Lover (Taylor Swift song)


"Lover" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, for her seventh studio album of the same name. It was released on August 16, 2019, through Republic Records, as the third single from the album. Solely written by Swift and co-produced with Jack Antonoff, "Lover" is a country ballad and waltz that draws influences from folk, indie folk, pop and torch. The lyrics exhibit devotion to her romantic partner, with a whimsical tone, over a guitar-centric sound, slow tempo, booming snare and nostalgic instrumentals. It received widespread acclaim from music critics, who praised its vintage quality and Swift's songwriting.
Debuting at number 19, "Lover" peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the album's third consecutive top-ten single on the Hot 100. It also entered the top-ten in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore. The song is Platinum certified in Australia and 3× Platinum in Canada. The song's music video was co-directed by Swift and Drew Kirsch and features dancer Christian Owens as Swift's love interest. Premiering on August 22, 2019, the video adopts a Christmas aesthetic and follows a couple living inside a dollhouse with seven distinctly-colored rooms inside a snow globe. Swift made the debut live performance of the song at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards.
On November 13, 2019, Swift released a duet remix of the song, featuring Canadian singer Shawn Mendes. On November 26, 2019, Swift released a second remix with a reworked orchestral arrangement, titled "First Dance Remix". Both remixes received positive reviews from music critics. A live version of the song, recorded at Swift's one-off City of Lover concert in Paris in 2019, was released on May 17, 2020 following the premiere of the concert film on ABC. "Lover" was nominated for Song of the Year at the 62nd Grammy Awards, and scored two nominations at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards—Best Pop Video and Best Art Direction. It was named as one of the best songs of 2019 by several publications.

Background

Describing her seventh studio album Lover as a "love letter to love", Swift attempted to convey an emotional spectrum and vulnerability by looking at emotions including sadness and loneliness "through a romantic gaze". The album took under three months to record; recording ended in February 2019. Jack Antonoff co-produced the album; his role was announced with the release of "The Archer" in July. Antonoff, who co-produced 11 of the 18 tracks for the album and co-wrote eight of them, had collaborated with Swift on "Sweeter than Fiction", 1989, "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" and Reputation.
Swift wrote "Lover" late one night at her home in Nashville, Tennessee on the piano, and sent a voice memo of the song to Antonoff. She flew to New York City the next day to work on the song with Antonoff and recording engineer Laura Sisk at Electric Lady Studios. Swift played the song on the piano for them; Swift and Antonoff produced the final version of the song during a six-hour recording session, using reverberation, a piano and a Mellotron. Sisk and John Rooney recorded the song while Serban Ghenea mixed it with additional engineering from John Hanes.
The song's title was revealed along with the lyrics; "My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue / All's well that ends well to end up with you" in a Vogue interview published on August 8, 2019. Three days later, Swift announced its release date at the 2019 Teen Choice Awards. "Lover" was released as the third single from the album on August 16, 2019. A lyric video showing home videos of Swift projected onto a white sheet with the song's lyrics overlaid was uploaded to YouTube.

Composition

"Lover" was written by Swift and produced by Swift and Antonoff. It runs for three minutes and forty-one seconds, and is written in the key of G major and set in with a tempo of 74 beats per minute, with Swift's vocals ranging between E to D. Alice Vincent of The Daily Telegraph and Louise Bruton of The Irish Times characterized "Lover" as a country song, although Billboards Jason Lipshutz disagreed with this assessment; "'Lover' is not a country song, but it certainly nods to the bare songwriting that marked much of Swift's early career". Lars Brandle of Billboard considered it a pop song. The A.V. Clubs Annie Zaleski called it a hazy indie folk and vintage country torch song, and pointed out the usage of pizzicato strings and waltzing tempo.
Rolling Stone said "Lover" has "tender lyrics about devotion over a retro-styled musical motif". Billboard described it as "an old-school ballad with a booming snare, keys and a '60s vibe". NMEs Karen Gwee considered the "guitar-centric" song a throwback to Swift's "country days". Abby Aguirre of Vogue described it as a "romantic, haunting, waltzy, singer-songwritery nugget". Hindustan Times wrote that the song "is rather slow and more of a romantic melody" and said the lyrics "make it seem like the song is an ode to someone".
Several publications interpreted the track's subject as Swift's partner Joe Alwyn and some compared the track's lyrics with the poem "Something old". Alyssa Bailey of Elle said the opening lyrics might be about Swift's and Alwyn's relationship. Papers Katherine Gillespie had a similar opinion, writing, "it's a slow, sugary sweet guitar ballad presumably written for her longtime beau Joe Alwyn". Writing for Seventeen, Tamara Fuentes said the lyrics in the bridge "feel like wedding vows, likely hinting at the fact that they are open to taking the next step in their relationship". Mary Elizabeth Andriotis of Teen Vogue noted the lyric "All's well that ends well to end up with you" might be a reference to Swift's 2012 song "All Too Well". Time's Raisa Bruner labelled it as a folk-influenced acoustic pop song, that turns "intimate and chipper", "topped off with a faux wedding vow as the bridge—Swift harkens back to the sweetness of "New Year's Day", amped up with newfound bliss and confidence". Louis Bruton of The Irish Times wrote that the song is a 1990s-inspired slow country song that "has us waltzing along as she commits to Alwyn and her guitar".

Critical reception

"Lover" received widespread critical acclaim. Billboards Jason Lipshutz called it the "song you should slow-dance to with your partner this weekend", and also said it "effectively transmits its romantic signals by putting the songwriting of Swift – a masterful writer who gets the solo credit here – front and center". Louise Bruton of The Irish Times said the song "is the grand gesture that proves that all the heartache she's sung about" in the past "was worth it", and that it "has autumnal vibes stamped all over it". Writing for Vox, Constance Grady called the song "a welcome reminder of what made Swift such an unstoppable force when she first emerged onto the music scene". BuzzFeed News Ellie Bate wrote that "Lover" is "a love letter to a person you want to be with forever", describing the bridge as "wedding vows". Jay Willis of GQ predicted the song would be a popular choice for first dances at weddings. The Boston Globe Nora Princiotti called the song a "waltz with a stellar bridge" that "notably pairs themes of loving bliss with ownership".
Craig Jenkins of Vulture wrote that "Lover" is reminiscent of Mazzy Star's "Fade into You" and Cowboy Junkies' 1988 cover of "Sweet Jane". Vultures Nate Jones ranked it in thirty-second place in his list "All 128 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best". Writing for Forbes, Hugh McIntyre said the song has "a lovely nostalgic quality to it" and is "undeniably pretty, sweet, and a fair final play to get people excited for the album", but added that it is hard to imagine it becoming "a true smash" or "a long-lasting hit". Teen Vogues Mary Andriotis wrote that the song is "just as romantic as pretty much everyone expected", and a likely "wedding song for Swifties everywhere". Alyssa Bailey of Elle interpreted "Lover" as one of Swift's "most personal" songs so far, saying it conveys her commitment to Alwyn. Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Alice Vincent gave the song four stars and said it is an "endearing return to country" for the singer. In 2019, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone ranked "Lover" as Swift's fifth best song.
Cosmopolitan named "Lover" as the third best song of 2019, while Pitchfork named it the eighty-seventh best. Slate named the song as one of the top 10 best songs of 2019. Billboard named "Lover" the twenty-first best song of 2019; Insider named it one of the best songs of both 2019 and the 2010s. Genius listed the song as one of the best 50 songs of 2019, while Herald-Tribune named it the number-one best song of 2019.

Year-end lists

Critic/PublicationListRank
BillboardThe 100 Best Songs of 201921
ComplexThe 50 Best Songs of 201935
Cosmopolitan19 Best New Songs of 20193
Elite DailyThe 15 Best Songs of 201910
ElleThe 19 Best Love Songs Of 20192
GeniusThe 50 Best Songs of 201916
Herald-TribuneCountdown 2019: Top Songs of the Year1
IdolatorThe 75 Best Pop Songs Of 201963
InsiderThe 9 Best and 9 Worst Songs of 2019Placed
Marie ClaireThe Best New Songs of 2019Placed
New York PostBest Songs of 201910
The Philadelphia InquirerThe Best Songs of 2019Placed
Pitchfork100 Best Songs of 201987
Slate100 Best Songs of 2019Placed
Us Weekly10 Best Songs of 20192

Commercial performance

In the United States, "Lover" debuted at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart of August 31, 2019, tying Swift with Madonna as the female artist with most top 20 hits. Following the release of the song's music video and parent album Lover, the song rose nine positions to a peak of number 10 on September 7, 2019, becoming Swift's 25th top 10 hit on the chart, tying her with Elvis Presley as the artist with tenth most top 10 hits in the chart's history. "Lover" spent 22 weeks on the Hot 100. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart, becoming her eighteenth number-one single on the chart, and spent three weeks atop the chart.
In Canada, it peaked at number seven on the Canadian Hot 100. In Europe, "Lover" charted at number 61 in Germany, 9 in Ireland, 12 in Scotland, 37 in Sweden and 52 in Switzerland. The song reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and was commercially successful in Oceania, peaking at number three in both Australia and New Zealand.

Music video

Swift and Drew Kirsch directed the music video for "Lover". On August 15, 2019, Swift announced on her social media the music video would be premiered during a live Q&A session on YouTube the day before the album release on August 22, 2019. The video's concept was inspired by the lyric "You two are dancing in a snow globe round and round" from the song "You Are in Love", the fifteenth track on the deluxe edition of 1989. In the video, dancer Christian Owens, who worked as a background dancer on Swift's The 1989 World Tour and the Reputation Stadium Tour, appears as Swift's love interest. Owens' role in the video was revealed during the Lover's Lounge YouTube livestream, which preceded the music video's release; Swift called him "one of the most talented people" she knows. The video was filmed in a set in Hollywood, California. As of May 2020, the music video has amassed more than 120 million views on YouTube.

Synopsis

A child receives a snow globe as a gift on a Christmas day; the video focuses on the house inside the snow globe. Swift and Owens portray a couple who live in the house, which has seven distinctly-colored rooms, each representing one of Swift's seven studio albums and a period of her life since releasing her first album. The couple fight and make up, and the snow globe is shown to be a Christmas gift to the child, who is the couple's daughter. The video uses color-blocking following scenes showing the couple swimming in a fishbowl and dancing slowly. Swift teased the some lyrics from another Lover track, "Cruel Summer", in the video; "Devils roll their dice, Angels roll their eyes", which are written on a board-game box. Another track referenced is "Afterglow", the title of which is spelled out on a Scrabble board.

Reception

The Faders Salvatore Maicki wrote that the "lovey-dovey" video is exactly how he would imagine a Swift-led Lifetime movie to play out. Writing for Teen Vogue, Mary Elizabeth Andriotis compared the video's scenery with the work of Wes Anderson. She commended the choice of Owens as Swift's love interest, writing that it is "a refreshing, long-needed change for Taylor's typical landscape of broody white boys". Lauren Huff of Entertainment Weekly described the video as "so romantic", and said it "features a more muted color palette" than the video for "You Need to Calm Down".

Awards and nominations

"Lover" was nominated for Song of the Year at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, becoming Swift's record-tying fourth nomination in the category, following "You Belong with Me", "Shake It Off" and "Blank Space".
For his work on the music video, Kurt Gefke was nominated in the category of "Short Format: Web Series, Music Video or Commercial" at the 24th Art Directors Guild Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards.
YearOrganizationAwardResultRef.
2020Grammy AwardsSong of the Year
2020ADG Excellence in Production Design AwardShort Format: Web Series, Music Video or Commercial
2020iHeartRadio Music AwardsBest Cover Song
2020Webby AwardsBest Art Direction
2020RTHK International Pop Poll AwardsTop 10 International Gold Song
2020Myx Music AwardsInternational Video of the Year
2020MTV Video Music AwardsBest Pop Video
2020MTV Video Music AwardsBest Art Direction

Live performances

Swift first performed "Lover" as part of a medley with "You Need to Calm Down" at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, on August 26, 2019; she played a pink guitar and was surrounded with blue lights and a hovering moon. A performance of the song at the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge premiered on September 2, 2019. On September 9, Swift performed the song at the City of Lover concert in Paris, France. On October 5, she performed a stripped-down, piano-led version of the song on Saturday Night Live. On October 11, Swift performed the song at a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR Music. On October 19, she performed "Lover" at the We Can Survive charity concert in Los Angeles, California. On November 10, Swift performed the song on the piano at the Alibaba Singles' Day Gala in Shanghai, China.
During the 47th Annual American Music Awards, held on November 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, Swift performed a medley of her hits including a newly-arranged, orchestral version of "Lover" on a piano, which featured a ballet performance by Misty Copeland and Craig Hall. This version was later released as the "First Dance Remix". On December 8, Swift performed the song at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball 2019 in London. On December 13, she performed the song at iHeartRadio Z100's Jingle Ball in New York City. On December 14, Swift performed the song at the finale of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing.
The song was covered by Keith Urban at his Washington State Fair concert on August 31, 2019.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.
  • Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriter, producer
  • Jack Antonoff – producer, programmer, recording engineer, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, piano, keyboard, drums, percussion, studio personnel
  • Shawn Mendes – songwriter
  • Scott Harris – songwriter
  • Laura Sisk – recording engineer, studio personnel
  • John Rooney – assistant recording engineer, studio personnel
  • Serban Ghenea – mixer, studio personnel
  • John Hanes – mix engineer, studio personnel
  • Zubin Thakkar – vocal producer, recording engineer
  • George Seara – vocal engineer, studio personnel
  • Mike Gnocato – vocal engineer, studio personnel

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Shawn Mendes remix

Background and composition

On November 13, 2019, Swift announced the surprise release of a remixed version of the song, featuring reworked instrumentals, lyrics and guest vocals from Canadian singer Shawn Mendes. She explained in a video posted to her social media platforms:
Following the release, Mendes thanked Swift on his social media accounts for "letting join on such a beautiful song". Elle speculated that Mendes's lyrics in the second verse and bridge reference his partner, Camila Cabello, just as Swift's pay tribute to her own boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. Zubin Thakkar, Mendes' guitarist and engineer, stated on Instagram that Mendes recorded his vocals just one week before the remix's release while touring in Brisbane, Australia and New Zealand for.

Critical reception

The remix was met with positive reviews. Brittany Vincent of MTV called the remix "a beautiful anthem that expands upon the original, with Shawn giving it his own flavor, complete with rewritten lyrics and plenty of falsetto. It was already a warm and cozy love song, but it's been beefed up considerably into something transcendentally romantic." Jael Goldfine of Paper wrote that Mendes "brings the song's sugar factor up to about a million" and that the song manages to be both "enjoyable and cloying". Hannah Yasharoff of USA Today praised the duo's remix, stating that they "breathed new life into Swift's romantic seventh album title track, transforming her ballad into a duet with fresh verses and harmonies that'll have fans falling in love all over again".

Accolades

Weekly charts

Certifications

First Dance Remix

On November 26, 2019, Swift released a second remix titled "Lover ", based an orchestral arrangement used in her performance of the song at the 2019 American Music Awards on November 24, featuring a ballet performance by Misty Copeland and Craig Hall. The term "first dance" in the title refers to a newlywed couple's opening dance at a wedding ceremony.

Critical reception

The remix received acclaim from music critics, who described it as "more romantic" and dance-leaning than the original version. PopSugars Kelsie Gibson wrote that the remix "manages to make the track even more romantic by slowing things down and adding a few string instruments". Derrick Rossignol of Uproxx described the remix as "a fresh and stirring take" on the original and called it "the perfect wedding song that was literally made for an emotional first dance". Writing for iHeartRadio, Regina Star opined that the remix is "an even more romantic version" and "a captivating and charming rendition made perfect for prom". Describing the remix as "more stripped-down", Emily Belfiore of E! News complimented the remix for its orchestral arrangement and named it as "her most gorgeous yet". CapitalFM referred to the remix as an "orchestral update for an extra dose of romantic feels".

Live version

A live version of the song, titled "Lover ", recorded at Swift's one-off City of Lover concert in Paris in 2019 was released on digital music platforms after the premiere of the concert film on television on May 17, 2020.

Niall Horan and Fletcher cover

On March 4, 2020, Irish singer Niall Horan and American singer Fletcher released a cover version of the song, titled "Lover - Recorded at Air Studios, London", exclusively on Spotify for the platform's Spotify Singles series. The cover has been described as a "raucous" rock, pop rock and arena rock power ballad duet, with electric guitars, keyboard chords and big drums, as opposed to the original's folk sound, booming snare and "strummy" structure.
Horan expressed admiration for Swift's original version of "Lover" when it was released, initially describing it a "classic" and naming it as his favorite track on Swift's album of the same name. On his decision to cover the song, he explained that:
The cover was well-received. Following its release on Spotify, Swift herself later took to Instagram to praise it, calling it "absolutely STUNNING".