The Pretty Little Liars Cast Member Who Picked The Theme Song
When Pretty Little Liars premiered on ABC Family (now Freeform) in 2010, it opened on the four Liars — Aria (Lucy Hale), Hanna (Ashley Benson), Spencer (Troian Bellisario) and Emily (Shay Mitchell) — on the night their bestie, Alison (Sasha Pieterse) went missing. Thus began a fraught seven season-long journey in which the foursome navigated complicated relationships, family dynamics, schoolwork and cyberbullies, all while trying to unmask Alison's killer.
Spoiler: Alison turned out not to be dead, after all. However, the bombshell revelation was just one of many twists in a show known primarily for its secrets. Not only was the word "secret" heavily featured in the show's pilot, per Entertainment Weekly, but the lyrics "Got a secret, can you keep it?" kicked off every hour of Pretty Little Liars for all seven seasons, setting a haunting tone for each episode. The song in question is called "Secret" by The Pierces, and with lines like "'Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead," it feels custom-made for the Liars. In fact, showrunner I. Marlene King even told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015 that "[p]eople think that song was written for [the] show — it's so perfect."
How fitting then that it was one of the Liars who picked the theme song! Keep reading to learn the secret (can you keep it?)
Ashley Benson thought 'Secret' would be a great theme song
At this point, the song "Secret" is almost as famous as Pretty Little Liars. Fans of the show have likely hummed or sung along to the moody tune as Aria, Hanna, Spencer and Emily ominously press their fingers to their lips, warning viewers to be quiet. Now, the secret is officially out on who picked the theme song, as the Liars spilled the beans during a 2017 interview with Entertainment Weekly.
When the actors were filming the show's pilot in Vancouver, Canada, Ashley Benson played a song that would stay with them throughout their time on set. "On the way back from [the pilot shoot], that was when you played in the car what would become our theme song," Troian Bellisario said to Benson (via Entertainment Weekly). "You had played it for all of us, and you were like, 'I want to show it to Marlene because I really think it could be a great theme song.'" After listening to it together, the Liars all backed the song. The rest is TV history.