The The Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack features a Mark Mothersbaugh score and 1960s-1990s rock songs.

The Royal Tenenbaums has had two soundtrack releases. The 2001 release omitted some songs, notably Paul Simon's "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard," Van Morrison's "Everyone," John Lennon's "Look at Me," the Mutato Muzika Orchestra's version of the Beatles' "Hey Jude," two tracks by the Rolling Stones ("She Smiled Sweetly" and "Ruby Tuesday"), and Erik Satie's "Gymnopédie no. 1".

In 2002, the soundtrack was re-released with three songs not found on the 2001 release, but without the two Rolling Stones songs because, although the band allows its music to be used in films, it rarely allows the songs to appear on soundtracks. The Van Morrison track, which served as the closing credits song, was also still missing. Additionally, the "Lindbergh Palace Hotel Suite," credited as original music by Mark Mothersbaugh on the 2001 release, was retitled on the 2002 soundtrack release as "Sonata for Cello and Piano in F Minor," performed by the Mutato Muzika Orchestra. The adapted sonata was originally written by the Romanian composer George Enescu (although it has been erroneously credited to the French composer Maurice Ravel; the confusion might come from the fact that the two composers were friends and attended the same composition classes).