The Greatest Hits Soundtrack Guide: Every Song & When They Play

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Greatest Hits.

Music plays a major role in Hulu’s new original romantic comedy film The Greatest Hits with 24 songs on its soundtrack that span many decades, genres, and sounds. The Hulu film is about a young woman named Harriet, whose boyfriend, Max, died in a car accident two years before the start of the movie’s events. Harriet’s efforts to move on from her tragic loss are thwarted by the fact that she keeps getting pulled back in time whenever she hears one of the songs she shared with her deceased boyfriend.

British-American actress Lucy Boynton, known for her roles in Ballet Shoes, Sense and Sensibility, Sing Street, and more, leads The Greatest Hits cast as Harriet, with David Corenswet (Max) and Justin H. Min (David) playing her love interests. The Greatest Hits received mixed reviews from critics, but its soundtrack is one of the film’s greatest strengths. With music playing such an important part of the story, The Greatest Hits assembled an entertaining and interesting mix of songs for Harriet and the viewers to listen to.

When Every Song On The Greatest Hits Soundtrack Plays In The Movie

The Greatest Hits Soundtrack Features An Eclectic Mix Of 24 Songs

“This Is the Day” by The The – The first song featured in The Greatest Hits is “This Is the Day” by The The. The 1983 song transports Harriet and Max to the moment just before the car accident that killed him. As the song played on the radio, Harriet tried and failed to convince Max to take the next right to avoid getting into the accident that only she would survive. The band sings “This is the day your life will surely change” as they collide with another car.

“Me and My Shadow” by Peggy Lee – “Me and My Shadow” by Peggy Lee is one of the many montage songs in The Greatest Hits. The classic jazz piano song plays as Harriet drives to work for her shift at the library. While in the car, viewers can see that Harriet had the radio in her car removed to prevent herself from accidentally hearing one of her and Max’s songs.

“Pump Up the Jam” by Technotronic – When Harriet rear-ends another car, she hears the worldwide 1989 house hit “Pump Up the Jam” by Technotronic playing from the other car’s radio. At one of the worst possible moments, Harriet is sent back to a 2018 Halloween party she attended with Max, though she quickly pulls the plug on the party’s stereo to bring herself back to the present.

“Don’t Push It Don’t Force It” by Leon Haywood – Following the accident in The Greatest Hits, Harriet visits her best friend Morris (Austin Crute). Morris tells her to listen to the lyrics of the song playing in his apartment, “Don’t Push It Don’t Force It” by Leon Haywood, because it’s great advice.

“Loud Places” by Jamie xx feat. Romy – The indie-pop song “Loud Places” by Jamie xx feat. Romy transports Harriet back to the first time she met Max in The Greatest Hits. She and Morris were attending a musical festival when she spotted Max in a love-at-first-sight moment. It plays again towards the film’s end when Harriet travels back to the start to let Max go and free herself from being haunted by music and their relationship.

“Play It On My Radio” by Niki & The Dove – In The Greatest Hits, the soft indietronica song plays over a montage of Harriet trying to find the song she needs to hear to save Max. On Harriet’s wall are post-it notes full of song titles, letting her know what she’s tried already. The opening lyrics to “Play It On My Radio” are “there’s a song that I’m looking for,” making it the perfect fit for this moment.

“Next To You (Marcy Rising Edit)” by Locussolus feat. Heidi Lawden – “Next To You (Marcy Rising Edit)” plays very briefly in The Greatest Hits. As Harriet leaves grief counseling, she meets David for the first time.

“To Turn You On (Disco Punisher Remix)” by Roxy Music – “To Turn You On (Disco Punisher Remix)” plays twice in The Greatest Hits, becoming David and Harriet’s song. Harriet invited David to the record store where Morris was DJing. When there was only one copy of the Roxy Music record on vinyl, they decided to share joint custody of it. At the end of the film, in the future she created by never having dated Max, Harriet attends a Roxy Music concert with her friends and meets David again for the “first” time.

“Gap in the Clouds” by Yellow Days – In The Greatest Hits, Harriet travels back in time to one of her and Max’s happiest memories, a simple day at the beach with their dog. “Gap in the Clouds” by Yellow Days plays over the scene as the couple soaks up the sun and each other.

“Sémaphore” by Requin Chagrin – David used sharing joint custody over their Roxy Music record as an excuse to get Harriet’s number and spend time with her in The Greatest Hits. When she arrives at the café to meet David, “Sémaphore” by French artist Requin Chagrin is playing, but she doesn’t hear it as she keeps her headphones onto prevent any accidental episodes.

“Running” by Helado Negro – Harriet told David she always wrote headphones because of a medical condition. While David was curious to know more, she didn’t offer much of an explanation. Eventually, Harriet took off her headphones and gave them to David, so he could hear “Running” by Helado Negro, which showed a sense of trust in him, even very early on in their relationship.

“Music Sounds Better with You” by NEIL FRANCIS – Unfortunately for Harriet, the sweet moment between her and David in The Greatest Hits quickly turned sour when the song in the café changed to “Music Sounds Better with You” by NEIL FRANCIS. When Harriet heard the song, she ran to the bathroom, where she was taken back to another memory with Max. This time, she turned the song off as soon as possible to return to the present.

“Make Me Believe in You” by Patti Jo – After the incident at the café in The Greatest Hits, Harriet visited Morris and told him all about it, as he was the only one who knew about her strange condition. Morris wants Harriet to take a chance on David and stop living in the past, leading to an argument between the friends. In the background, the 1973 soul record “Make Me Believe in You” written by Curtis Mayfield and sung by Patti Jo plays in his apartment.

“Ooh I Love It (Love Break)” by The Salsoul Orchestra – Harriet eventually takes some of Morris’ advice by inviting David to a party where Morris is DJing. When they arrive, Morris is playing The Salsoul Orchestra’s disco hip-hop song “Ooh I Love It (Love Break).”

“Feel the Music” by Hifi Sean feat. Celeda – At the party in The Greatest Hits, Morris mixes “Ooh I Love It” into “Feel the Music” by Hifi Sean and Celeda. David and Harriet dance the night away to the fun disco track.

“Say Yes to Heaven” by Lana Del Rey – After kissing for the first time in The Greatest Hits, David and Harriet are confronted with their respective grief when they get home, with David having lost both of his parents in quick succession. The Lana Del Rey song that plays over the scene is about saying yes to someone and something new, representing the start of a new chapter for them both.

“I’m Like a Bird” by Nelly Furtado – While driving around with Harriet in The Greatest Hits, David turns on the radio to Nelly Furtado’s “I’m Like A Bird.” Initially, Harriet keeps her headphones on, but when she hears what David’s singing along to, she takes them off and they sing the catchy chorus together.

“Heybb!” by binki – The radio is always a risk for Harriet in The Greatest Hits. Once again, Harriet was sent back at one of the worst possible moments as she was making out with David in his car and they accidentally turned the radio on to “Heybb!” by binki, one of her and Max’s songs. Though she quickly turned the song off, it obviously ruined the mood.

“Friday I’m In Love” by Phoebe Bridgers – With all the mishaps in The Greatest Hits, Harriet finally tells David about her musical time traveling. He initially doesn’t believe her and also has a hard time with how hung up she is on her deceased boyfriend. After leaving, David has a drink on his roof and tries to process everything while Phoebe Bridgers’ slowed-down, stripped cover of “Friday I’m In Love” by The Cure plays.

“Powa” by Tune-Yards – After David left, Harriet put on “Powa” by Tune-Yards to be with Max again. As the song plays in The Greatest Hits, she asks him what he thinks will happen to them, and he tells her to just take everything one day at a time, not knowing their days are numbered.

“Fantasia in D Minor” by Mozart – When Harriet goes to David’s parents’ furniture store in The Greatest Hits, she realizes she’s been there before with Max. To prove to David that she’s actually time traveling and to try and save Max, she puts on “Fantasia in D Minor” by Mozart. Though she couldn’t save Max, she crossed paths with David briefly, and Harriet was able to leave a note in an old desk for him, proving to David that she traveled back in time.

“New Romance” by Beach House – Another song that plays while Harriet and David are driving is “New Romance” by Beach House. The dream pop song’s title is fitting, Harriet and David embark on a new romance in The Greatest Hits.

“Never Lost” by Nelly Furtado & Ryan Lott – The only original song written for The Greatest Hits is “Never Lost” by Nelly Furtado and Ryan Lott. The song plays after Harriet decides to see what her life would be like if she never loved and lost Max. Rather than working for the library in this alternate timeline, Harriet is helping Nelly Furtado mix her new album, with the singer even making an appearance in the film.

“Alternate World (Alternate Life)” by Kishi Bashi & Son Lux – The final song in The Greatest Hits end credits is “Alternate World (Alternate Life) by Kishi Bashi and Son Lux. The title and the lyrics represent the film’s ending, with Harriet choosing to see what would happen if she changed the future rather than trying to change the past.

Where To Listen To The Greatest Hits Soundtrack

The Greatest Hits Soundtrack Is Available For Streaming

The Greatest Hits soundtrack can be streamed on major music listening platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. However, the albums appear differently on the platforms. The Spotify version of The Greatest Hits soundtrack has just 24 songs compared to the 27-song album on Apple Music. Additionally, many of the songs that play in The Greatest Hits are missing from the soundtracks.

The tracks on the official The Greatest Hits soundtrack albums are a mix of the songs listed above and songs scored by Ryan Lott, who is known for scoring Everything Everywhere All At Once and Paper Towns. To listen to all 24 songs, viewers can check out user-made playlists. With the variety of songs in The Greatest Hits and the powerful score, the soundtracks in all forms are worth a listen.

Where To Watch The Greatest Hits