Fans Think TSITP Is Using Taylor Swift Songs As Easter Eggs
They might be onto something.
Spoiler warning: This post contains spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3. The Summer I Turned Pretty and Taylor Swift music go hand-in-hand. Since 2022, the show has been using her songs consistently — and they even got to use “Delicate (Taylor’s Version)” in 2023 though the full re-release of Reputation may never drop. However, throughout Season 3, her music has been only been used twice so far. Fans don’t think it’s a coincidence, either. There’s now a viral theory that the show is strategically using Swift’s tracks to hint at the ending.
Jenny Han, who wrote the books and created the show, is open about using music to supplement the story. “I love to enhance a scene with it. It’s just another way for the audience to be feeling those big emotions with the characters,” she told Pedestrian TV on the red carpet.
It might seem like a stretch to analyze the music as Easter eggs, but Han *is* strategic about the choices. “The show’s music has evolved as the characters have evolved,” Han said in a statement to Today. “It’s always been a character of the show in its own right.”
In other words, the fan theories about Swift’s music being used as a clue for the ending — specifically, how the love triangle unfolds — could be onto something. Here are all the details.
Season 3 Used “You’re Losing Me” & “False God”
Swift’s song “You’re Losing Me” was featured in the first episode of Season 3 after Belly found out that Jeremiah cheated on her. For the next four episodes, the Eras Tour singer’s music was absent. It didn’t re-enter the picture until “False God” started playing when Belly and Conrad shared a moment in Episode 6.
In the show, both scenes were accompanied by the sound of a heartbeat. In “You’re Losing Me,” it’s part of the fabric of the song. (The lyrics read, “I can't find a pulse/ My heart won't start anymore/ For you.”) For “False God,” the heartbeat is added into the scene right before the track starts playing. After the moment ended, Belly put her hand on her heart, too.
Fans on TikTok and X were quick to consider the significance of these moments. “In Season 3 Episode 1, we heard ‘You’re Losing Me’ when she confronts Jeremiah. And after that? Nothing. No Taylor in Episodes 2 through 4 reflects Belly’s emotional numbness. She’s disconnected, confused, and uncertain,” one TikToker theorized. “Until we hear Taylor again, Belly’s heart is still on pause.”
After Episode 6 dropped, that same TikToker shared an updated post: “Belly’s heartbeat is 100% back and it beats for conrad.” On X, one fan pointed out the same parallel, posting, “YOU'RE LOSING ME TO FALSE GOD. her heart started beating again, conrad really brought her back to life.”
Bonrad shippers are considering this a sign that Team Conrad will come out on top.
This Is The Second Time “False God” Was Featured
Han has not repeated any songs in The Summer I Turned Pretty — until she chose “False God” in Season 3, Episode 6. The last time “False God” played was in Season 1, when Belly and Conrad almost kissed, but were interrupted by Jeremiah setting off a firework.
“FALSE GOD OFFICIALLY BEING THE BELLYCONRAD ALMOST KISS SONG,” one fan tweeted about the song choice.
Other fans think that the song recurring could be a clue for the future of Belly and Conrad’s relationship. “false god playing again for bellyconrad this season just tells me we are for sure getting this love again,” one wrote on X.
“jenny repeating false god (having NEVER repeated a song before) tells me it’s very purposeful. parallels aside to being used in almost kisses between belly and conrad, it’s the fact that NOW!!! NOW!!! conrad and belly are grown and healed,” another tweeted “when they try again, it WILL work.”
There Are Plenty Of “Red” References
Swift’s music was used sparingly in Season 3, but two of her songs — “Daylight” and “Red” — were featured in the trailer. The latter song was synced up with Belly and Conrad’s connection. Now, fans have been pointing out other red-colored Easter eggs in the show.
As the season has progressed, red details have been showing up more and more: red flowers were behind Belly and Conrad during the peach scene, Belly wore a red set for her tour of club, and red flowers started peeking through the blue hydrangeas at the beach house.
Not to mention, an updated poster for the show featured Belly’s all-red outfit *and* those red flowers surrounding the front porch.
Fans think the color red — and its connection to Swift — could provide insight into Belly’s emotions. “Losing him was BLUE… loving him was RED… the RED is growing back,” one commented on TikTok.
Another tweeted, “The trailer of TSITP switching to Red when Conrad comes up while Belly being in red on the poster and the red flowers on TSITP profile picture, is basically the confirmation that they will be end game.”
