The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (soundtrack)
| Company type | Soundtrack album |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | February 7, 2019 |
| Products | Soundtrack music |
| Parent | WaterTower Music |
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) serves as the official soundtrack for the 2019 follow-up to The Lego Movie. This release represents the fourth chapter in the series and is notably the final one produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Animation Group. The collection comprises 10 tracks performed by a variety of artists, including contributions from members of the film's cast. Among the songwriters involved are Shawn Patterson, Christopher Miller, and Jon Lajoie, alongside others.
Prior to the album's release on February 7, 2019, two singles were introduced: "Catchy Song" featuring performances by Dillon Francis, T-Pain, and Alaya High (That Girl Lay Lay), as well as "Super Cool," delivered by Beck, Robyn, and The Lonely Island. In addition, a companion album titled The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (Original Motion Picture Score) contains original score compositions by Mark Mothersbaugh, who also composed the score for the first installment. Both albums were made available through WaterTower Music.
Development
Building on the success of "Everything Is Awesome" from the original film, creators Phil Lord and Christopher Miller aimed to craft an equally memorable song for the sequel. They enlisted songwriter Jon Lajoie to produce a piece that would evoke ambivalent emotions, culminating in "Catchy Song". The central lyric, "This song's gonna get stuck inside your head," emerged during Lajoie's creative process and was intentionally designed to balance between being "49 percent annoying and 51 percent fun." Initially, the track was conceived as a more irritating version to impart a "creepy and brainwashy" effect but was later refined to be more appealing after viewing the completed film.
Lajoie developed 20 verses and recorded multiple demos; however, producers remained unsatisfied until music producer Dillon Francis agreed to perform the track. Additional choral vocals were provided by T-Pain and Alaya High (That Girl Lay Lay). Director Mike Mitchell and Lajoie anticipated that children would embrace the song's catchiness, while parents might find its repetitiveness frustrating, prompting a lighthearted apology following its release. Lajoie's objective was to outdo "Everything Is Awesome" in memorability by significantly increasing its "annoying" quality.
Originally, Lajoie planned to include a track called "All Is Amazing," designed to echo "Everything Is Awesome," but it was ultimately excluded due to its lack of originality and diminished humor when fully heard. Another discarded piece was titled "It’s Hard to Follow Up a Hit Song." The soundtrack also incorporates a Tween Dream remix of "Everything Is Awesome," performed by Eban Schletter with Garfunkel and Oates, alongside a parody reprise named "Everything's Not Awesome," performed by the cast with additional lyrics contributed by Shawn Patterson and Lajoie.
Reception
Reviews of the film's soundtrack were largely favorable. Brick Fanatics described it as "an original soundtrack that is a pleasant surprise, worthy of sitting alongside the best animated soundtracks from established studios." Conversely, opinions on the score were more divided. Zanobard rated it 3/10, criticizing its lack of thematic unity and labeling it a perplexing blend of musical styles that detracted from an enjoyable listening experience.
Similarly, Filmtracks.com offered criticism of Mothersbaugh's score, observing that although some fresh motifs appear late in the movie, the overall composition feels exhausting due to its inconsistent mix of orchestral and synthetic elements. The review also noted the absence of themes from the original film and a failure to cohesively integrate this sequel’s melodies, resulting in a disappointing standalone album.
Chart Performance
| Chart (2019) | Highest
Ranking |
|---|---|
| UK Compilation Albums (Official Charts Company) | 74 |
| UK Soundtrack Albums (Official Charts Company) | 12 |
| US Billboard 200 | 25 |
| US Top Soundtracks (Billboard) | 3 |