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 devastating 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 an equally devastating realization for one of the show’s main couples — one that leaves their relationship on life support.