American Fiction (soundtrack)

American Fiction is the soundtrack to the 2023 film of the same name directed by Cord Jefferson, based on the 2001 novel Erasure by Percival Everett. The film's musical score composed by Laura Karpman featured 21 tracks from the film score for around 47 minutes. The soundtrack was released by Sony Masterworks on December 15, 2023, alongside the film.^[1]

American Fiction (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Film score by Laura Karpman
Released	December 15, 2023
Recorded	2023
Studio	Abbey Road Studios, London
Genre	Film score
Length	46:59
Label	Sony Masterworks
Producer	Laura Karpman
Laura Karpman chronology
The Marvels (2023) American Fiction (2023)

Track listing

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Length
1.	"Family Is, Monk Is"		4:53
2.	"Boston, MA"		1:18
3.	"Bookstore"		2:07
4.	"Beautiful Family"		1:52
5.	"Humans Remain"		1:38
6.	"My Pafology"		3:16
7.	"Hi Lorraine"		2:54
8.	"Drips"		1:51
9.	"Goodnight Monk"		1:13
10.	"Mother Is (Missing)"		1:38
11.	"Brothers"		1:10
12.	"Splash"		2:21
13.	"Love All of You"		1:11
14.	"Lunch Break"		0:45
15.	"Sorry"		1:41
16.	"Winner"		1:17
17.	"Romantic Ending"		1:36
18.	"(Elena's) Monk Is"	Laura Karpman Elena Pinderhughes	2:19
19.	"(Patrice's) Monk Is"	Karpman Patrice Rushen	4:18
20.	"(Patrice's) Family Is"	Karpman Rushen	2:56
21.	"(Laura's) Stagg R. Leigh"		1:09
22.	"(Laura's) Fever Dream"		3:36
Total length:			46:59

Reception

Amy Nicholson of The New York Times called the work a "tender piano-forward score".^[2] Steve Pond of TheWrap called the score "indelible".^[3] Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair said that Karpman's "alternately jazzy and melancholy score is a highlight."^[4]

Accolades

Award	Date of Ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref
Hollywood Music in Media Awards	November 15, 2023	Original Score — Feature Film	Laura Karpman	Nominated	[5] [6]
Academy Awards	March 10, 2024	Best Original Score		Nominated
Grammy Awards	February 2, 2025	Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media		Nominated	[7] [8]

References

1. "5 Albums Out This Week You Should Listen to Now". Pitchfork. December 15, 2023. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
2. Nicholson, Amy (December 14, 2023). "'American Fiction' Review: The Pen Is Mighty, the Pressures Mightier". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
3. Pond, Steve (September 9, 2023). "'American Fiction' Review: Jeffrey Wright Shines in Beautiful, Jazzy Comedy". TheWrap. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
4. "Jeffrey Wright Takes the Literary World to Task in 'American Fiction'". Vanity Fair. September 9, 2023. Archived from the original on September 11, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
5. Grein, Paul (November 2, 2023). "Songs from 'Barbie' Pace 2023 Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nominations (Full List)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
6. Brew, Caroline (November 2, 2023). "Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo Nominated for 2023 Hollywood Music in Media Awards". Variety. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
7. McClellan, Melissa Ruggieri and Jennifer. "2025 Grammy nominations live updates: Beyoncé leads the way". USA TODAY. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
8. Frazier, Nina. "2025 GRAMMYs: See The Full Winners & Nominees List". Grammy.com. Retrieved February 7, 2025.