atmosphere. It’s used during some of the most visually sweeping moments of the film. It builds and builds until it feels like your chest is going to burst. It’s cinematic in the best way possible.
- "All I Want" by Kodaline: This is for the heavy hitters. It’s raw. It’s about longing. It’s the song that plays when you realize things aren't going to have a happy ending.
The variety is what makes it work. You go from the quirky, upbeat indie-pop of Grouplove’s "Let Me In" to the devastatingly quiet "Oblivion" by Indians. It mirrors the actual experience of being young—one minute you’re laughing at a metaphor about cigarettes, and the next you’re contemplating the "infinite" nature of a few numbered days.
The Lykke Li Contribution
"No One Ever Loved" is a track that people often overlook. Lykke Li has this way of making heartbreak sound like a physical place you can visit. In the context of the movie, it grounds the romance. It stops it from being too "saccharine." It adds a layer of adult sophistication to a story that could have easily drifted into "teen melodrama" territory.
Impact on the Music Industry and YA Films
Before this movie, YA soundtracks were often just "whatever is popular on Top 40 right now." The soundtrack Fault in Our Stars changed the formula. It proved that you could sell a "mood." It leaned heavily into the "Indie-Pop" boom of the 2010s.
📖 Related: Album Hopes and Fears: Why We Obsess Over Music That Doesn't Exist Yet
Because of this album, artists like Birdy and Tom Odell got massive exposure in the United States. It paved the way for soundtracks like Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska to lean into that same "alt-literary" sound. It wasn't just a marketing tool; it was a brand.
- Direct Sales: The album debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200. That’s huge for a soundtrack in an era where digital sales were already starting to wobble.
- Cultural Impact: For a solid two years, you couldn't go on Pinterest without seeing lyrics from these songs overlaid on photos of oxygen tanks or park benches.
- Artist Careers: It solidified Ed Sheeran’s transition from "guy with an acoustic guitar" to "global superstar who writes the songs you cry to."
The "Amsterdam" Sound
The middle of the film—and the soundtrack—shifts when the characters go to Amsterdam. The music becomes more European, more expansive. Ray LaMontagne’s "All the Wild Horses" brings a grounded, earthy feel to the transition.
It’s interesting because the soundtrack doesn't try to be "cool." It tries to be honest. It embraces the earnestness of the story. John Green, the author of the book, has often talked about how he writes for an audience that feels things deeply. The music does the exact same thing. It doesn't apologize for being emotional.
Technical Craft: The Score vs. The Soundtrack
While everyone talks about the songs, the score by Mogis and Walcott is the "glue." If you listen to the instrumental tracks, they use a lot of soft piano and subtle electronic elements.
This was a deliberate choice to avoid the "soap opera" feel. They wanted the silence to be as important as the noise. When Gus is struggling in the gas station scene, the music isn't telling you how to feel with big violins. It’s staying out of the way, letting the acting and the reality of the situation breathe. That’s rare in a "blockbuster" teen movie.
👉 See also: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads: Why This Live Album Still Beats the Studio Records
Why We Are Still Talking About It
Honestly? It’s because the soundtrack Fault in Our Stars gave us was sincere.
We live in an era of irony now. Everything is meta. Everything is a joke or a meme. But this soundtrack represents a time when it was okay to be unironically sad. It was okay to care about "the fault in our stars" and believe that "some infinities are bigger than other infinities."
When you hear "Tee Shirt" by Birdy, you aren't thinking about streaming numbers. You’re thinking about that feeling of wearing someone else’s clothes and wishing they were still there. That’s the power of a well-curated soundtrack. It transcends the film. It becomes part of your own personal history.
How to Experience the Music Today
If you want to revisit this, don't just put it on shuffle.
Listen to the album in the order it was released. Notice how it starts with the upbeat energy of "All of the Stars" and "Tee Shirt," peaks with the energy of "Boom Clap," and then slowly descends into the quiet, reflective tracks like "Not About Angels."
Actionable Insights for Music Fans
- Check out the "Bonus" tracks: The international versions and deluxe editions had tracks like "Best Shot" by Birdy and Jaymes Young that are arguably better than some of the main tracks.
- Explore the artists' discographies: If you liked "Wait," go down the M83 rabbit hole (especially the album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming). If you liked "No One Ever Loved," Lykke Li’s I Never Learn is a masterpiece of sadness.
- Watch the "making of" clips: There are old interviews with Josh Boone discussing how he sent songs to John Green during the script-writing process. It adds a whole new layer to the listening experience.
- Compare the Score to the Soundtrack: Listen to "The Last Visit" from the score and then play "Oblivion" by Indians. You'll see how the textures of the acoustic instruments bleed into each other.
The legacy of the soundtrack Fault in Our Stars isn't just about record sales. It’s about the fact that a decade later, the opening notes of a Birdy song can still make a room full of people go quiet. That’s not just marketing. That’s art.