"Semi-Pro" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Semi-Pro (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack & Score)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What do you play when a doomed ABA team tries to dance its way into the NBA? Semi-Pro answers with hot-buttered 70s funk, crate-classic soul, and a slick, period-styled score. The soundtrack isn’t a costume; it’s propulsion — giving Jackie Moon’s Flint Tropics groove where talent runs thin and confidence where logic fails.

Across bar promos, halftime stunts, and the too-grandly named MegaBowl, needle-drops from WAR, The Brothers Johnson, LaBelle, Sly & The Family Stone, and more keep the film moving while Jackie’s novelty hit, “Love Me Sexy,” becomes a running joke and genuine theme. Theodore Shapiro’s score, meanwhile, sneaks in with wah-guitar, organ, and low-end throb — the “serious” version of the same swagger.

The arc plays like a record flip: Side A is hustle and hype; Side B is belief and release. Genres map neatly to phases — vintage funk/R&B for promotion & swagger; disco-classical wink for myth-making; sweet soul for romance & team glue; band-in-the-pocket score for game pressure.

How It Was Made

Score: Composer Theodore Shapiro built a “groovy” period palette — organ, guitars, drum kit, seriously low bass — performed by a 73-piece Hollywood Studio Symphony (conducted by Pete Anthony). The intent: modern punch with 70s textures. (As reported in on-stage scoring coverage.)

OST & key original: The commercial soundtrack (New Line/WaterTower) compiles canonical 70s cuts plus the film’s gag-turned-anthem “Love Me Sexy,” credited vocally to Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell). The song was written by Will Ferrell, Scot Armstrong, and Nile Rodgers, with Rodgers producing — which is why it bumps like a real radio hit, not a parody throwaway.

Tracks & Scenes

“Love Me Sexy” — Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell)
Where it plays: Multiple in-film uses as Jackie’s one-hit legacy; a recurring hype theme for the Tropics and Jackie’s ego (source/needle-drop).
Why it matters: A character joke that doubles as the team’s cheesy brand identity; Nile Rodgers’ production chops make the joke land like a genuine jam.

“Get da Funk Out Ma’ Face” — The Brothers Johnson
Where it plays: ~00:09 as Jackie drives to the bar, singing along — swagger before the next scheme (source).
Why it matters: Sets the movie’s bass-first bounce and Jackie’s self-mythology. (Timing corroborated by scene indexes.)

“The World Is a Ghetto” — WAR
Where it plays: ~00:11 at the bar while Jackie pitches hope to his squad (source).
Why it matters: Lays a sly, street-wise bed under fantasy thinking.

“Mr. Big Stuff” — Jean Knight
Where it plays: ~00:24 on the team bus as the guys needle Monix about his ring (source).
Why it matters: Locker-room peacocking with a sass-funk chorus doing the chirping.

“Walking in Rhythm” — The Blackbyrds
Where it plays: ~00:38 during the costumed dance-routine practice (sea-horse/under-the-sea theme) (source).
Why it matters: A feather-light glide for the movie’s most ridiculous rehearsal.

“Love Rollercoaster” — Ohio Players
Where it plays: ~00:52 as Jackie readies his “jump the roller girls” stunt (source).
Why it matters: On-the-nose title, perfect vibe — danger wrapped in glitter.

“Why Can’t We Be Friends” — WAR
Where it plays: ~00:32 when a bench-clearing brawl erupts during commercial breaks (source).
Why it matters: Ironic peace plea over cartoon chaos — classic sports-comedy move.

“I Want to Take You Higher” — Sly & The Family Stone
Where it plays: ~01:19 as the Tropics unveil the alley-oop against the Spurs; the arena and the rules are briefly baffled (needle-drop).
Why it matters: Joy detonates in sync with a “new” play — funk as rule-rewriting energy.

“A Fifth of Beethoven” — Walter Murphy
Where it plays: Slow-motion highlight during the climactic alley-oop stretch in the final act (widely cited by viewers and Q&A threads).
Why it matters: Disco-classical cheek underscores the movie’s myth-making — basketball as opera in polyester.

“Move On Up” — Curtis Mayfield
Where it plays: ~01:23 when the Tropics win the MegaBowl; curtain-call elation (needle-drop).
Why it matters: Aspirational brass and percussion to sell an impossible ending.

“Shining Star” — Elijah Kelley
Where it plays: Over the first end credits (new performance tied to film), punctuating final story beats about money and promises.
Why it matters: A buoyant, era-true cover that sends the crowd out smiling.

Also heard (selection): “Lady Marmalade” (LaBelle); “Give Me Just a Little More Time” (Chairmen of the Board); “Tell Me Something Good” (Ronnie Laws); “Dance to the Music” (Sly & The Family Stone). Several additional cues (e.g., AWB’s “Pick Up the Pieces,” Barry White live, Kool & The Gang’s “Funky Stuff”) pepper game and locker-room beats.

Notes & Trivia

• The OST street date landed in late February 2008 alongside release; label credits appear under New Line Records/WaterTower’s catalog pages.
• “Love Me Sexy” is a legit Nile Rodgers production, co-written with Will Ferrell and screenwriter Scot Armstrong.
• Shapiro’s score uses a big studio orchestra but foregrounds rhythm section colors to keep the comedy loose.
• Some film-heard cuts don’t appear on the retail soundtrack (typical of studio comedies from the era).
• The alley-oop sequence has two celebrated pairings: Sly & The Family Stone for the first reveal and Walter Murphy’s disco-Beethoven during the slow-mo heroics.

Music–Story Links

When Jackie sells hope at the bar, WAR’s “The World Is a Ghetto” keeps the pitch grounded in Flint. On the bus, “Mr. Big Stuff” becomes locker-room banter with a backbeat. During the alley-oop discovery, Sly’s “I Want to Take You Higher” lifts the crowd as the rules bend; later, the slow-motion reprise plays like a disco victory aria. The final rush — Mayfield’s “Move On Up” — reframes the Tropics’ shambling season as triumph by sheer groove.

Reception & Quotes

While critics were mixed on the film, the song curation and shag-carpet score landed as on-brand delights — party energy with a wink. The OST became an easy-spin time capsule for 70s radio staples.

“A period-perfect jukebox with jokes.” album write-ups & fan consensus

“Shapiro’s groove palette keeps the comedy moving without elbowing it aside.” composer coverage

“‘A Fifth of Beethoven’ over the alley-oop is instant sports-movie canon.” viewer roundups

Interesting Facts

• OST DNA: The retail album leans heavily on classics; Shapiro’s score cues remain mostly in-film.
• Producer flex: “Love Me Sexy” gets the full Nile Rodgers sheen, hence its suspiciously real radio feel.
• End-credits switch-up: Elijah Kelley’s “Shining Star” performance replaces the expected EWF original to stay in-universe.
• Clearance reality: Several popular scene cues (e.g., “Pick Up the Pieces,” Barry White live) are heard in the movie but not on the album.
• ABA color: The jukebox doubles as set dressing — these are songs you’d actually hear on a 1976 arena PA.

Technical Info

• Title: Semi-Pro (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year / Type: 2008 — Film soundtrack (Various Artists) + original score
• Score Composer: Theodore Shapiro
• Key original: “Love Me Sexy” — written by Will Ferrell, Scot Armstrong & Nile Rodgers; produced by Nile Rodgers
• Label: New Line Records / WaterTower Music (catalog pages list the 14-track retail album)
• Commercial release: Late Feb 2008 (shipping/street listed by label resources)
• Highlighted placements: “Get da Funk Out Ma’ Face”; “The World Is a Ghetto”; “Mr. Big Stuff”; “Walking in Rhythm”; “Love Rollercoaster”; “Why Can’t We Be Friends”; “I Want to Take You Higher”; “A Fifth of Beethoven”; “Move On Up”; “Shining Star.”
• Availability: Streaming/download via major services; physical CD released 2008.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score and what does it sound like?

Theodore Shapiro — a 70s-flavored orchestral/funk hybrid with organ, guitars, kit, and deep bass.

Who wrote “Love Me Sexy”?

Will Ferrell, Scot Armstrong, and Nile Rodgers; Rodgers also produced it, which is why it slaps.

What songs score the alley-oop sequences?

The first reveal uses Sly & The Family Stone’s “I Want to Take You Higher”; a slow-motion late-game beat is widely remembered with Walter Murphy’s “A Fifth of Beethoven.”

What plays when the Tropics win the MegaBowl?

Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up.” Pure jubilation.

Is the end-credits version of “Shining Star” the Earth, Wind & Fire original?

No — it’s performed in-universe by Elijah Kelley for the film’s soundtrack release.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: WaterTower/New Line catalog listing; Discogs & Apple Music album pages; IMDb Soundtrack page; WhatSong scene index; ChansonDuFilm/BandaSonora scene lists; ScoringSessions report on Shapiro’s recording; Wikipedia (film & soundtrack basics); viewer Q&A threads confirming “A Fifth of Beethoven.”

November, 27th 2025