All of the Taylor Swift Needle Drops in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’

The first true needle drop of the entire show is when the waltzy cymbals of the Lover title track rush in, just as main characters Belly and Conrad lock eyes for the first time that summer. Swift sings, “And there’s a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear,” as audiences also see Conrad for the first time — a not-so-subtle hint to the brooding teen’s enigmatic character. It’s corny, yet still very sweet. 

Before this 2019 track became the defining song of Swift’s Eras Tour, it was featured in one of the first scenes of The Summer I Turned Pretty. The synth-pop track plays in the background when Belly packs for a life-changing summer at the fictional Cousins beach, and gushes over Conrad with bestie Taylor (Rain Spencer). It’s more of a signifier of how bittersweet things are about to get in the show.

Lover is all over the first season of The Summer I Turned Pretty. By the fourth episode, Swift’s seventh album has soundtracked Belly’s first mentions of Conrad and their first interaction of the season. But at the end of episode four (aptly titled “Summer Heat”), “False God” kicks in for Belly and Conrad’s first steamy moment of the season — well, almost steamy, since what would have been their first kiss gets rudely interrupted by Jeremiah launching a firework in their direction.

During the Season One finale, Belly is abandoned by her date, Jeremiah, right before the main debutante ball dance, when Conrad swoops in to save the day and be her partner. The cinematic drums of this Fearless classic crash around the knight in shining armor as he smiles at Belly. It’s like the song was made for the pivotal moment, the way its “roller coaster rush” lyrics fit perfectly into the scene — and makes it one of the most iconic needle drops of the entire show.

High tide brought in yet another notable music moment for the Season One finale with “This Love (Taylor’s Version).” The soaring love song plays as Belly and Conrad finally share their first kiss, after the show has built up the act all season. Swift hadn’t even announced 1989 (Taylor’s Version) as her next re-recording when the show used the track in 2022 and the singer subsequently released it on streaming services. It was an indication of Swift’s next move — and of Season Two for The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Perhaps one of Swift’s saddest songs to date, “Last Kiss (Taylor’s Version)” comes in with its soft plucks at the end of the Season Two premiere. Belly isn’t quite watching someone’s life in pictures, as the song’s bridge details, but she is reminiscing on happier times by looking at old photos on her phone. It’s a touching scene which makes the highlighted lyric, “Why did you go away?” hit that much harder.

This fun Fearless track appears only for a brief moment when Belly’s brother, Steven (Sean Kaufman), calls her. Of course, Belly’s ringtone for her brother is “Hey Stephen” — though it might make more sense in the world of the show for Belly’s best friend, Taylor, to have the song as her ringtone for Steven.

The Sumer I Turned Pretty casts a wider net in Season Two when it comes to incorporating more of Swift’s discography. This twinkling folklore track comes in as Belly returns to the Cousins beach house for the first time in the season and remembers the last time she visited, in the dead of winter with Conrad. Swift’s voice chimes “Time, curious, time,” as Belly and Conrad gallivant together during a nightly beach walk in the snow. Yes, it seems Swift’s Midnights track “Snow on the Beach” would’ve been a more apt choice for this bit of sweet nostalgia, but hold that thought. The scene leans more into the idea at the heart of “Invisible String” as Belly wonders, “Why does he still have this pull on me?” just as the track fades away.

This aching Midnights track comes in just as Belly recalls a bittersweet memory. “The first time I ever had my heartbroken was at this boardwalk,” she says as the show flashbacks to when Belly was 13 on a solo boardwalk trip with her then-unrequited crush Conrad. When Belly finds out he only asked her to come along so he could check out the girl working the ring toss, she’s crushed. In true Conrad fashion, he tries to soften the blow by buying her a stuffed teddy bear — a very sweet nothing after all.

Where were you when you heard the first hint of Reputation (Taylor’s Version)? Well, you might have been watching The Summer I Turned Pretty back in July 2023. The shimmery track comes in as Belly throws Jeremiah into a pool — and the two nearly share yet another kiss. For months, this tiny snippet was all that Swifties had to cling onto the idea that Swift’s sixth re-recording was still on the horizon.

Remember this one? In Episode Six, the group of teenagers throw one hell of a last hurrah at the Cousins beach house. This wistful Midnights track comes in as the party goes wayward, turning messy fun into drunk confessions. Those first eerie piano chords are heard shortly after Belly walks away from a fight with Conrad on the beach — and, no, it’s not even snowing! While the track placement could’ve possibly been better, the full scene almost makes up for it. At one point, Belly finds herself in the middle of a makeshift dance floor, physically caught between Jeremiah and Conrad. It takes the lyric “tonight feels impossible” to entirely new levels.

Belly is sharing a heart-wrenching moment with Conrad and Jeremiah’s sick mother, Susannah, (Rachel Elise Blanchard) when Swift’s equally heart-wrenching song “Bigger Than the Whole Sky” fades in. The somber synths and touching lyrics frame the moment between Belly and Susannah beautifully in this tearjerker of a scene.

It’s never a good sign when you hear the chords from one of Swift’s most yearning break-up songs start playing in a show or a movie. That’s no different when this folklore track comes in during the The Summer I Turned Pretty Season Two finale and soundtracks a difficult goodbye that leaves one main character keeled over, holding all their love out in the hall. No matter who you’re rooting for, it’s a harrowing watch — and Swift and Bon Iver’s harmonies make it all sting that much more.

The Season Three premiere is all about filling in the storyline of the show’s three-year jump. And just when it all seems smooth sailing, the drama kicks in. The premiere closes out with one of Swift’s most devastating breakup songs from Midnights (The Late Night Edition). Swift’s faltering heartbeat kicks in just in time for a calamitous realization for one of the show’s main couples — one that leaves their relationship on life support.

Yes, this Lover track was already used in Season Two but the show brings it back for a very special scene between Belly and Conrad. Toward the end of the episode, Belly is helping Conrad with a gnarly cut he got while surfing when the two exes get a little too close for comfort. (After all, Belly is engaged to Conrad’s brother.) The sensual song slowly fades in for a supercharged moment in a magnificent callback to the steamy Season Two moment, but the stakes are much, much higher this time around.

In Season Three, Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department enters the world of The Summer I Turned Pretty. Just like in Season Two with “Sweet Nothing,” the soft piano chords of “Robin” come in as Belly conjures up a pivotal memory of Conrad and her as young kids. In this flashback, Belly gets lost in the wonderment of glass animal figurines and is late to meet up with a frustrated Conrad, who was put in charge of all the kids on an outing to the mall. But he can’t stay angry for long; as soon as Belly starts crying, Conrad softens up. “He got me one of those unicorns for my birthday that year,” Belly remembers. Good ol’ Connie, keeping Belly wilder and lighter even in the early days.

The somber, lovelorn notes of TTPD ballad “loml” roll into this episode in the nick of time. After messy dance floor moments and yet another beach confession, Belly is crying in bed trying her best to forget the steps to Conrad when the song’s befitting opening lines are heard, “Who’s gonna stop us from waltzing back into rekindled flames?” (Well, apparently, not even a wedding.) But the true brutality kicks in when the camera pans to Conrad, alone and bereft on the dock. There is something uniquely sad about watching Conrad Fisher suffer utter and complete heartbreak as the tortured poet’s most devastating songs soundtrack the moment. “I thought I was better safe than starry-eyed,” Swift sings as Conrad tries to hold himself together. Truly, the love of his life is turning into the loss of his life.

This needle drop enters the competition for the most dramatic one in all of The Summer I Turned Pretty. Swift’s folklore track comes in as Belly is feeling the lyric, “when you are young, they assume you know nothing,” down to her bones. The melancholic keys soundtrack the fallout of a called-off wedding, but most notably, they act as a sweet solace to Belly’s loss of innocence. Swift’s delicate voice sings, “You drew stars around my scars, but now I’m bleeding” as Belly leaves Cousin’s Beach, a place that has been her North Star for nearly her entire life. But the true impact of “Cardigan” is felt in the final minutes of the episode. As Belly is about to board a plane to Paris, she looks up and sees Conrad sitting at another gate, just as the heart-tugging bridge sings, “And I knew you’d come back to me.” It’s a chilling moment of cinema.

You might think an episode where Belly runs off to Paris would feature the Midnights 3 AM Edition named after the French City, but that doesn’t quite fit the vibe here. Instead, another Midnights track acts as the perfect soundtrack for Belly’s recklessly hopeful arrival in a foreign city. The wistful piano chords of “You’re On You’re Own, Kid” swoop in after Belly has burned several bridges to face her new chapter. Almost every lyric Swift sings can act as inspirational wisdom for Belly, but it’s the song’s final chorus when the singer goes, “you’re own you’re, kid /Yeah, you can face this,” that feels especially reassuring. Here’s to hoping Swift’s “Paris” makes it into episode ten.

“How Did It End?” acts as the gutting background music to an equally gutting montage of the main characters dealing with the finality of the episode’s events. As if Conrad hasn’t been reeling enough this season, the swooping melody of this Tortured Poets: The Anthology song comes in as he realizes the only way he can deal with the mess he made is to leave Cousins Beach and go back to California. Meanwhile, Jeremiah sobs into his father’s arms and Belly tries to find the silver lining in her choices as she wanders Paris. Notably, it’s the first time the show has used a Swift song for a scene that doesn’t exclusively feature Belly. But it comes at just the right time. Swift softly sings, “‘Didn’t you hear? They called it all off / One gasp and then ‘How did it end?’” just before the episode fades to black.

The tantalizing synths of Swift’s satirical pop song roll in as Belly isn’t quite having the time of her life in Paris. She can’t speak French (despite studying the language all through high school), her roommates suck, and she’s working two shitty jobs as she takes online classes — all while the homesickness is coming on strong. But just like Swift sings on the track, Belly smiles through her lackluster Parisian experience … even if she’s not hitting all her marks. 

Each episode in the second half of Season 3 has featured a diabolical Swift needle drop and this one is no different. As Conrad finally gets some closure with Jeremiah and the permission to go after what he wants, the pensive chords of “The 1” come in. You know, the musician’s ultimate song chronicling the torture of romantic what-ifs. While Swift waxes poetic about a love that just couldn’t last, the episode shows both Belly and Conrad on some new shit. For Conrad, it’s being honest about his feelings. Meanwhile, Belly is embarking on a new journey with her first solo apartment. The song cuts away just as Swift utters the line: “If one thing had been different, would everything be different today?” It’s a question that reverberates throughout the episode and leads to one hell of a cliffhanger for the finale.

This needle drop made “False God” look like child’s play. The track starts subtle, then builds into an electric storm of emotions as Conrad asks Belly, “Have you moved on?” She answers him with a kiss. The scene is full of pining and anticipation to match the song’s sultry energy — and takes the lyric “only got this dress so you could take this off” quite literally. Fans were left screaming at their screens.

The Summer I Turned Pretty had to go big or go home for its season finale — especially when it comes to Taylor songs. As if “Dress” wasn’t invigorating enough, the unmistakable drum machines from “Out of the Woods (Taylor’s Version)” can be heard just as Belly makes the realization of her life. Looking at it now, it really does seem so simple. The song’s explosive chorus and flashing synths make the perfect soundtrack as Belly takes off running to go see about a boy. It’s a Swiftian scene that would make the singer proud.