Composer : Laurence O'Keefe/Nell Benjamin

[ELLE, spoken]

Wait a sec! This is the kind of girl Warner wants!

Someone serious!

Someone lawyerly!

Someone who wears black when nobody's dead!

Girls, I have a completely brilliant plan!

What you want, Warner

What you want is me

But you need to see me in a brand new domain

Well it's plain, Warner

In a different setting, you will see you're getting

All of this plus a brain!

I'll meet you there at Harvard with a book in my hand

Big sturdy book, big wordy book

Full of words I'll understand

And right there is where you'll see it too

Warner, what you want is right in front of you!

What you want

[ELLE]

It's clear

[DELTA NU]

What you want

[ELLE]

Right here

[DELTA NU]

What you want is right in front of you, front of you

What you want

[ELLE]

It's clear

[DELTA NU]

What you want

[ELLE]

Right here

[DELTA NU]

What you want is right in front of you, front of you

[ELLE]

Step one! He's off to Harvard law

So I get in there too

[DELTA NU]

Step two!

[ELLE]

Make Warner reassess

Impress him with my high IQ

[DELTA NU]

Step three!

[ELLE]

We throw a great big wedding

[ELLE & DELTA NU]

And invite all Delta Nu!

[KATE, spoken]

That's great, nice plan

Now can we think this through?

Harvard Law School?

[ELLE, spoken]

I have a 4.0 average

[KATE, spoken]

Yeah, in Fashion Merchandising

What makes you think you can do this?

[ELLE, sung]

Love! I'm doing this for love!

And love will see me through

Yes, with love on my side, I can't lose

And Harvard can't refuse

A love so pure and true

Don't lawyers feel love too?

[KATE, spoken]

Even if they do

(sung)

What you want, sweetheart is no easy thing

If you're going to swing it, it will wreck your senior spring

Yeah, it's true

First, you'll need an LSAT score of more than 174

So no more parties for you

You'll need a killer essay, or do not even hope

And glowing letters from your betters

Any chance you know the pope?

[ELLE]

Uh, nope

[KATE]

Too bad, 'cause that would be a coup

And you've got a lot of work in front of you

[DELTA NU]

What you want

[ELLE]

Yes I know

[DELTA NU]

What you want

[ELLE]

Even so

[DELTA NU]

What you want is right in front of you, front of you

What you want

(Girl, you go!)

What you want

[KATE, spoken]

No, really, go!

[DELTA NU, sung]

What you want is right in front of you, front of you

[FATHER, spoken]

Law school?

[ELLE, spoken]

Yes, Daddy, law school!

[FATHER, spoken]

Good God, why? Law school is for boring, ugly, serious people!

And you, Button, are none of those things

(sung)

What you want, Button, you just say the word!

But what you want's absurd

And costs a whole lot of swag

And hell, why?

Button, when you can stay right here

Pursue a film career—

[MOTHER]

How 'bout a nice Birkin bag?

[FATHER]

Yes, the east coast is foreign

There's no film studios

It's cold and dark, no valet parking

All the girls have different noses!

Christ, Button! It's like the damn frontier!

[FATHER & MOTHER]

Tell me what's out there that you can't get right here?

[ELLE]

Guys, love!

[FATHER & MOTHER]

Love?

[ELLE]

I'm going there for love

[FATHER & MOTHER]

Good God!

[ELLE]

A love I have to win

I can live without sun or valet

I can't just walk away

Betray what might have been

[FATHER]

Fine, okay, I'll pay your way if you get in!

[ALL]

What you want

[FATHER & MOTHER]

Make good grades

[ALL]

What you want

[FATHER & MOTHER]

And it's paid

[ALL]

What you want is right in front of you, front of you

[MARGOT, spoken]

Hey everybody, it's the spring fling beer bash extreme!

[FRAT GUYS]

EXTREME!

[KATE, spoken]

Not for you! Time to study! Go!

[MARGOT, spoken]

This year's theme: Jamaican me crazy!

[GRANDMASTER CHAD, sung]

What you want, you wanna be out because the sun is warm?

What you want, you wanna be study-stuck inside your dorm?

What you want, you wanna be partyin' with us all night long?

What you want, you wanna be strong?

[KATE, spoken]

Be strong!

[ALL]

Oh-oh

[KATE, spoken]

134. Not good enough. Try again. Go!

[GRANDMASTER CHAD, sung]

What you want, you wanna be groovin' up and shake the room?

What you want, you wanna be provin' something and to whom?

What you want, you wanna be wonderin' where you your youth has gone?

What you want, you wanna hold on?

[ELLE, spoken]

Hold on!

[ALL, sung]

Oh-oh

[KATE, spoken]

151. Still not Harvard material. Once again. Go!

[GRANDMASTER CHAD, sung]

What you want, you wanna be breathing in the healthy air?

What you want, you wanna be chasing him and he don't care?

What you want, you wanna ignore the pain of failure?

What you want, you wanna say sorry, go and hit the road?

What you want, you wanna...

[ELLE]

Love!I'm doing this for love

And that's how I'll survive

Here you go, I said no, go away!

Right here is where I'll stay

Until that happy day

That day I hear them say...

[KATE]

175

[DELTA NU]

175

[ELLE]

175!

[DELTA NU]

175, 175!

[HARVARD PROFESSOR, spoken]

So, gentlemen

Harvard Law grants admission to Adam Cohen and Sundeep Padamadan

And now, Ms. Elle Woods, who was kind enough to send in a headshot...

[OTHER PROFESSOR, spoken]

We should admit her, for reasons of, um . . . multiculturalism!

[PROFESSORS, spoken]

Multiculturalism!

Oh gentlemen, please! Get a hold of yourselves!

Oh, look at that! Oh, what a shame!

She didn't bother sending in a personal essay!

[PILAR, spoken]

How's this for a personal essay?

[DELTA NU]

What you want!

[HARVARD PROFESSOR]

Goodness me!

[DELTA NU]

What you want!

[HARVARD PROFESSOR]

Security!

[DELTA NU]

What you want is right in—

[HARVARD PROFESSOR, spoken]

Who are you?

[ELLE]

I'm what you want, Harvard

I'm the girl for you!

[ELLE & DELTA NU]

And to prove it's true

[ELLE]

We all flew here on Jet Blue

[ELLE & DELTA NU]

Thank you!

[JET BLUE PILOT]

Thank you!

[DELTA NU]

This is what Elle Woods inspires

Everyone admires her

And Harvard should too!

[HARVARD PROFESSOR, spoken]

This is not a personal essay!

[DELTA NU]

No!

An essay's so boring and so much does not fit

So we're appearing live, right here

Making clear you must admit

That Elle Woods should join the chosen few

Harvard, what you want is right in front of—

[ELLE]

May I approach?

[DELTA NU]

Uh-huh! Oh yeah! Go Elle!

[HARVARD PROFESSOR, spoken]

Now see here, Ms. Woods!

You can't just barge in here with singing and dancing and ethnic movement

This is a very flashy presentation, but I still don't see one reason to admit you!

[ELLE]

How about love?

Have you ever been in love?

'Cause if you have, you'll know

That love never accepts a defeat

No challenge it can't meet

No place it cannot go

Don't say no to a woman in love

Don't laugh when I say love

Don't think that I'm naive

Because even a person who's smart

Can listen to their heart

Can listen and believe

So believe in what love can achieve

Do you believe?

[PROFESSOR, spoken]

I do!

[ELLE]

Do you believe?

[PROFESSOR, spoken]

Me too!

[ALL]

Yes, we believe in love!

How 'bout you?

[HARVARD PROFESSOR, spoken]

Welcome to Harvard!

[ALL]

What you want

What you want

What you want is right in front of you, front of you

What you want

What you want

What you want is right in front of you, front of you

What you want

What you want

What you want

What you want!