‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Season 2 Isn’t the Same Without Taylor Swift
It is no secret that the Eras tour is a big deal ever since Taylor Swift first announced it on November 1, 2022. From nit-picking outfits to making friendship bracelets and exchanging them with other Swifties at shows, it has never been a better time to become a fan of the genre-defying artist than now. In addition to all the buzz, The Summer I Turned Pretty became a bonus boon for Swifties because the singer’s music has been heavily utilized in the TV show’s soundtrack. The Prime Video original series written by best-selling author Jenny Han follows Belly (Lola Tung) as she delves into her formative teen years at Cousins Beach, experiencing love, heartache, and personal growth. Like every coming-of-age story, Belly feels “happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time”, just like Swift perfectly encapsulates in her song “22”. Although this particular track hasn’t been featured in the series thus far, many gems from the singer’s extensive discography have left a notable mark on the show, and here are a few reasons why her music made this teen drama that much better.
Season 1 of The Summer I Turned Pretty came out in June 2022, years after the book that inspired the series was released. Back when Han wrote the novels, she shared in an interview with Glamour that she listened to a lot of Taylor Swift to capture all the emotions she wanted to evoke in the story. Years later as the author went on to adapt Belly, Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), and Conrad’s (Christopher Briney) messy love triangle to the screen, it made sense to feature the music that inspired various scenes when writing the books. Yet, given the nature of Swift’s process of reclaiming the rights to her music by re-recording her first six albums, it would be hard to feature the singer’s well-known songs without her support. Gladly, Han decided to not only use the songs that Swift had already re-recorded, but was able to include exclusive re-recordings in the series.
The first example of this was the inclusion of “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” in Season 1’s trailer and in the season finale. Although 1989 (Taylor’s Version) hadn’t come out (it is only re-releasing on October 27th), it was a privilege for both Han and the fans of the show to hear the track from Swift’s fifth album in her more mature voice and improved melody. The same happened in Season 2, with the inclusion of “Back to December (Taylor’s Version)” in the official trailer. In a way, Han’s series and Swift’s re-recordings became a match made in heaven, because both the author and the singer were able to bring back stories and albums that were released years ago, back to the limelight. Han couldn’t have phrased it better in her interview sharing her excitement about having the pop star’s music featured in her show:
Not only did it make sense that Swift’s music was part of the series’ soundtrack because of its impact when the author wrote the books, but her songs also set the stage for some iconic Belly and Conrad moments in Season 1. Although the love triangle between Belly and the Fisher brothers was present since the beginning of the series, it was clear that Taylor Swift only played when one of the couples was front-and-center. It all started with Conrad’s introduction in the show to the sound of “Lover”. From the instance he popped up on the screen with the smolder and green eyes, it was crystal clear to the audience that he was Belly’s crush since day 1.
Their journey to finding each other had many bumps along the way, but when they had an instance or two when the chemistry seeped in, oh boy, it was epic! The first encounter between them that showcased this was as the two chatted on the porch at the house in Cousin’s Beach during the Fourth of July festivities in Episode 4. As they leaned closer into an almost kiss, the moment was made even better with “False God” playing in the background. The next two major Belly and Conrad moments in Season 1 also featured Taylor Swift. One is the debutant ball dance to the sound of “The Way I Loved You (Taylor’s Version)” and the other is their kiss at the beach with “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” playing in the background, both moments happened in Episode 7.
The Love Triangle in Season 2 Is More Intense Because of the Parallels with Swift’s Lyrics
Despite Swift’s songs being heavily featured in Season 1 when Belly was with Conrad, the singer’s music became more present in the love triangle plot in Season 2. As Belly and Conrad break up at the beginning of the season, “Last Kiss (Taylor’s Version)” comes in, and it hurts because of how the lyrics and storyline intertwine. The song’s message is about reminiscing on a relationship that is over before you could predict it, like a last kiss you didn’t foresee. In the series, Belly and Conrad break up as fast as they began their relationship, and it leaves the protagonist heartbroken.
Fast-forward to Belly getting closer to Jeremiah when the two return to Cousins to save the beach house, “Delicate (Taylor’s Version)” plays when they are swimming in the pool holding hands in Episode 6. This song is significant to this moment of the series because it pairs with the sweetness and uncomplicated love between Belly and Jeremiah. After their harsh break-up at the beginning of Season 2 when Belly decided to date Conrad instead, the music fits like a glove, showing that their relationship is slowly getting mended.
Even though many other songs were featured in Season 2 (nine to be exact), these two show how Swift’s lyrics match up with Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah’s dynamic as their love triangle gets even more complicated. The scenes might speak for themselves, but Swift’s music adds to the plot by making fans of the show even more emotional and immersed in the story as a whole.
