Picking and placing orchestral covers for the Netflix series is an intricate process, beginning with what Season 3 producer Jess Brownell estimates to be “a playlist of maybe 100 or 200 orchestral versions of pop songs” that – with input from directors, producers and Netflix – is trimmed down to a dozen or so stand-outs.
According to The Economist, it has led to a surge of classical musicians recording pop covers, string quartet bookings at weddings, and live events that merge classical music and pop.
After the release of the third season’s first batch of episodes last month, Spotify searches for Bridgerton content increased 1,700 per cent, while the creation of Bridgerton-related playlists on Spotify spiked nearly 400 per cent in the United States.
“It’s been so exciting to watch the Bridgerton sound become solidified and become so popular,” says the series’ composer Kris Bowers.
“In the beginning, it was really an experiment, but now that we’re a few years into it, there’s this huge ocean of classical covers of pop songs that exists, either because of how many people were inspired by Bridgerton or people who make one in hopes of getting into the show.”
The cover evokes the series’ now-signature sound (this one performed by a string quintet instead of a quartet, notes Bowers) and echoes the pop sensibilities of songs regularly covered for Bridgerton – which is coincidental, because the songwriters for “All I Want” did not even know they were writing for the hit show.
We really wanted this song to almost outlive social media and feel timeless, sound beautiful and say something really heartfelt
“The prompt was to write a love song for a Netflix project that could be a first dance at a wedding,” says Rogét Chahayed, who wrote “All I Want” with friends and fellow songwriters Wesley Singerman, Taylor Dexter and Nicole Cohen in the span of a day.
“It can be a lot of pressure to write to a prompt, but in the middle of the session, we all looked at each other and agreed that it sounded like a song you’d want to hear at a memorable event you share with your family and friends.”
According to Bowers, an original Bridgerton song has been in the works for years; he was part of an attempt to create one for last year’s spin-off series Queen Charlotte, but it did not come to fruition.
For Bridgerton fans, “All I Want” is worth the wait: the full track features the intricate vocals of Tori Kelly; its lyrics are a litany of similes for perfect fits and long-lasting love.
“A lot of people [writing music today] try to be aware of TikTok and trends and things like that,” says Chahayed. “But we really wanted this song to almost outlive social media and feel timeless, sound beautiful and say something really heartfelt.”
So with all the work put into “All I Want”, why does the orchestral cover play during the final episode’s end credits, a section regularly cut short for the viewer by Netflix’s previews, instead of during a key Bridgerton scene? It’s because of timing.
According to Kamps, the initiative was “mostly spearheaded by the Netflix music team and the Netflix marketing team” for the Bridgerton wedding event earlier this year.
“Everyone loved the song so much that they wanted to try to find a way to incorporate it into the actual show as well,” he explains.
“Kris then did an amazing job with the cover and we were looking for somewhere [in the show] that made sense, but we had already found all these other spots for music that we love. So now it’s a lovely way to cap off the season.”
Thankfully, fans who want to hear “All I Want” in full – both the Kelly version and the orchestral cover – can listen to it on the season’s soundtrack, now streaming on all digital platforms.
