You’ve heard it. That warm, piano-driven melody kicks in, and Benson Boone starts belting about the terror of losing everything he loves. It’s raw. It’s massive. And honestly, it’s one of those songs that felt like an instant classic the second it hit TikTok. But if you’re asking who wrote Beautiful Things, the answer isn't just a single guy with a guitar in a bedroom.
It’s a collaborative effort.
The song was written by Benson Boone, Jack LaFrantz, and Evan Blair.
Music history is full of these "overnight" successes that actually took years of grinding. Benson didn't just wake up and accidentally write a multi-platinum hit. He had help from a team that knew exactly how to capture that specific "lightning in a bottle" feeling of being terrified of your own happiness.
The Trio Behind the Magic
Most people think stars just write their own stuff in a vacuum. Sometimes they do. Usually, they don't.
Benson Boone is the face and the voice, obviously. He’s the one who lived the emotion. But Evan Blair served as the producer and a co-writer, while Jack LaFrantz brought in that seasoned songwriting polish. If you look at Jack LaFrantz’s credits, you’ll see he’s worked with Imagine Dragons—which makes total sense when you hear that stadium-sized "oomph" in the chorus of "Beautiful Things."
It’s a specific kind of alchemy.
You have Benson’s vulnerability. He’s a kid from Washington who walked away from American Idol because he didn't want to be a puppet. That’s gutsy. Then you have Blair and LaFrantz, who know how to structure a song so it builds tension until it literally explodes.
Why the Song Actually Worked
Let’s be real for a second. Why do we care who wrote Beautiful Things? We care because the song feels like it’s about us.
The lyrics aren't complicated. "Please stay / I want you, I need you, oh God / Don't take these beautiful things that I've got." It’s a prayer. It’s a plea. It touches on "Cherophobia"—which is basically the fear that when things are going too well, the universe is about to drop a piano on your head.
The writing process was apparently pretty fast. Boone has mentioned in interviews that the melody came to him at his grandmother's house on a piano that was slightly out of tune. There’s something poetic about that. The best stuff usually comes from a place of comfort and slight imperfection.
The Breakout Moment
The song didn't just "happen." It was teased relentlessly. By the time the full track dropped in early 2024, the world was already humming the chorus. This is the new era of songwriting—writing for the "hook" first.
But unlike a lot of TikTok "trash" that’s all hook and no substance, the writers here built a full narrative. The verses are quiet. They’re intimate. They talk about "a family, a shop, a life." It paints a picture of a quiet, domestic peace that the narrator is desperate to protect.
The Evolution of Benson’s Pen
If you compare "Beautiful Things" to his earlier work like "Ghost Town," you can see the growth.
"Ghost Town" was sad. It was a classic breakup ballad. But "Beautiful Things" is something else. It’s a rock anthem masquerading as a pop song. The vocal fry, the screaming high notes—that’s all intentional. The writers knew they needed to bridge the gap between a singer-songwriter vibe and something that could fill an arena.
👉 See also: The World Set Free: Why H.G. Wells Predicted the Atomic Bomb Before It Existed
Evan Blair’s production is the secret sauce here. He kept the beginning sparse. Just a guitar and a voice. It makes the listener lean in. Then, the drums kick in like a physical blow. That’s not an accident; that’s expert arrangement.
Misconceptions About the Credits
Whenever a song goes this viral, rumors fly.
Some people thought Dan Reynolds from Imagine Dragons wrote it because of the stylistic similarities. Nope. Just a similar vibe because of LaFrantz’s influence. Others thought it was a cover of an older song because the melody feels so familiar and nostalgic. Again, no. It’s an original.
It’s also worth noting that Boone is heavily involved in his own songwriting. He’s not a "vocalist only" artist. He plays the instruments. He writes the lyrics. He’s the real deal in a world of industry plants.
What This Means for Future Hits
The success of "Beautiful Things" has changed the game for 2024 and 2025. It proved that people want "real" instruments again. We’re moving away from the heavy synth-pop era into something more organic.
When you look at who wrote Beautiful Things, you’re looking at a blueprint for the next decade of pop music:
- Start with a relatable, universal fear.
- Use real instruments (piano, acoustic guitar).
- Create a massive "release" in the chorus.
- Keep the lyrics simple enough for a kid to understand but deep enough for an adult to feel.
The Technical Side of the Writing
Let's talk about the key change and the structure. Most pop songs follow a very rigid Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus format.
"Beautiful Things" stays pretty close to that, but it plays with dynamics in a way that feels more like a 70s rock ballad. Think Meat Loaf or Queen, but for Gen Z. The writers used a "bait and switch" tactic. They bait you with a folk song and switch it to a rock anthem halfway through.
Jack LaFrantz has a knack for these "shout-along" choruses. If you’ve ever screamed "I’m on top of the world" at an Imagine Dragons concert, you’ve felt his influence. Bringing that energy to a more vulnerable artist like Boone was a stroke of genius.
How to Apply These Insights
If you’re a songwriter or just a fan curious about the process, there’s a lot to learn from this track.
First, don't be afraid of simplicity. "Beautiful things" is a common phrase. It's not "intellectual." But it's visceral. Second, collaboration is king. Benson Boone is incredibly talented, but the input from Blair and LaFrantz turned a good song into a global phenomenon.
Third, timing is everything. They released this when the world felt particularly volatile. People are scared of losing what they have. The song tapped into the collective subconscious.
Final Takeaways on the Authorship
At the end of the day, Benson Boone, Jack LaFrantz, and Evan Blair are the names on the sheet music. They’ve created something that will likely be played at weddings and funerals for the next thirty years. It’s a rare feat.
To truly understand the song, you have to look past the charts. Look at the live performances. Watch Benson do a literal backflip on stage while hitting those notes. The writing provided the foundation, but the execution turned it into a masterpiece.
Next Steps for Music Enthusiasts:
- Check out the official credits on BMI or ASCAP to see the exact percentage splits if you're interested in the business side of songwriting.
- Listen to Evan Blair’s other production work to hear how he uses "dynamic shifts" to create emotional impact in different genres.
- Watch Benson Boone's "Zach Sang Show" interview where he breaks down the specific night he wrote the melody on his grandmother's piano.
- Explore Jack LaFrantz’s discography to see the lineage of the "Stomp and Holler" rock revival that influenced the song's bridge.