The film presents its soundtrack as a heartfelt journey through human connection — The Beatles tie the narrative together, while Daniel Pemberton's score captures the otherworldly encounters between Ryland and Rocky with emotional precision.
But let's talk about that karaoke scene — Sandra Hüller as Stradt belting Harry Styles' 'Sign of the Times' isn't just a random needle drop. It's a calculated emotional gut-punch that sets up the film's entire thematic payload about isolation and desperate connection.
The Deadline source confirms 14 songs in the soundtrack, with Sandra Hüller performing 'Sign of the Times' as karaoke. The film stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace and James Ortiz as Rocky, with music supervision by Keir Lehman. Daniel Pemberton composed the score.
This isn't your typical space movie soundtrack — it's a carefully constructed emotional map. From the Beatles to Neil Diamond, every song serves a purpose. And that Harry Styles karaoke moment? That's not accidental placement. That's calculated storytelling.
The songs in 'Project Hail Mary' aren't just background noise — they're the entire emotional backbone of Ryan Gosling's desperate space mission to save the sun. And Deadline's breakdown reveals a soundtrack that's surprisingly diverse, running the gamut from Kris Kristofferson to Neil Diamond, with some unexpected deep cuts in between.
But here's what really caught our attention: the karaoke scene. Before Ryland Grace (Gosling) ever blasts off in the titular spaceship, there's a poignant karaoke session featuring Sandra Hüller as Stradt belting Harry Styles' 'Sign of the Times.' That's not a coincidence — that's your first hint that this movie is about more than just saving the sun. It's about what we hold onto when everything else is gone.
The Beatles play a key role in both Andy Weir's novel and the film's adaptation, with 'Two Of Us' showing up (though not on the soundtrack album) — because of course they do. When you're stranded in space with only an alien named Rocky for company, you need those references to connection, to someone being there through it all. Daniel Pemberton's score handles the otherworldly moments between Ryland and Rocky, but it's the needle drops that really carry the emotional weight.
And then there's Neil Diamond. 'Stargazer' makes the cut, which tracks — because if you're going to name-drop a song about reaching for something unreachable in a movie about saving humanity, you might as well go big. The soundtrack also includes some genuinely unexpected choices: Miriam Makeba's 'Pata Pata,' a brief clip of John Williams' 'Close Encounters' theme, and Ike & Tina Turner's 'Glory, Glory.' It's chaotic in the best way possible — a musical reflection of what's actually happening on screen.
Music supervision was handled by Keir Lehman, and honestly? The man earned his paycheck. This isn't a soundtrack that plays it safe. It's one that takes risks — whether that's putting Sandra Hüller behind a microphone with Harry Styles or weaving in Turakina Maori Girls' Choir alongside Dennis Wilson. That's the kind of choices that turn a good space movie into something memorable.
