Donnie Darko Movie Soundtrack
Donnie Darko | |
|---|---|
| Movie Soundtrack (2001) | |
 | |
| Director | Richard Kelly |
| Studio | Pandora Cinema / Flower Films / Newmarket Films |
| Release date | 2001-10-26 |
| Genre(s) | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller |
| Composer(s) | Michael Andrews |
| Score album | Donnie Darko (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
| Soundtrack album | Donnie Darko (Music from the Original Motion Picture) |
| Record label | Enjoy Soundtracks / Sanctuary Records |
| Available on | Prime Video, Hulu |
| Cast | Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko Jena Malone as Gretchen Ross Maggie Gyllenhaal as Elizabeth Darko Drew Barrymore as Karen Pomeroy Patrick Swayze as Jim Cunningham Mary McDonnell as Rose Darko ... e 1 more |
About This Soundtrack
Written and directed by Richard Kelly, Donnie Darko (2001) is the quintessential psychological sci-fi cult classic set in October 1988. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal in his breakout titular performance alongside Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, and Patrick Swayze, the film chronicles an alienated teenager plagued by sleepwalking and guided by a menacing six-foot rabbit named Frank through a looming apocalypse.
The soundtrack for Donnie Darko is widely celebrated as one of the finest musical curations in independent cinema history. Anchored by Michael Andrews' haunting piano score, the movie features an iconic roster of 1980s post-punk and new wave classics, including Echo & the Bunnymen's 'The Killing Moon', Tears for Fears' 'Head Over Heels', Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', The Church's 'Under the Milky Way', and Michael Andrews & Gary Jules' immortal acoustic rendition of 'Mad World'.
This webpage serves as the definitive soundtrack directory and scene-by-scene song guide for Donnie Darko (2001), documenting music from both the original theatrical release and the extended Director's Cut (featuring INXS's 'Never Tear Us Apart' and Oingo Boingo's 'Stay'). Explore complete scene placements, audio previews, and direct streaming links on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon.
Additional Songs
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The Killing Moon by Echo & The Bunnymen
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Never Tear Us Apart by INXS
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Head Over Heels by Tears for Fears
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Notorious by Duran Duran
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Stay by Oingo Boingo
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Under the Milky Way by The Church
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Love Will Tear Us Apart Also in 'Rivals' by Joy Division
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Mad World by Gary Jules, Michael Andrews
Original Score
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DURATION1:34Carpathian Ridge by Michael Andrews
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DURATION1:48The Tangent Universe by Michael Andrews
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DURATION2:27The Artifact & Living by Michael Andrews
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DURATION1:39Middlesex Times by Michael Andrews
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DURATION2:06Manipulated Living by Michael Andrews
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DURATION2:00Philosophy of Time Travel by Michael Andrews
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DURATION1:32Liquid Spear Waltz by Michael Andrews
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DURATION0:51Gretchen Ross by Michael Andrews
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DURATION1:57Burn It to the Ground by Michael Andrews
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DURATION1:15Slipping Away by Michael Andrews
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DURATION1:23Rosie Darko by Michael Andrews
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DURATION1:03Cellar Door by Michael Andrews
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DURATION3:09Ensurance Trap by Michael Andrews
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DURATION2:44Waltz in the 4th Dimension by Michael Andrews
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DURATION2:59Time Travel by Michael Andrews
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DURATION1:50Did You Know Him? by Michael Andrews
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DURATION3:04Mad World (feat. Gary Jules) by Michael Andrews
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DURATION3:38Mad World (Alternate Version) [feat. Gary Jules] by Michael Andrews
About the Composer(s)
Michael Andrews is an American multi-instrumentalist, producer, and film composer. Making his feature scoring breakthrough with Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko (2001), Andrews operated under tight budgetary constraints, recording the score almost entirely by himself in his living room using vintage pianos, acoustic guitars, and mellotrons. His haunting, melancholic instrumental compositions, culminating in his minimalist cover of Tears for Fears' 'Mad World' featuring vocals by childhood friend Gary Jules, became an international cultural sensation, reaching #1 on the UK Christmas Singles Chart in 2003 and standing as one of the most celebrated soundtracks of 2000s independent cinema.
Soundtrack Universe
Discover movies and shows that share the same musical DNA.
Did you know?
- The emotional cover of Tears for Fears' 'Mad World' performed by Gary Jules and composer Michael Andrews became an unexpected global sensation, claiming the prestigious UK Christmas #1 single in 2003.
- In the original 2001 Theatrical Cut, Echo & the Bunnymen's 'The Killing Moon' plays as Donnie bikes home in the opening. In the 2004 Director's Cut, Richard Kelly replaced it with INXS's 'Never Tear Us Apart', which was his original first choice.
- The iconic continuous tracking shot sequence through Middlesex High School was precisely choreographed and timed to the exact duration of Tears for Fears' 1985 hit 'Head Over Heels'.
- Composer Michael Andrews played virtually every instrument heard in the original score himself, deliberately avoiding modern digital synthesizers in favor of vintage acoustic pianos to match the late-1980s aesthetic.
Official Trailer
About the Movie
Set in the suburban town of Middlesex, Virginia, in October 1988, Donnie Darko follows troubled teenager Donald 'Donnie' Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal). Plagued by severe sleepwalking episodes and receiving psychiatric therapy, Donnie survives a bizarre, catastrophic event when a jet engine falls directly through his bedroom ceiling while he is sleepwalking outside. That night, he is visited by a terrifying figure in a grotesque rabbit suit named Frank, who delivers a chilling countdown prophecy: the world will end in precisely 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds.
Manipulated by Frank's enigmatic instructions, Donnie commits escalating acts of vandalism while grappling with complex time-travel mechanics from a mysterious book titled The Philosophy of Time Travel. Amidst burgeoning romantic feelings for transfer student Gretchen Ross (Jena Malone) and guidance from sympathetic teachers (Drew Barrymore and Noah Wyle), Donnie must decipher whether he is descending into severe schizophrenia or functioning as the living anchor of an unstable tangent universe destined for destruction.
Written and directed by Richard Kelly in his visionary feature film debut, the psychological cult classic co-stars Maggie Gyllenhaal, Patrick Swayze, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne, and James Duval.
Additional Information
Frequently Asked Questions
How many songs are in the Donnie Darko soundtrack?
What song plays at the end of Donnie Darko when his body is removed?
What song plays during the opening bike ride in Donnie Darko?
What song does Sparkle Motion dance to in Donnie Darko?
External Links
Editorial Integrity & Verification
At Soundtrack Wiki, we take musical accuracy seriously. Every track list, scene description, and timestamp featured on this page has been manually verified by our editorial team to ensure it reflects the actual usage in the production.
Our methodology involves cross-referencing official credits, digital fingerprints, and frame-by-frame analysis of the soundtrack in context.
