Movies: Grammy®Award-Winning Musician Jack Antonoff Behind the Music of “Love, Simon”

Jorge Lendeborg Jr, Katherine Langford, Alexandra Shipp, Nick Robinson Love, Simon

This year’s most talked about and conversation-starter YA movie “Love, Simon” stars this generation’s coolest actors with Nick Robinson in the title role.  Robinson’s recent films include “Jurassic World,” “Everything, Everything” and “The 5th Wave.”  Along with Robinson, Katherine Langford also stars as Robinson’s best friend, she is best known for her role as Hannah Baker from the phenomenal Netflix show “13 Reasons Why”.  Completing the impressive young cast are Keiynan Lonsdale (CW’s “The Flash”), Miles Heizer (“13 Reasons Why”), Alexandra Shipp (“X-Men: Apocalypse”), Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (“Spiderman: Homecoming”), Logan Miller (“Before I Fall”), Talitha Bateman (“Annabelle: Creation”) with Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel.

Based from the globally-loved book by Becky Albertalli, “Love, Simon” revolves around sixteen-year-old and not openly gay Simon Spier who starts a secret email flirtation with another closeted schoolmate. But when one of his emails falls into the wrong hands, Simon’s secret is at risk of going public. He finds himself being blackmailed by a socially awkward, yet overtly confident classmate.  Worse, the privacy of ‘Blue’, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be public too.

“The film is definitely centered around the character,” acknowledges Robinson. “His voice and his point of view.  His comic sensibilities.  I think that is what makes it unique for this genre. I also think that is where a lot of the comedy comes from because he can turn situations that might seem bleak to some and find the humor in them.  That was something I found very appealing.”

Miles Heizer and Nic Robinson in Love, Simon

Like many of the movies that inspired “Love, Simon”, music is an integral part of the film and the songs on the soundtrack were always going to be an important aspect of the production. To this end, the filmmakers appointed three-time Grammy®Award-winning singer, songwriter, musician, and producer Jack Antonoff as executive music producer of the soundtrack.

Antonoff is probably best known for his work as lead singer and songwriter of the band Bleachers and lead guitarist of the indie rock band fun. “When I met Greg Berlanti,” he recalls, “he started showing me clips and I think they had temped in some of my music, which might have been the seed of me being asked to get involved. We started discussing his feelings on the film and he talked about this sort of modern John Hughes feeling, which meant a lot to me.  Then I saw the film and it was beautiful.  I absolutely loved it. I totally got it and the way it was both a good time and incredibly emotional all at once.”

Although a few Antonoff songs have appeared in films before, the songwriter had never created music specifically for a film: “It was new for me and the only reason I felt okay about doing it is because I really felt got it.  It really spoke to me. The first time I saw the film, the Bleachers song, “Wild Heart,” played at the end and as soon as I saw that, I thought I could back up from there.  I, thought, ‘Okay, that works’.  And I didn’t write that for the film.  But it sits in so perfectly, so I know which pieces of that I could take and make new work.” The final soundtrack contains 13 songs, including classic tracks from The Jackson 5 and Whitney Houston, as well as several Bleachers songs and new material from Antonoff – including the single “Alfie’s Song (Not So Typical Love Song)” performed by Bleachers.

“To me, that song is the feeling of LOVE, SIMON – both extremely upbeat and extremely emotional all at once,” says Antonoff.  “It’s a song you could put it on in a car with your friends or at a party but then the lyrics sneak in these moments that are very emotional.  And that’s what the film did for me.”

“Love, Simon” opens May 9 from 20th Century Fox.

Nick Robinson and Katherine Langford in Love, Simon

OST List

1. Alfie’s Song (Not So Typical Love Song) – Bleachers

2. Rollercoaster – Bleachers

3. Never Fall in Love – mø, Jack Antonoff

4. Strawberries & Cigarettes – Troye Sivan

5. Sink In – Amy Shark

6. Love Lies – Khalid, Normani

7. The Oogum Boogum Song – Brenton Wood

8. Love Me – The 1975

9. I Wanna Dance with Somebody – Whitney Houston

10. Someday at Christmas – The Jackson 5

11. Wings – Haerts

12. Keeping a Secret – Bleachers

13. Wild Heart – Bleachers