With a title like Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, one can expect the movie to be filled with a lot of great songs. Named after a track on the Beatles’ eponymous 1968 double album, a.k.a. “the White Album,” Glass Onion is the second installment in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out franchise, following the 2019 original. Like the first movie, Glass Onion features a score by Nathan Johnson along with a soundtrack consisting of classic rock tunes mixed with other perfectly fitting music choices.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery follows another case involving the impeccable detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig). This time, he’s invited to a private island in Greece where a tech billionaire named Miles Bron (Edward Norton) has assembled a group of friends for a bit of fun during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rian Johnson has crafted another meticulous whodunit with the arguably better Knives Out sequel, and his many perfect details include the choice and placement of the movie’s many songs.
Here’s every song in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, in order:
- “Fugue in G Minor, BWV 578 ‘Little'” performed by Tatiana Nikolaeva
- “Mothership Connection (Star Child)” by Parliament
- “Bach’s Music Box – ‘Little’ Fugue in G Minor” performed by Brandon Frankenfield
- “Aeraki (To Thiliko)” by Eleni Foureira
- “Blackbird” by the Beatles
- “Hourly Dong” by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Joseph Bonn
- “Under The Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
- “To Love Somebody” by the Bee Gees
- “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by Toots and the Maytals
- “Star” by David Bowie
- “Fugue in G Minor, BWV 578 ‘Little'” performed by Tatiana Nikolaeva
- “Abzorbing Dance” by John Denon and Richard Paul Vallance
- “Starman” by David Bowie
- “Cool Change” by Little River Band
- “Mona Lisa” by Nat King Cole
- “Glass Onion” by the Beatles
When Exactly Each Song Plays In Glass Onion
“Fugue in G Minor, BWV 578 ‘Little'” performed by Tatiana Nikolaeva – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery opens with Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Fugue in G Minor,” also known as his “Little Fugue,” as performed by the late Soviet pianist Tatiana Nikolaeva. It extends from the fade-in through to Claire (Kathryn Hahn) beginning her CNN interview. The piece appears again at the beginning of the second half of the movie when Helen (Janelle Monáe) goes to Blanc’s apartment.
“Mothership Connection (Star Child)” by Parliament – This classic funk song is playing at the party that introduces Kate Hudson’s scene-stealing Glass Onion character, Birdie Jay.
“Bach’s Music Box – ‘Little’ Fugue in G Minor” performed by Brandon Frankenfield – This alternate version of Bach’s “Little Fugue” is played on one of the partitions of the puzzle box that Miles sends to all his friends to solve. None other than iconic cellist Yo-Yo Ma identifies the tune during his cameo appearance as a guest at Birdie Jay’s party.
“Aeraki (To Thiliko)” by Eleni Foureira – This Greek pop song is heard faintly in the background during the Glass Onion scene when the main cast arrives at the dock to catch the boat to Miles’s island.
“Blackbird” by the Beatles – Miles is obviously a fan of the Fab Four since he named his complex on his private island, the Glass Onion. The first Beatles song heard in the movie, though, is “Blackbird,” also from “the White Album.” While no one is credited with the performance, and it’s not confirmed to actually be Edward Norton doing the strumming, the song is played on guitar in-story by Miles as he greets his friends on the beach.
“Hourly Dong” by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Joseph Bonn – While not exactly a song, the “Hourly Dong” that occurs on Mile’s island is credited among the other tunes on this list from the Glass Onion soundtrack. Regardless, it’s a composition that is heard throughout the movie and has an interesting bit of trivia. The sound of the “dong” was voiced by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who tends to have some sort of cameo or involvement in every one of his friend Rian Johnson’s movies.
“Under The Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers – This is another song performed on guitar in-story by Miles, but not credited to Edward Norton or anyone else. “Under the Bridge” is briefly played poolside followed by some praise for Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante.
“To Love Somebody” by the Bee Gees – This late ’60s tune from the Bee Gees’ third album plays in Glass Onion when the gang meets up for dinner. The song plays through the handing out of drinks up until the introduction of the Mona Lisa.
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” by Toots and the Maytals – Toots and the Maytals’ reggae cover of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” plays in the living room after dinner while the gang gets drunk following Blanc’s premature solving of Miles’s mystery game.
“Star” by David Bowie – In the positively-reviewed Knives Out sequel, as the party continues in the living room with everyone disappointed, Miles asks his Alpha DJ for something upbeat. The song played is David Bowie’s “Star,” which gets Birdie dancing and is heard up until Duke (Dave Bautista) drops dead.
“Abzorbing Dance” by John Denon and Richard Paul Vallance – This version of the iconic instrumental tune “Zorba’s Dance,” which originated from the movie Zorba the Greek, can be heard faintly in the background in Glass Onion when Helen meets Blanc for dinner after arriving in Greece.
“Starman” by David Bowie – “Starman” is the second David Bowie song, also from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, to appear in Netflix’s box office hit. It’s playing in the Glass Onion bar during the flashback scenes as Helen tells Blanc about the gang’s origin and their introduction to future star Miles.
“Cool Change” by Little River Band – The wandering hippie Derol (Noah Segan) is listening to this late ’70s song when Helen happens upon him while searching every room in the Glass Onion.
“Mona Lisa” by Nat King Cole – The most on-the-nose moment of Glass Onion comes with this song, which plays when the living room is going up in flames and Helen runs, in slow-motion, to open the case of the Mona Lisa and let it burn.
“Glass Onion” by the Beatles – The inspiration for Glass Onion‘s title is finally played at the start of the end credits.
Where To Listen To Glass Onion’s Score
Once again, Rian Johnson’s cousin, Nathan Johnson, scored his movie, with the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery soundtrack album consisting solely of that music. Containing 27 tracks, from the sweeping “Theme from Glass Onion” to compositions dedicated to specific characters and plot points, the official motion picture soundtrack for the Knives Out sequel can be listened to digitally. Stream it on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Amazon.
