"Blank Space" is a song by American singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift, taken from her fifth studio album, ''
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
''. The song was released to US radio stations as the second single from ''1989'' on November 10, 2014, by
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 ...
in partnership with
Big Machine. Swift co-wrote "Blank Space" with its producers
Max Martin and
Shellback. For the lyrics, she conceived the song as a satirical self-referential nod to her reputation as a flirtatious woman with a series of romantic attachments, which blemished her once-wholesome
girl next door image. Musically, it is an
electropop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
song with minimal
hip hop-influenced beats.
"Blank Space" spent seven weeks atop the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was certified
eight times platinum 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). It also topped charts in Australia, Canada, Iceland, Scotland, and South Africa. The
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 19 ...
(IFPI) reported that "Blank Space" was one of the best-selling singles of 2015. Critics praised the song's production and Swift's songwriting; some picked it as ''1989'' highlight. The song earned three nominations at the
58th Grammy Awards
The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 201 ...
, including two
general categories:
Record of the Year and
Song of the Year Song of the Year may refer to:
* Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year
* Dove Award for Song of the Year
* Golden Melody Award for Song of the Year
* Grammis Song of the Year
* Grammy Award for Song of the Year
* Latin Grammy Awa ...
. It featured on decade-end lists by such publications as ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'', ''
Rolling Stone'', and ''
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 ...
''.
Joseph Kahn directed the music video for "Blank Space", which depicts Swift as a jealous woman who acts erratically upon suspecting her boyfriend's infidelity. Photography took place mostly at
Oheka Castle, with a few additional scenes shot at
Woolworth Estate. The video won
Best Pop Video and
Best Female Video at the
2015 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2015 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 30, 2015. The 32nd installment of the event was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, and hosted by Miley Cyrus. Taylor Swift led the nominations with a total of ten, followe ...
. Swift included "Blank Space" on the set lists for two of her concert tours:
the 1989 World Tour (2015) and
Reputation Stadium Tour (2018). The song has been adapted into
cover versions of different genres by several
rock musicians, including
I Prevail and
Ryan Adams.
Background
Inspired by 1980s
synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
with
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
s,
drum pads, and overlapped vocals,
Taylor Swift decided to move away from the signature
country styles of her previous releases and incorporate a straightforward
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
production for her fifth studio album, ''
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
'', which was released in 2014.
The recording process began in mid-2013 concurrently with the start of Swift's headlining
world tour in support of her fourth studio album ''
Red''.
On ''1989'', Swift and Swedish producer
Max Martin served as
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
s.
Martin and his frequent collaborator
Shellback produced seven out of 13 songs on the album's standard edition.
Having been known as "America's Sweetheart" thanks to her wholesome and down-to-earth
girl next door image,
Swift saw her reputation blemished due to her history of romantic relationships with a series of high-profile celebrities. ''
The New York Times'' asserted in 2013 that her "dating history
adbegun to stir what feels like the beginning of a backlash", questioning whether Swift was in the midst of a
quarter-life crisis
In popular psychology, a quarter-life crisis is a crisis "involving anxiety over the direction and quality of one's life" which is most commonly experienced in a period ranging from a person's early twenties up to their mid-thirties (although ...
.
The ''
Tampa Bay Times'' observed that until the release of ''1989'', Swift's love life had become a fixed tabloid interest and overshadowed her musicianship.
Swift disliked the media portrayal of her as a "serial-dater", feeling that it undermined her professional works, and became reticent to discuss her personal life in public. The tabloid scrutiny on her image prompted her to write satirical songs about her perceived image, in addition to her traditional romantic themes.
Lyrics and music
Talking to ''
GQ'' in 2015, Swift said that she envisioned "Blank Space" to be a satirical self-referential nod to the media perception of her image as "a girl who's crazy but seductive but glamorous but nuts but manipulative".
She admitted that she had felt personally attacked for a long time before realizing "it was kind of hilarious".
She co-wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin and Shellback.
"Blank Space" follows the
verse–chorus song structure. The lyrics in the
verses are
clipped
''Clipped'' is a video featuring five tracks by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. First released in 1991, it contained three tracks from '' The Razors Edge'' and two from ''Blow Up Your Video''.
In 2002 a DVD version was released which al ...
, "Magic, madness, heaven, sin," setting a mysterious and dreadful tone. At one point, Swift describes herself as a "nightmare dressed like a daydream".
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 ...
alludes to Swift's songwriting practice taking inspiration from her love life; the lyrics, "Got a long list of ex-lovers / They'll tell you I'm insane / But I've got a blank space, baby," are followed by a brief silence and then a clicking pen sound, "And I'll write your name." The line "Got a long list of ex-lovers" is often
misheard as "All the lonely Starbucks lovers," prompting internet discussions including a response from
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain.
As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...
themselves upon the song's release.
Swift told ''
NME'' in 2015 that when "Blank Space" was released, she noted, "Half the people got the joke, half the people really think that I was like really owning the fact that I'm a psychopath". Music scholar Nate Sloan analyzed that the narrator of "Blank Space" is
unreliable, and therefore it is open to interpretation whether it is a true portrayal of Swift's character or not. In contemporary publications, journalists commented that the track represented ''1989'' lighthearted view on failed relationships, departing from the notion of idealized romance on Swift's past albums.
Others noted that Swift made fun of her image and the media discourse surrounding her celebrity, which later served as the foundation for her 2017 studio album ''
Reputation'' (2017), which explores her public experiences and the media gossip.
Martin and Shellback employed a sparse production for "Blank Space" as Swift wanted the song to emphasize the lyrics and vocals.
Musically, "Blank Space" is an
electropop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
song
that is set over minimal
hip hop-influenced beats.
The song incorporates
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
s, percussioned
guitar strums, and layered backing vocals.
The track builds up in the refrain, where Swift sings in her higher register. Some contemporary critics compared the song's minimal production to that of New Zealand singer-songwriter
Lorde
Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Taking inspiration from aristocracy for her stage name, she is known for her unconventional musical styles and i ...
's music, specifically her 2013 album ''
Pure Heroine''.
''
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 ...
''s Andrew Unterberger commented that, as with the rest of ''1989'', "Blank Space" embraces 1980s pop music authenticity while incorporating a modern twist.
Baesley thought that the minimal production may "sound bright and easy, but it's anything but the latter to create", calling it "weapons-grade, professional pop".
Release and commercial performance
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 ...
in partnership with Swift's then-label
Big Machine announced in late October 2014 that "Blank Space" would serve as the second single from ''1989'', following the lead single "
Shake It Off" in August. The song impacted US
rhythmic crossover radio on November 10, 2014.
The following day, Republic and Big Machine promoted the song to US
hot adult contemporary and
contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
.
A
CD single version of "Blank Space" was released in Germany on January 2, 2015, by
Universal Music Group.
"Blank Space" debuted at number 18 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 on the chart dated November 15, 2014. The single reached number one in its third week on the chart, supported by the release of its music video. It took the number-one position from ''1989'' lead single "Shake It Off", making Swift the first and to date, the only woman ever in ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart history to succeed herself at the top spot.
"Blank Space" remained atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks. As of July 2019, "Blank Space" has sold 4.6 million copies in the United States.
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 single
8× Platinum, which denotes eight million units based on sales and track-equivalent on-demand streams.
The single also reached number one in Australia,
Canada,
South Africa,
and Scotland.
It peaked atop the Euro Digital Song Sales, a ''Billboard'' component chart,
and the Finnish Download Chart.
"Blank Space" charted within the top five of national record charts, at number two in New Zealand,
Poland,
Slovakia,
number three in Bulgaria,
number four in the Czech Republic,
Ireland,
Israel,
the UK,
and number five in Lebanon.
It received multi-platinum certifications in Australia (8× Platinum),
Canada (4× Platinum),
and the UK (2× Platinum).
According to the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 19 ...
(IFPI), the song was the eighth best-selling song of 2015, with 9.2 million track-equivalent units.
Critical reception
The song received critical acclaim. Upon the release of ''1989'', Shane Kimberline of ''
musicOMH
MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.
History
MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...
'' called "Blank Space" one of the album's best songs.
''PopMatters'' Corey Baesley lauded it as "easily a candidate for the best pop song of 2014".
Sydney Gore from ''
The 405'' deemed "Blank Space" the album's highlight,
and Aimee Cliff from ''Fact'' labeled it one of Swift's "most enjoyable songs to date" for portraying Swift's love life in a larger-than-life manner.
''
Drowned in Sound
''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums.
History
''D ...
'' Robert Leedham wrote that Swift succeeded in experimenting with new musical styles on ''1989'', specifically choosing "Blank Space" as an example.
''
The Observer'' critic
Kitty Empire picked "Blank Space" as a song that showcased Swift's musical and lyrical maturity, calling it "an out-and-out pop song with an intriguingly skeletal undercarriage".
Writing for the ''
Los Angeles Times'', Mikael Wood selected the track as one of the album's better songs because of Swift's songwriting craftsmanship.
''
The New York Times'' critic
Jon Caramanica deemed the song "Swift at her peak" that "serves to assert both her power and her primness". ''
The Independent''s Andy Gill was less enthusiastic, calling it a "corporate rebel clichéd" song.
Retrospective reviews of "Blank Space" have been positive. Critic
Alexis Petridis
Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...
of ''
The Guardian'' in 2019 declared "Blank Space" the best single Swift had released, praising its success in transforming Swift's image from a country singer-songwriter to a pop star thanks to its "effortless" melody and witty lyrics.
''
Rolling Stone'' reviewer
Rob Sheffield wrote: "Every second of 'Blank Space' is perfect." ''
Paste
Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to:
Science and technology
* Adhesive or paste
** Wallpaper paste
** Wheatpaste, A liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water
* Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves a ...
'' in 2020 described the song as "remarkably well-made, infectiously catchy, and legitimately funny", and named it the best song on ''1989''. Selja Rankin from ''
Entertainment Weekly'' also dubbed "Blank Space" the best track on the album, praising the over-the-top lyrics and its catchy 1980s pop sound.
Accolades
''Rolling Stone'' ranked "Blank Space" sixth on their list of the best songs of 2014, 73rd on their list of the best songs of the 2010s decade, and 357th on their list of the greatest songs of all time. ''
Time'' named it as the ninth best song in their year-end list. The song placed at number three on ''
The Village Voice''s annual year-end
Pazz & Jop critics' poll of 2014. ''
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
'' and ''
Uproxx'' ranked the song at numbers 49 and 72 on their lists of the best songs of the 2010s decade, respectively. ''Billboard'' named it one of the 100 "Songs That Defined the Decade". Katie Atkinson wrote that the single consolidated Swift's trademark autobiographical storytelling in music while "setting the standard for a new, self-aware pop star" in poking fun at her perceived image.
On ''
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 ...
'' list of the 100 best singles of the 2010s, "Blank Space" ranked 15th. In 2021, ''Rolling Stone'' placed the song at number 357 on its list of
500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...
.
"Blank Space" won
Song of the Year Song of the Year may refer to:
* Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year
* Dove Award for Song of the Year
* Golden Melody Award for Song of the Year
* Grammis Song of the Year
* Grammy Award for Song of the Year
* Latin Grammy Awa ...
at the
2015 American Music Awards
The 43rd Annual American Music Awards was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California on November 22, 2015. It was broadcast on ABC and hosted by Jennifer Lopez. With three awards, Taylor Swift was the big winner of the night. Jared L ...
. At the 2016
BMI Awards, the song was one of the Award-Winning Songs that helped Swift earn the honor Songwriter of the Year. It earned a nomination for International Work of the Year at the 2015
APRA Awards
APRA Awards may refer to one of two awards ceremonies:
*APRA Awards (Australia)
*APRA Awards (New Zealand)
The APRA Music Awards are several annual and two-yearly award ceremonies run in New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association ...
in Australia. At the
58th Annual Grammy Awards
The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 20 ...
in 2016, "Blank Space" was nominated in three categories—
Record of the Year,
Song of the Year Song of the Year may refer to:
* Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year
* Dove Award for Song of the Year
* Golden Melody Award for Song of the Year
* Grammis Song of the Year
* Grammy Award for Song of the Year
* Latin Grammy Awa ...
, and
Best Pop Solo Performance.
Music video
Development and release
Joseph Kahn directed the music video for "Blank Space". Swift approached Kahn with the idea for treatment, desiring the video to portray her self-deprecation as a "crazy villain" akin to the lyrics.
According to Kahn, Swift envisioned "Blank Space" as "a video addressing this concept of, if she has so many boys breaking up with her maybe the problem isn't the boy, maybe the problem is her".
Photography took place at two locations in
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
: primary shooting took place at
Oheka Castle, with a few additional scenes shot at
Woolworth Estate. The video was shot over three days in September 2014;
the last day was dedicated to film ''American Express Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience'', an interactive
360°
A turn is a unit of plane angle measurement equal to radians, 360 degree (angle), degrees or 400 gradians.
Subdivisions of a turn include half-turns, quarter-turns, centiturns, milliturns, etc.
The closely related terms ''cycl ...
mobile app in collaboration with
American Express
American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation specialized in payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The company was found ...
.
For the video, Swift was thorough in choosing the concepts and imagery. Kahn spoke of his working experience with Swift on ''
Mashable
Mashable is a digital media platform, news website and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005.
History
Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2005. Early iterations of the site were a ...
'': "When you have an artist wanting to test her imaging, it's always great territory to be in".
Kahn took inspirations from
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
's 1971 film ''
A Clockwork Orange'' for the video's symmetrical framing style, calling it "a really funny way to approach a pop video".
The video begins as Swift's love interest (played by model
Sean O'Pry) drives a
Shelby AC Cobra towards Swift's mansion. Upon arrival, he and Swift quickly become a loving couple. They engage in various romantic activities together, dancing, painting a portrait for the boyfriend, walking along the estate grounds, and riding horses into the woods. Halfway through the video, Swift notices him texting someone, and the couple begins to fall apart. They begin to fight, and Swift shows erratic behaviors such as throwing vases, slashing the painted portrait, and burning her boyfriend's clothes, which drives him to end the relationship.
At a high point, Swift uses a golf club to destroy her boyfriend's car, a reference to
Tiger Woods' 2009 cheating scandal.
As the boyfriend leaves the estate, a new man (played by
Andrea Denver) approaches, offering Swift a new hope for love.
Swift planned to premiere to the video on ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
'' on November 11, 2014, but
Yahoo! accidentally leaked it a day before.
Swift posted the video onto her
Vevo account quickly after the leak. The interactive app ''American Express Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience'', featuring the 360° video version of "Blank Space", was released concurrently. The user can choose to either follow Swift and her love interest throughout the linear storyline, or leave the storyline to explore other rooms in the mansion and find interactive
easter eggs, such as Swift's childhood photos. The app was available for free on mobile app stores. Kahn talked to ''Rolling Stone'' that the app was created with "superfans" who wanted to "feel even closer to Swift" in mind.
Reception
Upon release, media outlets compared the narrative of the video to that of ''
Gone Girl'', in the sense that both Swift and ''Gone Girl'' protagonist "
tripaway the romantic sheen she's given all her relationships in the past". Randall Roberts from the ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote that Swift delivered an "
Oscar-worthy" performance.
''Billboard'' praised the video's cinematic quality and aesthetics, and found Swift's self-referential portrayal amusing, which served as "icing on the blood-filled cake". Columnist Jessica Valenti from ''The Guardian'' complimented Swift's portrayal of her perceived image and dubbed the video "a feminist daydream", where "the narrow and sexist caricatures attached to women are acted out for ''our'' amusement, their full ridiculousness on display".
''
USA Today'' in 2017 named the video Swift's best music video up to date, calling it a "pure 'art' form". ''Spin'' also dubbed it the greatest video Swift had done so far, praising the video's combination of glamorous aesthetics and hilarious depiction of Swift's reputation. ''
Entertainment Weekly'' in 2020 picked "Blank Space" as the best video among ''1989'' singles, describing it as "the only music video that can be earnestly described as '
Kubrickian
Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
'." The video for "Blank Space" won
Best Pop Video and
Best Female Video at the
2015 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2015 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 30, 2015. The 32nd installment of the event was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, and hosted by Miley Cyrus. Taylor Swift led the nominations with a total of ten, followe ...
. It earned a nomination for Best International Female Video at the
MTV Video Music Awards Japan. The ''American Express Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience'' app won Original Interactive Program at the
67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. ''
Rolling Stone'' placed "Blank Space" at number 67 on its list of 100 greatest music videos of all time.
Live performances and other versions
Swift performed "Blank Space" during the "''1989'' Secret Session", live streamed by Yahoo! and
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming Computing platform, platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbr ...
on October 27, 2014. Swift premiered the song on television at the
2014 American Music Awards
The 42nd Annual American Music Awards ceremony was held on November 23, 2014, at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums of 2014. Iggy Azalea led the nominees with six categ ...
, where she recreated the narrative of the music video, acting as a psychopathic woman who acts erratically towards her boyfriend. She again performed the song on ''
The Voice'' on November 25, at the
2014 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
The ''Victoria's Secret Fashion Show'' is an annual fashion show sponsored by Victoria's Secret, a brand of lingerie and sleepwear. Victoria's Secret uses the show to promote and market its goods in high-profile settings. The show features some o ...
on December 2, and during
Capital FM
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capitals, List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the dura ...
's
Jingle Bell Ball 2014 in London, broadcast on December 5.
On February 25, 2015, Swift opened the
2015 Brit Awards with a rendition of "Blank Space". At the beginning of the performance, Swift sang the song in front of a white background featuring
silhouettes of backup dancers. The song was part of the set lists for two of Swift's concert tours—
the 1989 World Tour (2015) and
Reputation Stadium Tour (2018). On September 9, 2019, Swift performed the song at the City of Lover one-off concert in Paris, France. She performed the song again at the We Can Survive charity concert on October 19, 2019, in Los Angeles. At the
2019 American Music Awards, where Swift was honored Artist of the Decade, she performed "Blank Space" as part of a medley of her hits. She again performed the song at Capital FM's
Jingle Bell Ball 2019 in London, and at iHeartRadio
Z100's Jingle Ball 2019 in New York City.
Following the song's debut at the 2014 American Music Awards, rapper
Pitbull
Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
uploaded a remix featuring his rap verse to
SoundCloud on December 15, 2014. Retro music group
Postmodern Jukebox
Postmodern Jukebox, also widely known by the initialism PMJ, is a rotating musical collective founded by arranger and pianist Scott Bradlee in 2011. PMJ is known for reworking popular modern music into different vintage genres, especially early 2 ...
transformed the song into a 1940s-inspired track in their cover.
Rock band
Imagine Dragons
Imagine Dragons is an American pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, consisting of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman. The band first gained exposure with the release of their sing ...
performed a slowed down rendition of the song sampling
Ben E. King's "
Stand by Me" at
BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge in February 2015.
Metalcore
Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...
band
I Prevail released a
post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...
cover of "Blank Space" as their debut single in December 2014. The cover reached number nine on
''Billboard'' Hot Rock Songs and number 90 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and received a platinum certification by the RIAA, which denotes one million track-equivalent units.
Rock singer
Ryan Adams covered "Blank Space" on his 2015
track-by-track cover album of Swift's ''1989''. On his rendition, Adams incorporated stripped-down, acoustic string instruments, contrasting the original's electronic production.
Indie singer
Father John Misty released a cover version of the song in the style of the rock band
the Velvet Underground in 2015. The cover is a reinterpretation of Adams's version and is built on the melody of the song "
I'm Waiting for the Man".
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from ''1989'' album liner notes.
*
Taylor Swift – vocals, background vocals,
songwriter, shouts
*
Max Martin – producer, songwriter, keyboards,
programming
*
Shellback – producer, songwriter,
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
,
electric guitar,
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
,
keyboards,
percussion, programming, shouts, stomps
* Michael Ilbert –
audio recording
* Sam Holland – recording
* Cory Bice – recording assistant
*
Serban Ghenea –
mixing
* John Hanes – mixing engineer
*
Tom Coyne –
mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*
List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number ones of 2014
*
List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number ones of 2015
*
List of ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary number ones of 2015
*
List of Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles of 2014
*
List of number-one singles of 2014 (Australia)
*
List of number-one singles of 2015 (South Africa)
The South African Airplay Chart ranks the best-performing singles in South Africa. Its data, published by Entertainment Monitoring Africa, is based collectively on each single's weekly airplay.
List of number-one singles of 2015
Number-one art ...
*
List of most-viewed YouTube videos
Footnotes
References
Sources
*
*
External links
''American Express Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience''on
American Express
American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation specialized in payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The company was found ...
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2014 songs
2014 singles
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Borderline personality disorder in fiction
I Prevail songs
Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles
Music videos directed by Joseph Kahn
Number-one singles in Iceland
Number-one singles in Scotland
Satirical songs
Song recordings produced by Max Martin
Song recordings produced by Shellback (record producer)
Songs written by Max Martin
Songs written by Shellback (record producer)
Songs written by Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift songs
South African Airplay Chart number-one singles
MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video
Ryan Adams songs