Summary

• The soundtrack in Mea Culpa, including the original score by Amanda Jones and songs by other artists, shapes the pacing and tone of the movie.
• Despite its strong cast, Mea Culpa flopped due to melodrama, cringy quotes, and predictable plot twists.
• The music in the film helps establish the mood and character development, making it more enjoyable even if the movie falls flat overall.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Mea Culpa

Tyler Perry’s erotic legal thriller Mea Culpa includes a soundtrack of both songs from the original score and songs by other artists, both of which help shape the pacing and tone of the movie. Available exclusively on Netflix, Mea Culpa follows a defense attorney named Mea, who takes on the case of a man named Zyair Malloy. As she grows closer to the accused murderer, she finds herself wrapped up in the man who might be her undoing. Despite Mea Culpa’s strong cast, the movie flopped with critics and audiences alike.

Reviews of Mea Culpa tore the movie apart for its melodramatic tone, cringy quotes, and predictable plot twists. Many parts of the movie are downright unbelievable or filled with plotholes. However, one of the best elements of Mea Culpa is the score by Amanda Jones and the songs that the movie incorporates. The music throughout the film helps shape the varied pacing of scenes and establish the mood of the characters. Ultimately, no matter how bad Mea Culpa is, the music can be enjoyed on its own.

When Every Song On The Mea Culpa Soundtrack Plays In The Movie

“Mea Culpa Main Title” by Amanda Jones: The title song of the movie plays when Mea goes from the therapist’s office to the restaurant where her family is meeting. It plays again when she walks up to her law office.

“Winnie (End of Me)” by Fred Again: Early in Mea Culpa, this song plays softly on the radio when Mea and Kal talk in the car about him selling the piano to buy his mom a watch without talking to her. The lyrics perfectly describe the state of their marriage. Mea feels like he doesn’t care about her or their relationship, making her feel like he’ll emotionally and mentally wreck her.

“Zyair” by Amanda Jones: The composer’s instrumental track plays when the titular character goes to Mea’s office to discuss her taking on his case. It does a good job of setting the tone for the character Zyair Malloy. The sound is mysterious and tense, matching with the general perception of the character. Everyone believes he’s a dangerous murderer.

“Walk on By” by Isaac Hayes: Isaac Hayes’s song, originally sung by Dionne Warwick, plays as Mea enters the elevator and goes up to Zyair’s apartment to ask him questions before deciding whether to represent him. When she gets up to his place, “Walk on By” runs in the background as he’s painting a portrait of a beautiful woman.

“Shall We Get Started” by Amanda Jones: This piece of the score frames the conversation between Mea and Zyair. Mea talks to her potential client about how bleak his case is, the evidence against him, and whether she’ll take his case. Like the music, the tension builds throughout the interaction as Zyair gets more frustrated by Mea’s questions.

“Any New Clients” by Amanda Jones: “Any New Clients” occurs during the seemingly impromptu family dinner between Kal, his brother Ray, and his mom Azalia. His brother asks about her clients, and she shares that she’s considering representing Zyair Malloy. The music builds as Kal’s brother and mom become controlling of Mae, demanding that she won’t take the case because it would ruin Ray’s run for mayor.

“Judge’s Quarters” by Amanda Jones: When Mae and Ray meet to talk to the judge, this part of the score plays in the background. They discuss the conflict of interest in the Zyair Malloy case since Ray is the prosecutor and Mae is the defense attorney. Ray accuses Mae of taking the case to antagonize Kal.

“You Did Something to Her” by Amanda Jones: This part of the score plays as Jimmy helps Mae interrogate Zyair. When the defendant says he didn’t do anything to his ex-girlfriend, they pull out the file where she described Zyair as a sadist in bed. The song continues as Jimmy and Mae privately discuss whether they believe Zyair is lying, leading to the conclusion that he’s lying.

“She’s Not My Ex” by Amanda Jones: While “She’s Not My Ex” runs in the background, Zyair gives a dramatic monologue about his innocence and his confusion about why someone would lie about him. The music helps set the tone, swelling to match the emotional display by Zyair. This is the most emotion that he’s shown up to this point in Mea Culpa.

“Remember When” by Amanda Jones: After Mea gets off the phone, Kal talks to Mea about their honeymoon as “Remember When” plays. He asks if they can ever get back to where they were, apologizing for his mistakes. This song is softer and more romantic than the rest of the soundtrack which matches up with the tone of the scene. Altogether, this gives the audience a glimpse of the relationship they had that led to their marriage before the start of Mea Culpa.

“Mea Paints” by Amanda Jones: When Mea emotionally opens up to Zyair, this track of the score sets the tone. Zyair brings her over to a canvas and shows her how to paint using her emotions and intuition. The two develop a bond and start to trust each other, matching up with the shift in the music about halfway through.

“Appropriate” by Amanda Jones: “Appropriate” runs in the background as Zyair offers to take Mea to the train station on his motorcycle. She rejects his offer, and he asks if she always does what’s appropriate and safe. The song from the Mea Culpa score continues as Mea has fantasies about Zyair and has sex with Kal.

“Better If We Meet Here” by Amanda Jones: This piece of the score plays when Mea talks to Zyair about meeting at the office instead of his loft. He gets worked up, refusing to talk to her there and leaving the law office. The instrumentation matches the tension involved in that discussion while also staying subtle.

“Hello It’s Me” by The Isley Brothers: Zyair plays “Hello It’s Me on his record player while painting. Mea arrives, at which point he confesses he’s sexually attracted to her. In response, she reads off headlines about her client being a Lothario, manipulator, and murderer. They argue about whether Mea is attracted to Zyair. He demands a new lawyer and stops the record player.

“Khavhude (feat. Vic_Typhoon & Mpura)” by DJ Lag & Mr. JazziQ: When Mea follows Zyair into a sex club, Khavhude plays in the background. While Mea Culpa only includes a brief scene and clip of the song, it helps characterize Zyair and his sexual proclivities.

“Boundaries” by Amanda Jones: The titular song from the score frames Mea telling Zyair that she’s setting boundaries with him. He tries to come onto her and Mea pushes him away. A naked woman named Carrie walks in during the conversation and starts giving Zyair fellatio, and he forces Mea to watch by refusing to activate the elevator.

“And I Drove You Crazy” by BANKS: This song plays when Mea goes back up to Zyair’s apartment where he’s having sex. She watches him. When the other person leaves, the pair start getting frisky. The song ends when they decide to go on a motorcycle ride.

“Unravel Me” by Sabrina Claudio: When they return to the loft, “Unravel Me” runs in the background as Mea and Zyair pour paint on each other. It continues as they have sex in paint on the hardwood floor. The lyrics of Claudio’s song match up with Mea’s mental conflict about becoming intimate with a client.

“Zyair” by Amanda Jones: This piece of the score plays again when Mea looks at the painting Zyair did of her that’s hanging on the ceiling. The song stops and then starts again when Mea goes to interview the gallery owner. It frames the owner’s statements about how Zyair treats his prey.

“Condotta Ell’era In Ceppi (Azucena)” from Il Trovatore by Compagnia d’Opera Italiana, Antonello Gotta, and Galia Tchernova: The opera song is in the background as Mea leaves the gallery, increasing as Mea tries to calm her fear, and ceasing as her breathing slows. The emotions in the song match the dread and terror that Mea feels towards Zyair after the conversation with the gallery owner ends.

“Mea Peels the Canvas” by Amanda Jones: When Mea returns to Zyair’s flat where he’s painting, this part of the score plays in the background as she peels her face off the canvas to find another woman. She peels this painting to find another woman, and so on.

“You’re Heidi” by Amanda Jones: After peeling multiple layers off the canvas, the score shifts from “Mea Peels the Canvas” to “You’re Heidi.” Mea reaches Hydie’s face with the words, “die, b*tch, you ruined my life.” Mea goes into the elevator after threatening to tell the judge and DA about their relationship and the painting.

The songs “You’re Heidi” and “Is Cal Here?” spell the characters’ names differently than they’re spelled in the credits.

“Any New Clients” by Amanda Jones: This song plays for the second time when Ray reveals to Kal that Mea was pulled off the case for an inappropriate relationship with her client. Mea admits she has sex with Zyair. When she leaves, the song continues as Charlise runs out of the house to comfort Mea.

“You’re Heidi” by Amanda Jones: For the second time, “You’re Heidi” plays when Mea is at a resort in the Dominican Republic and passes by an employee she immediately recognizes as Zyair’s supposedly dead ex, Hydie. When confronted, Hydie runs from Me and then sprays cleaning solution into the lawyer’s eyes in order to escape.

“Is Cal Here?” by Amanda Jones: Mea arrives at Ray’s house, where everyone’s acting suspicious, at which point she asks the titular question. She learns from Jimmy that Azalia was never sick and then finds Zyair’s paintings in the closet. Ray tries to drug Mea with her drink, and Azalia breaks Mea’s phone. This piece of the score continues as she confronts Ray, learning that the family framed Zyair.

“Mea Escapes” by Amanda Jones: This song from the score runs in the background as Charlise helps Mea escape the family. It continues as Azalia and Ray fight Mea when she leaves the house. The song stops when she runs down the street but picks back up when she’s in the car with Kal, hinting that Kal is working with his family before Mea learns this.

“Walk On By” by Isaac Hayes: At the end of Mea Culpa, this song plays once again as Zyair walks down the street, getting hounded by the press. Mea watches from a distance, dressed incognito. He texts her, thanking her for her help and asking to see her again. However, she throws her phone away instead of responding. The movie and song end with Mea walking down the street, blending in with everyone else.

Where To Listen To The Mea Culpa Soundtrack

Anyone who enjoys Mea Culpa can listen to the music later on. The official Mea Culpa Netflix Soundtrack, which includes Amanda Jones’ instrumental score, and all other songs that appear in the Tyler Perry film are available to stream free on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Pandora. The songs can also be purchased on all major platforms, including Amazon and Apple. Unfortunately, the soundtrack isn’t yet available on Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, or Soundcloud – as of the time of writing. However, with Mea Culpa ranking number one on Netflix, it’s possible they’ll add the soundtrack at a later date.