What Songs Are On The Soundtrack Of The Hit And Who Composed It?

Walking out of the theater after 'La La Land', I couldn't stop replaying the melodies in my head. The soundtrack was composed by Justin Hurwitz, and it mixes upbeat jazz numbers with wistful orchestral pieces that capture the film's highs and lows. Key songs you’ll recognize are Another Day of Sun, Someone in the Crowd, A Lovely Night, City of Stars, Audition (The Fools Who Dream), Start a Fire, and the irresistible Mia & Sebastian’s Theme. Beyond those vocal pieces, Hurwitz filled the album with instrumental tracks like Planetarium, Summer Montage / Madeline, and the sweeping Epilogue that ties the whole score together.

I love how City of Stars shows up in different forms: a simple vocal version, a humming motif, and then woven into the Epilogue. That kind of thematic recycling is classic film scoring, and Hurwitz does it with a jazz heart and a cinematic brush. If you haven’t listened straight through, try the sequence from Another Day of Sun to City of Stars — it’s like the film condensed into sound. For me, the soundtrack still feels like a sunlit L.A. day and a bittersweet late-night piano; it sticks with me long after the credits roll.

My musician brain digs the way Justin Hurwitz structured the 'La La Land' soundtrack: it’s both jazz band and film score, and he wears both hats confidently. On the playlist you'll find bright numbers like Another Day of Sun and Someone in the Crowd, a handful of piano-and-trumpet-led pieces including Mia & Sebastian’s Theme and City of Stars, and theatrical moments such as Audition (The Fools Who Dream) that lean on melody and lyric to move the plot. Hurwitz also uses instrumental tracks — Planetarium, Summer Montage / Madeline, Epilogue — to develop motifs; the harmonic language often moves between classic jazz changes and more cinematic suspensions, which gives the film its bittersweet color.

From a performance perspective, City of Stars is deceptively simple but harmonically rich; the Epilogue revisits most themes and strings them into a long, satisfying coda. Start a Fire is the outlier with a contemporary production twist that contrasts the jazzier pieces. If you like looking at lead sheets, many of the tunes have great voicings and improvisational space. Personally, I still play Mia & Sebastian’s Theme on the piano when I want something nostalgic yet fresh.

If you loved the film's emotional roller coaster, the soundtrack — composed by Justin Hurwitz — plays that story almost wordlessly. The album opens with the big, kinetic number Another Day of Sun and alternates between ensemble pieces like Someone in the Crowd and intimate moments such as Mia & Sebastian’s Theme. Hurwitz wrote songs that function both as standalone pop-jazz tunes and as motifs for characters: City of Stars becomes a leitmotif representing longing, while Audition (The Fools Who Dream) serves as a raw, narrative centerpiece.

Beyond the vocal tracks, Hurwitz’s score includes instrumental cues—Planetarium, Summer Montage / Madeline, and the Epilogue—that expand the film’s emotional palette. I often listen to the instrumental Suite for focus work; the orchestration is lush but never overpowering. In short, it’s a soundtrack that balances crowd-pleasing songs with sophisticated scoring, and hearing it again always reminds me why the film landed so strongly with audiences and critics alike.

Late-night rewatching moodcheck: the soundtrack of 'La La Land' was composed by Justin Hurwitz and it’s packed with memorable tracks. You get the energetic opener Another Day of Sun, the playful Someone in the Crowd, the tender Mia & Sebastian’s Theme, and the hauntingly simple City of Stars, plus the emotional Audition (The Fools Who Dream) and the cinematic Epilogue. Hurwitz balances vocal showpieces with instrumental cues, giving the album both Broadway sparkle and orchestral sweep.

What I keep coming back to is how the songs map onto the characters’ journeys — City of Stars especially follows them like a little theme that changes as the story does. It’s one of those soundtracks you can put on and be transported; for me it’s part sunshine, part longing, and totally addictive.

I get a little giddy talking about the music in 'La La Land' — Justin Hurwitz composed the entire score, and it’s a brilliant blend of jazz, orchestral swells, and catchy numbers. The soundtrack includes standout songs like 'Another Day of Sun', 'Someone in the Crowd', 'A Lovely Night', and the melancholic 'City of Stars' (sung by Ryan Gosling in the film). Emma Stone’s performance on 'Audition (The Fools Who Dream)' is another emotional highlight, and John Legend leads the more contemporary 'Start a Fire'.

Hurwitz created the motifs and instrumental themes — like 'Mia & Sebastian's Theme' and the sweeping 'Epilogue' — while Benj Pasek and Justin Paul co-wrote lyrics for the vocal pieces. The result feels both vintage and fresh, a soundtrack that supports the romance and also stands alone as a gorgeous listening experience. For me, it’s background music for rainy evenings and bold life decisions alike.

Walking out of the cinema humming the melody is practically part of the 'La La Land' experience for me. The soundtrack is this magical mix of sweeping jazz score and little pop-infused numbers that push the story forward, and all of it was composed by Justin Hurwitz — the guy who gave the movie that instantly recognizable trumpet-and-piano vibe. On the official soundtrack you'll find the big, showy opener 'Another Day of Sun', the yearning duet 'A Lovely Night', the wistful instrumental 'Mia & Sebastian's Theme', and the tiny, aching earworm 'City of Stars' (which won an Oscar). There's also 'Someone in the Crowd', the dreamy 'Planetarium', the modern-leaning 'Start a Fire' performed by John Legend, and the emotional powerhouse 'Audition (The Fools Who Dream)' performed by Emma Stone.

Hurwitz wrote the score, but the songs are a true team effort: many of the lyrical pieces were co-written with Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (their words add so much heart). The soundtrack alternates vocal numbers — often performed by Ryan Gosling or Emma Stone — with Hurwitz’s instrumental cues ('Epilogue' is a gorgeous 9-minute suite that basically retells the whole movie in music). The arrangement choices lean heavily into classic Hollywood orchestration infused with modern jazz touches, so you get that bittersweet, nostalgic feeling even on the tracks that are more upbeat.

Personally, I love how the soundtrack doubles as a character in the film: 'City of Stars' becomes this recurring motif that changes meaning depending on who’s playing it and when. The score won Justin Hurwitz an Academy Award for Best Original Score, and the songs (especially the ones with Pasek & Paul) got deserved recognition. If you like cinematic jazz with memorable vocal hooks, this soundtrack is a little treasure; I find myself replaying it when I'm daydreaming about big risks and late-night piano sessions.