Commenting on the selections, Braff said, "Essentially, I made a mix CD with all of the music that I felt was scoring my life at the time I was writing the screenplay.

The song "Hey Lil' Momma" by the Sho-Shot AllStars is playing in the background of the party scene where Jesse (Armando Riesco) reveals selling his silent Velcro patent.

The trailer also featured "Such Great Heights" in the original version by the Postal Service rather than the Iron & Wine cover used in the film.

Additional instrumental composition by Chad Fischer "Motorcycle Ride with Sam" was featured in the DVD menu.

Braff’s character suggests a Garden State theme because the soundtrack "changed [his] life", but the prom committee describes it as a "Pitchfork mix CD".