As friends reunite and the Corner sees life again, it is easy to see Grounds, in its picturesque beauty, as the idealistic setting of an early 2000s rom-com film. The ensuing months will bring on a whirlwind of different emotions and prompt corresponding types of music — but to romanticize your semester to its fullest extent, choose a soundtrack with notes from these striking film scores.
There is no shortage of romantic music in cinema to transform the average University student into the main character of a Nora Ephron piece. This list spotlights some modern, beautifully composed ones that pair with a cozy indoor study night or a memorable chance encounter — whatever the muse may be.
“La La Land” (Justin Hurwitz)
The critically acclaimed and audience-praised 2016 film is both a love letter to jazz and an exemplar of the enduringly romantic right-person, wrong-time trope. Earning an Academy and Golden Globe Award for best score, Justin Hurwitz took a refreshingly original and contemporary spin on jazz that combines a smooth orchestral score with the looseness of jazz ideals.
Ranging from upbeat tracks like “Summer Montage/Madeline” to melancholy themes like “It's Over/Engagement Party,” Hurwitz’s score has a track for every situation this spring season may throw your way. Some of the songs, such as “Another Day of Sun,” even introduce grand dance numbers, honoring the musical aspect of the film by incorporating theatrical influence. Yet, Hurwitz manages to weave all 15 songs with a common thread of magical realism, bound to elevate a day around Grounds from exciting to enchanting.
“Lady Bird” (Jon Brion)
Greta Gerwig’s quintessential coming-of-age film captures the unique feeling of lying on the cusp of adolescence and adulthood, which is seamlessly encapsulated by Jon Brion’s original score. Brion’s composition pairs perfectly with a calm day of reflection, reminding listeners to appreciate how far they’ve come from the days of college applications and high school proms.
Brion combines piano, string and subtle percussion to produce a humble score that remains as moving as the story it soundtracks. Sonically, the music is often light and optimistic, with tracks titled “Hope,” “More Hope” and finally “Hope Against Hope,” communicating an internal monologue that may reflect one of a University student eager to tackle the challenges posed by a new semester.
“Pride and Prejudice” (Dario Marianelli)
Based on the beloved Jane Austen classic, this 2005 adaptation reintroduces the love story of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy set in 19th-century England. Following Elizabeth and Darcy’s charming love story, the score transforms listeners’ current surroundings to their very own picturesque field in England, where a rainy-day love confession awaits. Grounds offers a medley of historically rich study spots, from its libraries to its lawn — which are only a song away from feeling like a setting taken straight out of the renowned novel and film.
Dario Marianelli seamlessly crafts a classical and period-piece accurate score played by critically acclaimed pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and accompanied by the English Chamber Orchestra. Inspired by the best of Beethoven and Mozart, the composition is piano-driven and features an idyllic harmony of strings. The film opens with the beloved track “Dawn” as Elizabeth wanders around her “shabby-chic” home, quickly establishing the film’s comforting, romantic atmosphere while remaining time-period accurate.
“Her” (Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett)
Spike Jonze’s romantic sci-fi film introduces an unlikely romance between a divorcee and his artificially intelligent operating system, adopting a melancholy mood enhanced by Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett’s original score. With hits like “Song on the Beach” and “Dimensions,” the duo effectively utilizes soft piano and deep violin to portray the evolution of a doomed relationship.
The album feels like a montage in itself, as its ballads will remind you of just how quickly the semester will come to pass. Jonze, Pallett and Arcade Fire’s score will help ease the shift back into one’s academic routine while reminding students to appreciate its ephemerality.
From beloved period pieces to coming-of-age tales, film scores across all genres are timeless mediums to elevate the emotion in everyday life. These four scores remind listeners that their lives, too, can be just as cinematic as the tales told in theaters — especially when it comes to humble college love stories.
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