To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’s Soundtrack Success Story

Netflix’s latest hit romcom, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, arrived on Friday and is already getting rave reviews for the heartfelt and clever adaptation of Jenny Han’s bestselling young adult novel. It’s also quickly staged an almost complete takeover of Tunefind’s Trending Music chart, locking in 9 of the top 10 song spots after just 24 hours.

Lindsay Wolfington and Laura Webb at the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards

We caught up with music supervisors Lindsay Wolfington (Shadowhunters, The Royals) and Laura Webb (Siren, Teen Wolf) to learn more about their approach to finding the perfect songs to complement this touching and fun film that hits all the right notes in the classic teen romcom genre. (Warning: Light spoilers ahead!)

“It was a busy fall last year, so Laura and I teamed up to do To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” shared Lindsay. “We’ve worked together a handful of times, and we both love a good YA story!”

The film follows teen Lara Jean (Lana Condor) as she begins junior year in high school. Shy and reserved, LJ is in her own world, full of romantic daydreams and secret love letters written to her crushes that she’ll never act upon.

“We absolutely love this film, and working on it was so much fun!” says Laura. “Lara Jean was a unique character to play with – shy and awkward, genuine and relatable, and secretly obsessed with romance.”

Lara Jean discovers that those secret love letters – long hidden away in a box in her closet – have actually been sent. As she deals with the horror and embarrassment of realizing that her crushes now know about her fantasy feelings, we hear some iconic themes from Wagner, which is a fun twist in a modern teen film.

“One of our producers had the idea to play classical music during these moments, playing up the fanciful nature of her daydreams and her inner drama (and embarrassment) at finding that her letters got out! A teenage girl’s worst nightmare!” says Lindsay.

But both Lindsay and Laura have built their careers on helping viewers discover some of the freshest and fun pop and indie music around. TATB’s soundtrack is no different, with tons of new songs and artists inspiring fans to Shazam and hunt them down on Tunefind. We asked Laura and Lindsay to walk us through some of their favorite music moments.

Lindsay: Lauv “I Like Me Better” was a song we threw on a mix early on. Just felt like the perfect vibe and demographic for the movie, with lyrics appropriate to what was happening in the film. We love that it’s in the trailer too!

 

I Like Me Better

by Lauv

from To All The Boys I've Loved Before Soundtrack

Teaser, Trailer. The bus ride to the ski trip.

 

Laura: Using Tears for Fears “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” in the diner at the end was not the obvious choice. Initially, we were playing with songs from the 60’s, playing more to the diner atmosphere. But then the team realized that Lara Jean’s mom was probably a child of the 80’s, so something from that decade would make more sense as her favorite song. It had to feel nostalgic and timeless, yet tender. “Everybody Rules the World” fit the bill perfectly for this sweet father-daughter moment.

 

 

Lindsay: Lara Jean and Peter’s (Noah Centineo) arrangement was fun and very different for LJ. That first moment when they walk into school as a couple – Laura and I were drooling to nail this moment! It’s totally a Can’t Buy Me Love moment. ‘Boyfriend’ was a song I had in my ‘Playful’ folder. At first, we were sending songs that had more of a dreamy ‘OMG! He put his arm around me!’ vibe, but then we threw in a few more playful ones, and ‘Boyfriend’ landed it! It was the fun, cheeky choice, and we love how it turned out.

 

Boyfriend

by Confidence Man

from To All The Boys I've Loved Before Soundtrack

Lara Jean and Peter walk into the cafeteria tog…

 

Laura: Lindsay and I often talk and share epic love songs that we like. Some of our own personal favorite teen rom-coms stand out because of great songs that played during the big kiss moment. Anna of the North was a band that our coordinator, Kelly Austin, was a huge fan of. She pitched us “Lovers,” and we thought it was the perfect blend of cool, sensual and emotional for the jacuzzi moment.

 

Lovers

by Anna of the North

from To All The Boys I've Loved Before Soundtrack

Peter and Lara Jean kiss in the hot tub on the …

 

Lindsay: Our other favorite movie moments are the emotional, heartbreak moments. Many Voices Speak feels like a modern day Mazzy Star. “Video Child” played the disappointment one feels at the end of a relationship, and the lyrics “never go back again / never get hurt again” echoed what we see Lara Jean going through.

 

 

The music – always a critical ingredient in any teen film today – has clearly struck a chord with viewers. The film is currently the top traffic movie on Tunefind following the release on Friday. We’ve got a complete list of the songs featured in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before on Tunefind, complete with scene descriptions.

“The development of Lara Jean and her relationship with Peter was fun to score with music – from the dreamy classical music of LJ’s daydreams to the playfulness of ‘Boyfriend’ by Confidence Man to the sensuality of ‘Lovers’ by Anna of the North,” says Laura. “We hope our viewers feel the whole ride of Lara Jean’s story through the music!”

 

Top 10 Fan Favorite Songs (so far!) from To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

Lovers

by Anna of the North

from To All The Boys I've Loved Before Soundtrack

Peter and Lara Jean kiss in the hot tub on the …

I Like Me Better

by Lauv

from To All The Boys I've Loved Before Soundtrack

Teaser, Trailer. The bus ride to the ski trip.

Daydreams

by The Velveteins

from To All The Boys I've Loved Before Soundtrack

Margot is leaving for Scotland an Lara Jean an …

You & I

by Twinsmith

from To All The Boys I've Loved Before Soundtrack

Flashback to Lara Jean and Josh.

Beautiful

by Viigo

from To All The Boys I've Loved Before Soundtrack

Peter and Lara Jean go to a party.

Chinatown

by Wild Nothing

from To All The Boys I've Loved Before Soundtrack

Lara Jean cleans her room and puts items she no…

Human Right

by The Strike

from To All The Boys I've Loved Before Soundtrack

Flashback to Lara Jean and Lucas at the homecom…

You're Not Good Enough

by Blood Orange

from To All The Boys I've Loved Before Soundtrack

Lara Jean can't find a seat in the cafeteria.

Drunk

by Anteros

from To All The Boys I've Loved Before Soundtrack

On the radio in Peter's Jeep as he picks up Lar…

 

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