If you have not yet seen “La La Land” – seriously, what are you waiting for? If you have, you’ve likely had quite an experience. As important as music is to the story, there are actually only six songs in the entire film. Here’s my ranking, with Spoiler-Free Commentary:
1. “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” – Emma Stone’s heartbreaking powerhouse is the perfect summary of all that “La La Land” stands for. Composer Justin Hurwitz played the music into Stone’s ear piece as she performed the song live.
2. “Start a Fire” – It’s a pop/techno fireball. John Legend co-wrote and performs the tune that easily could be a radio smash hit, even though it’s intentionally NOT like the rest of the score.
3. “Another Day of Sun” – The film’s opening scene will go down in cinematic history – with dozens of extras singing and dancing on an LA freeway ramp during a traffic jam and in the middle of a heatwave. And the lyrics are a great introduction to what’s to come in this world of entertainers and dreamers.
4. “Someone in the Crowd” – Similar in style to “Sun”, you simply can’t get the infectious rhythm out of your head – and that’s fine.
5. “City of Stars” – The Critics Choice and Golden Globe winner (and likely Oscar frontrunner) is sweet and romantic, but for me, it doesn’t have the impact of most of the others.
6. “A Lovely Night” – Stone and Ryan Gosling interact with some playful banter leading-up to the magical, scene-stealing dance sequence, which is way more memorable than this ditty.