The How I Fell in Love with a Gangster soundtrack includes music by Guano Apes, Paolo Nutini and Portishead. This info article contains spoilers and song details for Maciej Kawulski’s 2022 Netflix movie. Check out Vague Visages’ Soundtracks of Cinema section for more music guides.

How I Fell in Love with a Gangster stars Tomasz Wlosok as Nikos Skotarczak, a legendary Polish criminal. Agnieszka Grochowska co-headlines as Milena aka Jet, the subject’s long-time love interest and loyal friend. The storyline explores Nikos’ upbringing and attempts to maintain power during the 80s and 90s. Composers Aleksander Milwiw-Baron, Grzech Piotrowski and Mateusz Schmidt scored the three-hour Polish crime movie, which includes over 30 needle-drop tracks. Here’s every featured song in How I Fell in Love with a Gangster aka Jak pokochalam gangstera.

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How I Fell in Love with a Gangster Soundtrack: Every Song in the 2022 Netflix Movie

• “Big in Japan” by Ane Brun (00:00:00): The How I Fell in Love with a Gangster soundtrack song scores the opening montage scene. Milena (Agnieszka Grochowska) bathes in a bathtub. The narrative switches to present day Sopot; the song plays again at 02:55:00.
• “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival (00:03:00): A journalist discusses Nikos’ past. The music kicks in during a flashback sequence in 1966 Gdańsk. Nikos’ sister breaks the fourth wall and introduces her brother Marek.
• “Tonight” by David Bowie, Tina Turner (00:09:00): Nikos pursues the ex-girlfriend of Inkblot (Eryk Lubos). The music scores a sex sequence at a beach. Nikos loses his virginity.
• “God Damn Better” by The Dirty Diary (00:01:00): The narrator discusses Nikos’ business strategies during the 70s. The How I Fell in Love with a Gangster soundtrack song plays during a montage sequence. Nikos gives a cut of his earnings to Inkblot.
• “Gyöngyhajú lány” by Omega (00:15:00): Nikos takes a bus to Budapest with Komo (Antoni Królikowski) in 1976. The narrator discusses the control of street corners around the Keleti station. Nikos and Komo scam tourists.
• “Big in Japan” by Guano Apes (00:18:00): The music scores a sequence at the Marylka Club in Gdańsk. The narrator reflects about Nikos’ style evolution. The track continues during a sex sequence and plays again at 00:32:00 during the introduction of Halina Ostrowska (Magdalena Lamparska).
• “Mere Gurudev” by Krishna Das (00:19:00): Nikos gets married. His wife gives birth to a son named Piotr. The How I Fell in Love with a Gangster soundtrack song continues during a November 1977 sequence.
• “Ae Oh Aa Zara Mudke” by Kishore Kumar (00:22:00): Nikos meets with threatening Hungarian gangsters. He tells them a joke in Polish and laughs. The narrator explains how Nikos’ gang of petty thieves was born.
• “Jeziora Szczescia” by Bajm (00:24:00): Nikos reunites with Milena. The music scores a hotel sequence. Nikos plans to offer money and then changes his mind; the track picks up again at 00:26:00.
• “The La La Song” by Jim Blake (00:25:00): The How I Fell in Love with a Gangster soundtrack song accompanies a flashback sequence. Komo poos in a dog mat. He tells his female acquaintance that her dog — revealed to be a stuffed animal —  is responsible for a foul smell.
• “Razzle Dazzle” by The Diamantinos (00:30:00): The music scores a club sequence. A male character breaks the fourth wall and discusses the arrival of a new woman in Nikos’ life. Halina (Magdalena Lamparska) breaks the fourth wall with a commentary that betrays the narrator’s statements about the subject’s dancing skills.
• “Summer in the City” by The Lovin’ Spoonful (00:36:00): Nikos changes his style in 1979 Gdańsk. Halina’s brother breaks the fourth wall and discusses his sister’s casino venture with her husband. Police and criminals gather in the same room.
• “Hurt” by Zaloga G (00:39:00): Nikos sells a stolen car. The How I Fell in Love with a Gangster soundtrack song kicks in as he clutches a bag of money. “Hurt” continues as Nikos and Komo steal cars in 1980 Hamburg.
• “Roads” by Portishead (00:45:00): The music scores a sex scene. Halina confronts Niko about cheating with a German woman. She requests a divorce.
• “Una Bluna” by Rampue (00:47:00): Nikos attends a Lechia Gdańsk soccer game. The music plays during a stylized time-lapse scene. Nikos becomes the new owner by the 1982-83 season.
• “Golden Brown” by The Stranglers (01:02:00): The How I Fell in Love with a Gangster soundtrack song scores a montage sequence. Nikos and Komo strategize against Karl (Klaudiusz Kaufmann). The friends brainstorm and resolve their auto problem.
• “Ride On Santa” by Dave Antrell (01:05:00): Nikos entertains his children as Santa Claus. The song drops and picks up again at 01:06:00.
• “Lakme, Act I: The Flower Duet” by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (01:05:00): Karl enjoys a meal at home. The moment contrasts with the previous holiday scene. “Lakme, Act I: The Flower Duet” plays again at 01:07:00.
• “Jesus Freak” by The Other Way (01:19:00): Silvio (Sebastian Fabijanski) snorts cocaine in 1986 Poznan. He explains to the audience that he becomes Nikos’ right-hand man.
• “Never Believe You” by Mavado (01:25:00): Nikos drinks in his vehicle. Komo strategizes as the police pull up behind the car and turn their stop lights on. The How I Fell in Love with a Gangster soundtrack song scores a chase scene.
• “I Release Control” by Alexa Sunshine Rose (01:27:00): Nikos gets questioned by Karl. He faces 18 months to two years in jail for car theft and drunk driving. Nikos tells Karl to improve his Polish-language speaking skills.
• “Autoportret Witkacego” by Przemyslaw Gintrowski (01:35:00): Nikos receives a visit in jail from Komo. He reflects about his life while in a cell. The music fades as Nikos cuts his wrists and gets relocated to a psychiatric ward.
• “Far Far Away” by Slade (01:42:00): Nikos escapes from prison. Silvio celebrates while reading a news report. The How I Fell in Love with a Gangster soundtrack song continues as the escape plot is explained through character dialogue.
• “Wax Lyrical” by Rupert Pope (01:48:00): Milena rehearses as a ballet dancer. Nikos watches from an auditorium seat. Milena narrates about her renewed romance with Nikos and the birth of their daughter, Marta.
• “Mro Ito (Second Variation)” by Michal Lorenc (01:58:00): Marek speeds in a vehicle in a 1982 sequence. Nikos spots a younger version of himself on a bench. He breaks down on the side of a road upon learning that his brother, mother and first mother-in-law died in a car accident.
• “Odal” by Wardruna (02:04:00): Nikita (Julia Wieniawa-Narkiewicz) has sex with Silvio. Nikos snorts cocaine just a couple feet away. He escapes from the police in a transition sequence as the How I Fell in Love with a Gangster soundtrack song continues.
• “When the Smoke Is Going Down” by Scorpions (00:02:11): Nikos tries to remove handcuffs. He gives up and sits in a chair. A montage continues as Nikos finishes a two-year sentence at Sieradz Prison in 1994.
• “Neva Believe You” by Mavado (02:15:00): Nikos agrees to a attend a parent-teacher event. His daughter is surprised. The music plays during a transition sequence as Nikos arrives at the school wearing a suit.
• “Urur” by Wardruna (02:25:00): Karl meets with Nikos. He proposes a plan that will benefit both of them. The How I Fell in Love with a Gangster soundtrack song continues as Nikos declines the offer and suffers the consequences.
• “Iron Sky” by Paolo Nutini (02:41:00): The narrator acknowledges Nikos as the most renowned Polish criminal of all time. She also states that he bet on “the wrong horse.” The narrator explains how Nikos upset all eight legs of the Łódź Octopus.
• “One of These Mornings” by Moby (02:57:00): The narrator, Jet, finds Nikos’ hidden money stash in a wall. She arrives at the grave of her late lover and speaks with Karl. The How I Fell in Love with a Gangster soundtrack song scores the final sequence and movie-ending archival footage.

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The How I Fell in Love with a Gangster soundtrack also includes:

• “Amore Impossibile” by Marco Prati
• “Ostatni Raz” by Ania Karwan, Kasta
• “Voglio L’Estate” by Marco Prati

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor and chief film critic.