Did Charli XCX Read 'The Fault in Our Stars' Before Writing 'Boom Clap?'
Charli XCX's "Boom Clap" was meant for another celebiryt before ending up in the movie 'The Fault in Our Stars'.
Music
Charli XCX's "Boom Clap" was perfectly used in 'The Fault in Our Stars', the film adaptation of John Green's novel. Did the book directly inspire the song?
by Matthew Trzcinski
Published on February 10, 2025
The best movies made expressive use of music. For example, Charli XCXâs âBoom Clapâ was perfectly used in The Fault in Our Stars, the film adaptation of John Greenâs novel of the same name. This raises an interesting question: did the book directly inspire the song? Charli XCX had something to say about that â and how she reacted to the movie.
While âBoom Clapâ appeared in The Fault in Our Stars, but it wasnât intended for that film initially. Charli XCX tried to sell the song to former Disney star Hilary Duff before singing it herself. Ultimately, the track appeared on the filmâs soundtrack.
During a 2014 interview with MTV News, the âI Love Itâ singer revealed that she had not finished The Fault in Our Stars. âI have it here!â Charli XCX laughed. âIâve been carrying it around with me, and Iâve nearly finished. I saw the movie before I got the book, and the movie made me cry, itâs amazing. Itâs going to affect a lot of people.â
While Charli XCX had not finished Greenâs novel, she was happy to hear that âBoom Clapâ was in the bookâs film adaptation. âIâm excited that people are going to hear my song and that itâs part of a really good teen movie, because we havenât had one in a while,â she said. âThe Fault in Our Stars feels like The Notebook.â The âAppleâ singer revealed her favorite teen movies were The Craft and Charlieâs Angels (though nobody else has ever called Charlieâs Angels a teen movie).
Charli XCX discussed the meaning of âBoom Clap.â âItâs just about being epic-ly in love,â she said. âBeing totally immersed in passion and feeling really safe and really alone with that person. Although I always hear a tinge of sadness in it, that song has quite an acute feeling.â
In 2013 and 2014, Charli XCX had three top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100: âI Love It,â a collaboration with Icona Pop, âFancy,â a collaboration with Iggy Azalea, and âBoom Clap.â âBoom Clapâ was both the best of the bunch and Charli XCXâs only solo hit from that era. While âI Love Itâ is a funny dance song and âFancyâ is a regrettable pop-rap hit, âBoom Clapâ is a beautiful love song that sounds just as good today as it did in 2014.
âBoom Clapâ reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, lasting on the chart for 25 weeks. The track was the centerpiece of the album Sucker. That album peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for eight weeks.Â
Sucker spawned three other singles: âBreak the Rules,â âDoing It,â and âFamous.â Only âBreak the Rulesâ charted in the United States. It merely reached No. 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 and charted for three weeks. While Sucker wasnât the biggest hit of the year, it paved the way for the critical and commercial acclaim that she experienced with her album Brat.
While Charli XCX hadnât finished The Fault in Our Stars when she wrote âBoom Clap,â she still penned a song that perfectly suited the movie.