The full details of the soundtrack album for Marielle Heller’s comedy drama Can You Ever Forgive Me? have been revealed. The album features the songs from the film by artists including Jeri Southern, Blossom Dearie, Dinah Washington, Peggy Lee, Patti Page, Tank and the Bangas, Pixies, Chet Baker and Justin Vivian Bond. Also included is the film’s original score composed by Nate Heller who previously composed the music for the director’s The Diary of a Teenage Girl. The soundtrack will be released digitally tomorrow (click here to download) and physically on October 26. Visit Amazon to pre-order the CD version. Can You Ever Forgive Me? starring Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant tells the true story of best-selling celebrity biographer Lee Israel who made her living in the 1970’s and 80’s profiling the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Estee Lauder and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. The dramedy premiered at this year’s Telluride and Toronto Film Festival and will be released in select theaters on October 19 by Fox Searchlight. Visit the official movie website for more information.

Here’s the album track list:

1. I Thought of You Last Night – Jeri Southern (3:13)
2. Manhattan – Blossom Dearie (4:15)
3. Bad Luck – Dinah Washington (2:53)
4. Snowy Day – Nate Heller (0:44)
5. Street of Dreams – Peggy Lee (3:21)
6. What Dorothy Said – Nate Heller (2:46)
7. Detour – Patti Page (2:46)
8. Noel Coward / John Hancock – Nate Heller (4:02)
9. There Goes My Gun – Pixies (1:52)
10. Trav’lin’ Light – Chet Baker (3:11)
11. Dear Edna – Nate Heller (1:48)
12. I’ll Be Seeing You – Tank and the Bangas (3:43)
13. Cat Sh*t – Nate Heller (1:10)
14. Charade (Remastered) – Blossom Dearie (1:56)
15. Goodnight Ladies – Justin Vivian Bond (4:24)

  1. Robert Jones says:

    This is not the soundtrack from the movie. Paul Simon’s song is featured heavily in the movie but is not on this soundtrack. Why???

    • Vicki says:

      Robert, I’ve been trying to find out why too. I suppose it’s because Can’t Run is a recent release and Paul Simon didn’t want to sacrifice more substantive royalties by having it included in the soundtrack? Loved hearing it in the movie though – such a compelling song.

      • Jacqui says:

        Vicki:
        Thanks for the name of the song, I was trying to figure out what it was after seeing the film today (FYI, it’s “Can’t Run But”). It’s actually an older song, was on “Rhythm of the Saints” (1990).

      • Achilles says:

        It’s very weird because if you have noticed, the arrangement of Paul Simon’s song in the movie is very different from the actual arrangement in Simon’s album. In the movie it features marimbas, base and guitar solo, wooden percussion and Simon’s singing is quieter. How is this possible? Perhaps Nate Heller did a specific arrangement just for the movie? Such a shame we can’t find this, it sounds really good.

    • Carl J Freda says:

      Also. Billie Holliday sings “I’ll Be Seeing You” in the movie but here it’s Tank and the Bangas? Why not Billie’s version? This is a Verve release and she recorded it for Verve.

  2. Daria says:

    The song “Can’t Run But” is from the album “Rhythm of the Saints” from the early ‘90’s. So, not new… And, I wonder why it isn’t included? Also, I found it interesting that a song of Simon’s, who has been accused of *borrowing* from other people’s work (including cultures of people) was included twice in a movie about a writer *borrowing* from others. (And, for a verse or so – as I tried to remember where I’d heard the song – I thought it was Sting!) Maybe, just me.

  3. Lyriana M says:

    Did I hear a Sting song at some point when Lee is typing? Which was it, and not listed here?

  4. Percy Blakeney says:

    There is a piece of music in the trailer which isn’t on the soundtrack. Does anyone know what its called? Is it an original piece?
    Thanks

  5. B says:

    The music played at the opening party is by Roxy Music. It’s sung by Brian Ferry and called The Same Old Scene (1980). Fabulous song! Check it out.

  6. Catlady says:

    Loved this movie! Can anyone help me out with the song that was playing as she threw away her typewriters/disposed of evidence? Was that the Pixies song listed here, or something else?

  7. Maureen says:

    I too was very surprised that Paul Simon’s compelling Can’t Run But which truly called to the immediacy of the moment was not listed in the Soundtrack album. I looked it up a few different times. Simon had to give permission for using the song in the movie. Someone above said it was played twice during the movie. I can only recall once. When was it played again?

  8. Derek says:

    Paul Simon recently recorded an album of new versions of some of his songs, and I can’t run is one of them. Maybe this is the version used in the movie?