FYC: “Only Murders in the Building” Sings a Tune
The saga of Only Murders in the Building has taken its trio of three amateur detectives to some strange, even musical places. In the latest season, it’s a different trio who aren’t amateurs by any stretch of the imagination, but who do get to show off their musical skills. Sophie Rose, Michael Blum, and David Archuleta are the writers behind “Wish That You Were Me.” The song, performed by Beanie Feldstein’s popstar character Thé, was written to reference the rocky relationship between her and Selena Gomez’s Mabel.
Courtesy of Michael Blum. Photo by @filmlier
Michael and David, you guys have previously worked together on David’s EP, Earthly Delights. I’m curious how Sophie joined the picture for this project. How do you feel like your dynamic has shifted, going from this duo that has a history together to a trio?
Michael Blum: David and I met in 2024. We had written so much for David’s EP and then this opportunity came around. I thought Sophie would be a perfect fit to join this project.
Sophie Rose: Michael and I have worked together for years with different artists and on different projects. Michael was the one actually to ask if I would join the session that was going to write a song for this project. So that’s how I got invited into the trio.
And how did the opportunity come around?
David Archuleta: I got to know John Hoffman, who is one of the show creators and the showrunner of Only Murders in the Building. He’d heard “Creme Brulee,” a song I did with Michael. John was like, I would love to have a song like that for Only Murders in the Building.
Sophie and Michael, you’ve both written for film and TV before, but they haven’t been songs that exist within the universe of the project as something a character created. How different was it to write a song so integral to the plot of the show?
Courtesy of Sophie Rose
SR: Writing for film and TV is so different from just writing music for an artist. When we wrote the song, we didn’t even know how integral it was going to be in the season. It was really interesting to think about the character who was being created and what she would say, what kind of song she would want to sing, and just how that would fit into the plot. I’d never done anything like that before.
Usually when I write for film and TV, it’s more of a generalization. Like, the filmmakers want this kind of sound and lyrically these kinds of themes, but it’s not as hyper-specific. I think it’s such a cool creative outlet and a different way to write than I’m used to.
MB: I totally agree. I think writing for a character who’s going through something specific is almost more like writing a musical. You need to think about the character, what her motivations are in that moment, and what she wants to get across. Then you have to think about how it plays into the broader plot.
It’s so helpful that David came in on the day of with a brief of what this character was going to be like and who she was in reference to Selena Gomez’s character. You have to put yourself in the shoes of a character.
Courtesy of David Archuleta
When this was brought to you, how much of the Thé popstar image was fleshed out? How much did you guys get to be like, well, I think she’s going to be this sort of pop star with her musicality?
DA: John, when he reached out to me, he was like, we’re kind of thinking like a Sabrina Carpenter or a Gracie Abrams type.
MB: I remember you coming in and telling us that the character was going to be slightly obnoxious and sassy, and the song sort of had to be something that would annoy Mabel. Something that would be the bane of her existence.
DA: She was described as Mabel’s rival from her past. I think that’s why we were kind of like, Gracie Abrams doesn’t really make sense for this kind of a vibe. That’s why we ultimately went with the more sassy vibe for the take on it.
MB: I also remember jealousy being a key word. John, at the time, was thinking that jealousy would be a key part of this season, and it was in the context of their relationship. The song is called “Wish That You Were Me,” which is, I mean, jealousy in a very distilled format.
You have to ride this really fine line that the song could be annoying to somebody, but it could also be the catchiest thing everybody else has heard. How do you fine tune that? For somebody who’s not musical in this way at all, what makes a song catchy and what makes a song annoying?
SR: It is so subjective. A lot of hit songs are very divisive in the sense that some people are like, I can’t stand the song. Other people are like, I love the song, I play it like all day, every day. It’s because the song has that exact quality that’s seen either as annoying or really catchy.
Even when you love a song and it gets stuck in your head, it’s so annoying that it’s in your head all the time, you know? I don’t know if there’s a specific blueprint other than repetitive melodies. I don’t know if I ever can be like, how is this going to sound annoying? More than just like, how is this going to be catchy? I also think the annoying aspect can come through on the vocal and the vocal production. Tone as well, that’s easier to control.
(Disney/Patrick Harbron)
MB: We’re always toeing that line as pop writers. I think that’s the whole that’s the name of the game. You want it to be catchy, but you never want it to be annoying. We’ve all been doing this for quite a while, so I think it’s just an experience thing.
To repeat what Sophie said, repetition is a key part of catchiness and also a key part of annoyingness. Max Martin is a genius at this, and that’s why he’s the biggest songwriter of all time. There are so many Max Martin songs where the verse and the chorus are almost identical and you wouldn’t realize it. “Lucky” by Britney Spears is a great example of that. The verse and the chorus are almost identical melodically. We have a bit of that in our song as well.
I noticed that every time you post about the song on your social media, your comments are flooded with people asking when you’re putting the song out. I’m curious if there’s any hope for people to be able to listen to this at home? Also, what has this response meant to you as songwriters?
SR: I find it so touching as a writer to get DMs from fans of the show being like, when is the song coming out. They had to do so much research to even find out that I’m a part of this and then find my social media to ask me that question. I am so happy that people love it so much and care enough to reach out and ask that.
Unfortunately, as the writers, we have no control over that. Because it’s part of the show, it’s completely up to the show. I personally don’t know. I would love it if it came out, but I’m just happy people are able to hear it on the show. Hopefully someday, though.
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