Arriving in theatres on July 13, the mystery thriller Where The Crawdads Sing is building up hype not just with Daisy Edgar-Jones’ casting but also thanks to Taylor Swift’s latest soundtrack credit “Carolina.” This isn’t the first time that Miss Americana has recorded an exclusive track for a movie. Apart from the Grammy-winning “Safe & Sound” for The Hunger Games, Swift’s acting appearances in musicals like The Lorax and Cats have ensured that she gets more soundtrack credits.
Even her general discography is so popular that her songs make their way as needle drops in diverse movies and shows ranging from family-friendly options like Sing and the Hannah Montana movie to edgier picks such as You and Big Mouth.
The Hunger Games – Safe & Sound
The lead single from The Hunger Games: Songs From District 12 and Beyond, “Safe & Sound” found the country-pop artist collaborating with the folk duo The Civil Wars. The song is written from the perspective of series protagonist Katniss Everdeen and serves as a lullaby that she sings to her 12-year-old sister Primrose.
The gentle ambiance of the track is comforting enough and perfectly evokes the protective nature with which Katniss views Prim. After all, the events of The Hunger Games series kick off only when Katniss volunteers as her District’s tribute instead of her young sister.
Where The Crawdads Sing – Carolina
Carolina, much like the movie it is from, tells the story of a woman who grew up in the wilderness of the South and survived all by herself. The upcoming release stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as the woman in question who becomes embroiled in a murder investigation as the plot progresses.
Set against minimal instrumentals, Swift emulates a haunting vocal style to capture the narrative’s ominousness. It might be too soon to assume but given that “Safe & Sound” earned Swift nominations at the Oscars and the Golden Globes, “Carolina” might also fare well at the major film awards.
San Andreas – Style
On the surface, the disaster drama San Andreas is the same as many of Dwayne Johnson’s action movies. And yet the movie kicks off with a very unlikely song to set the mood. As a girl drives carelessly on a road overseeing a cliff, she listens to Swift’s 1989 hit “Style.” The song is cut short when the car is caught in an earthquake establishing the tone of the remainder of the movie.
It is interesting and unexpected to find a Taylor Swift show up in a movie like this. Further, the lyric “and when we go crashing down, we come back every time” funnily suits the scene as the girl does drive out of the rubble later.
Big Mouth – Bad Blood
Big Mouth has featured some of the most interesting covers including its iconic theme song “Changes” by Charles Bradley (which in itself is a cover of the Black Sabbath song of the same name). In the episode “Super Mouth”, the main characters of Big Mouth turn into all sorts of raunchy superheroes. There’s a particular face-off scene between the two superhero factions that even seems to resemble the “Bad Blood” video.
However, instead of using the original, the series incorporates a more acoustic and melancholic approach to the Taylor Swift song as it plays in the end credits. The cover dates back to 2015 and was recorded by YouTubers and friends Kina Grannis and CLARA.
You – Exile
The latest season of Netflix’s romantic thriller series You ends with a twist that no one saw coming as Joe Goldberg is seen killing Love Quinn and covering up the murder. A twisted moment like this requires a morbid-sounding song and this is where the duo of Taylor Swift and Bon Iver come to the rescue with “exile.”
A track from Swift’s recent album folklore finds the songstress straying away from her mainstream pop sound and going back to her indie folk/country roots. The song’s narrative involves two ex-lovers crossing paths and reminiscing on their past, making it apt to appear in a scene where two “perfect lovers” plan to kill each other.
Sing – Shake It Off
Given that it is a movie about talking animals contesting in a singing show, Sing is filled with covers of several chart-topping songs. Even though the pig Gunter is confident to perform on stage, he doesn’t have the most melodious of voices. On the other hand, his wife Rosita is mild-mannered but is quite the Taylor Swift of her family.
She gets to shine the most during a performance of “Shake It Off” with Gunter also joining in for some comic relief. This is definitely one of Swift’s most light-hearted and feel-good tracks and its inclusion in a kids’ movie like this bears further testimony to the fact.
Hannah Montana: The Movie – Crazier
Before Miley Cyrus gained fame as a solo pop star, her acting stint in the Disney Channel TV show Hannah Montana proved to be her claim to fame. When the hit Disney comedy series spawned its own movie, the soundtrack included two tracks that featured Taylor Swift’s contributions.
Apart from serving as a co-writer on the country-pop number “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home,” Swift also lends her vocals on “Crazier.” This track is from her formative era when she was starting out with acoustic country ballads. It offers a great hit of nostalgia for Swifties who wish to have a glimpse at her older work.
Killing Eve – Look What You Made Me Do
Compared to the other tracks from reputation, “Look What You Made Me Do” finds Taylor Swift sound more commanding and aggressive. So, it makes sense to add the song for a series with constant twists and turns such as Killing Eve. However, the series upped the game by adding a more haunting acoustic version of the track akin to the “Bad Blood” cover in Big Mouth.
With its slow strums and mellow vocals, this version sounds like it is straight out of a shootout scene in a Western. Even though Taylor Swift has herself shared the cover on Twitter, there is much mystery around the artist Jack Leopards and the Dolphin Club. According to Elle, fans suggest that this might be a fake band as the artist has only this song as their Spotify credit with Nils Sjöberg credited as producer (the same pseudonym that Swift previously used while writing Calvin Harris’ “This Is What You Came For.”
Bridgerton – Wildest Dreams
The official video for “Wildest Dreams” is already cinematic enough with Scott Eastwood romancing Taylor Swift as a part of a film shoot. The fairytale romance aspect of the song gets highlighted further with Duomo’s cover in Netflix’s period drama Bridgerton.
The violin cover will definitely stay with viewers as it plays during a crucial montage when lead characters Daphne and Simon make love with each other. Playing out as a three-minute montage, the scene, and the cover has become a fan favorite.
Pitch Perfect 2 – We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Acapella covers of pop hits are quite abundant in the Pitch Perfect movies, including Taylor Swift’s breakup hit “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” The track from Red might be intended for one of her ex-boyfriends as it has been a common theme in her discography to pen a song about her many former partners.
Hence, it is only suitable for this song to be covered by the Barden Bellas when they engage in a “Riff Off” with the theme “I Dated John Mayer.” While a rival team breaks out with Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles,” the Bellas perform this Swift classic.
