“In the Mood”

“In the Mood” is the Glenn Miller song that accompanies Lara Jean and John Ambrose McClaren’s dance at a World War II-themed party. In the scene, its performance turns the invitation to dance into a shared, public moment: the pair stumble, laugh, and keep moving until the song ends and the room applauds.

Performance at the Dance

Mr. Morales is managing the music because he is the only one who can operate Lara Jean’s phone. John places a war bond on the refreshments table, takes Lara Jean’s hand, and leads her to the center of the floor. When “In the Mood” comes blaring from the speakers, John gives her a determined nod, and they begin dancing.

Movement and Audience

The dance unfolds through repeated steps—rock-step, side, together, side—and a sequence of turns. Lara Jean and John step on each other’s feet, but John swings her around and both laugh. At the song’s end, he pulls her close and sends her back out for one last turn. The audience claps, and Mr. Morales calls out to the young dancers; John then lifts Lara Jean into the air as the crowd erupts.

Significance in the Scene

The song gives the dance a clear beginning and end, enclosing a moment of growing ease between Lara Jean and John in a room full of witnesses. Lara Jean is still buoyed by the party’s success and by the dance afterward. Thinking of the thirteen-year-old version of herself who would have been overwhelmed by this scene, she describes her sixteen-year-old self as floating down the nursing-home hallway, as if in a dream. The music therefore accompanies not only their playful performance but also Lara Jean’s recognition that an old romantic imagining has taken on a vivid present form.