"Only Us" is a song from Act 2 of the 2015 musical ''

Dear Evan Hansen ''Dear Evan Hansen'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. The musical follows Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety, "who invents an important role for himself in a t ...

'', which premiered on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in 2016.

Benj Pasek Benj Pasek (born June 6, 1985) is an American theater and television composer and lyricist best known for his works ''The Greatest Showman'', ''La La Land'' and ''Dear Evan Hansen'', all of which he co-wrote with his songwriting partner, Justin P ...

and

Justin Paul Justin Paul (born January 3, 1985) is an American theater and television composer and lyricist best known for his works ''The Greatest Showman'', ''La La Land'' and ''Dear Evan Hansen'', all of which he co-wrote with his songwriting partner, Ben ...

wrote both the music and lyrics to the song.

Synopsis

Zoe Murphy visits the home of the main protagonist,

Evan Hansen Evan is both an English and Welsh male given name derived from "Iefan", a Welsh form for the name John. In other languages it could be compared to "Ivan", "Ian", and "Juan"; the name John itself is derived from the ancient Hebrew name Yəhôḥ� ...

, after everything the latter had done to help her family in the wake of Zoe's brother, Connor's death. During their conversation, Zoe expresses her accepting Evan for who he is despite his difficulties and the two begin a relationship together, even though it's all being driven by Evan's lie that he was "friends" with Connor.

2021 film version

"Only Us" was featured in

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

' 2021 film adaptation of the musical, starring Ben Platt, who reprised his performance in the title role and was sung by him and

Kaitlyn Dever Kaitlyn Rochelle Dever (; born December 21, 1996) is an American actress. She gained recognition for her roles in the FX crime drama television series '' Justified'' (2011–2015), the ABC/Fox sitcom '' Last Man Standing'' (2011–2021), the Net ...

as Zoe Murphy. The film, which premiered at the

2021 Toronto International Film Festival The 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, the 46th event in the Toronto International Film Festival series, was held from September 9 to 18, 2021.Barry Hertz"TIFF planning ‘substantially bigger’ 2021 film festival compared to last year’ ...

on September 9, 2021, followed by a theatrical release on September 24, 2021, is directed by

Stephen Chbosky Stephen Chbosky (; born January 25, 1970) is an American screenwriter, film producer, film director, novelist, television writer, and television producer. He is best-known for writing the bestselling coming-of-age novel ''The Perks of Being a Wal ...

from a screenplay by Levenson, who also serves as an executive producer with Michael Bederman, Pasek & Paul and the show's lead producer Stacey Mindich. Ben's father Marc Platt and Adam Siegel serve as producers. In the film, the scene plays out the same. However, during the final chorus, there are flash forwards intercut into the scene, showing the growth of Evan and Zoe's relationship by going to

prom A promenade dance, commonly called a prom, is a dance party for high school students. It may be offered in semi-formal black tie or informal suit for boys, and evening gowns for girls. This event is typically held near the end of the school yea ...

and on a date to an

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

. This version of the song was made available as an exclusive download from the soundtrack album on September 3, 2021, alongside

Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...

and

Dan + Shay Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...

's version. The album was released on the same day as the film.

Carrie Underwood and Dan + Shay version

and

also recorded a cover of the song for the soundtrack album of the 2021 film version. It was released as an exclusive download on September 3, 2021. A music video of their version, showing Underwood and Dan + Shay recording the song in the studio, intercut with footage of Platt and Dever as Evan and Zoe in the film, was released on September 24, 2021.

Cover versions

* In 2017, Evelyne and

Peter Hollens Peter James Hollens (born March 4, 1980) is an American singer/songwriter, producer and entrepreneur. He has been involved with ''a cappella'' music since 1999 when he and Leo da Silva founded the University of Oregon's ''a cappella'' group, On ...

released a cover of the song as a single. * In 2018, '' Bat Out of Hell: The Musical'' stars Rob Fowler and Sharon Sexton recorded a cover of the song for their album ''Vision of You''. *

Ben Levi Ross Benjamin Levi Ross (born January 15, 1998) is an American stage actor and singer. He is best known for his work in the Tony Award winning musical ''Dear Evan Hansen,'' where he played Evan, Connor and Jared (understudy) on Broadway and Evan in t ...

and

Taylor Trensch Taylor Hunt Trensch (born May 3, 1989) is an American stage and film actor. Early life and education Trensch was born in Tampa, Florida. He began his education at Howard W. Blake High School in Tampa, Florida. He was an acting major and stud ...

, both of whom took over the role of Evan Hansen on stage in the Broadway production, released a special " same-sex" cover of the song on February 14, 2019, in honor of

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

. * In April 17, 2020,

Bella Ramsey Isabella May Ramsey (born in September 2003) is an English actor. She is known for her breakthrough role as young noblewoman Lyanna Mormont in the HBO fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones'' (2016–2019), and subsequent television roles ...

and Jacob Fowler released a cover of the song. * In 2021,

Samantha Barks Samantha Jane Barks (born 2 October 1990) is a Manx people, Manx actress and singer who rose to fame after placing third in the BBC talent show-themed television series ''I'd Do Anything (BBC TV series), I'd Do Anything'' in 2008. She has rele ...

and

Ramin Karimloo Ramin Karimloo ( fa, رامین کریملو; ; born September 19, 1978) is a Canadian actor, singer and composer recognized for his work in London's West End and Broadway theatre. He has played the leading male roles in both of the West End's ...

recorded a cover of the song for the former's album ''Into the Unknown''. * In 2021, Finding Us recorded a cover of the song and released it as a single.

References

{{Dan + Shay Dear Evan Hansen 2015 songs 2017 singles 2021 singles Ben Platt songs Carrie Underwood songs Dan + Shay songs Male–female vocal duets Songs from musicals Songs written by Benj Pasek Songs written by Justin Paul (songwriter) Songs from Pasek and Paul musicals Songs from Dear Evan Hansen