Netflix’s chilling stalker saga, You
,
and pop’s diamond-crowned empress, Taylor Swift
, merge in their haunting portrayal of love’s darker shades. Joe Goldberg stalks through bookstores while Swift’s lyrics stalk through heartstrings, both crafting narratives where devotion morphs into delicious obsession. Though Joe’s version ends with bodies buried rather than breakup anthems, both tap into that intoxicating emotional vortex that leaves audiences wonderfully breathless, secretly understanding both sides of love’s dangerous coin.
As Joe Goldberg’s obsession spirals into chilling extremes, it is impossible not to hear a familiar melody, a haunting mix of passion and obsession, like a track pulled straight from Taylor Swift’s emotional playlist.
Eagle-eyed Swifties experienced déjà vu moments throughout the series You
, as Taylor Swift’s musical fingerprints appeared at crucial plot junctures. Three Swift anthems, ‘Exile,’ ‘Anti-Hero,’ and ‘Guilty as Sin,’ weave themselves into the show’s psychological fabric with uncanny precision.
These carefully selected tracks do not merely serve as soundtrack fodder; they function as emotional punctuation marks, enhancing character complexity and narrative tension.
🚨| Taylor Swift’s “Guilty as Sin?” is featured in the final episode of the last season of ‘You’!
— Taylor Swift Updates (@TSUpdating) April 24, 2025
Season 3’s finale resonates with ‘Exile’s’ mournful strains, creating the perfect sonic backdrop for Joe’s devastating choices and their aftermath. ‘Anti-Hero’ becomes Joe Goldberg’s unofficial theme in Season 4, its lyrics about confronting one’s darker impulses paralleling his psychological wrestling match with himself. Meanwhile, ‘Guilty as Sin’ amplifies the show’s perpetual tension between desire and consequence, its melodic confession aligning perfectly with the series’ exploration of moral ambiguity and psychological torment that defines the twisted world of You
.
With only three Taylor Swift songs in play, You
cranked it up to level 13
, leaving Swifties and You
fans gasping in disbelief with a sneaky, number-filled nod to the pop queen.
A sneaky Taylor Swift tribute in You
Hidden in plain sight, a numerical Easter egg sends Taylor Swift enthusiasts into detective mode during Season 4. When Joe Goldberg punches 1-2-1-3-8-9 into a glass cage keypad, he is actually entering Swift’s birthdate, December 13, 1989.
This cleverly concealed reference transforms an ordinary security code into a secret handshake between creators and fans, deepening the show’s connection to Swift’s universe while adding layers of meaning that reward attentive viewers with that satisfying “aha!
” moment.
netflix’s you 🤝 using taylor swift songs in their season finales
— jayce ✮⋆˙ (@j4ayce) April 25, 2025
Behind the scenes, Swiftie DNA runs through the show’s creative bloodstream, with showrunner Sera Gamble revealing that the writers’ room brims with Taylor Swift merchandise and devoted fans. Their passion subtly influences the series’ musical landscape without forcing characters into explicit fandom. This behind-the-curtain connection adds a delightful meta-layer for fans of both worlds. While You
left viewers reeling from its ending
, it transformed casual song choices into powerful storytelling moments.
Read More: Fifth and Final! Penn Badgley Starrer Netflix Series ‘You’ Renewed for a New Season
What do you think of this hidden connection between You
and Taylor Swift? Let us know in the comments below.