The Royal Tenenbaums (soundtrack)

The soundtrack to "The Royal Tenenbaums" contains a style typical of other Wes Anderson films. Mark Mothersbaugh composed the score for the soundtrack. Also featured are a variety of rock songs from the 1960s-'80s.

There have been two soundtrack album releases for "The Royal Tenenbaums". The first, in 2001, was well-received by most criticsfact|date=September 2008, though some songs were omitted; notably, Paul Simon's "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", Van Morrison's "Everyone", John Lennon's "Look At Me", The Mutato Muzika Orchestra's version of The Beatles' "Hey Jude" and two Rolling Stones tracks, among others.

In 2002, the soundtrack was re-released with three songs not found on the 2001 release, while one track titled "Lindbergh Palace Suite" by Mark Mothersbaugh was renamed. On the 2002 release of the soundtrack, this track has been renamed "Sonata For Cello And Piano In F Minor" by The Mutato Muzika Orchestra. The two songs by The Rolling Stones ("She Smiled Sweetly", "Ruby Tuesday") were still not on the soundtrack. This is because while The Rolling Stones allow their music to be used in film, they do not allow their material to appear on any soundtracks. The soundtrack was also still missing the Van Morrison track, which served as the closing credits song in the film.

During the tent scene, a Rolling Stones record is playing. The two songs played consecutively are "She Smiled Sweetly" and "Ruby Tuesday". It is clear that no tracks are skipped. Although both songs are on the Rolling Stones' album "Between the Buttons", these songs have never appeared consecutively on any Stones' release.

Complete soundtrack list

The following is a complete list of songs that appear in "The Royal Tenenbaums" in order of appearance.
#"111 Archer Avenue" by Mark Mothersbaugh
#"Hey Jude" by The Mutato Muzika Orchestra
#"String Quartet In F Major (Second Movement)" by Ravel Ysaye Quartet
#"Sonata For Cello And Piano In F Minor" by The Mutato Muzika Orchestra
#"Look At Me" by John Lennon
#"Christmas Time Is Here (Instrumental)" by Vince Guaraldi Trio
#"Margot Returns Home" by Mark Mothersbaugh
#"I'm Dying" by Mark Mothersbaugh
#"These Days" by Nico
#"Something's Brewing" by Mark Mothersbaugh
#"Look At That Old Grizzly Bear" by Mark Mothersbaugh
#"Police & Thieves" by The Clash
#"Wigwam" by Bob Dylan
#"Mothersbaugh's Canon" by Mark Mothersbaugh
#"Gymnopedie #1" by Erik Satie
#"Lullabye" by Emitt Rhodes
#"Raleigh & Margot" by Mark Mothersbaugh
#"Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" by Paul Simon
#"Scrapping & Yelling" by Mark Mothersbaugh
#"Pagoda's Theme" by Mark Mothersbaugh
#"Billy - Main Title" by Bob Dylan
#"Judy is a Punk" by The Ramones
#"Needle in the Hay" by Elliott Smith
#"How Can I Help (a.k.a. Sparkplug Minuet, 1st Movement)" by Mark Mothersbaugh
#"Fly" by Nick Drake
#"She Smiled Sweetly" by The Rolling Stones
#"Ruby Tuesday" by The Rolling Stones
#"Stephanie Says" by The Velvet Underground
#"Rock the Casbah" by The Clash
#"I Always Wanted To Be A Tenenbaum" by Mark Mothersbaugh
#"Christmas Time Is Here (Vocal)" by Vince Guaraldi Trio
#"Rachel Evans Tenenbaum (1965-2000)" by Mark Mothersbaugh
#"Chas Chases Eli" by Mark Mothersbaugh
#"Sparkplug Minuet" by Mark Mothersbaugh
#"Rooftop Talk (a.k.a. I Always Wanted to be a Tenenbaum, 2nd Movement)" by Mark Mothersbaugh
#"The Fairest Of The Seasons" by Nico
#"Everyone" by Van Morrison
#"End Credits (a.k.a. Sparkplug Minuet, 3rd Movement)" by Mark Mothersbaugh

2001 soundtrack release

2002 Soundtrack Re-release

2001 Oscar Promo

A promotional CD featuring Mark Mothersbaugh's score for the film was released in 2001 in correspondence with the Academy Awards. It was available in limited quantity.

#"The Royal Tenenbaums"
#"The Lindebergh"
#"Margot Returns Home"
#""I'm Dying""
#"Something Brewing"
#"Look At That Ol' Grizzly Bear"
#"Mothersbaugh's Canon"
#"Raleigh And Margot"
#"You're True Blue, Ethyl"
#"Heavy Duty"
#"How Can I Help"
#"To Be A Tenenbaum"
#"It's A Divorce"
#"Chas Chases Eli"
#"I Need Help"
#"Rooftop Talk"
#"Lindeburgh"
#"End Credits"

Production notes

*There are eight songs that appear in the film that do not appear on the 2002 soundtrack.
*"Everyone" by Van Morrison wasn't initially Wes Anderson's first pick as the closing credits track. He originally had The Beach Boys' "Sloop John B" in mind.
*Many scenes were written specifically for certain songs. Gwyneth Paltrow walking in slow motion towards the camera was a scene that Wes Anderson had in mind soon after hearing "These Days" by Nico before he had even written the script.
* Wes Anderson was going to open the film with the original "Hey Jude" recording by The Beatles. Unfortunately, George Harrison had died during production of the film, making it difficult to acquire permission to use the track. Subsequently, plans for an Elliott Smith cover of the song fell through due to Smith's depression and drug problems. Eventually, Mark Mothersbaugh's orchestra recorded the track.