"The To Do List" Soundtrack Lyrics

"The To Do List (Music From the Motion Picture)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Review

What happens when a ’90s time-capsule mixtape becomes the narrator? The To Do List answers with a cheeky blast of Marky Mark, Naughty by Nature, Salt-N-Pepa, and Mazzy Star — songs that don’t just needle-drop, they steer Brandy Klark’s summer of “firsts.” The soundtrack is the film’s second lead: brash, nostalgic, and very specific to 1993.

As Brandy (Aubrey Plaza) sprints through a hilariously clinical quest for experience, the music flips between raunch-comedy fuel and unexpectedly tender memory triggers. “Me So Horny” pranks the opening credits; “Let’s Talk About Sex” turns a car chat into a manifesto; “Fade Into You” slows the room when someone finally looks back. The selections plant the film in the pop landscape of the year — pre-internet gossip, cassette cases, grunge shirts at the pool — and keep the story humming even when the jokes zig toward gross-out.

Stylistically, the album moves in phases: golden-age rap and new jack swing (attitude, bravado), alt-rock jangle (yearning, self-doubt), Britpop and power-pop (summer lust and overconfidence), and a few classic sing-alongs used for irony or release. That genre mapping mirrors Brandy’s arc — from hypothesis to chaos to something like clarity. It’s messy on purpose. That’s the bit.

How It Was Made

Composer Raney Shockne stitched the score cues between a wall of licensed early-’90s songs, while music supervisor Howard Paar chased era-correct bangers and bittersweet deep cuts. The brief: honor 1993’s radio reality without losing the indie-comedy bite. Clearances for marquee tracks (2 Live Crew, MC Hammer, Salt-N-Pepa, Mazzy Star, Cranberries, James, Tears for Fears) shaped several set pieces; other moments leaned on score stingers to button punch lines and transitions. Cast-led bits — a Def Leppard karaoke flourish; a Bette Midler sing-off — were choreographed to be diegetic, underlining that Brandy’s “research project” lives in public spaces: parties, pools, parking lots, and backseat stakeouts.

Tracks & Scenes

“Me So Horny” (The 2 Live Crew)

Where it plays:

Opens the film over the first credits, a deliberately provocative curtain-raiser that sets the bawdy tone within seconds. The cut plays non-diegetic as montage cues introduce Brandy’s valedictorian persona against a much less PG soundtrack.

Why it matters:

Signals the movie’s gender-flipped raunch rulebook and pins the time period to the Tipper-era culture wars.

“Good Vibrations (feat. Loleatta Holloway)” (Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch)

Where it plays:

Party arrival cue (~00:06). As the kids tumble into post-graduation chaos, the song blares through house speakers — beer bongs, bravado, and Brandy cataloging “variables” for her list. Fully diegetic, loud enough to bend the scene’s pacing.

Why it matters:

Instant time-stamp and energy injection; contrasts Brandy’s clinical note-taking with pure himbo anthem confidence.

“Two Princes” (Spin Doctors)

Where it plays:

Early drive scene (~00:05): as friends peel out from school, Brandy silently breaks her goals into bullet points. The song is car-stereo diegetic, a sunny hook over nervous planning.

Why it matters:

Juxtaposes breezy pop optimism with taskmaster anxiety — summer as spreadsheet.

“O.P.P.” (Naughty by Nature)

Where it plays:

Bedroom “list-writing” beat: Brandy scribbles terms she’s barely decoded. Non-diegetic, but mixed like it’s bouncing off her corkboard.

Why it matters:

A sly lyric-lesson gag — she’s literally doing vocabulary homework to a song about being down with… well, everything.

“Rump Shaker” (Wreckx-N-Effect)

Where it plays:

Pool’s first big day (~00:23), before a shove turns the job into slapstick. The track plays diegetically from the pool sound system while extras swirl in chlorine and sunscreen.

Why it matters:

Sets the pool as the film’s social arena — bodies, bravado, and the threat of public humiliation.

“Shockwave Rider” (Royal Trux)

Where it plays:

Immediate aftermath (~00:26): Brandy retaliates by pushing Willy into the water. The garage-y churn underlines a petty-revenge beat; the mix duck-punches dialogue for splashes.

Why it matters:

Grimy texture for a grungy summer — the soundtrack’s alt edge keeps the film from becoming wall-to-wall radio candy.

“Let’s Talk About Sex” (Salt-N-Pepa)

Where it plays:

Car chat (~00:28): three friends drive and debate the “curriculum.” The cut is diegetic, ironically on-the-nose, and scored like the movie’s mission statement.

Why it matters:

Theme cue in plain sight — frankness over blushes.

“Fade Into You” (Mazzy Star)

Where it plays:

Couch kiss: Cameron and Amber drift into a slow, tentative make-out. Non-diegetic, milk-glass soft focus; the scene breathes and almost forgets the comedy timing for a minute.

Why it matters:

Finally lets vulnerability in — the soundtrack’s gentlest needle drop reframes the summer as more than experiments.

“I Don’t Know Why I Love You” (The House of Love)

Where it plays:

Pool make-out (~01:15): Brandy and Rusty tangled in blue light while coworkers hover out of frame. The song acts as a liquid curtain, half-romance, half-irony as the “study” loses method.

Why it matters:

Britpop yearning in a chlorinated daydream — perfect for a relationship that’s all surface.

“Dreams” (The Cranberries)

Where it plays:

Car hook-up (~01:24): breathy vocals over fogged windows. The moment is quick, awkward, and real; the song supplies the swoon Brandy expects to feel.

Why it matters:

Idealism collides with logistics; Dolores O’Riordan’s lilt makes the joke tender.

“Laid” (James)

Where it plays:

Neighbor-car shock (~01:26): Brandy accidentally spots her parents mid-tryst in the next vehicle. The hook’s infamous chorus becomes a mortifying punchline.

Why it matters:

Classic needle-drop irony — the up-tempo hook undercuts the horror.

“Break It Down Again” (Tears for Fears)

Where it plays:

Late-film regroup (~01:30): Brandy bolts to repair friendships; the track gives propulsion to consequence.

Why it matters:

Title says it — time to dismantle the list and rebuild intention.

“Bittersweet” (Big Head Todd and the Monsters)

Where it plays:

Pool denouement (~01:35): post-talk, post-summer — a mellow glide as relationships thaw.

Why it matters:

Balances the film’s crude gags with grown-ish reflection.

“U Can’t Touch This” (MC Hammer)

Where it plays:

End credits: the communal exhale. Audience beats the aisle with parachute-pant swagger.

Why it matters:

High-five sendoff; pure sugar rush after the emotional tidy-up.

“Wind Beneath My Wings” (Bette Midler) — cast sing-along

Where it plays:

Finale bit (~01:32): Brandy belts to friends; it’s diegetic, deliberately off-glam, and half-sweet, half-silly.

Why it matters:

Friendship → foundation. The movie lets the joke become a hug.

Trailer cues (not all on the OST album)

Where they play:

Official trailers use ’90s-aligned hooks to telegraph tone; cuts like “Let’s Talk About Sex” and contemporary promo pop (e.g., Kelsi Luck’s “That’s What I Like”) surface in marketing.

Why it matters:

Some songs sell the vibe but don’t appear in-film or on the retail soundtrack — classic trailer-music gap to note when crate-digging.

Notes & Trivia

• Set specifically in 1993 — the song choices dodge anachronisms and lean into what would actually blast at Idaho house parties and public pools.
• Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me” appears as a character performance gag — a flex for Rusty that doubles as fan-service.
• The retail album trims down dozens of film cues to a lean 12-track compilation — the movie itself uses many more songs.
• Score motifs by Raney Shockne are intentionally brief — buttoning jokes or stitching scenes between needle drops.
• The film’s red-band and standard trailers deploy different music emphases to pitch either bawdiness or bright nostalgia.

Reception & Quotes

Critics split on tone but agreed the ’90s selections hit like a boom box on the diving board. Fans of Plaza’s deadpan called it a clever flip of the teen-sex formula; detractors balked at the gross-out escalation. The soundtrack regularly gets singled out as the film’s secret weapon.

“The soundtrack reflects the tenor of the times… ‘Me So Horny’ naughtily pants and moans over the opening credits.” RogerEbert.com

“Quick and messy, fitfully pleasurable, full of promise.” Village Voice

“A raunchy teen sex comedy that presents an unconventional female perspective.” Vogue

“Unfunny and unsexy… wastes its opportunity.” TheWrap

Interesting Facts

• Era lock: The movie avoids post-’93 hits to keep the soundscape honest.
• Diegetic dominance: Many placements are “in-world” — sung, blasted, or overheard — which helps jokes land in public.
• Trailer ≠ album: Promo music like Kelsi Luck’s “That’s What I Like” may pop up in trailers but not on the official OST.
• Alt ballast: Cuts from Royal Trux and Pavement sand the sheen off radio-pop moments.
• Karaoke comedy: The film weaponizes familiar choruses (“Laid,” “Wind Beneath My Wings”) for maximum mortification.
• Licensing puzzle: Big-name clearances (MC Hammer, Salt-N-Pepa) were crucial to landing specific jokes.

Technical Info

• Title: The To Do List (Music From the Motion Picture)
• Year: 2013 (film released July 26, 2013; album released July 2, 2013)
• Type: Compilation soundtrack + original score cues
• Composers (score): Raney Shockne
• Music supervision: Howard Paar
• Selected notable placements: “Me So Horny” (The 2 Live Crew), “O.P.P.” (Naughty by Nature), “Let’s Talk About Sex” (Salt-N-Pepa), “Fade Into You” (Mazzy Star), “Dreams” (The Cranberries), “Laid” (James), “U Can’t Touch This” (MC Hammer), “Break It Down Again” (Tears for Fears)
• Release context: Summer theatrical release; soundtrack issued as a 12-track retail compilation
• Label/album status: Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) — “This Compilation ℗ 2013”
• Availability: Digital storefronts/streaming; physical editions vary by region

Questions & Answers

Is every song in the movie on the official album?

No. The film uses many more tracks than the 12-song retail compilation; several diegetic moments and deep cuts are film-only.

Who wrote the score cues between the needle drops?

Raney Shockne composed the original score, designed to punctuate jokes and bridge high-energy placements.

What song opens the movie?

“Me So Horny” (The 2 Live Crew) rolls over the opening credits — a purposeful statement about tone and year.

Which placements best capture the film’s heart?

“Fade Into You” softens a comic world into something vulnerable; “Dreams” and “Laid” turn iconic choruses into punchlines with feelings.

Are the trailer songs the same as in the film?

Not always. Marketing includes tracks like “Let’s Talk About Sex” and additional promo-pop not present in the movie or on the album.

Key Contributors

Sources: IMDb (soundtracks & credits); WhatSong (scene & timestamps); Apple Music (album details); RogerEbert.com; Village Voice; TheWrap; Vogue; Wikipedia; The Playlist (track highlights); Soundtrakd (scene notes); YouTube (official trailers).

November, 29th 2025