The best needle drops will make you think about her music a little differently. A show like You might play with tone, turning an emotional ballad into comic relief, while Euphoria might help christen a season with one pivotal scene. Some music syncs feel so seamless you may start to believe they were written specifically for a movie, while others, like Swift’s Valentine’s Day sweetheart anthem “Today Was a Fairytale,” actually was. But the most fun needle drops might be those that sound so bonkers in theory that you can’t help but tip your cap to them for making it work. (Looking at you, True Blood!)
For this list we stuck to a few rules. The most important being: no song shall be repeated. “Shake It Off” may pop up in lots of productions, but we narrowed it down to the one movie or TV show that we believe made best use of the 1989 single. There are TV shows that have licensed more than one Swift song throughout their seasons-long run, but we decided to narrow it down to one song per show. We did manage to choose only one needle drop from the Swift-fueled Love Story, which, we’ll admit, wasn’t easy. (Though, if you believe Love Story’s music supervisor, it’s actually more of Swift’s discography as one may think.) We also expanded our search to include commercials and trailers that used Swift’s music to perfection. Here’s to hoping that one of our picks will keep Taylor off our back—quite literally.
From New Girl to Euphoria, these are the 25 best uses of Swift’s music in pop culture.
“Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” in The Bear Season 2, Episode 7
Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) may be more of a Dick Head—thanks to Carmy—than a Swiftie. But for one glorious night, when he nails his staging gig at a three Michelin star restaurant, he finds himself driving through the streets of Chicago belting out his young daughter’s favorite artist in celebration. Richie’s joyride turns last year’s Speak Now of the original Speak Now track into a bighearted anthem for a local kitchen.
“Today Was a Fairytale” in Valentine’s Day (2010)
Valentine’s Day not only marked Swift’s big screen debut, but the first film she ever wrote an original song for. (“Today Was a Fairytale” also appears on Speak Now.) The track can be heard in a montage that features her character Felicia, a sweet and flighty cheerleader, getting a goodnight kiss from her onscreen boyfriend (played by Taylor Lautner, who she dated offscreen after making the film). The happily ever after song is as sugary sweet as a box of chocolates, which makes it the perfect complement to the mid-aughts rom-com set on Feb. 14.
“Look What You Made Me Do” in Killing Eve Season 3, Ep. 7
With this episode, Killing Eve’s high-fashion psychopath Villanelle (Jodi Comer) officially enters her Reputation era. Episode 7 begins with the calm, cool, and collected contract killer sitting in a room full of medieval weapons looking a bit nervous as Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” plays. But it might take a minute to register the tune, which sounds totally different than it does on 2017’s Reputation. For one thing, it’s not Swift singing the song, but her brother Austin, taking lead on this slow and sinister cover of the track. Here’s, he’s credited as the frontman of the (fake) band , of which his older sister and her long-time producer, , are members. Look what you made her do, indeed.
“All Too Well” in The Fall Guy (2024)
Early in the action-packed romance, stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) finds himself nursing a few bumps and bruises to his ego after his old love interest and new boss, director Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), puts him through the ringer on the set of her new film. Sitting in his car, he turns on the radio, hears All Too Well, and finds himself getting in his feelings. Gosling, who recently hosted Saturday Night Live, admitted that shooting the scene was “very cathartic” for him. “I think I cried a little too hard,” he told UK’s The Sun. Gosling once again proves that, action or drama, he’s a man who can do both.
“Wildest Dreams” in Bridgerton Season 1, Ep. 6
Wildest Dreams is given an orchestral makeover to soundtrack the honeymoon of Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon (). The new Duke and Duchess of Hastings make good on the song’s title, engaging in passionate love-making whenever and wherever they can—much to the delight of the maids. It’s safe to say, no Swift song has ever felt so climactic.
“Safe & Sound” feat. The Civil Wars in The Hunger Games (2012)
If you don’t stay to the very end of the credits, you’ll miss “Safe & Sound,” the futuristic folk ballad Swift co-wrote with alt-country duo The Civil Wars. After reading Suzanne Collins’ book of the same name, Swift was inspired to write a song for the Jennifer Lawrence blockbuster. She wrote the bittersweet lullaby from the perspective of protagonist Katniss Everdean (played by Lawrence) after learning that her friend Rue has died in the titular competition. “Safe & Sound” showed off Swift’s skills as a storyteller who didn’t have to rely on her own life for material, eight years before she would drop Folklore.
“22” in New Girl Season 2, Ep. 16
After a devastating breakup, all Jess (Zooey Deschanel) wants to do is listen to Taylor Swift alone. But Nick (Jake Johnson) believes that he can make her feel better if he joins in on her rosé-fueled pity party. Oh, how wrong he is. The anthem for the slightly over 21 set, however, feels like the right choice for Nick’s hilariously bad dance routine that doesn’t help Jess with her depression, but is sure to get everyone else out of their funk.
“I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” feat. Zayn in Fifty Shades Darker (2017)