Nerdy Prudes Must Die is a musical teen slasher comedy, and the music is just so unbelievably good! Honestly, I needed a good excuse to talk about this show because it has quickly become my favorite musical of all time! It is also free to watch on YouTube, which makes it a highly accessible show. I have already watched the show ten times in the two weeks since I first watched it, so that should tell you how much I adore this show.

Ranking the songs was really hard because I like them all, but some just hit different. If you haven’t seen the musical yet, I highly recommend it because there are spoilers here! 

Without further ado, here is my definitive ranking of the songs in Nerdy Prudes Must Die.

   14. Best of You

This seems to almost universally be everyone’s least favorite song, and I have to concur. It is a little too “Disney Channel” for this show. It is super fun and good on its own, but it simply cannot live up to the rest of the music. 

Jeff Blim, who wrote the music for the show, shared in a video that this song is an in-universe song that everyone knows, not a song dedicated to the plot, which makes sense why it is so disconnected to the rest of the songs. 

    13. Go Go Nighthawks

This is fun but overall unremarkable compared to the rest of the songs on this list. I Love the choreo, and I love the vibes, but it just pales in comparison to the rest of the show.

As with many of the songs though, hats off for the foreshadowing— gotta love it!

    12. The Summoning

This song being rated so low is going to piss off the fandom, but this just did not hit the same way the rest of the musical did. It is certainly fun, and it is in no way bad, but it just didn’t wow me. There are two other musicals in this trilogy, known as the Hatchetfield trilogy and I think this is the one part of the show you may need to have watched the other two to truly comprehend, because it is WILD. 

     11. As Cool As I Think I Am (Reprise)

Another song I think will piss off the fandom. I cried the first time I watched it, but I just love the other songs higher on this list more, but trust, I will continue to cry in bed to this song whenever the mood hits. 

     10. Hatchet Town

I was sad to put this so low because I do love this, but remember, I love every song in this show, no skips. The harmonies here are perhaps the best in the show, and it is such an ominous song. The whole town turning on each other is shown beautifully here. It also continues the bit in the show where everyone cares about the football team losing more than multiple teens being murdered, classic. 

      9. Just for Once

Most people wouldn’t rate this so high but I LOVE this so much. Lauren Lopez’s (playing Ruth) voice is so clear and she puts so much character into it. The juxtaposition between a high school “loser” and a depressed middle aged housewife, while still managing to perfectly describe both, is so well done and I got it right away. 

I will never look at tap shoes without shedding a tear ever again. 

      8. As Cool as I Think I Am

This is my favorite song to sing from the show, mostly because for me it is the easiest vocally, but also the storytelling here is excellent. From feeling like a loser, to developing a crush, to believing in that crush more than they believe in themselves, to seeing a path away from loserdom, this song was beautifully crafted. 

      7. High School is Killing Me

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE OPENING NUMBER. The beginning where we get some insight into the coming events, the irony of “high school is killing me” in a slasher show, the half step up near the end of the song!! All of it is just so damn good. 

Also I adore this choreography, it’s my second favorite in the show after “Bully the Bully”. 

      6. Bully the Bully

This song is just pure, unadulterated fun. I love the foreshadowing used here as well. Watching Angela Giarratana (playing Grace) do her little spins gets me every damn time. I am also super proud of myself for memorizing the “be cool beans” lines, which make me giggle every time. 

In a livestream with actor Jon Matteson (playing Richie), Blim shared that they are snapping on one and three because they are nerds and that is technically correct, but since the song is a swing song, you are supposed to snap on two and four, which is honestly genius. I absolutely love these additional pieces of lore. You’ve done it again, Mr. Blim. 

      5. Dirty Dudes Must Die 

Giarratana CRUSHED this. While this is the second shortest song in the show, it packs a major punch, and I am so hoping we get another musical with Grace Chasity to see just what this means for her. 

I love that we get pieces of “As Cool as I Think I Am” in the background. And the “darkness will spare my soul” harmonies at the end?? Goosebumps everywhere. 

      4. Bury the Bully

I really hesitated in putting this above Bully the Bully, but it is just so wild and out of pocket I needed to do it. 

Giarratana acted the HELL out of Grace here, and it was such a good payoff. Also, as with the rest of the show, the harmonies are really putting in work here. Masterfully done, and shout out to Lauren Lopez for choreographing the whole show, she really did that!

      3. Nerdy Prudes Must Die

I know he is a villain, but I cannot help but love Max Jägerman (Will Branner). This song, especially the call and repeats with Richie, is so so good! Yet again, shout out to the call back from “As Cool As I Think I Am” that is present in almost all the songs in the latter half of the musical, it really is so phenomenally done!

I have such a soft spot for Richie (and Matteson), so this scene made me sob like a baby. 

      2. Literal Monster

The HARMONIES in this song are to die for (pun fully intended) and the shift between the nerds and then Max is brilliant. Jeff Blim really put everything into creating this song, and he did that for us and I am grateful. 

Unrelated to the music, watching Max dance in this song was so fun, it is so over the top and ridiculous. 

      1. Dirty Girl

I need to see a professional about how this song and scene make me feel. It really reinforced two facts: I have religious trauma and I am so unbelievably queer. 

Giarratana and Branner do such a good job portraying Grace and Max and their dynamic is all at once hilarious, terrifying, and hot! Their voices are so good together, I love everything about this. 

Have you watched Nerdy Prudes Must Die? If so, what is your favorite song? Let me know in the comments!