Think you’re an expert on 1990s music? Well, before you come at Love Story music supervisor Jen Malone about her song selections, you’d better — in the words of one vintage track — check yourself before you wreck yourself.
“There was something for everybody during that time,” Malone tells Gold Derby about a decade that looms large in her own musical education. “We had such a wide variety of genres and bands, and the music was so accessible. Even if you weren’t into, say, the Goo Goo Dolls or Better Than Ezra, you can still sing every one of their singles without missing a beat.”
When she landed the Love Story gig, the Emmy-nominated music supervisor responsible for the more contemporary needle drops on Atlanta and Euphoria instantly created a batch of fresh folders on desktop and started dropping in tracks from her master ’90s playlist. “I picked out all of my favorite songs first,” she confesses with a laugh. “And then I started to flesh those out with other hits from the era, as well as underground stuff, indie darlings, and alternative college radio.”
Two of those folders were specifically set aside for the show’s subjects — John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, played by Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon, respectively. The late couple were as ubiquitous in the ’90s as the artists like Radiohead and Sade that populate the soundtrack. Malone says that she kept running lists of songs that defined both Bessette and Kennedy for her, although one of her personal favorite artists never found her way onto either playlist.
“I would have really loved to have gotten a Tori Amos song on the show,” she reveals. “We tried a bunch of them, but unfortunately it just didn’t work out. I pitched her to the point where the producers were like, ‘OK, we got it — you’re a fan.'”
Not for nothing, but Love Story has created a new fan base for those Gen X tracks among Gen Z. “All these young Love Story fans I meet want to live in the ’90s,” Malone says with a smile. “I just think, ‘Yeah, you missed out!'”
For Gold Derby’s version of a mix tape, we asked Malone to provides a commentary track talking through eight of Love Story‘s best ’90s tracks.
“This Woman’s Work” (Kate Bush, Episode 1)
Kate is very protective of how her music is used, so I worked closely with her team in describing the show and the scene in detail to her. That episode’s director, Max Winkler, wanted to create this Romeo and Juliet missed connections vibe for Carolyn and John’s first meeting, and when you hear that song, it’s this close-up on their faces that’s so magical. After the show aired, I wrote Kate a letter saying thank you. Hopefully she got it! And if not, I’ll say it again here: Thank you, Ms. Bush.
“Roads” (Portishead, Episode 3)
I love Portishead, and that one album, Dummy, means so much to me. The first time I heard it, I was at their show at Roseland in New York, and it’s always been a top five song for me. It’s such a sad song, and that’s appropriate for that scene in the episode when John is reading the letter from Jackie, and then it flows from there into his bike ride through New York to Carolyn’s apartment so well.
“Name” (Goo Goo Dolls, Episode 5)
That’s a really powerful episode, because it’s hard to watch couples go through hard times when you’re rooting for them. What’s special about Love Story is that you’re always rooting for John and Carolyn, while keeping blinders on about the fact that we know what’s going to happen. For that scene, “Name” brings you so much hope for them as a couple; they’re back together after this big fight, and it’s such a good song. And then all that hope gets crush later on!
“Common People” (Pulp, Episode 6)
That song was in the script, and we sent the request to their publisher and get an immediate response that Jarvis [Cocker] never clears that song and to pick something else. I told the team that I’d figure it out, and I happened to know a producer who knew Jarvis personally. I called him asking for a favor and he made it happen, but it definitely got down to the wire. We had some alternate songs cued up, but nothing was even close to “Common People,” which was perfect on so many levels for that episode. We got the approval a day or two before it needed to be playing on set, so that happened in the nick of time.
“Nice Dream” (Radiohead, Episode 6)
We wanted the song that would play for John and Carolyn’s first dance as a married couple to feel almost like a score — a slow, beautiful song. And the way Gillian shot it, with them elevating above the crowd and being the only two people in the room was great. When I pitched it, everyone said, “Yes, this is the one.” And it made a nice counterpoint to the eighth episode when we use Radiohead’s “Exit Music for a Film” to accompany one of the lowest points in their relationship.
“No Ordinary Love” (Sade, Episode 4 and Episode 8)
It was scripted that they would dance to a Sade song in Episode 4, because John says, “What animal doesn’t love Sade?” There wasn’t a specific Sade song that was pitched in the script, so I came up with a couple as well as some different artists to make sure we had as much variety as we could. But “No Ordinary Love” was my number one choice, and they agreed. You don’t have to go very far into her catalogue to find the prefect song, because all of her songs are perfect!
“Sullen Girl” (Fiona Apple, Episode 7)
There’s not a lot of music in that episode, because that’s what the edit called for — we used a lot of score instead. But we definitely wanted something for the end crredits, and Fiona Apple was my top choice and “Sullen Girl” was at the top of my list of my Carolyn playlist songs. I was looking for any scene where that might have called for it, and when we got to this one, I just said, “Ooh, try ‘Sullen Girl’!”
“All I Need” (Air & Beth Hirsch, Episode 9)
I had just seen Air at the Hollywood Bowl with the L.A. Philharmonic, and it was such an amazing performance. That was also such a big record in 1998, and even though it was different from the other songs we were using, it was also a romantic song with a different vibe that worked really well for that moment where John and Carolyn have their last love scene in the finale.
