"Better than Revenge" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
for her third studio album, ''
Speak Now
''Speak Now'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 25, 2010, through Big Machine Records. Swift wrote the album entirely herself within two years, while she was promoting her second studio alb ...
'' (2010). Produced by Swift and
Nathan Chapman, the
electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...
-driven
pop punk
Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
song is about Swift's plea for vengeance against a romantic rival. Swift included the song on the set list of her
Speak Now World Tour
The Speak Now World Tour was the second concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, and it was launched in support of her third studio album ''Speak Now'' (2010). The Speak Now tour began on February 9, 2011 in Singapore and the tou ...
(2011–2012).
Upon ''Speak Now'' release in 2010, "Better than Revenge" charted on the
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...
(number 73) and the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 (number 56). It was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). Though some music critics found the song entertaining, some media took issue with its
slut-shaming
Slut-shaming is the practice of criticizing people, especially women and girls, who are perceived to violate expectations of behavior and appearance regarding issues related to sexuality. The term is used to reclaim the word ''slut'' and empower ...
lyrics, and deemed them shortsighted and shallow.
A
re-recorded version, titled "Better than Revenge (Taylor's Version)", was released as part of Swift's third re-recorded album ''
Speak Now (Taylor's Version)
''Speak Now (Taylor's Version)'' is the third re-recorded album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on July 7, 2023, by Republic Records. It is a re-recording of Swift's third studio album, ''Speak Now'' (2010), part of Sw ...
'' on July 7, 2023, with a lyric change in the chorus. The song peaked at number 25 on the
''Billboard'' Global 200 and entered on the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Philippines, and the US.
Background and release
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
released her third studio album, ''
Speak Now
''Speak Now'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 25, 2010, through Big Machine Records. Swift wrote the album entirely herself within two years, while she was promoting her second studio alb ...
'', on October 25, 2010.
She wrote all 14 album tracks by herself and conceived ''Speak Now'' as a loose
concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
about the confessions she wanted but never had the chance to make to people she had met.
The album's lyrics depart from the high school perspectives of her previous records, certain songs containing vengeful messages towards those who had wronged her.
One of such songs, "Better than Revenge",
was directed at a romantic rival. Swift did not reveal the subject of the song.
"Better than Revenge" is track number 10 on ''Speak Now'', produced by Swift and
Nathan Chapman.
Swift included the song on the set list of her
Speak Now World Tour
The Speak Now World Tour was the second concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, and it was launched in support of her third studio album ''Speak Now'' (2010). The Speak Now tour began on February 9, 2011 in Singapore and the tou ...
(2011–2012). During the shows, she sang the song on top of a bridge, dressed in a red sequined mini-dress and boots, and play-fought with one of her dancers.
Music and lyrics
"Better than Revenge" is an
electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...
-driven
pop punk
Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
song.
According to
Ann Powers
Ann K. Powers (born February 4, 1964) is an American writer and pop music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the ''Los Angeles Times'', where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also served as pop critic at ''The ...
of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', Swift's vocals on the song expanded considerably.
The lyrics are about Swift's plea for vengeance against a romantic rival.
Compared to her previous songs about romantic fantasy, "Better than Revenge" features a more real-life perspective on love.
In the
refrain
A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...
, Swift describes the rival as an "actress" who is "known for the things that she does on the mattress".
Maura Johnston writing for ''
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
'' cited this part as one of a few instances of ''Speak Now'' where Swift writes about sexual experiences, a new theme for her at the time.
Critical reception
In an ''
American Songwriter
''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
History
The ''American Songwri ...
'' review of ''Speak Now'', Rick Moore contended that "Better than Revenge" is the one song that "shows Swift isn't the naïve young role model that so many parents perceive her to be", citing the "on the mattress" lyrics.
Allison Stewart of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' considered the said lyrics immature, but acknowledged that the song, among others such as "Dear John" or "Innocent", moves Swift's image from the "unearthly sweetness" of her previous songs.
In
BBC Music
BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network.
Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...
, Matthew Horton deemed it one of ''Speak Now'' weaker songs.
''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
'' writer Jonathan Keefe was critical of "Better than Revenge", deeming the track overall shallow and shortsighted because it indulged in self-righteousness: "Her narrators often seem to lack insight because Swift writes with the point of view that hers is the only story to be told."
John J. Moser of ''
The Morning Call
''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after ''The Express-Times''. In 2020, the newspaper permanently closed its Al ...
'' remarked that the immature "Better than Revenge", among other songs, backfired Swift's self-proclaimed maturity on ''Speak Now'': "Instead of conveying mature emotions, the songs convey a teen-age girl's concepts of mature emotions ... If Swift is so mature, why is she so bent on revenge, anyway?"
In a more positive vein, Mikael Wood from ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' deemed "Better than Revenge" entertaining.
Leah Greenbalt of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' considered the "surprisingly sharp-toothed" song a step forward from Swift's previous "twitterpated heart of teendom",
and
Steve Hyden of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' considered the track, among others about vengeance, one of ''Speak Now'' strongest: "Swift's niftiest trick is being at her most likeable when she’s indulging in such overt nastiness."
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' featured the song on their 2015 list of "Country's 20 Best Revenge Songs": "Taylor Swift has made a multi-million dollar career out of getting lyrical revenge, with
Better than Revenge"perhaps packing the strongest punch."
Commentary and aftermath
Contemporary media reacted negatively to "Better than Revenge", complaining its narrative was
slut-shaming
Slut-shaming is the practice of criticizing people, especially women and girls, who are perceived to violate expectations of behavior and appearance regarding issues related to sexuality. The term is used to reclaim the word ''slut'' and empower ...
.
As observed by Nate Jones for ''
Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
'', the song solidified Swift's image as anti-feminist; some media had previously accused Swift of being hostile to feminism through lyrics of certain songs such as "
Fifteen", which critics deemed
sex-negative
The sex-positive movement is a social movement, social and philosophical movement that seeks to change cultural attitudes and norms around sexuality, promoting the recognition of sexuality (in the countless forms of expression) as a natural and he ...
, and "
You Belong with Me
"You Belong with Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her second studio album ''Fearless (Taylor Swift album), Fearless'' (2008). Swift wrote the song with Liz Rose and produced it with Nathan Chapman (record prod ...
", which is about her competing with another girl for a boy's love.
Some feminist writers alleged Swift of capitalizing on female-female rivalries.
In 2014, Swift told ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' that she identified as a feminist and spoke about the song: "I was 18 when I wrote that. That's the age you are when you think someone can actually take your boyfriend. Then you grow up and realize no one can take someone from you if they don't want to leave."
Even after Swift claimed to be a feminist, critics continued to take issue with her "calculated" image, deeming her feminist ideology self-interested.
As Swift's success grew with her subsequent
pop albums, the media focused on the lyrics of "Better than Revenge" to question Swift's feminist identity.
In a commentary for ''
New Statesman
The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...
'' in 2017, Annie Leszkiewicz considered "Better than Revenge" a misstep for Swift's artistry, on the grounds that it indulged in celebrity and tarnished her wholesome public image that she had curated.
Journalists indicated that "Better than Revenge" was the precedent to many of Swift's subsequent songs about celebrity and vengeance, such as "
Bad Blood" (2015) and "
Look What You Made Me Do
"Look What You Made Me Do" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 24, 2017, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Reputation'' (2017). Swift wrote and produ ...
" (2017), as her personal life became sensationalized in the press.
Due to this, Swift changed a lyric on the re-recorded version of the song in 2023.
Commercial performance
After ''Speak Now'' was released, "Better than Revenge" entered and peaked at number 73 on the
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...
.
In the United States, the song peaked at number 56 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number six on the
Country Digital Song Sales
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
chart.
In 2014, the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) certified the track gold for surpassing 500,000 units based on sales and
streaming
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
.
Charts
Certifications
"Better than Revenge (Taylor's Version)"
After signing a new contract with
Republic Records
Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...
, Swift began re-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020. The decision came after a 2019 public
dispute between Swift and talent manager
Scooter Braun
Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun (born June 18, 1981) is an American entrepreneur, investor, and entertainment executive. Known as the manager for artists such as Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, J Balvin, Demi Lovato, The Kid Laroi and other artists ...
, who acquired Big Machine Records, including the
masters of Swift's albums the label had released. By re-recording her catalog, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, including the copyright licensing of her songs, devaluing the Big Machine-owned masters. The
re-recorded version of "Better than Revenge" titled "Better than Revenge (Taylor's Version)", was released on July 7, 2023, via Republic Records as part of ''
Speak Now (Taylor's Version)
''Speak Now (Taylor's Version)'' is the third re-recorded album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on July 7, 2023, by Republic Records. It is a re-recording of Swift's third studio album, ''Speak Now'' (2010), part of Sw ...
'', Swift's third re-recorded album.
Swift was accused of slut-shaming in the original version of the song with the lyric "she's better known for the things that she does on the mattress". On "Better than Revenge (Taylor's Version)", the lyric was ultimately replaced, with Swift singing "he was a moth to the flame, she was holding the matches" instead.
Many critics took issue with the lyrical change and deemed it unnecessary because it downplayed the original's confrontational attitude from a teenage perspective,
but some others appreciated it because they thought it showcased Swift's maturity as an artist and a woman.
Personnel
Adapted from ''Speak Now (Taylor's Version)'' digital album inline notes
* Taylor Swift – vocals, background vocals, songwriter, producer
*
Christopher Rowe – producer, vocal engineer
* David Payne – recording
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
* Lowell Reynolds – assistant recording engineer, editor
* Derek Garten – engineer, editor,
programming
*
Serban Ghenea
Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer.
Early life and education
Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...
–
mixing
* Bryce Bordone – mix engineer
*
Randy Merrill
Randy Merrill is an American mastering engineer who has worked with international artists including DAY6, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Harry Styles, One Direction, Adele, Imagine Dragons, Beck, Liam Gallagher, Jonas Brothers, Muse, Cage the ...
–
mastering
* Matt Billingslea –
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
,
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
* Amos Heller –
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
* Paul Sidoti –
electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...
* Mike Meadows – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
* Max Bernstein – electric guitar
* Brian Pruitt – drum programming
Charts
References
{{Taylor Swift songs
2010 songs
Taylor Swift songs
Songs written by Taylor Swift
Song recordings produced by Taylor Swift
Song recordings produced by Nathan Chapman (record producer)
Song recordings produced by Chris Rowe
American pop punk songs
Songs about revenge