Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (soundtrack)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs marked the first collaboration between Mark Mothersbaugh and the Lord and Miller duo.^[1][2] Mothersbaugh was shortlisted as one of the composers, as the director duo liked Mothersbaugh's works.^[3] Initially, Mothersbaugh wrote a song titled "No Place Like Home" that was intended to be included in the film, as the main theme. He wrote more original music, and came up with a different theme that became the main theme for the film. The track "No Place Like Home" was later included in Devo's album Something for Everybody (2010).^[4] The score was recorded at London.^[3] Madison Gate Records released the soundtrack album on September 15, 2009.^[5][6]

The album featured an original song "Raining Sunshine" by Miranda Cosgrove and a newer version of "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" by Lesley Gore.^[6] The former was released as a single on August 25, 2009.^[7] A Japanese version of the song is titled "Rainbow Forecast" by Shoko Nakagawa.

Jonathan Broxton of Movie Music UK wrote "Really, other than some of the more off the wall electronics, the only thing hampering Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is it’s haphazard and scattershot nature. Cues often change direction style multiple times within the space of two or three minutes, giving the entire score a breathless, slightly unfocused feel. It’s the nature of the beast when it comes to scoring for animated films, especially when half the audience probably has ADD, but it’s a real shame as the actual thematic content is lovely, and would have benefitted greatly from an extended performance here and there in order for the listener to get a feel for what Mothersbaugh was trying to achieve."^[8]

Reviewer based at ScoreNotes wrote "If you would like to be swept up in a wave of uplifting and charming music, put some Meatballs on your plate. It's a fun and unique jaunt. I think you'll find this score to trump even the likes of a Danny Elfman or Randy Newman from this arena."^[9] Filmtracks wrote "On the whole, ten minutes of compilation-worthy material may not be worth the entire "CD on demand" and download product, one bracketed by unfortunate song performances. Save "Meatier Shower" for desert and politely pick away at the rest."^[10] Daniel M. Gold of The New York Times called it a "wonderfully dynamic" score.^[11]