Music

Webb's extensive use of music in the opening sequence for this film is due to his ambition of "letting music drive the image". This is most definitely achieved through using the music as another form of narration to portray the theme of new beginnings, as well as a form of contrast, for emphasis of the director's purpose to ruin all expectations. 


Initially the sound of cars going past is played to set the scene of downtown LA. The song "A Story of Boy Meets Girl" (by Mychael Danna and Rob Simonsen) is then played. It is mainly a narrative with an enchanting background instrumental, comprising of soft whistling, pencil writing on paper, ticking of a clock, violin, cello, piano, with percussion overlapping. The percussion creates an alluring atmosphere while the pencil writing on paper fits with the office setting. The ticking of the clock fits with the plot as we are taken back to day 1 of the 500 Days of Summer. The soft whistling also enhances the feeling of a laid-back mood with not much happening. Which, of course, is exactly how Tom's life is at the point in time. This mood that is created fits nicely with the flat office setting. The combination of instruments build on the alluring atmosphere shaping the viewer's emotional response into sensing mystery. This response is purposefully crafted by the director so that the viewer begins to make assumptions and have expectations. Expectations, the director wants to ruin. The overlapping percussion is removed and the instruments continue at a slower pace as the tragic story of Tom and Summer's childhoods are shown/narrated. The removal of the percussion removes the mystery element which could have distracted from the tragedy being told. The slower pace in instruments shape the viewer's emotional response into feeling sadden by the traumatic childhoods of Tom and Summer. The percussion returns, as does the pace of the instrumental, and the viewer starts to believe normality is returning.


Suddenly the upbeat song, "Us" (by Regina Spektor) plays as the credits begin to roll accompanied by old home videos of Tom and Summer growing up. A stark contrast is created. "Us" has a fast and exciting rhythm, the complete opposite to the previous music. This contrast also works nicely with the severe contrast in situations. We are told the tragedies of Summer and Tom's childhoods then suddenly these fun, happy videos of their childhoods are shown. The viewer is baffled by this abrupt change, and is shocked by how their expectations were completely wrong. Webb has fooled them yet again by creating a disheartened mood which caused the viewer to have false expectations, only to have them devoured. This is after all, the director's ambition. The music continues to act as a narration. For example a lyric from "Us" being "they made a statue of us". This lyric shapes the viewer's emotional response into hoping Tom and Summer will have bright futures. Of course, this isn't going to happen as Webb's purpose is to destroy their optimism, eventually, when the viewer least expects it. The song continues the theme of new beginnings when Tom and Summer's parents are referred to as having "years of experience" in the lyrics. The idea of Tom and Summer looking up to their parents for guidance is illustrated by this lyric. Tom and Summer require guidance because they are just new beginnings to the world at this point.  


The use of music not only acts as a narrative and portrays the theme of new beginnings in the lyric "they'll name a city after us", but it also creates a link to a later part of the film. The city Tom and Summer will be "named after" is their own city, the small downtown of LA that they view from a park bench, the city Tom draws over and over, the city where all the viewer's expectations are met and Tom and Summer are happy, whether they are together or apart. Similarly the "statue" of Tom and Summer, previously mentioned, was "put on a mountain top". This lyric represents the theme of hope due to their new beginning as young children with so much potential, as well as creating a link to a scene later on in the film. This scene is when Tom and Summer are sitting on a park bench at the "top" of the park. They are up high, looking down at their city below. They are "on a mountain top" in this instance because even though they are apart relationship wise, they are still together in their city, happy. Which overall means that while the director has ruined all the viewer's expectations throughout the film, their final hopes or expectations for Tom and Summer are achieved, and we are satisfied.