"Only the Young" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released through Republic Records on January 31, 2020, alongside Miss Americana, a Netflixdocumentary that follows Swift's life and career over several years, where the song is featured in the ending credits. Held back from being included on Swift's seventh studio album, Lover, the song was written and produced by Swift and Joel Little. "Only the Young" is an electropop song with a whistling synth and trap beats. It received critical acclaim upon release, with praise towards Swift's lyricism on United States politics, addressing issues like gun violence and mass shootings. Entering the charts in several countries worldwide, the song debuted at number-one on the BillboardDigital Song Sales chart, becoming Swift's record-extending 19th number-one song on the chart. It also debuted at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number two on The Official New Zealand Top 40 chart.
Background and composition
Swift wrote "Only the Young" after the 2018 United States elections. Chris Willman of Variety termed the song as "an anthem for millennials who might've come away disillusioned with the political process". Prior to the elections, Swift broke her political silence by endorsing two Democrats: Congressman Jim Cooper for re-election to the House of Representatives, and former Tennessee governorPhil Bredesen for the Senate. Swift also criticized the voting record of Bredesen's opponent, RepublicanMarsha Blackburn. In an interview with Willman, Swift revealed that she held back "Only the Young" from being included on her seventh studio album Lover. She also revealed that the song is co-written and co-produced with Joel Little, who worked with Swift on four songs on the album including "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince", from which the title of the documentary comes, and that it is not intended to be a single. Little added the song was the last he and Swift worked on in a week in New York City, following "The Man" and "Me!", and that his two daughters contributed backing vocals to the song. "Only the Young" incorporates political lyrics, in contrast to her earlier work which was politically neutral. Swift urges young citizens to get involved in politics if they want things to change. She does this by alluding to President Donald Trump, the 2016 presidential election, the vote tampering allegations after the election, and issues like gun violence and school shootings in the United States.
Critical reception
"Only the Young" received critical acclaim upon release, with praise towards Swift's songwriting touching upon United States politics, including issues like gun violence and mass shootings. Billboards Gil Kaufman called "Only The Young" an "urgent, clear-eyed" song that sees Swift "giving voice to her disillusionment about our stuck society". He described the song's theme as "a sad concession and a defiant warning to the older generation that their greed and failure to act has given rise to a youth movement determined to turn the page." Vultures Zoey Haylock wrote that the song "urges you to get out there and participate in democracy", and added that it exhibits Swift's "faith in the youth of America". Rolling Stones Claire Shaffer stated that the song documents Swift's "recent political awakening" as seen in Miss Americana. Stereogums James Rettig opined that the song finds Swift "reckoning with the current political climate and her place in it". Writing for Taste of Country, Jacklyn Krol commented that the song could be Swift's "most politically charged song yet". Slates Chloe Hadavas compared the lyrics of "Only the Young" to that of Swift's other politically-charged songs: "The Man" and "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince", saying that song is the "latest addition to her budding canon of protest songs", that focuses "less on feminist and queer issues than on the cause of rallying younger generations". Papers Jael Goldfine defined the song as the "musical accompaniment to Swift's newly radicalized political identity, the Democrat-voting, Dixie Chicks-defending, nice-girl-no-more that she crafts in Miss Americana". Cosmopolitans Starr Bowenbank also labelled the song as Swift's "most political song to-date". Nylons Layla Halabian termed the song as a "hopeful anthem over a shimmering pop production", that "encourages the youth to challenge the establishment and secure a safer future".
Commercial performance
In the United States, buoyed by 30,000 sales in its first week, "Only the Young" debuted at number one on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart, becoming Swift's record-extending 19th number-one song on the chart. Despite not being a single, the song also debuted at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming her ninety-seventh Hot 100 entry. In New Zealand, it peaked at number two on the Official Top 40 Singles chart.
