New Romantics (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"New Romantics"
A Polaroid of Swift, a young woman with blond hair, wearing sunglasses, a purple jacket, and a two-piece dress. She is standing on a ferry, with the city skyline far behind her. The texts on the Polaroid include: "T.S." and the title "New Romantics" on the upper left and right corners, and the lyric "The best people in life are free..." in the footer.
Single by Taylor Swift
from the album 1989
ReleasedFebruary 23, 2016 (2016-02-23)[A]
Studio
Genre
  • Synth-pop
Length3:50
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Max Martin
  • Shellback
Taylor Swift singles chronology
"Out of the Woods"
(2016) 		"New Romantics"
(2016) 		"I Don't Wanna Live Forever"
(2016)
Music video
"New Romantics" on YouTube

"New Romantics" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from the deluxe edition of her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). It was written by Swift alongside its producers, Max Martin and Shellback. The song's title is a reference to the New Romantic cultural movement of the 1970s and 1980s; the new wave musical style of that era influenced the song's synth-pop production. The lyrics find Swift reigniting her hopes and energy after having endured emotional hardships. "New Romantics" was made available for digital download as a promotional single on March 3, 2015, by Big Machine Records. It was released to US radio as the seventh and final single from 1989 on February 23, 2016, by Republic Records in partnership with Big Machine.

The song's music video, a compilation of footage from the 1989 World Tour, was released as an Apple Music exclusive on April 6, 2016. The single peaked at number 46 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and entered the top 40 on record charts in Australia, Belgian Flanders, Lebanon, and Scotland. It received gold certifications in Australia and the US. Many critics lamented the song's exclusion from 1989's standard edition and hailed the song's energetic and lively atmosphere; some ranked "New Romantics" among the best songs of Swift's career. A few others were not as impressed, deeming the song forgettable. Rolling Stone in 2019 included the track on their list of the 100 best songs of the 2010s decade.

Production[]

Inspired by 1980s synth-pop, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift moved away from the country-styled music of her previous releases to employ a straightforward pop production for her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014).[4] To this end, she enlisted prominent mainstream pop producers, including Swedish hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback; Swift also recruited the former as co-executive producer.[5] Martin and Shellback produced seven out of thirteen tracks on the album's standard edition,[5] and two out of three bonus tracks on the deluxe edition, including "New Romantics".[6] Swift, Martin and Shellback are credited as the songwriters of "New Romantics".[6] The song was recorded by Michael Ilbert at MXM Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, and Sam Holland at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles.[6] It was mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound Studios in New York City.[6]

Music and lyrics[]

"New Romantics" incorporates heavy, pulsating synthesizers.[7] The song's title is a reference to the New Romantic cultural movement of the 1970s and 1980s.[8] According to Slate editor Forrest Wickman, this reference is also apparent through the song's sonic resemblance to the era's new wave.[9] Critic Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone dubbed "New Romantics" the song that showcases the most authentic tribute to 1980s synth-pop on 1989.[8] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine similarly considered the track among the few on the album that truly sounds like 1980s pop, specifically "1983 new wave".[10] For Corey Baesley from PopMatters, "New Romantics" is where Swift emulates the "indie electro-pop" styles of Scottish band Chvrches.[11] While acknowledging the 1980s influences, such as the "coolness" of the 1980 hit "We Got the Beat", music professor James Perone opined that "New Romantics" is musically "more about the pop music of the 21st century" than about the prevailing styles of the New Romantic era.[12]

The lyrics are about Swift reigniting her hopes and energy after the heartbreak she had endured.[13][14] In the views of Pitchfork reviewer Vrinda Jagota, "New Romantics" is where Swift brushes off the pain "into a night of uninhibited hedonism", representing her departure from "slow-burning heartache" on her previous songs towards a more positive, laid-back attitude.[13] The refrain starts with Swift singing, "'Cause baby I could build a castle / Out of all the bricks they threw at me." Anna Leszkiewicz from the New Statesman commented that the "castle" imagery in "New Romantics", which are used in a "self-referential way", departed from the fairytale notion of "castles" on Swift's previous songs.[15] The lyrics, "Heartbreak is the national anthem, we sing it proudly / We are too busy dancing to get knocked off our feet," find Swift celebrating the joys of youth, a theme that Emily Yahr from Stuff compared to Swift's previous single "22" (2013).[14] Slate critic Carl Wilson described the song as 1989's representation of Swift's new attitude towards romance. The lyric, "The best people in life are free," sees Swift no longer seeking revenge on ex-lovers.[7] Perone noted that the lyrics were representational of Swift's generation's defiant and carefree attitude, which he compared to that of the mods in the 1960s, specifically citing the Who's 1965 song "My Generation".[12]

Release and commercial performance[]

"New Romantics" was initially one of the three bonus tracks on the deluxe edition of 1989, which was available exclusively at Target in the United States. On February 17, 2015, Swift announced that she would release the three bonus tracks to iTunes Stores in the United States as promotional singles one at a time.[16] "New Romantics" was released on March 3, 2015, by Big Machine Records.[1] Following this release, the song entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated March 21, 2015, at number 71.[17]

On February 19, 2016, Swift announced that "New Romantics" would be the seventh and final single from 1989.[2] Republic Records in partnership with Big Machine released the song to US contemporary hit[18] and hot adult contemporary radio stations on February 23.[3] Upon its single release, "New Romantics" debuted at number 28 on the Mainstream Top 40/Pop Songs, a Billboard component chart,[19] where it later peaked at number 18.[20] The song peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated April 30, 2016, and spent eight weeks on the chart.[21] The single reached the top 40 on charts in Lebanon (18),[22] Belgian Flanders (33),[23] Australia (35),[24] and Scotland (40).[25] "New Romantics" received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for exceeding 500,000 track-equivalent units, based on sales and on-demand streams.[26] It also received a gold certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which indicates 35,000 units.[27] The song received a nomination for Choice Song – Female Artist at the 2016 Teen Choice Awards.[28]

Music video[]

Swift in a black crop top and blue skirt performing
Swift performed "New Romantics" on the 1989 World Tour in 2015. Footage of the tour was included in the song's music video.

On April 6, Swift released the music video for "New Romantics" exclusively on Apple Music, which required a paid subscription.[29] The video consists of concert and behind-the-scenes footage during the 1989 World Tour in 2015, intertwined with Swift's voice-overs about her thoughts for her fans.[30] Laura Bertens, a scholar in art history and cultural studies, cited "New Romantics" as an example of "why music videos often elicit strong reactions". Bertens noted that the behind-the-scenes footage of Swift's performances made the audience connect with her on a personal level, "to see the private person behind the celebrity, all the while knowing that we are looking at a performance as well".[31] Complex's Jessie Morris deemed the exclusive Apple release part of Swift's "partnership" with Apple Music, with whom Swift had collaborated on advertisements and interviews.[32] The Sydney Morning Herald's Karl Quinn labeled the release a "cynical move", through which Swift implicitly encouraged her fans to subscribe to Apple Music to balance the competition with Spotify—the largest on-demand streaming platform at the time. Swift had publicly condemned Spotify's free streaming services that provided low royalties for artists.[33] Swift made the video available on her Vevo and YouTube accounts on April 13, 2016, without subscription requirements.[34]

Live performances[]

Swift included "New Romantics" on the set list for the 1989 World Tour, which ran from May to November 2015.[35] She also performed the song at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas on October 22, 2016,[36] and at the DirecTV Super Saturday Night, as part of a series of pre-Super Bowl concerts, on February 4, 2017.[37]

Critical reception[]

Upon the release of 1989, Corey Baesley from PopMatters deemed "New Romantics" and the other two deluxe edition bonus tracks more "compositionally daring" than any track on the standard edition. Baesley favorably likened the song to the works of Chvrches, writing that "[Swift] can do it better than anyone else".[11] Slate's Carl Wilson called it "manifesto-toned",[7] and Pitchfork's Vrinda Jagota described the track as a "surging, euphoric" number that captures the essence of the album.[13] Josh Duboff from Vanity Fair lamented the song's exclusion from the standard edition of 1989, writing that it could end up as an album track "on pretty much any other 2014 pop star's album".[38] Aimee Cliff from Fact noted that even though the lyrics are about Swift's familiar theme of "documenting memories as romantic, filtered snapshots", "New Romantics" signaled a maturity in Swift's songwriting.[39]

Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone ranked "New Romantics" as the second best song of 2014, writing: "I have no idea why she left a song this urgent and glittery and perfect off her album ... but geniuses are weird."[8] In his 2019 ranking of Swift's songs, Sheffield ranked it the second best song of Swift's career, labeling it as a "work of genius, exceeding even the wildest hopes any fan could have dreamed".[40] Rolling Stone magazine placed "New Romantics" at number 58 among "The 100 Best Songs of the 2010s". Critic Brittany Spanos described it as "the type of relieving dance floor soul purge that the best pop can be".[41] Retrospective reviews from The Guardian's Alexis Petridis,[42] NME's Hannah Mylrae[43] and Paste's Jane Song commented that the song should have made the final cut of 1989's standard edition.[44]

In a less enthusiastic review, Nate Jones from New York called "New Romantics" a failed attempt at "writing a big generational anthem."[45] Chris Richards of The Washington Post said that the song "registers somewhere between moldy emo and the back pages of a high school literary magazine", containing some of the "worst lyrics" on 1989.[46]

Credits and personnel[]

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of 1989.[6]

Charts[]

Weekly chart performance for "New Romantics"
Chart (2016–17) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[24] 35
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[23] 33
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[47] 58
Canada AC (Billboard)[48] 46
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[49] 24
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[50] 31
France (SNEP)[51] 190
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[52] 90
Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20)[22] 18
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[53] 58
Scotland (OCC)[25] 40
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[54] 132
US Billboard Hot 100[21] 46
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[55] 18
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[56] 9
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[20] 18

Certifications[]

Certifications for "New Romantics"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[27] Gold 35,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[26] Gold 500,000double-dagger

double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ "New Romantics" was released as a promotional single on March 3, 2015.[1] The February 23, 2016 release date indicates its release as an official single from 1989.[2][3]

Citations[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "New Romantics – Single". iTunes Store (US). Archived from the original on June 3, 2015.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Iasimone, Ashley (February 20, 2016). "Taylor Swift's 'New Romantics' Set as Next '1989' Single". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 26, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Hot AC". Republic Records. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  4. ^ Eells, Josh (September 16, 2014). "Taylor Swift Reveals Five Things to Expect on '1989'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b McNutt 2020, p. 78.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e 1989 (CD liner notes). Taylor Swift. Big Machine Records. 2014. BMRBD0500A.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c Wilson, Carl (October 29, 2014). "Taylor Swift's 1989, reviewed". Slate. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c Sheffield, Rob (December 22, 2014). "Rob Sheffield's Top 25 Songs of 2014". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  9. ^ Wickman, Forrest (October 30, 2014). "Taylor Swift's 1989: A Track-by-Track Breakdown". Slate. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  10. ^ Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "Taylor Swift 1989". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Beasley, Corey (October 30, 2014). "Taylor Swift: 1989". PopMatters. Archived from the original on March 1, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Perone 2017, p. 66.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b c Jagota, Vrinda (August 19, 2019). "Taylor Swift: 1989". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Yahr, Emily (November 6, 2017). "Taylor Swift: If you think she only sings about her exes, you're wrong". Stuff. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  15. ^ Leszkiewicz, Anna (November 3, 2017). "A line-by-line analysis of Taylor Swift's new song Call It What You Want". New Statesman. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  16. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (February 17, 2015). "Taylor Swift Releasing '1989' Bonus Songs to iTunes". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 16, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  17. ^ Trust, Gary (March 13, 2015). "Hot 100 Chart Moves: Kanye West, Paul McCartney & Carly Rae Jepsen Debut". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  18. ^ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  19. ^ Trust, Gary (February 29, 2016). "Taylor Swift, Fifth Harmony & Gwen Stefani Debut on Pop Songs Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b "Taylor Swift". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b "Ultratop.be – Taylor Swift – New Romantics" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b "Australian-charts.com – Taylor Swift – New Romantics". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  26. ^ Jump up to: a b "American single certifications – Taylor Swift – New Romantics". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  28. ^ "Teen Choice Awards: Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. July 31, 2016. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  29. ^ Trecker, Erin (April 6, 2016). "Taylor Swift Releases 'New Romantics' Video on Apple Music". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  30. ^ Carley, Brennan (April 6, 2016). "Taylor Swift's 'New Romantics' Video Is Concert Footage and Voiceover, So, Sure". Spin. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  31. ^ Bertens 2017, p. 90.
  32. ^ Morris, Jessie (April 7, 2016). "Taylor Swift Shares Her New Fan-Filled Video for 'New Romantics'". Complex. Archived from the original on July 24, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  33. ^ Quinn, Karl (April 7, 2016). "Taylor Swift New Romantics video release a cynical move that angers fans". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  34. ^ "Watch Taylor's New Music Video". Taylorswift.com. April 13, 2016. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  35. ^ Yahr, Emily (May 5, 2015). "Taylor Swift '1989' World Tour: Set list, costumes, the stage, the spectacle". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 10, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  36. ^ "Taylor Swift Takes The Stage For First Concert In Almost A Year, Performs Song She Wrote For Calvin Harris". ET Canada. October 23, 2016. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  37. ^ Roberts, Kayleigh (February 5, 2017). "Here's What Happened at Taylor Swift's Alleged Only Performance of 2017". Elle. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  38. ^ Duboff, Josh (October 28, 2014). "Our 49 Favorite Things About Taylor Swift's '1989'". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  39. ^ Cliff, Aimee (October 30, 2014). "1989". Fact. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  40. ^ Sheffield, Rob (December 12, 2019). "All 153 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  41. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of the 2010s". Rolling Stone. December 4, 2019. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  42. ^ Petridis, Alexis (April 26, 2019). "Taylor Swift's singles – ranked!". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  43. ^ Mylrae, Hannah (September 8, 2020). "Every Taylor Swift song ranked in order of greatness". NME. Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  44. ^ Song, Jane (February 11, 2020). "All 158 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked". Paste. Archived from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  45. ^ Jones, Nate (August 13, 2020). "Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked from Worst to Best". New York. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  46. ^ Richards, Chris (October 27, 2014). "Taylor Swift's '1989': A pivot into pop, a misstep into conformity". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  47. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  48. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  49. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  50. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  51. ^ "Lescharts.com – Taylor Swift – New Romantics" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  52. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  53. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201620 into search. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  54. ^ "CHART: CLUK Update 16.04.2016 (wk15)". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on May 20, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  55. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  56. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2016.

Cited literature[]

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