La La Land: Every Song, Ranked Worst To Best

La La Land is one of the greatest musical movies of all time, with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone having amazing chemistry together. They weave through a heartwarming and emotional story about romance, and how tough it can be juggling that and work at the same time.

However, while the story and the acting in this movie are both of high quality, it is ultimately the music itself that determines whether or not a musical is a good movie. Thankfully, La La Land has an incredible soundtrack with a strong jazz theme running throughout, which has audiences’ toes tapping from start to finish.

15 “City Of Stars (Humming)”

Taking place in the credits, this is one song that a lot of people may not have even heard, or truly appreciated overall. There are no lyrics throughout this one, with this literally just being Emma Stone humming the main theme that people associate with this movie.

While it’s not the most exciting song in the movie, it is certainly one that feels very fitting for the credits. It’s not over the top and is very subtle, with a heavy focus on the piano, which works well as the credits roll by.

14 “The End”

This is, exactly as the title would suggest, the end of the movie, and is simply just a piece of music, which perfectly sums things up and brings a nice end to the movie. It’s a good piece of music that uses parts of the song that Sebastian and Mia sing to each other.

It’s charming and it does provide a really good end to the movie in terms of the music. However, it’s not one that anybody will be seeking out to listen to on repeat, as it’s a very short track.

13 “Planetarium”

This is another one of the numbers in the score which is very heavily dependent on the music. It’s providing the sounds for the dream scene as Mia and Sebastian are in the Griffith Observatory floating around, simply because they’re so in love.

Because of that, the score is very over the top, which works out brilliantly for the scene itself. However, it’s not one of the most memorable tracks in the movie, which doesn’t lead to it being one the strongest.

12 “Engagement Party”

This particular song is all about the piano, with no vocals or any other instruments, it is purely about the one instrument which is vital to the entire movie. It gives the piano a time to shine, and the song really benefits from that more than any other.

It’s a beautiful piece of music and is certainly a lot more chilled than other sections of the movie. However, because there are so many big numbers throughout, this one does suffer from getting lost in the shuffle slightly.

11 “City Of Stars”

This is Ryan Gosling’s big moment to shine, with his solo in the movie as he sings his song passionately. Once again, the piano really is the focal point here, but his soft singing does just give this number the edge over “Engagement Party” as it adds a little something extra.

It’s not over the top or flashy as some of the other numbers, but that doesn’t matter as this is a calm moment in the movie that just allows the music to take hold. Seeing Ryan walking around, having a quick dance, makes for a really fun scene.

10 “City Of Stars (Duet)”

This is exactly the same song as before, but the only difference is that Emma Stone gets to be part of this one as well. It’s a great connecting moment between the two of them and seeing them together singing and having fun is a heartwarming moment from the movie.

Because they have such amazing chemistry together the moment just feels incredibly organic and romantic, which allows them to really make this number work.

9 “Audition (Fools Who Dream)”

While “City Of Stars” was a tremendous number for Ryan Gosling, this one is all about Emma Stone singing her heart out. This is certainly an emotional part in the movie, with Emma bringing an incredible amount of passion to this one.

It’s something that really pushes the difficulties that Mia has had to go through at certain points in her career. The crackle in her voice as she goes through telling the story of her aunt is certainly a tough moment, but one that makes this song very impactful.

8 “Mia And Sebastian’s Theme”

This piano piece is one of the most beautiful moments in the entire movie, with the music being what people end up associating with the couple. While it’s not a massive moment in terms of a dance number or big vocals, this is a beautiful piece of music.

Because it pops up at different points, with small moments at other points in the movie it is a piece of music that certainly gets stuck into the audiences head, which helps to make it a very important song.

7 “Summer Montage”

This piece of music is an incredibly clever one, with “Another Day Of Sun” being reworked in a different manner for this one. It’s very well done and helps to make this song a lot of fun and brings a lot of great jazz elements to the movie.

Simply relying on the music here helps this piece of music standout within the soundtrack, making it one of the strongest pieces of music within the movie.

6 “Herman’s Habit”

Jazz music is a big focus throughout this movie, and “Herman’s Habit” is able to show that in the best way possible. A true tribute to jazz and the music that Sebastian is so passionate about. This song allows that passion to shine through as Mia begins to understand exactly what jazz is all about.

It’s fast-paced and full of passion and excitement, which makes this a very exciting number from the movie, which audiences will certainly find themselves nodding along with as it’s such a fantastic piece of music.

5 “Start A Fire”

It’s impossible to go wrong with John Legend singing an upbeat, modern jazz number, and that’s why “Start A Fire” is something truly special. It’s a brilliant number and does showcase that jazz can be incredibly exciting and the modern twist that this song has really does work.

It is intentionally a completely different change of pace and tone because the song is meant to be very different from the music Sebastian is fully invested in. However, the song is still an iconic one, that stands out amongst the rest.

4 “Epilogue”

This music takes place during a very emotional moment in the entire movie. Seeing Mia and Sebastian not end up together is something that is certainly sad to see, but the dream sequence of what might have happened had they stuck together is very enjoyable.

While that song takes place, the “Epilogue” plays out throughout the scene, it really is a whirlwind throughout the entire movie, playing snippets of all the songs, which comes together in one perfect medley.

3 “Another Day Of Sun”

This is the opening number from the entire movie, and very much feels like a throwback to a musical of the past, which makes this a lot of fun to watch. Seeing people leaping out of the cars to dance around and get involved in the song certainly provides a lot of excitement and energy.

While the song doesn’t pack the emotional punch that certain other numbers do, simply due to the fact that there’s no investment in the characters. It does provide a lot of fun and it is one of the most upbeat songs that the movie has to offer.

2 “Someone In The Crowd”

This is the second number in the movie and is one that has tons of energy throughout, as Mia and her roommates put together an incredible song. This is exactly what is expected from a musical, with dancing, color c0-ordination and plenty of sass to go along with it.

Emma Stone is hilarious within this particular number, with her roommates bringing brilliant performances as well. The song is catchy and very memorable, with this being something that everyone will dance around to.

1 “A Lovely Night”

While there are bigger numbers than this in terms of musicality, dancing, or emotion, “A Lovely Night” really is the strongest song of the entire movie. This is early on in the movie and is the first time the two characters properly interact, but it leads to an amazing song and dance.

The chemistry between the actors is brilliant at this point, with the small teases taking place to show potential romance, with the dancing and vocals being just as great. It sums up the two characters perfectly and really sets the scene for the entire movie.

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