The Bear Season 2 Didn't Have A Back-Up Song For Its Taylor Swift Needle Drop
The love for the city of Chicago on Hulu's "The Bear" (read /Film's glowing review here) is undeniable, to the point where the food-centric series seems like a backdoor tourism ad for the Windy City. Try drinking every time there's an establishing shot of Chi-Town and you'll see what I mean, just try not to down a bottle of Jeppson's Malört — the city's unofficial drink of choice — in the process. The soundtrack is also filled with needle drops that feel distinctly a part of the fabric of Chicago, even when they're not explicitly about the town itself. It's a wonder that the anthemic '70s song about Chicago's famous stretch of road, "Lake Shore Drive," by Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah, isn't played on a constant loop.
During the opening of season two, Bruce Hornsby's 1988 song "The Show Goes On" beautifully captures the mood of the characters as they start the arduous task of turning a traditional sandwich shop into a Michelin star restaurant. But it's episode 7, "Forks," that takes the unlikeliest of songs by the world's biggest pop star and uses it to highlight a major turning point for Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Carmy's feckless brother who keeps searching for purpose.
Taylor Swift's "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" comes in at the perfect time and represents a monumental change in Richie who still hasn't fully dealt with the grief of losing his best friend Michael (Jon Bernthal). Luckily, T-Swift is there to help him move on for good.
There had been a long, steady setup leading up to Richie going full Swiftie, to the point where it would've been almost unthinkable to use another track for the cathartic ending of "Forks." In fact, there wasn't even a backup choice in place in case the show couldn't get the rights.
A perfectly polished song choice
Speaking to Consequence, "The Bear" music supervisor Josh Senior explained how attending a Taylor Swift concert during the making of season 2 led to the inclusion of "Love Story (Taylor's Version)."
"We came up with the idea to include Taylor Swift into the world of the show as way to connect Richie to Tiffany [Richie's ex-wife, played by Gillian Jacobs] and his daughter. While we were writing and prepping the show, a few of us got tickets to see Taylor Swift and take in all of the different types of people that go to her shows. It felt like the perfect way to bridge those three characters together."
It's established early on in Episode 3 that Richie's daughter Eva is a huge Taylor Swift fan. "I love you. And I love Taylor Swift, too. I just needed a break," he says after hugging his little girl. In Episode 6, Eva's mom Tiffany is clearly wearing a "1989" album shirt during Christmas dinner. All that setup meant that Senior was left with no choice but to land the song. "We generally try to include personal outreach when going for songs that we know might be challenging to land, and with Taylor Swift, the process could not have been more lovely and straightforward," he revealed. "This was the plan."
No other artist besides Swift would have worked as well in the episode, which shows Richie finally nabbing three tickets to the Eras Tour, only to find out that his ex-wife is engaged to someone else. It's a defining moment for Richie, who finally learns to just let go and move forward. Considering that "Shake it Off" might have been a little too on the nose, seeing Richie singing the lyrics to "Love Story" turned out to be note perfect.