Mean Girls soundtrack: Every song from the movie to add to your playlist!

The new Mean Girls movie is on the way, and its newest trailer finally seems to be acknowledging that it is going to be a musical! Rather than just being a remake of the 2004 film, the 2024 version is expected to bring the Broadway musical to life on the silver screen.

This is an exciting development for fans of the musical, as advertisements for the movie musical have been shying away from depicting the music magic. For those who haven't heard or seen the musical, however, it might be a bit jarring to think of Mean Girls in this way.

Thankfully, the musical soundtrack is available, and while the movie seems to center Regina more than Cady, there's a lot of nuance to the soundtrack. Here's everything to know about the musical and which songs you should download to prepare for the new movie!

Mean Girls (2024) is based on the Broadway musical

The Mean Girls musical was written by Tina Fey, with music by Jeff Richmond and lyrics by Nell Benjamin. All three returned to rework the musical for the screen in 2024. The show ran on Broadway from April 2018 to March 2020, before Broadway closed down due to the pandemic. Despite a relatively short run, it gained many fans and 12 Tony nominations before closing.

There were a few major changes made for the musical that viewers should be aware of, though it isn't certain how many of these elements remain in the final film.

Firstly, the musical is narrated by Janis and Damian, who tell Cady's story as "A Cautionary Tale." This gives them the chance to comment on the story as it passes, which may be an unusual convention for movie lovers (excluding those who love Deadpool-style fourth wall breaks).

There are absolutely classic moments that fans will remember from the iconic movie ("fetch" is attempted, and Glenn Coco is definitely celebrated!), but there are also some pretty major changes intended to bring the movie into the age of social media. While some of these land well, others were already cringe-worthy in 2018.

Perhaps the best change, though, is that nearly every character gets the chance to show their perspective. For example, audiences get to see Gretchen as a sympathetic character, deeply insecure about her place in the world, rather than just being a punchline. Even Regina's mom is given more depth. With any luck, this will be the element of the musical that is most significant in the movie.

What songs will be in the new Mean Girls movie?

The 2024 movie is expected to include a combination of songs from the musical and new tracks, though they might not sound exactly the way they are in the original soundtrack. According to Jeff Richmond in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter:

"What we’re trying to do is take the score that sounds like a Broadway score — in a good way — and [give] the movie a fresher palette. To make it sound more like stuff you want to listen to on Spotify, as opposed to when you’re sitting eighth row center at a Broadway theater or the Pantages. It’s kind of making it a fresher, younger take on the whole thing. We’ve kind of reinvented the music for the movie, so it’s really fun."

- Jeff Richmond

The movie's official soundtrack currently lists 13 tracks, including new tracks, so there are definitely going to be some songs that will be cut. The musical soundtrack includes 21 songs, so at least 9 will have to go (or at least be left off from the soundtrack).

The following is a breakdown of all the songs from the musical, with confirmed songs in bold and teased songs in italics.

• A Cautionary Tale
• It Roars
• Where Do You Belong?
• Meet the Plastics
• Stupid With Love
• Apex Predator
• What's Wrong With Me?
• Stupid With Love (Reprise)
• Sexy
• Someone Gets Hurt
• Revenge Party
• Fearless
• Stop
• What's Wrong With Me? (Reprise)
• Whose House Is This?
• More Is Better
• Someone Gets Hurt (Reprise)
• World Burn
• I'd Rather Be Me
• Do This Thing
• I See Stars

Of these songs, it would be very disappointing to see songs like "It Roars," "More Is Better," and "I'd Rather Be Me" not make it into the final cut. However, "Stop," and "Whose House Is This" are probably relatively easy cuts (even if some musical fans will fight for them).

In addition to songs from the musical, Reneé Rapp has co-written a few new songs for the movie. One of these songs, "Not My Fault," was publicly released on Dec. 15, 2023.

Mean Girls will be in theaters on January 12.