At this point, fans have come to expect at least a few Taylor Swift needle drops in each season of The Summer I Turned Pretty, since author and creator of the show Jenny Han has a personal connection to this music. The songstress knows a thing or two about the complications of love, something Lola Tung’s Belly Conklin is figuring out for herself in this YA series, which will conclude with the current Season 3. Han has even gotten permission to use certain songs from Swift’s rerecorded works that haven’t been released yet.
The possibilities for Season 3 seem endless, but with more than half the season over, the back half of the third installment might contain more of the heavy hits. Episodes 2 through 5 didn’t have any Taylor Swift songs, and fans are speculating that this could be on purpose for a few reasons — one being symbolism that Belly isn’t in touch with her emotions.
In May, the pop mastermind reclaimed ownership of her music catalog, opening the door to even more songs that might be included in the final season’s soundtrack. Let’s also not forget, Swift released a double anthology album, The Tortured Poet’s Department, in the hiatus between seasons, giving Han even more material to choose from. Swift’s announcement of her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl also coincided with the return of her songs being used in the show.
Season 1 of the show, which arrived in the summer of 2022, heavily featured Swift’s album Lover in addition to the rerecorded “The Way I Loved You (Taylor’s Version)” as well as “This Love (Taylor’s Version).” Season 2 had almost double the amount of Swift songs, technically 11 if you count the two used in trailers — from Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Swift’s newest album ahead of the release of Season 2, Midnights, folklore and Fearless (Taylor’s Version).
Season 3 so far has mixed Swift’s “Daylight” from the album Lover and “Red (Taylor’s Version)” from the album Red (Taylor’s Version), in the teasers and trailers, and three songs form The Tortured Poets Department as well as a repeat Lover needle drop have featured.
Below is the definitive list of what songs have played in the first two seasons (and trailers for Season 3). Also find some of Deadline’s guesses and speculation about which songs could make great needle drops for Season 3.
Season 3…So Far
Episode 10: “Last Year”
- “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” from The Tortured Poets Department
- “The 1” from folklore
Episode 9: “Last Call”
- “You’re On Your Own Kid?” from Midnights
- “How Did It End?” from The Tortured Poet’s Department
Episode 8: “Last Kiss”
- “cardigan” from folklore
- Gracie Abrams’ “Us (feat. Taylor Swift)”
Episode 7: “Last Hurrah”
- “Robin” from The Tortured Poet’s Department
- “loml” from The Tortured Poet’s Department
Episode 6: “Last Name”
- “False God” from Lover
Episode 1: “Last Season“
- “You’re Losing Me” from The Tortured Poets Department
Trailers:
- “Daylight” from Lover
- “Red (Taylor’s Version)” from Red (Taylor’s Version)
RELATED: ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Season 3 Trailer’s Taylor Swift Mashup Teases Belly’s Wedding But Leaves Her Torn Between Jeremiah & Conrad
Season 2:
- “This Love (Taylor’s Version)”
- “Last Kiss (Taylor’s Version)”
- “Hey Stephen (Taylor’s Version)”
- “Invisible String”
- “Sweet Nothing”
- “Delicate (Taylor’s Version)”
- “Snow on the Beach”
- “Bigger Than the Whole Sky”
- “Exile”
In Trailers/Teasers:
- “August”
- “Back To December (Taylor’s Version)”
Season 1:
- “Cruel Summer”
- “Lover
- “False God”
- “The Way I Loved You (Taylor’s Version)”
- “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” which appeared in the teaser trailer
Now for the fun part – predictions! Rather than put our money on which particular songs will appear, we’ve put together a list of which songs that could fit the general vibe of Season 3.
We know the first two seasons of the show have used ample flashbacks, just like the books do. There is also a time jump in between the events of Seasons 2 and 3, meaning that we’re likely to see some of Belly’s memories from the time we haven’t been with her and the Fisher brothers — and Swift is an expert at capturing the universal feelings in very specific memories.
In fact, her songs have already been used in some of Belly’s past memories, including with both Fisher brothers, and, in Season 2, with the late Susannah Fisher (Rachel Blanchard).
RELATED: ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Stars Lola Tung, Gavin Casalegno & Christopher Briney On Saying Bye To Their Characters After Season 3, Spinoffs & Taylor Swift
We won’t know for sure how the series ends or who Belly will choose between the two Fisher brothers, Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). Should the show end how the third book does, there are a few songs from Swift’s body of work that would fit nicely in certain moments.
There are also songs that feel specifically coded for the brother she doesn’t choose in the book, or even for an alternate ending in which Belly stays single. And that’s not even taking into consideration where Swift’s music might be used for the other characters’ journeys. Dare we even explore that car crash scene from the full trailer that fans are agonizing over?
Find a breakdown of our guesses as to what songs could fit well in certain moments we expect in the show:
Editors note: As of publication, Deadline hasn’t screened the final three episodes of the third season. We are here theorizing along with you!
If Season 3 Aligns With Book 3
- “Out of the Woods”
- “Love Story”
- “You Belong With Me”
- “Long Live”
- “Mary’s Song”
- “I’m Only Me When I’m With You”
- “Change”
- “That’s When”
- “Mine”
- “Speak Now” — we think this song would pack an especially emotional punch for that one moment when Belly prepares to walk down the aisle…readers know the one.
- “Treacherous”
- “Everything Has Changed”
- “Run (feat. Ed Sheeran)”
- “Style”
- “Ours”
- “You Are In Love”
- “End Game”
- “Getaway Car”
- “Afterglow” — since Han has designated “Daylight” for Jeremiah
- “Midnight Rain”
- “Mastermind”
- “Karma”
- “But Daddy I Love Him”
- “The Alchemy”
If Belly Chooses Differently:
- “Stay Stay Stay”
- “Begin Again”
- “Clean”
- “Don’t Blame Me”
- “Dress”
- “King Of My Heart”
- “Paper Rings”
- “It’s Nice To Have A Friend”
- “Lavender Haze”
- “Paris”
- “So High School”
- “Suburban Legends”
And If She Stays Single?
- “The Archer”
- “You’re On Your Own Kid”
- “ME! (feat. Brendon Urie)”
- “The Bolter”
For Conflict Between Jeremiah & Belly:
- “my tears ricochet”
- “betty”
- “High Infidelity”
- “Glitch”
- “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”
- “Down Bad”
- “So Long, London”
- “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”
- “The Prophecy”
For Belly’s Conrad Confusion:
- “All You Had To Do Was Stay”
- “I Wish You Would”
- “Wildest Dreams”
- “Now That We Don’t Talk”
- “I Forgot That You Existed”
- “Cornelia Street”
- “Death by a Thousand Cuts”
- “illicit affairs”
- “closure”
- “right where you left me”
- “Maroon”
- “Labyrinth”
- “Hits Different”
- “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”
- “Down Bad”
- “Fresh Out the Slammer”
- “The Black Dog”
- “I Look In People’s Windows”
- “All Of The Girls You Loved Before”
In Case Of Any Susannah Flashbacks:
- “Soon You’ll Get Better”
- “Marjorie”
- “The Best Day” — we think this could also be a fitting song for a moment between Belly and Laurel!
The Car Crash…..
- “Breathe”
- “Haunted”
- “Sad Beautiful Tragic”
- “epiphany”
- “I Hate It Here”
- “The Prophecy”
More Great Options, No Matter Who Belly Marries!
- “White Horse”
- “Breathe”
- “Forever & Always”
- “The Story of Us”
- “Innocent”
- “Holy Ground”
- “I Know Places”
- “Dancing With Our Hands Tied”
- “’tis the damn season”
- “Foolish One”
- “peace”
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