During the summer of 1983 in Northern Italy, an American-Italian is enamored by an American student who comes to study and live with his family. Together they share an unforgettable summer full of music, food, and romance that will forever change them. Luca Guadagnino wanted the film’s music to be connected to Elio, a young pianist who likes to transcribe and adapt pieces in order to get close to Oliver. The music is used to reflect the time, the characters’ family, level of education and “the kind of canon they would be a part of”. Guadagnino found himself resonating with Sufjan Stevens’ lyricism through his work and initially asked Stevens to record an original song. Eventually, Stevens contributed three songs to the soundtrack: Visions of Gideon, which was used at the end of the film, Mystery of Love, which was featured in the film’s first trailer and a new rendition of Futile Devices with piano. Stevens penned the songs by using the script, the book, and the conversations with the director about the characters.