Credit: Netflix

Can we please talk about the fact that Office Romance just assembled one of the most ridiculously amazing rom-com soundtracks Netflix has had in a long time? Because Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein falling for each other was always going to be part of the deal. That’s literally the movie.

We knew romance was coming. We knew misunderstandings were coming. We knew we were going to witness two of the most attractive people make complicated decisions. What nobody warned us about was the soundtrack showing up and hijacking our playlists. After all, what’s a good rom-com without an even better soundtrack?

Seriously. Take one look at this tracklist: Hot Chocolate, Fine Young Cannibals, ABC, Modern Romance, Taylor Dayne… who isn’t there? And who gave these people the aux cord, and why are they cooking this hard?

The more you stare at the song selection, the better it becomes. A little weird but fascinating. Some of you might’ve even stopped halfway through the movie and immediately started checking the soundtrack because surely all these artists cannot be sharing the same film. Yet they are, and it’s working.

Actually, scratch that. It works because somebody behind the scenes clearly understood exactly what makes romantic comedies work. The thing about rom-coms is that they are built on anticipation. The soundtrack in Office Romance understands this perfectly. Songs such as ‘You Sexy Thing’, ‘She Drives Me Crazy’, ‘The Look Of Love’, and ‘Tell It To My Heart’ aren’t merely appearing because they are famous. They are appearing because they already know how to flirt.

These songs have spent decades making people blush and dance. Some people took them as a “sign” from the universe, so of course, they belong in a romantic comedy.

But just when you think you are listening to a nostalgia playlist put together by somebody with excellent taste in 1980s music, the soundtrack begins introducing artists such as Sharon Van Etten and Folk Bitch Trio. And they sure change the mood. The romance becomes all vulnerable before you know it.

And then we need to talk about Yasser Tejeda. Because one appearance would have been enough… At most two. But three appearances? Okay, now we are paying attention.

‘Todo Va A Marchar’, ‘Dim All the Lights’, and ‘Fade Into You’ give the soundtrack a completely different texture. They stop the playlist from becoming a greatest-hits collection and turn it into a more curated experience. It feels personal.

And then there’s Brett Goldstein performing Public Enemy’s ‘911 Is A Joke.’ Yes, that sentence is real. The same Brett Goldstein, known for playing Roy Kent, ends up attached to one of the soundtrack’s most unexpected moments, and that made Office Romance so much better than it could’ve been.

Of course, licensed music can only do so much heavy lifting before the original score has to take over. That is where Michael Andrews enters the conversation. If the soundtrack provides the personality, Andrews provides the emotional architecture to the movie. His score has connected with every romantic setback and every awkward conversation.

Evidence that somebody involved in Office Romance really loves music. Actual music. Music with character. Music, capable of making a romantic comedy feel better and sweeter. This track made Office Romance far more memorable than it would’ve been otherwise.

And that’s probably why so many viewers are heading straight to Spotify after the credits roll.

Every song featured in Office Romance:

• ‘You Sexy Thing’ by Hot Chocolate
• ‘She Drives Me Crazy’ by Fine Young Cannibals
• ‘The Look Of Love’ by ABC
• ‘I Can’t Get Enough’ by Modern Romance
• ‘Tell It To My Heart’ by Taylor Dayne
• ‘La Grange’ by ZZ Top
• ‘Todo Va A Marchar’ by Yasser Tejeda
• ‘Dim All the Lights’ by Yasser Tejeda
• ‘Fade Into You’ by Yasser Tejeda
• ‘I Love How You Love Me’ by The Paris Sisters
• ‘Juanita La Chismosa’ by El Caibefunk
• ‘Come Back’ by Sharon Van Etten
• ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ by Olivia Dean, Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra (Live at Jools’ Annual Hootenanny, London, 2024)
• ‘I Want You’ by Folk Bitch Trio (written by Bob Dylan)
• ‘911 Is A Joke’ by Public Enemy (performed in the film by Brett Goldstein)

Office Romance original score tracklist:

• ‘Morning at Air Cruz’
• ‘Jackie’s Morning’
• ‘The Apology’
• ‘Handshake Surprise’
• ‘Visiting Lizzy’
• ‘Cruz One’
• ‘Island Connection’
• ‘In Another Life’
• ‘We’re Done’
• ‘Following Daniel’
• ‘When the Water Breaks’
• ‘What Should I Do’
• ‘Before It’s Too Late’
• ‘Not Stepping Down’
• ‘Stinkeye Sydney’
• ‘Music for Air Cruz’
• ‘Office Romance’
• ‘I Want You’ by Folk Bitch Trio