Move over, Polin — Bridgerton Season 3 is all about the pop songs. Bridgerton’s been featuring instrumental versions of today’s top hits since Season 1 (Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” got Bridgertoned in the series premiere). Since then, we’ve been getting a lineup of violin covers that make you feel like you’re watching the show from the comfort of your Victorian mansion instead of your dorm room. With Season 3 dropping this spring, it’s safe to say that your study playlist is about to get Bridgertoned.
Season 3: Part 1 premiered on May 16, and seven instrumental pop covers premiered with it. Part 2 dropped on June 13 and added seven more covers to the mix. From spot-on song selections to the ones that unintentionally made me LOL, here’s every pop song cover in Bridgerton Season 3. Spoiler warning: Spoilers for Bridgerton Season 3 follow.
Episode 1: “Out of the Shadows”
“abcdefu” by GAYLE
“abcdefu” plays during Penelope’s show-shopping entrance at the ball debuting her Bridgerton glow-up. The look serves as a major “eff u” to the Ton and Colin for not giving her the attention she so rightfully deserves. 10/10 song choice, no notes.
Episode 2: “How Bright the Moon”
“Dynamite” by BTS
I know the ARMY caught this needle drop immediately! While the ladies of the Ton declare that Eloise’s talent is her dry wit, “Dynamite” starts playing softly in the background. The showrunners have a bomb sense of humor.
“Jealous” by Nick Jonas
This cover is super subtle, but it brilliantly lets us know what’s really going through Colin’s head when Penelope tells him what a great time she had chatting to Lord Remington at the ball. Well played, showrunners.
Episode 3: “Forces of Nature”
“Cheap Thrills” by Sia
Baz Luhrmann famously chose to use hip-hop music in his 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby so that modern audiences could put themselves in the shoes of one of Gatsby’s party guests in the 1920s. This is exactly what Bridgerton uses “Cheap Thrills” for. The stakes for each ball are getting higher as the social season goes on. While I can’t imagine using a piano concerto as my hype song before facing the Ton, I can see myself blasting “Cheap Thrills” on my way there.
“Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish
This song’s bridge is already iconic with its unexpected tempo change, rock sound, and rare belt from the usually soft-singing Eilish. Somehow, the fully instrumental bridge we get in Episode 3 goes just as hard as the original (and call me crazy, but it might even sound better).
There’s something deliciously ironic about watching Penelope (aka Lady Whistledown) dance along to the lyrics, “And I don’t talk sh*t about you on the internet, never told anyone anything bad.” She may not have the internet, but she certainly has an ink pen.
Episode 4: “Old Friends”
“Snow On The Beach” by Taylor Swift feat. Lana Del Rey
If I had a nickel for every time a show played “Snow on the Beach” during a pivotal romantic scene, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right? The Summer I Turned Pretty and Bridgerton clearly know their audience. They also know just how much power Swift and Del Rey embedded in their only collab to date. “Snow On The Beach” is often underrated, but the gorgeous instrumental version that plays while Colin interrupts Penelope’s dance with Lord Debling is sure to bring the track a new wave of appreciation.
“Give Me Everything” by Pitbull feat. Afrojack, Ne-Yo, and Nayer
Bridgerton’s showrunners could have picked any song in the world to play during the carriage scene, which is arguably the most anticipated scene of the entire season, yet they chose an instrumental cover of… “Give Me Everything.” I’m sorry, I have to laugh. The song is a certified club classic, but it has no place in a nineteenth-century carriage tryst. Polin, sweeties, you deserve so much better.
Episode 5: “Tick Tock”
“POV” by Ariana Grande
In the chorus of her hit Positions track “POV,” Grande sings, “I’d love to see me from your point of view.” Name a better song to play during Polin’s mirror scene. Yep, *that* mirror scene. Grande’s version is already romantic, but the instrumental version we get in Bridgerton makes me swoon even more.
Episode 6: “Romancing Mister Bridgerton”
“Thunder” by Imagine Dragons
Although “Thunder” seems like a random choice, anyone who’s read When He Was Wicked will understand why the showrunners chose this song. Francesca and John’s engagement was lightning quick, but more significantly, it was a brief flash of light in Francesca’s life before thunder struck. Get ready, Bridgerton fans.
“Confident” by Demi Lovato
Lovato’s bad b*tch anthem plays when Cressida enters the first ball held after she announces that she is Lady Whistledown. As Lovato sings, there’s nothing wrong with being confident — unless your deluded sense of self-confidence is built on a lie. Not a fan of this song choice, TBH.
Episode 7: “Joining of Hands”
“Yellow” by Coldplay
Penelope’s got a love/hate relationship with yellow. On one hand, it was her unflattering, signature dress color in the first two seasons (did you notice how it completely vanished from her wardrobe after her Season 3 glow-up?). On the other hand, it’s the name of the song to which she walks down the aisle. Any instrumental version of a Coldplay song is always going to be a tear-jerker, but Bridgerton’s instrumental cover of “Yellow” adds even more emotion to watching Penelope finally marry her best friend. Cue the waterworks.
“You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift
If Polin’s friends-to-lovers story were a song, this would be it. “She’ll never know your story like I do,” like how Colin wrote Penelope letters while he was abroad? And “I remember you driving to my house in the middle of the night” sounds a lot like the carriage scene to me. There’s also the fact that Colin and Penelope are next-door neighbors, like how Taylor and Lucas Till are in the “You Belong With Me” music video. It’s all too perfect. This is, without a doubt, the best song choice of the whole season.
Episode 8: “Into the Light”
“Lights” by Ellie Goulding
This cover didn’t add anything to the story, IMO, and according to the episode itself, it wasn’t the showrunners’ first choice either. If you pause the shot of the orchestra’s sheet music at the right time, you’ll see “I Want to Break Free” written at the top of the page. “I Want to Break Free” by Queen makes a lot more sense given Penelope’s jaw-dropping reveal at her sisters’ ball, but we’ll have to settle for “Lights” instead. Sorry, Ellie Goulding; it’s not personal.
“All I Want” by Tori Kelly
“All I Want” is the first original song Bridgerton has ever made. Its lyrics are pretty generic, but the instrumental version that plays at the end of the Season 3 finale is very romantic.
I can’t wait to hear what other pop songs get Bridgertoned in Season 4! Until then, dear readers, I’ll be listening to the instrumental version of “Snow On The Beach” on a loop.