Music can make or break a sports movie. Think about it. Most of the time, directors lean on high-energy arena rock or swelling orchestral scores to tell you exactly how to feel when the underdog finally wins. But Drew Barrymore did something different with her 2009 directorial debut. She didn't go for the "Eye of the Tiger" vibe. Instead, the Whip It movie soundtrack became a gritty, sweaty, and incredibly cool love letter to the indie sleaze era and the riot grrrl spirit. It’s been well over a decade, and honestly, it still hits harder than most modern curated playlists.
Roller derby is chaotic. It’s bruised knees, fishnet tights, and the smell of old rink floors. The music had to match that specific brand of feminine aggression.
It’s Not Just a Playlist, It’s a Character
The movie follows Bliss Cavendar, played by Elliot Page, as she ditches the pageant circuit in small-town Texas for the rough-and-tumble world of Austin roller derby. If the film is about finding your tribe, the soundtrack is the language that tribe speaks. When Bliss first walks into the rink, she isn't met with Top 40 hits. She’s met with the raw, jagged sounds of bands like Section 25 and The Ramones.
Most soundtracks feel like they were assembled by a committee of marketing execs trying to sell a tie-in CD. This one feels like a mixtape your cooler older sister made for you after she came home from her first year of college. It's eclectic. It's messy. It moves from the high-octane punk of The Stooges to the ethereal, weirdly catchy dream-pop of The Go! Team.
The choice of "Lust for Life" by Iggy Pop isn't exactly a deep cut, sure. But in the context of a girl discovering that she can be fast, loud, and physically dominant? It feels brand new. You've got these iconic tracks sitting right next to stuff like "Pot Kettle Black" by Tilly and the Wall, a band famous for having a tap dancer instead of a traditional drummer. That’s the kind of detail that gives the Whip It movie soundtrack its soul. It isn't just background noise; it's the internal monologue of a girl realizing she doesn't have to be a "Bluebonnet Queen."
The Austin Connection and Randall Poster’s Influence
You can’t talk about this music without mentioning Randall Poster. He’s the music supervisor who has worked with Wes Anderson for years. He knows how to curate a specific "vibe." For Whip It, he had to capture the specific energy of Austin, Texas. Austin isn't just any city; it's a place that prides itself on being weird and musical.
The soundtrack features a lot of artists who feel right at home in a dive bar on 6th Street. Take "Learnalilgivinanlovin" by Gotye. Long before he was "the guy that I used to know," he was making these funky, percussion-heavy tracks that fit perfectly with the rhythm of skates hitting a wooden floor.
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The inclusion of The Raveonettes’ "Dead Sound" is another masterstroke. It’s fuzzy. It’s distorted. It sounds like something being played through a blown-out speaker in a garage. That’s the aesthetic of the Hurl Scouts and the Holy Rollers. These aren't professional athletes with million-dollar sponsorships. They’re women with day jobs who spend their weekends hitting each other for fun. The music reflects that lack of polish in the best way possible.
Why "Knocked Up" by Kings of Leon Hits Different
One of the most memorable scenes in the film involves a food fight and a slow-motion water tank sequence. It’s peak 2000s indie cinema. The song playing is "Knocked Up" by Kings of Leon.
At the time, Kings of Leon were transitioning from their Southern-stroke-garage-rock roots into the global superstars they’d become with Only by the Night. "Knocked Up" is a long, rambling, beautiful track about running away and not giving a damn what people think. It’s seven minutes long. In a movie, that’s an eternity. But Barrymore lets the song breathe. It underscores the romance between Bliss and the musician Oliver, but it also highlights the isolation Bliss feels in her hometown.
Honestly, the way the bassline just chugs along while the characters navigate the awkwardness of teenage rebellion is perfection. It captures that feeling of being stuck in a car, driving through the middle of nowhere, hoping your life is about to start.
The Girls to the Front Mentality
The Whip It movie soundtrack owes a massive debt to the riot grrrl movement of the 90s, even if it doesn't use the most obvious Bikini Kill tracks. It’s the energy that matters. We get "Boys Wanna Be Her" by Peaches.
If there is a definitive anthem for women’s roller derby, it’s that song.
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Peaches is provocative, loud, and unapologetic. When that track kicks in, you aren't thinking about pageants or "yes, ma'am" manners. You're thinking about Landon Pigg (who actually plays Oliver in the movie and has a song on the soundtrack) and the contrast between his soft-boy folk and the sheer power of the women on the track.
Interestingly, Landon Pigg’s "High Times" provides a necessary counterbalance. If the whole movie was just punk rock, it would be exhausting. You need the quiet moments. You need the songs that sound like a humid Texas evening.
The Tracks That Defined the Era
If you look at the tracklist, it’s a time capsule of what was "cool" in the late 2000s. It was a bridge between the garage rock revival and the synth-pop explosion that was about to happen.
- "Jolene" by Dolly Parton: But it’s the Strike Anywhere cover. This is a brilliant choice. It takes a classic country song about female desperation and turns it into a hardcore punk anthem. It perfectly bridges the gap between Bliss’s mother’s world and Bliss’s new world.
- "Your Arms Around Me" by Jens Lekman: This is for the whimsical, romantic side of the film. Lekman is a storyteller. His music feels like a secret shared between friends.
- "Heartbeats" by The Knife: A masterpiece of electronic tension. It’s used to build the stakes.
- "Blueberry Hill" by Yellowman: Reggae in a derby movie? It shouldn't work. It works. It adds to the "anything goes" atmosphere of the Austin scene.
The variety is actually staggering when you sit down and listen to the whole thing front to back. You go from the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s "The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth"—which is the quintessential 2000s indie track with its shaky vocals and driving beat—to the soul-infused "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" as covered by the Mattless Passengers.
The Misconception About "Sports" Soundtracks
Usually, people expect a soundtrack for a movie about skating to be all pop-punk or nu-metal. Think Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. And while that's great for a video game, Whip It is a coming-of-age story first and a sports movie second.
The music reflects the emotional stakes of being seventeen. It’s about the "Heartbeats" (The Knife) of a first crush and the "Never My Love" (The Association) nostalgia that haunts small towns. The soundtrack recognizes that Bliss isn't just fighting other girls on the track; she's fighting the expectations of her family.
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The inclusion of "Cannonball" by The Breeders is a nod to the alt-rock royalty that paved the way for this kind of storytelling. Kim Deal’s bassline is iconic. It’s cool without trying. That’s the recurring theme here: effortlessness. Even though the soundtrack was obviously meticulously crafted, it feels organic to the world Barrymore built.
Essential Listening for Modern Fans
If you're just discovering the film now, or if you're a long-time fan who hasn't listened to the album in years, there's a lot to glean from it. It’s a roadmap for how to use music to ground a film in a specific geography.
You can find the official soundtrack release, but many of the best songs from the film—like "What’s the Altitude" by Cut Chemist—weren't actually on the initial CD release. This happened a lot back then due to licensing issues. To get the full experience, you really have to look for the "complete" playlists that fans have painstakingly compiled on streaming services.
Actionable Insights for Music Lovers and Filmmakers
If you want to recreate the magic of the Whip It movie soundtrack in your own curation or simply want to dive deeper into this world, here is how to approach it:
- Look for the "Cover" Twist: Don't just play the hits. Look for the punk cover of a country song or the synth-pop version of a rock staple. It creates a sense of familiarity while feeling fresh.
- Prioritize Rhythm Over Genre: The songs in Whip It vary wildly in style, but they almost all have a driving, propulsive beat. Whether it's the tap-dancing of Tilly and the Wall or the electronic pulse of The Knife, the "movement" of the music is what ties it to the skating.
- Support the Local Vibe: If you’re telling a story set in a specific city, use artists that embody that city's reputation. For Austin, that meant indie, weirdo-folk, and garage rock.
- Don't Fear the Silence: Some of the best musical moments in the film are when the music cuts out, leaving only the sound of wheels on the floor. Use high-energy tracks to build momentum, then pull back to let the dialogue land.
The Whip It movie soundtrack remains a standout example of how to do a "teen" movie right. It treats the audience—and the characters—with respect by giving them a sophisticated, high-energy, and emotionally resonant soundscape. It doesn't talk down to you. It just invites you to put on some skates and turn the volume up.
To truly appreciate the sonic landscape, your next step is to seek out the tracks that didn't make the commercial cut. Search for "Whip It Full Movie Song List" to find the deep cuts like "Dennis the Menace" by The Go! Team or "Black Tambourine" by Beck. These missing pieces fill in the gaps between the official release and the actual heart of the film. Take those tracks, mix them with the official album, and you have the perfect high-intensity workout or road trip playlist.