Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon in the 'Love Story' finale. Eric Liebowitz/FX Logo text [This story contains spoilers from the Love Story finale, “Search and Recovery.”]
Since Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette debuted on FX last month — just ahead of Valentine’s Day — the show has become a pop culture phenomenon. It’s boosted attendance at New York City filming locations like Panna II Garden Indian Restaurant and Bubby’s, sparked fans to replicate the couple’s signature style and even inspired JFK Jr. lookalike contests.
The same frenzy has taken hold online. Scroll through social media — especially TikTok — and Love Story content is likely dominating your feed. Songs from the show has also become a consistent part of those posts.
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Featuring artists ranging from Radiohead, Björk and Lenny Kravitz to Stereolab, the Velvet Underground and Dido, the music helps transport audiences back to the era. The anthology series, which follows the romance and tragedy of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, was created by Connor Hines and executive produced by Ryan Murphy — and its impact extends to the charts. The show holds four of the top 10 spots on Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart for February, including the entire top three.
The Hollywood Reporter spoke with Love Story music supervisor Jen Malone about how she curated the series’ tracks, stayed authentic to the time period, secured key artists and crafted the emotional soundscape behind that heartbreaking finale.
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Fans love the ’90s fashion in the series, and the music is also so beloved. What have you made of the reaction to the soundtrack. Did it exceed your expectations?
It’s definitely exceeded my expectations. This show is such a joy to work on. I grew up in the ’90s. I lived it. So being able to put some of my favorite and iconic ’90s songs in the show was so exciting. But the reaction has been amazing. I’m so happy because everybody who worked on the show made it with so much love and to feel that back from the audience, especially for the music and have people really connecting with all of the songs has been really special. The music is hitting core memories for a lot of people. People have been reaching out to me, saying, “Oh my God, I remember the first time I heard this song,” and then they share that story with me. The music is definitely hitting people’s hearts. And then the younger kids on TikTok, jamming out to some of these songs, whether it’s Lenny Kravitz or Cocktail Twins. Gen X has the best generation for music. (Laughs.)
Where did you start in your process of finding the sound of the show? Was there a certain source of inspiration?
I went through my personal playlist of favorite ’90s songs and organized them by year. We 100 percent wanted to be period-authentic. So there had been times where there’s a song that came out in 1996, but we were in the 1994 episode and we didn’t use it because we wanted to be really accurate with the year that we were in John and Carolyn’s lives. We really wanted to make it a universal type of soundtrack. So being able to put in some of the non-iconic songs — whether it’s Slowdive or Cocktail Twins or Low — but also have everything like iconic songs from Goo Goo Dolls to The Cranberries. Everybody was really open and supportive to give this show a very wide breadth of what the ’90s were.
Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon in Love Story. FX How do you think that helped create a more authentic feel?
It’s a journey of the music that came out as it evolved, and those new records kept coming out. This was pre 9/11 and the world was very, very, very different — not only before the internet, but before 9/11. It was such a special time, especially in New York, and I think the show really captured it. Using ’90s music and period-authentic music helped support that story and the journey of John and Carolyn through their relationship. Music can be very, very powerful in that way of transporting you to a moment in time.
Were you able to discover what music/songs John and Carolyn actually liked in real life, and did any of them make it into the show?
I know that John loved classic rock. So one of the scenes where he’s listening to his Walkman — we used a Tom Petty song. That was a nod to his personal tastes. But Carolyn, as everybody knows, there’s not a lot of really personal information about her. So it was just taking a little leap. I think, of course, they would be dancing around the house to Common People. I think everybody dances around the house when they hear Common People. So that was a fun one to get. But in trying to have the music be universal and not just one genre, we were hitting all the big songs at the time that we think Carolyn would have been listening to. But there’s not a lot out there about their personal music taste, especially with Carolyn.
Was there a song that almost didn’t make it in that you’re now grateful did?
Yeah, the Björk song [“Human Behaviour”]. She’s a very tricky clear. She’s very protective of where and how her music is used. It was in the second episode. Nobody is to blame but myself for putting in a song that I just knew was going to be tough to get. (Laughs.) We were waiting for that approval to come in, and everybody was starting to get a little nervous as the clock was running out. We tried some alts, but on my end, I was manifesting, “This song is going to clear.” Sometimes, music supervisors have to do that. (Laughs.)
We got to the point where it was time to write a letter. Normally, that’s the showrunner or the director. I said, “Guys, let me write this one,” because Björk is so important to me. She’s one of my favorite artists. When those records came out, they were the soundtrack to the first time I fell in love at 19, and the heartbreak that inevitably comes. It was one of those moments, a core memory I’ll never forget. Björk’s first two records, Post and Debut, were the albums that were out at that time. I lived on those records while I was going through this first love and first heartbreak, and I wrote the letter about it. It was a very, very personal, very vulnerable letter. So much from the heart. We sent it, and we got the approval basically the next day. I’m very happy that I got to tell Björk how much her music means to me.
On the flip side, was there a song you really wanted to include but couldn’t due to licensing restrictions?
Nope, we got everything. We did not get any denials. Some songs were switched around, as they always are, because cuts change as we go through the editorial process. We try different songs, and then the scene shifts, and the song no longer serves the same purpose. But from a licensing aspect, no, we didn’t get any denials. It was really an amazing process. It didn’t take too much convincing, except for Björk.
Songs like Lenny Kravitz’s “The It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over” have blown up online. Have you heard from him or any of the artists whose songs were featured about how their songs were featured and are having a resurgence?
I think it’s given a lot of resurgence and a lot of introduction, even to people who grew up in the ’90s. They might not have known about Stereolab, so that’s been really fun. I haven’t heard from any of the artists yet, but I know they’re seeing it. A whole new generation is singing along to Lenny’s “It Ain’t Over ’til It’s Over” on TikTok. (Laughs.) Or even going with the fashion — the C.O. Bigelow, the store where Carolyn would buy her headbands. Reading all those crazy stories, the store is completely overrun with women buying the headbands. (Laughs.)
The majority of the series was watching John and Carolyn’s love story develop, and the romance is reflected in the music. Now, with the finale, it’s heavier. How did you approach that shift and the music that went into the ending? [Note: This interview took place before Thursday night’s finale aired.]
There’s only two songs in there, and then we really just use Bryce [Dessner]’s beautiful score to conclude our story. I worked a lot on the finale with the editor Jordan [Bracewell], and the finale went through a lot of changes. Using Air at the beginning of the episode, when they’re rekindling, they’re coming back to each other, they’re finding their love. The song with Beth Hirsch’s voice just kept them in this bubble that they were in together when they found themselves. The song has this intimate quality.
Then Dido’s “Here With Me,” when Carolyn shows up at the [George magazine gala event] is super iconic, and the lyrics are so perfect. Jordan and I were talking about this scene. We put it in, and it was perfect. It’s such a beautiful song, and everybody knows it. It gives you a mixed feeling of being so happy that they’re coming back to each other and finding each other again. But knowing what’s going to happen just makes these songs and the moment where she walks in and she shows up for John, and says that she wants to be with him, and he says it back to her… I think that you know that song just hits that moment so well. It was those two really special, very different songs. Not everyone will know the Air song, but I think most will know the Dido song. Sometimes people forget that Air came out in 1998. That record is so good, and Moon Safari withstands the test of time.
Love Story finale. Courtesy of FX Throughout John and Carolyn’s love story, was there a specific scene or moment you feel really proud of how it came together with the music and told their story?
I really loved what we did in the pilot with their first meeting, going from Peter Gabriel into Kate Bush. It was such a beautiful moment. We really use the songs there as a score. I know that the way Max shot it was almost like an homage to Romeo and Juliet, as far as John is walking through the red carpet. Carolyn goes through the service entrance. She’s in the back, going up the stairs. He’s on the grand staircase. And then when they meet, the close-ups, everything else in that room disappears. Even for the audience, this moment is very intimate and beautiful with these two characters, so you do forget everything else that’s happening in the scene.
Having everything from The Breeders to The Stone Roses and Primal Scream, we got that Britpop era. But then coming back to the pop with Blind Melon and Madonna, and then hitting the trip hop with Portishead and some of the ’90 songs. If you know, you know, with “Connected” from Stereo MCs in [episode] four.
The wedding episode was so special on so many different levels. In that episode, we really got to play a little bit more with the Velvet Underground and Nina Simone. Those were a little bit of a departure from the ’90s, but Velvet Underground is New York. You can’t separate New York from Velvet Underground. I love what we did with Radiohead, it was the song scoring the scene at the wedding. Also, in episode eight, having a different Radiohead song. Lyrically, it hit really well. It definitely starts leaning in toward the sadness of what’s to come. One line: “Now we are one in everlasting peace.”
And then Dido in the finale. I’m very proud of that one, because that’s going to trigger some tears.
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Love Story is now streaming all episodes on Hulu/Disney+. Check out all of The Hollywood Reporter‘s Love Story coverage here.
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