Nicole Barlow and Ryan Pak host Soundtrack Your Life, a podcast about the film and TV soundtracks that shape pop culture. Each episode features a guest who shares personal stories about a soundtrack that's meaningful to them. Ranging from the iconic best selling soundtracks of all time to cult favorites, they cover them all. Discover hidden gems, behind-the-scenes stories, hot debates, and deep dives into the most iconic songs in movies.
🎧 Perfect for fans of:
• Movie and TV soundtracks
• Original songs! Fake bands! Real good needle drops!
• Music and pop culture connections
• 80s, 90s and Y2K nostalgia
• New soundtrack releases
• Exclusive interviews with bands, artists and pop culture experts
New episodes are released on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of every month.
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Little Shop of Horrors (1986) - The 80s Horror Musical Soundtrack That Predicted Big Things for Menken & Ashman w/ Jenn Owens
Monday, October 12, 2026 • Duration 51:28
Jenn Owens of My Streaming Bubble and Twin It to Win It returns to talk about the soundtrack to the 1986 Frank Oz film, Little Shop of Horrors. This musical is actually an adaptation of a film from the 1960s, but it was brought to life through the music and lyrics of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Director and voice actor, Frank Oz directs, and the film stars Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Levi Stubbs, and a number of amazing comedic cameos.
Menken and Ashman would be nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar for their song "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space". The would get scooped up by Disney to write songs for Disney animated classics like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and more.
For More Information About Jenn Owens:
My Streaming Bubble
Twin it to Win It
My Streaming Bubble on Threads
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The Fountain (2006) - The Soundtrack Where Clint Mansell Teams Up with Mogwai and The Kronos Quartet to Create a Score That is Out of this World w/ Brian Skutle
Monday, September 28, 2026 • Duration 57:57
Brian Skutle of Sonic-Cinema joins Ryan Pak to talk about the soundtrack to the 2006 Darren Aronofsky film, The Fountain. The soundtrack is scored by frequent Aronofsky collaborator, Clint Mansell, who is joined by The Kronos Quartet and Scottish post-rock band, Mogwai, to create a score that links 3 different timelines in the film. Mansell also utilizes a choir on the score, which feels both maximalist and minimalist.
For More Information About Brian Skutle / Sonic-Cinema:
Website
Instagram
Threads
Bandcamp
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Alex Band of The Calling on the Band's 1st Album in 22 Years and The Crazy Journey to Get There
Monday, September 14, 2026 • Duration 35:48
Lead singer and guitarist of The Calling, Alex Band, joins Ryan Pak to talk about the new album, Before the World Turns to Dust (out on Sept 25), the first album from The Calling in 22 years. Alex talks about the journey to get to this long awaited album, which includes being kidnapped, being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, and dealing with collapsing record labels.
Alex also talks about coming from a lineage of artists and filmmakers, his songs being used in the closing ceremonies of the Olympics, the World Cup, and how a demo "Wherever You Will Go" caught the attention of a soundtrack supervisor's attention, placing Alex in the film Coyote Ugly.
Before the World Turns to Dust is out on Sept 25. The single "Dust" is out now.
For More Information on The Calling:
Website
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The Mask (1994) w/ Robert Yaniz Jr. - The 90s Latin, Swing and R&B Soundtrack That Gave Jim Carrey a Billboard Dance Chart Hit
Monday, August 24, 2026 • Duration 55:29
Robert Yaniz Jr of Crooked Table and Back to Bluey joins Ryan Pak to talk about the soundtrack to the 1994 Chuck Russell film, The Mask. The soundtrack is considered to be at the forefront of the 90s swing revival with its throwback soundtrack that included artists like the Brian Setzer Orchestra & the Royal Crown Revue. Jim Carrey’s iconic cover of “Cuban Pete” landed Carrey in the top 40 on the Billboard Dance charts.
The film also launched the career of an unknown actress named Cameron Diaz who made her acting debut in the film. Randy Edelman provided the score, helping turn Downtown Los Angeles into the comic book town of Edge City. Like many 90s films, the soundtrack jams multiple artists into the end credits such as Xscape, Harry Conick Jr and Tony! Toni! Tone!
For More Information About Crooked Table:
YouTube
BlueSky
Back to Bluey
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The Empire Strikes Back (1980) w/ Darin Lundberg - The John Williams Soundtrack Score That Refuses to Rest on Its Laurels
Monday, August 10, 2026 • Duration 01:04:56
Darin Lundberg of The NostalgiaCAST and the Back to Bluey Podcasts joins Ryan Pak to talk about the soundtrack to the 1980 Irvin Kershner film, The Empire Strikes Back. The Oscar nominated score was done by the iconic John Williams, who is as synonymous with the Star Wars franchise at this point as its creator, George Lucas.
Darin shares why he goes back to The Empire Strikes Back and it's accompanying score more than the other 2 films in the original Star Wars trilogy. Darin and Ryan also talk about how the film's reputation has shifted over the years. They also talk about how John Williams' storied career only contains 5 Oscar wins even though he's been nominated 54 times.
For More Information About Darin Lundberg:
Twitter
Threads
Back to Bluey on IG
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Swingers (1996) - The 90s Swing Revival Soundtrack Where Love Jones Contributed More Than A Song w/ Love Jones
Monday, June 22, 2026 • Duration 50:56
Earlier this year, Love Jones returned with the album, The Greatest Show on Earth, their first album since 2010, and Ben Daughtrey, Barry Thomas, and Jonathan Palmer discuss their journey to releasing the new album with Nicole Barlow and Ryan Pak on Soundtrack Your Life. They also talk about their start as a band in 1990 and how they ended up in LA, where they would meeting the likes of director John Favreau and actor Vince Vaughn. Favreau and Vaughn who were making an indie-film called Swingers.
The band contributed their song "Paid for Lovin'" to the soundtrack but the band was involved with more than just that song. Bassist Barry Thomas was a music consultant on the film, helping pick out songs for the soundtrack, and the band almost ended up in the film itself, since Favreau and Vaughn were such big fans of the band.
Ben, Barry, and John share behind the scenes stories about Swingers, they also chat about jamming with producer/composer Jon Brion in the early 90s, and appearing in films like Since You've Been Gone and The Sweetest Thing.
For More Information About Love Jones:
Website
Instagram
Their Tonight Show Performance
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The Bear Season 4 (2025) - The Show's Soundtrack is Known for 90s Rock but Season 4 Tweaks the Formula w/ Erin Marlow and Jenn Owens
Monday, June 8, 2026 • Duration 01:18:24
Erin Marlow of It's a Fandom Thing and Jenn Owens of My Streaming Bubble are back to talk the soundtrack of The Bear, Season 4, with Nicole Barlow and Ryan Pak as we all wait for the much anticipated 5th and final season of The Bear.
This episode was recorded from a livestream shortly after Season 4 was released but was kept until now with Season 5 just days away. From favorite S4 needle drops to reactions to the stunt casting for the season, Erin, Jenn, Nicole and Ryan break down the good, the bad, and wonder if a St. Vincent needle drop is too cool for The Bear.
Check Out
It's a Fandom Thing
My Streaming Bubble
Twin it to Win It
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Chinese American Bear Discuss Their New Album and Explain Potato Europe vs Tomato Europe
Friday, May 29, 2026 • Duration 43:20
Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten of the Seattle via Chicago vs New York band Chinese American Bear join Ryan Pak to discuss their new album, Dim Sum and Then Some, which was released back on May 8, 2026. They discuss Anne and Bryce's favorite cities to get dim sum, their favorite meal on tour, the strangest meal they've had on tour, and how they came up with the band name. They also discuss some of their favorite scores and they play Life in 3 Tracks.
Chinese American Bear is out on tour now!
For More Information About Chinese American Bear:
Website
Bandcamp
Instagram
Calling All Angels (432 hz), the new single by mehro. Listen to the single here!: https://lnk.dmsmusic.co/mehro_callingallangels
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Only Murders in the Building (2021 - Current) - Award Winning Music Editor Micha Liberman on His Emmy Nominated Episode & Other Stories from His Career
Monday, May 25, 2026 • Duration 01:02:13
Award winning music editor and composer, Micha Liberman, joins Ryan Pak to explain the role of a music editor on a production
on Soundtrack Your Life. They discuss the Emmy nominated episode "Sitzprobe" from Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building and the complexity of working with multiple teams to create a fake musical production. They also chat about Micha's career, from being an assistant to composer John Frizell to current projects like Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender, Running Point, and the upcoming Disney Plus show, Coven Academy.
Micha also has a new album called Whole New Sun under the name Micha Meir.
For more information about Micha Liberman:
Micha on Instagram
Micha's Website
Mind Meld Arts
Micha on LinkedIn
Calling All Angels (432 hz), the new single by mehro. Listen to the single here!: https://lnk.dmsmusic.co/mehro_callingallangels
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Jane Austen's Period Drama (2024) - The Soundtrack for the Oscar Nominated Short Film Blends a Chamber Pop Score with an End Credits Banger w/ Nicole Alyse Nelson
Monday, May 11, 2026 • Duration 42:34
Actress Nicole Alyse Nelson, from the Oscar nominated short film, Jane Austen's Period Drama, joins Nicole Barlow and Ryan Pak to talk about recently nominated film. The music for the soundtrack was composed by Alex Winkler who also wrote the end credits song "Slide Up" featuring Bryce Charles. The stark differences between the score and the song show Winkler's musical range.
From how Nicole got involved with the project to the instructions she was given on how to handle a live chicken, all of this is discussed and more!
For More Information about Nicole Alyse Nelson:
Instagram
Facebook
Calling All Angels (432 hz) by mehro Listen to the single here!: https://lnk.dmsmusic.co/mehro_callingallangels
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