How Taylor Swift Helped Inspire ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’
Are you Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah?
The Summer I Turned Pretty, Amazon Prime Video's new series adapted from the book trilogy of the same name, has become an overnight sensation, and it's partly thanks to Taylor Swift.
The series was created by Jenny Han, the mastermind behind the Netflix hit To All The Boys I've Loved Before.
Now, Han's 2010s trilogy is getting the series treatment and soaring to pop culture icon status.
The show became Prime Video's most-watched series after its June 17 premiere. Stars and newcomers Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno and Sean Kaufman's respective social media followers have since skyrocketed.
What makes the show so beloved already?
There's the classic coming-of-age love triangle between main characters Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah, but the other reason for the show's massive success is certainly its soundtrack.
Many fans immediately picked up on the iconic music featured. As one tweeted, "[TSITP] music budget must have been astronomical."
"At this point I'm not even watchin [TSITP] for the plot, I'm just watching it for the superb music choices," another fan tweeted.
Most notably, the show features several Swift songs in the series' most key moments.
In an interview with E! News, Han said, "I don't even know the words for what that meant to me. That was my no. 1 dream, to get one of her songs on this show."
She didn't get just one, though — five songs ended up on the series.
One of the most pivotal scenes comes during the debutante ball, when Conrad steps in to dance with Belly to the tune of "The Way I Loved You (Taylor's Version)," prompting a deserved panic among fans.
The inclusion of Swift's music is extra-special to the series and its author.
"I was listening to Fearless and I was like, 'These songs have really helped me get to the finish line.' When I write books, I like to listen to music to help me see the emotional vein of the story and her music really did that with me for the series," Han shared.
"I knew what it would mean to me and I knew even more what it would mean to the people who have held these books really close to their hearts. That just felt like the best gift I could ever give," Han added, in reference to being able to include so much of Swift's music in the soundtrack.
The soundtrack also features music from Phoebe Bridgers, Kim Petras, Bleachers, Olivia Rodrigo, BLACKPINK and more that punctuate key scenes.
Plus, the show's four main actors created their own playlists for their characters for fans to listen to via Prime Video's Spotify page.
Not only is The Summer I Turned Pretty the show of the summer, but the music is providing fans with the soundtrack to their summer, too!