HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Evermore'' (stylized in
all lowercase Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...
) is the ninth studio album 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. Bo ...
. It was a
surprise album A surprise album or surprise release refers to the release of an album with little or no prior announcement, marketing or promotion. The strategy contrasts traditional album releases, which typically feature weeks or months of advertising in the f ...
released on December 11, 2020, via Republic Records, less than five months after '' Folklore'', her eighth studio album. ''Evermore'' was a spontaneous product of Swift's extended collaboration with her ''Folklore'' collaborator
Aaron Dessner Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band the National, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums; a co-founder of the indie ...
, mainly recorded at his Long Pond Studio in the
Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to Yo ...
. Swift described ''Evermore'' as an offshoot of "the folklorian woods"—an escapist,
cottagecore Cottagecore is an internet aesthetic popularised by teenagers and young adults celebrating an idealized rural life. Traditionally based on a rural English and European life, it was developed throughout the 2010s and was first named ''cottagecore ...
-inspired direction she first ideated with ''Folklore'' during the COVID-19 pandemic; she regards them as sister albums. ''Evermore'' blends
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercia ...
,
indie folk Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation. The genre has its ...
and
chamber pop Chamber pop (or Chamber rock; also called baroque pop and sometimes conflated with orchestral pop or symphonic pop) is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of strings, horns, piano, and vocal harmonies, and other compon ...
styles, carried by fingerpicked guitars, somber pianos, lavish strings, and sparse percussion. Impressionist storytelling and mythopoeia dominate its lyrical technique. The subject matter has been described as an anthology of tales about love, marriage, infidelity, and grief, exploring the complexities of human emotion. American bands Bon Iver,
Haim The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name ''Haimo''. Hebrew etymology Chayyim ( he, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Haim ...
, and the National are featured. Earning widespread acclaim from critics, ''Evermore'' was praised for its character studies, experimental production, and Swift's nuanced vocals. Reviews regarded the album a sequel or a counterpart to ''Folklore'', and various publications listed it in their 2020 year-end rankings. ''Evermore'' was nominated for
Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...
at the
64th Annual Grammy Awards The 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, ...
, a second consecutive nomination for Swift in the category after winning it with ''Folklore'' the previous year. Dessner and Long Pond have achieved mainstream notability since ''Evermore'' release. The album reached number one in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Greece, New Zealand, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Republic Records reported over a million copies of ''Evermore'' sold in its first week globally. It was Swift's eighth consecutive ''Billboard'' 200 number-one debut, spending four weeks atop the chart, and achieved various chart feats in Australia, the UK and the US; in the latter, the tracks " Willow", " No Body, No Crime", and "
Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the s ...
" impacted
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'' ( ...
, country, and alternative radio stations, respectively. "Willow" became Swift's seventh ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one song and her second in 2020 after " Cardigan", making her the first ever act to simultaneously debut atop both ''Billboard'' 200 and Hot 100 charts two times. ''Evermore'' was 2021's best-selling alternative music album and Americana album in the US and the UK, respectively.


Background and conception

During the
COVID-19 lockdowns Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous countri ...
, on July 23, 2020, 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. Bo ...
announced her eighth studio album and first
surprise album A surprise album or surprise release refers to the release of an album with little or no prior announcement, marketing or promotion. The strategy contrasts traditional album releases, which typically feature weeks or months of advertising in the f ...
, '' Folklore'', and released it the next day. Produced by herself, first-time collaborator
Aaron Dessner Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band the National, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums; a co-founder of the indie ...
, long-time collaborator Jack Antonoff, and boyfriend Joe Alwyn, the album was a critical and commercial success, becoming the best-selling album of 2020 and winning
Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...
at the
63rd Annual Grammy Awards The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 201 ...
. On November 25, 2020, a concert documentary titled '' Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions'', shot at Dessner's Long Pond Studio in
Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to Yo ...
, was released to Disney+. It detailed the making of ''Folklore'' with performances of its songs. After releasing ''Folklore'', Swift continued to work remotely with Dessner, who would send her instrumental tracks, to which she would write the lyrics. She stated the rave reception of ''Folklore'' further encouraged her to experiment further with its musical style. Soon after, Swift's sessions with Dessner resulted in a project that was a natural extension of ''Folklore'', which eventually assumed its individual identity as ''Evermore''. Dessner dubbed ''Evermore'' a "weird
avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and eart ...
" effecting from ''Folklore''. In comparison to its predecessor, the development of ''Evermore'' was a more experimental process, during which the duo did not subject themselves to any limitations. In an
Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple Mu ...
interview to
Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...
, Swift stated ''Evermore'' gave her a feeling of "quiet conclusion and sort of this weird serenity" after putting out ''Folklore'', and correlated it with the themes of those albums, saying one of ''Folklore'' main tropes was "
conflict resolution Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of conflict and retribution. Committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information abou ...
"—"trying to figure out how to get through something with someone", whereas ''Evermore'' deals with "endings of all sorts, sizes and shapes", and the pain and various phases of those closures. On December 10, 2020, three days prior to her 31st birthday, Swift posted nine photos on Instagram, which together formed an image depicting the singer's back, with her hair in a braid and facing a forest. In another post across her social media, she announced her ninth studio album, titled ''Evermore'', releasing at midnight. She revealed the track-list, and a music video for its opening track, " Willow", which would premiere on YouTube alongside the album release. Referring to lockdown regulations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift wrote: "You've all been so caring, supportive and thoughtful on my birthdays and so this time I thought I would give you something! I also know this holiday season will be a lonely one for most of us and if there are any of you out there who turn to music to cope with missing loved ones the way I do, this is for you". Prior to the "Willow" music video premiere, Swift said she likens ''Evermore'' to fall and winter, in contrast to its predecessor's spring and summer.


Writing and recording

Like its predecessor, ''Evermore'' is also a product of remote collaboration and virtual communication, and was recorded in total secrecy. Dessner produced or co-produced all of the tracks except "Gold Rush", which Swift and Antonoff produced. All of the tracks, except "Cowboy like Me", were recorded at Long Pond Studio, when ''Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions'' was shot. After the release of ''Folklore'', Swift wrote two songs, "Closure" and " Dorothea", for
Big Red Machine The Big Red Machine is a nickname for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team that dominated the National League from 1970 to 1979 and is widely recognized as being among the best in baseball history. The team won six National League West Division titl ...
, which is a supergroup by Dessner and
Justin Vernon Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the primary songwriter and frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. Known for his distinct falsetto voic ...
, the frontman of American
indie folk Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation. The genre has its ...
band Bon Iver; the songs ended up on ''Evermore'' instead. To celebrate ''Folklore'', Dessner casually composed an instrumental track "Westerly", named after the location of Swift's Rhode Island home. An hour later, Swift wrote "Willow" to the track and sent it back to him. She wrote the title track "Evermore" with Alwyn (alias William Bowery) and sent it to Vernon, who added a bridge. Dessner realized they were creating a counterpart to ''Folklore'' only after the duo wrote more than seven songs. He composed "Tolerate It" on a piano in time signature and sent it to Swift, conjuring a scene in her mind upon hearing the track; she sent it back with finished lyrics. Dessner stated he "cried when efirst heard" its lyrics. Swift traveled to Long Pond Studio to film ''Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions''. Once filming was complete, Swift stayed at Long Pond overnight, to record with Dessner and Antonoff. The next morning, she approached Dessner in his kitchen with " 'Tis the Damn Season", which she wrote during the night. Dessner cited the song as one of his favorite works ever, and that it could have just remained as an instrumental, but instead, Swift's "incredible storytelling ability and musical ability took it and made something much great". " No Body, No Crime" was inspired by Swift's "obsession with true crime
podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...
s/documentaries". She wrote the song on a rubber-bridge guitar and mailed Dessner a voice memo, after which he started producing it. Swift had specific ideas on how she wanted the song, including a guest feature from American pop rock band
Haim The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name ''Haimo''. Hebrew etymology Chayyim ( he, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Haim ...
, who recorded their vocals at
Ariel Rechtshaid Ariel Rechtshaid ( ;) is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. His accolades include three Grammy Awards for music production. Rechtshaid was the lead singer and guitarist of the ska ...
's Los Angeles home and forwarded it to Swift. The song's harmonica and guitar riffs were played by Josh Kaufman, who also played the harmonica on " Betty" from ''Folklore;'' JT Bates played the drums, and also did the same on "Dorothea". Aaron Dessner and his twin brother,
Bryce Dessner Bryce David Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American composer and guitarist based in Paris, as well as a member of the rock band the National. Dessner's twin brother Aaron is also a member of the group. Together they write the music, in col ...
, sent Swift some of the instrumentals they made for their band, American indie rock band the National. One of those was what would become "
Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the s ...
". Swift and Alwyn wrote its lyrics, and recorded it with her vocals. After listening to the demo, the Dessner brothers felt that the song was very related to the National, and envisioned
Matt Berninger Matthew Donald Berninger (, born February 13, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter, primarily known as the frontman and lyricist of indie rock band The National. In 2014, he also formed the EL VY project with Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls and ...
(the band's lead vocalist) singing it, and
Bryan Devendorf Bryan Devendorf is an American drummer. He is best known as a founding member of the indie rock band The National, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums. Devendorf is also a member of the experimental rock bands Pfarmers and LNZNDRF. I ...
(the drummer) drumming it. Aaron Dessner informed Berninger, who was "excited" for the idea. The band assembled, Devendorf played the drums, while his brother Scott Devendorf played the bass and pocket piano; Bryce Dessner helped produce the song. " Marjorie" was an instrumental precursor to "Peace", the fifteenth track on ''Folklore''. The latter's drone is present in the former's bridge. The backing rhythm of "Marjorie" was composed with an Allovers Hi-hat Generator, a software developed by producer Ryan Olson, which had been used in many Big Red Machine songs. The instrument takes any sound and splits them into samples, and regenerates them in randomized musical patterns. Dessner went through the patterns, picked his favorite parts, looped them, developed them into an instrumental, and sent it to Swift, who wrote "Marjorie" to it, a song about her maternal grandmother and opera singer, Marjorie Finlay. She also sent a folder of Finlay's opera records to Dessner, who sampled some of it on the song. "Right Where You Left Me" and "Happiness" were written days before ''Evermore'' was finished. Dessner had been working on the composition of "Happiness" since 2019, thinking it would be a Big Red Machine song; Swift, however, admired its instrumentals and ended up finishing its lyrics, which was also the case with "Right Where You Left Me". The last few weeks of recording ''Evermore'' overlapped with the recording of ''
Fearless (Taylor's Version) ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' is the first re-recorded album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on April 9, 2021, through Republic Records. It is a re-recording of Swift's second studio album, '' Fearless'' (2008), and the ...
''—Swift's first re-recorded album; she recorded "Happiness" and " You Belong with Me (Taylor's Version)" on the same day. Vernon was more involved in ''Evermore'' than ''Folklore''. He played the drums on "Cowboy like Me" and "Closure", guitar and banjo on "Ivy", and contributed backing vocals in "Marjorie". For "Closure", he processed Swift's vocals through his Messina vocal modifier, which distorted her soft
timbre In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voices and musica ...
into a robotic growl. "Cowboy like Me" was recorded at Scarlet Pimpernel Studios, located in the UK, owned by Marcus Mumford, the lead singer of English
folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...
band Mumford & Sons; Mumford provided backing vocals on the song. In "Ivy", Dessner added sleigh bells to invoke winter-oriented emotions, coinciding with the song's wintry imagery. He intentionally added "a wintry nostalgia" to most of the music in ''Evermore'', leaning towards the idea Swift told him. Dessner said mixing the album's 17 songs was a " Herculean task" and that the sound engineer Jon Low thought it would not be finished on time.


Music and lyrics

The standard edition of ''Evermore'' is one hour long, consisting of 15 tracks, while the deluxe adds two bonus songs. Haim, the National and Bon Iver provide guest vocals on "No Body, No Crime", "Coney Island", and "Evermore", respectively. Critics have dubbed ''Evermore'' a sequel and a companion record to ''Folklore''.


Composition

''Evermore'' is an
indie folk Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation. The genre has its ...
, folk-pop,
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercia ...
, and chamber rock, record with country influences. It has its predecessor's minimal and
lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...
styles, but looser and more experimental in nature. The album is characterized by its acoustic core and wintry mood, consisting of sparse arrangements, slow-burning melodies, burbling, fingerpicked acoustic guitars, swaying electric guitars, soft, smooth, and somber pianos, warm and woozy synthesizers, mandolin, twangy banjos, throbbing drum machines, lush strings,
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...
thrums, subtle layers of Mellotrons, flute, French horn, and cellos. Swift's mellifluous vocals are backed by gauzy harmonies and "misty atmospherics". '' Rolling Stone'' wrote that ''Evermore'' deepens Swift's goth-folk vision. '' Hits'' described the album's sonic palette as "watery" and "hypnotic". '' The Daily Telegraph'' said that there is no sense of tempo or urgency in its songs, departing from the stadium-suited tempos of Swift's earlier works. '' Esquire'' noted ''Evermore'' focus on "sonic details and nuances rather than big hooks." According to critic Tom Hull, while Swift remains attentive to "production details", ''Evermore'' follows ''Folklore'' in abandoning "pop glitz" in favor of "straightforward songcraft" due in part to the pandemic shifting Swift's focus from arenas to homely settings. ''
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 awar ...
'' described it as "a soft, meditative, consciously quiet" album of "restorative old-school singer-songwriter music". In '' Slate'' opinion, ''Evermore'' has a more spacious ambience with lots of break, unlike the "
maximalist In the arts, maximalism, a reaction against minimalism, is an aesthetic of excess. The philosophy can be summarized as "more is more", contrasting with the minimalist motto "less is more". Literature The term ''maximalism'' is sometimes associa ...
-minimalism" of ''Folklore'', which had "layers upon layers of restrained instrumental lines".


Themes

''Evermore'' is an intimate album heavily rooted in elaborate first-person storytelling from third-person perspectives, character studies, and narrative
mythmaking Mythopoeia ( grc, , , myth-making), or mythopoesis, is a narrative genre in modern literature and film where an artificial or fictionalized mythology is created by the writer of prose, poetry, or other literary forms. This meaning of the word f ...
. It ventures deeper inside the imaginary world Swift built with ''Folklore'', blending facts and fiction. Both albums share a common escapist concept, but in contrast to ''Folklore''s more
introspective ''Introspective'' is the third studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 10 October 1988 by Parlophone. It received generally positive reviews from critics. Background The album was unusual in that it reversed the typi ...
and romantic nature, ''Evermore'' is bolder, uninhibited, playful, and
impressionistic Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
, delving extensively into Swift's ideas of adult love and pain. The songs generally ruminate themes of forbidden love, romantic neglect, forgiveness, marriage, and infidelity, revolving around a set of unique characters, such as embattled couples, scorned friends, and complicated women. ''Evermore'' also analyses conflicted emotions and possibilities, aside " noirish twists" in plots. Like its sister album, ''Evermore'' lyrically incorporates nature, landscapes and objects in the sky, such as crescent moon, sunrise,
comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are ...
s, amber skies,
precipice In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...
, willow,
clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus h ...
and
ivy ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...
. Swift's trademark turns of phrase and wordplay are also abundant. '' Variety'' observed that "warmth amid iciness" is a "recurring lyrical motif". ''
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 Songwr ...
'' opined that ''Evermore'' has Swift mostly writing "the 'unhappily ever after' anthology of marriages gone bad". ''Slate'' also called it an anthology, emphasizing "her leap away from autobiography into songs that are either pure fictions or else lyrically symbolic in ways that don't act as romans à clef". ''Stereogum'' labeled the album "observational fiction". '' Pitchfork'' noted that Swift remains a versatile, expressive vocalist, and a "wordy" lyricist to "magnify sad, small moments." Music theory professor Alyssa Barna said Swift adopts a static, colorless
timbre In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voices and musica ...
for both vocals and instrumentation in the album. ''
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 ...
'' remarked the "exceedingly complex human emotions" she unravels in ''Evermore'' with "precision and devastation".


Songs

''Evermore'' opens with "Willow", a
chamber folk Folk baroque or baroque guitar, is a distinctive and influential guitar fingerstyle developed in Britain in the 1960s, which combined elements of American folk, blues, jazz and ragtime with British folk music to produce a new and elaborate form o ...
love song propelled by picked guitars,
glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a Musical keyboard, keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibra ...
, orchestrations, programmed drums, and a "breathless chorus". " Champagne Problems" is a mournful ballad with spacious,
oompah Oom-pah, Oompah or Umpapa is an onomatopoeic term describing the rhythmical sound of a deep brass instrument in combination with the response of other instruments or registers in a band, a form of background ostinato. The oom-pah sound is usua ...
piano chords entwining with a guitar
arpeggio A broken chord is a chord broken into a sequence of notes. A broken chord may repeat some of the notes from the chord and span one or more octaves. An arpeggio () is a type of broken chord, in which the notes that compose a chord are played ...
and choir vocals. It depicts a struggling girlfriend whose mental issues disrupt her romantic relationship, leading her to turn down her lover's proposal. "Gold Rush" is a nimble
chamber pop Chamber pop (or Chamber rock; also called baroque pop and sometimes conflated with orchestral pop or symphonic pop) is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of strings, horns, piano, and vocal harmonies, and other compon ...
song with drums, horns, violins, swiveling shifts in tempo, and a "dreamy" chorus. Its frenzy verses are
couplet A couplet is a pair of successive lines of metre in poetry. A couplet usually consists of two successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (or closed) couplet, each of the t ...
s delivered in a pulsating rhythm over persistent beats, with a red herring in its
intro Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to: General use * Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music * Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...
and outro made of "layered vocals". Expressing jealousy and insecurity towards an attractive subject, "Gold Rush" limns the narrator's infatuation for the subject using a
daydream Daydreaming is the stream of consciousness that detaches from current, external tasks when attention drifts to a more personal and internal direction. This phenomenon is common in people's daily life shown by a large-scale study in which partici ...
, and depicts her distaste at her own incapacitation in the face of beauty, comparing it to gold rushes. The fourth track, "Tis the Damn Season", is a
Christmas song Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject m ...
. It sees a female narrator arrive for her holidays at hometown Tupelo, where she encounters her former lover and ends up in bed with him despite knowing the rekindled flame will not lead anywhere. It is built around an electric guitar riff, and the narrator is revealed to be a character named Dorothea, later in the album. "Tolerate It" recounts a young woman in an age-gap relationship, and depicts her internal agony and resentment towards her aloof, unappreciative partner. It is a slow-building ballad guided by a "muffled" piano and tense synth-beats. Its plot was inspired by '' Rebecca'', the 1939 novel by English author
Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geo ...
. "No Body, No Crime" opens with police sirens. It is a "twangy", cinematic, country, pop rock, and
country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal ...
song, featuring Haim's
harmonies In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. Howev ...
. It tells a " macabre revenge tale" of a woman named Este murdered by her husband in favor of his
mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...
. The narrator is a friend of Este and takes revenge by murdering the unfaithful man. "Happiness", the melancholic seventh track, is an ambient ballad driven by "hazy" synthesizers, hi-hats, violin, bass,
organs In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a ...
, piano and drone. The song channels a stream of consciousness, in which the narrator empathizes with the subject after their divorce, contemplates the split, and apologizes for "losing track of the facts", and affirms happiness will be found again. It contains references to '' The Great Gatsby''. "Dorothea" is an Americana song from the perspective of the male subject in "'Tis the Damn Season", who stays in Tupelo while his high-school lover, Dorothea, moves to Los Angeles for a Hollywood career. He narrate his stories of her, such as a skipped prom and feelings of separation, and yearns for Dorothea's return to the simple rural life, over a
honky-tonk piano A tack piano (also known as a harpsipiano, jangle piano, and junk piano) is an altered version of an ordinary piano, in which objects such as thumbtacks or nails are placed on the felt-padded hammers of the instrument at the point where the ha ...
, tambourine and guitars. It has been compared to " Betty" due to their similar perspectives. The ninth track, "Coney Island", is an alternative rock,
waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wal ...
and indie-folk duet with
Matt Berninger Matthew Donald Berninger (, born February 13, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter, primarily known as the frontman and lyricist of indie rock band The National. In 2014, he also formed the EL VY project with Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls and ...
of the National. The song depicts suburban nostalgia and recollects a couple's memories in
Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the s ...
; Swift's melodious vocals contrast Berninger's mumbled
baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
. "Ivy" is a folk song with "elastic vocals" and a "jaunty chorus", documenting a married woman's infidelity, over a ticking arrangement of banjo, picked guitar, trumpet, and Vernon's gentle harmonies. It conveys her temptation for her secret lover and the realistic consequences that may hinder their affair, using a metaphor of ivy vines growing over a stone house to represent her deep-rooted attachment. Swift sings about two " gold-digging"
con artists A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have de ...
in the eleventh track, "Cowboy like Me", who unexpectedly fall in love with each other while frequenting resorts and deceiving rich people. It is an alternative, country,
folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...
, and blues tune, with hushed guitars, harmonica riff, mandolin, piano, lap steel, and Mumford's backing vocals. " Long Story Short" is a pop-infused indie rock song with a rousing post-chorus hook, explosive guitars, strings, crisp beats of live drums and drum machine. Swift retreads '' Reputation'' (2017) in the song, summarizing her life's worse moments and emotional healing. "Marjorie" details Swift's grief over her grandmother Finlay, who died when Swift was 13 years old. Its lyrics consist of Finlay's advices to her granddaughter, as well as Swift's memories and regrets. Its gentle production samples Finlay's soprano vocals over "buzzing" synths, pizzicato strings, drone, pulse, cello, and a "pulsing keyboard arrangement". "Closure", the fourteenth track, is Swift's kiss-off to the song's unnamed subject, a reply to their "self-serving" request, insincere kindness, and pretentious amity. It is an electroacoustic, industrial folk song characterized by an unusual time signature, and a "skittering" production of
brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...
, piano, to-and-fro strings,
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...
creaks, "clattering percussion", and synth drums. The album ends with the title track—a piano ballad that progresses into a dramatic bridge after a tempo shift, where Swift is joined midway by Vernon's signature falsetto in a
call and response Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...
. Swift navigates depression, desolation and negative notions in her verses, in contrast to Vernon's optimistic and supportive verses that attempt to help her, resulting in a realization that pain is temporary. The deluxe edition of ''Evermore'' includes two bonus tracks: "Right Where You Left Me" is a country and folk-pop song, portraying the fate of a love "frozen in time", over twangy guitars. In contrast, "It's Time to Go" is about the narrator's knowledge of when to exit a relationship, such as a friendship, featuring tales of divorce and losing a dream career to an unfit individual; the song contains references to Swift's dispute over her masters.


Art direction

The visual aesthetic of ''Evermore'' takes upon a wintry theme, a
yuletide Yule, actually Yuletide ("Yule time") is a festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples, later undergoing Christianised reformulation resulting in the now better-known Christmastide. The earliest references to Yule are by way of indig ...
version of the
cottagecore Cottagecore is an internet aesthetic popularised by teenagers and young adults celebrating an idealized rural life. Traditionally based on a rural English and European life, it was developed throughout the 2010s and was first named ''cottagecore ...
, woodland aesthetic of ''Folklore''. '' Time'' stated that ''Folklore'' is a muted, autumnal palette of sounds and feelings, whereas ''Evermore'' is its winter companion with lingering sadness and regret. While ''Folklore'' adapts a grayscale
monochrome A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, monochro ...
, ''Evermore'' employs colors. '' The Times of India'' opined that ''Evermore'' embraces "1960s-era
Laurel Canyon Laurel Canyon is a mountainous neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills region of the Santa Monica Mountains, within the Hollywood Hills West district of Los Angeles, California. The main thoroughfare of Laurel Canyon Boulevard connects the neighb ...
".


Cover artwork

The cover artwork of ''Evermore'' shows Swift in a barren field, facing away from the camera, looking over the bare trees in the distance. She is seen standing at the edge of a forested area, while on the cover of ''Folklore'', she was seen inside a forest. Her hair is styled in a French braid and she wears a single-breasted, brown and orange checked flannel coat, taken from a collection by English designer Stella McCartney. '' Stylist'' called the hairstyle "messy-yet-
chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology ''Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English dictiona ...
". Adam Reed, UK editorial ambassador for French beauty company L'Oréal, admired Swift's braid and described it as "simple, supernatural and timeless". According to ''
Consequence Consequence may refer to: * Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment'' * In operant conditioning, a result of some behavior * Consequentialism, a theory in philosophy in which the morality of an act is determi ...
'', the cover artwork is "gorgeous in its simplicity", and has Swift facing a field, insinuating "she's inviting the listener to see the field through her eyes." Following ''Evermore'' release, replicas of the flannel coat Swift wore on the cover artwork quickly sold out on Farfetch. The album cover was the third most-searched album cover of 2021 on the internet, after Kanye West's ''
Donda ''Donda'' is the tenth studio album by American rapper Kanye West, released through GOOD Music on August 29, 2021, with distribution handled by Def Jam Recordings, his last release with the label. West recorded much of the material at multiple ...
'' (2021) and Olivia Rodrigo's ''
Sour The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...
'' (2021).


Release and promotion

''Evermore'' was released on December 11, 2020, two days before Swift's 31st birthday, to digital music and streaming platforms only. It is a "sister album" to ''Folklore'', which was launched less five months prior; both of them are
surprise album A surprise album or surprise release refers to the release of an album with little or no prior announcement, marketing or promotion. The strategy contrasts traditional album releases, which typically feature weeks or months of advertising in the f ...
s announced 16 hours prior to their midnight releases. ''Evermore'' marked the second time Swift abandoned her long, traditional album rollout. The CDs were released on December 18, 2020. The bonus tracks of ''Evermore'' deluxe edition, "Right Where You Left Me" and "It's Time to Go", which were formerly physical-exclusive, were released to streaming services on January 7, 2021.
Cassette tape The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Otten ...
s and vinyl LPs of ''Evermore'' were released on February 21, and May 28, 2021, respectively. ''
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 ...
'' reported that the delayed release of the album's physical formats is owed to its surprise release and the time-consuming manufacturing process of physical albums, specifically the vinyl copies. Limited number of autographed CDs were sold at select independent record stores. On December 14, 2020, Swift appeared on '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' to promote the album. On a December 2020 episode of
Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, ''The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terre ...
's
Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business distri ...
radio show, English singer-songwriter Paul McCartney revealed that Swift originally decided to postpone the release of ''Evermore'' by one week to respect the original December 11 release date of his eighteenth studio album, ''
McCartney III ''McCartney III'' ("III" being stylised on the front cover as the three pips of a die) is the 18th solo album by English musician Paul McCartney, released on 18 December 2020 by Capitol Records. It serves as a continuation to his solo albums ''M ...
;'' upon learning this, McCartney decided to release his album on December 18 instead so that Swift could move forward with her ''Evermore'' rollout as initially planned. Three six-song compilations consisting of tracks from both ''Evermore'' and ''Folklore'', titled ''The Dropped Your Hand While Dancing Chapter'', ''The Forever Is The Sweetest Con Chapter'', and ''The Ladies Lunching Chapter'' (all stylized in
all lowercase Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...
), were released to streaming platforms on January 21, January 27, and February 4, 2021, respectively.


Singles

"Willow" was released as the lead single of ''Evermore'', alongside the album itself, on December 11, 2020. The song was accompanied with a music video directed by Swift. The single debuted at number-one in Australia, Canada and the United States. In the US, it scored her her seventh number-one song, second number-one in 2020 (after " Cardigan"), and the third number-one debut of her career. "Willow" topped
Hot Alternative Songs The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
, Adult Top 40 and
Digital Song Sales The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally starte ...
charts as well. According to ''Billboard'', three of the album's tracks were sent to different radio formats—a plan that was adapted for ''Folklore'' as well. "Willow" impacted US adult contemporary and pop radio stations on December 14 and 15, 2020, respectively; " No Body, No Crime" was sent to US
country radio Country radio refers to radio stations that play country music. Most country radio stations are commercial radio stations. Most country radio stations usually play only music which has been officially released to country radio by record labels. The ...
on January 11, 2021. "
Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the s ...
" was promoted to US
adult album alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, 2 ...
radio on January 18, 2021.


Critical reception

''Evermore'' was met with widespread critical acclaim upon release, with emphasis on its kinship with ''Folklore'' and Swift's expansion of her musical boundaries. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from publications, the album received a weighted mean score of 85 based on 29 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Describing Swift as an unrivaled songwriter, Brodie Lancaster of '' The Sydney Morning Herald'' found ''Evermore'' traveling deeper into the singer's fictitious narratives, and praised the depth and variety of its characters. ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' critic Hannah Mylrea opined that Swift pushes her indie reinvention further in ''Evermore'', terming it a "freewheeling younger sibling" while ''Folklore'' is the "
introspective ''Introspective'' is the third studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 10 October 1988 by Parlophone. It received generally positive reviews from critics. Background The album was unusual in that it reversed the typi ...
, romantic older sister"; Mylrea thought ''Evermore'' is looser and more experimental, expanding on its predecessor's sonic palette. In congruence, ''American Songwriter'' designated ''Folklore'' as the "archetypal older sister—a careful, yet hopeless romantic" whereas ''Evermore'' is the "bold, scrappy younger one", with the latter being a
yuletide Yule, actually Yuletide ("Yule time") is a festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples, later undergoing Christianised reformulation resulting in the now better-known Christmastide. The earliest references to Yule are by way of indig ...
evolution of the former's sound. Maura Johnston, writing for '' Entertainment Weekly'', asserted that Swift "levels up" on ''Evermore'' by taking musical risks, and dubbed the sister albums a career-high for the singer. ''Spin'' critic Bobby Olivier thought the "career-redefining" album finds Swift at her prime, joining "the pantheon of songwriters who consistently deliver despite unimaginable expectations". He regarded ''Evermore'' a stronger work than ''Folklore''.
Annie Zaleski Annie Zaleski is an American music journalist and author. Career Zaleski is a regular writer for mainstream media outlets such as The A.V. Club and NPR Music, and a columnist at ''Salon''. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio where she has won firs ...
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 cr ...
'' also chose ''Evermore'' over ''Folklore'', and noted that the former continues the latter's " universe-building" with stronger writing and greater sonic cohesion. '' The Guardian''
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 ...
said ''Evermore'' furthers Swift's departure to alternative rock from mainstream pop, comparing it to her country-to-pop shift in ''
Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...
'' (2012); he added that it proves her ability to switch genres easily. Calling it heartfelt and ruminative, Neil McCormick of ''The Daily Telegraph'' lauded the album's emotional songcraft and unhurried tempo, noting its songs are not for stadiums. Patrick Ryan of '' USA Today'' gave plaudits to its mystical instrumentation and escapist lyrics, stressing that ''Evermore'' is not a vestige of ''Folklore'', but rather a sister reinforcing Swift's strengths. In her ''Rolling Stone'' review, Claire Shaffer saw Swift embracing new genres and ambitious storytelling, and welcomed her new artistic direction. '' The Independent'' writer Helen Brown deemed its songs haunting and contemplative, and complimented its "tasteful" compositions. Jason Lipshutz of ''Billboard'' stated that the album is more progressive and audacious than ''Folklore'', although posing as a sequel at first. He explained that ''Evermore'' explores the complications of adult love more extensively than its predecessor, and flaunts Swift's boldest and richest songwriting. '' Variety'' critic Chris Willman praised the album's subliminal production and Swift's agile vocals, and underlined its impressionist storytelling style that clicks only after multiple listens. ''Stereogum''s Tom Breihan named ''Evermore'' a "full-on winter album" populated by "subtle growers" shrouded in a sedative atmosphere.
Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.The New York Times'' commended its diligent sound and poised lyrics, and noted more character studies in it than ''Folklore''. In less favorable reviews, Kitty Empire of '' The Observer'' praised the album's emotion and themes, but felt Swift is "still a little muted on ''Evermore'' as she was on ''Folklore'' by pastel music that smears
Vaseline Vaseline ()Also pronounced with the main stress on the last syllable . is an American brand of petroleum jelly-based products owned by transnational company Unilever. Products include plain petroleum jelly and a selection of skin creams, soap ...
on her otherwise keen lens." Chris Richards of '' The Washington Post'' found the album overlong, felt some lyrics were sub-par for Swift's prowess, and rejected the notion of categorizing her 2020 works as indie. Mikael Wood of the '' Los Angeles Times'' felt that the album is ''Folklore''s leftovers, and "simply repeats its trick", but named "Tolerate It", "Gold Rush", "Champagne Problems", "No Body, No Crime" and "Dorothea" as highlights.


Year-end lists

By the time Swift unveiled the album, many publications had already issued their year-end rankings of best albums of 2020. ''Evermore'' ranked on lists published after December 11, including number-one placements from NJ.com, '' USA Today'', and '' Variety'', which it shared with ''Folklore''. ''Evermore'' finished at number 20 on Metacritic's aggregated list of 2020 year-end rankings.


Commercial performance

Available only via digital music and streaming platforms, Republic Records reported over a million copies of ''Evermore'' sold in its first-week worldwide, marking Swift's eighth consecutive studio album to achieve it. All of the album's 15 tracks entered the top 75 of the ''Billboard'' Global 200 chart. Aided by ''Evermore'' and ''Folklore'', Swift was 2020's top streamed artist on
Amazon Music Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights man ...
across all genres. 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 1 ...
(IFPI) named her the best-selling solo artist and female artist of 2020, and second overall.


United States

''Evermore'' debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, topping it for four weeks. It opened with 329,000 units, consisting of 220.49 million on-demand streams and 154,000 digital albums, and earned the biggest sales week for an album since her own ''Folklore''. It is Swift's second number-one album in 2020 and eighth consecutive number-one debut, making her the third woman with eight number-ones, behind
Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...
(11) and Madonna (9). Alongside ''Folklore'' at number three, Swift became the first woman in the chart's history to simultaneously have two albums in the top-three. The gap between the number-one debuts of ''Folklore'' and ''Evermore'' was 140 days, breaking the Guinness World Record for the shortest gap between two chart-topping albums by a woman on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album debuted atop the
Alternative Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
chart as well, dethroning ''Folklore'' from number one; ''Evermore'' topped the chart for 15 weeks. All of the album's 15 tracks entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 simultaneously. ''Evermore'' became Swift's third album to chart all of its standard tracks together, after ''
Lover Lover or lovers may refer to a person having a sexual or romantic relationship with someone outside marriage. In this context see: * Sexual partner * Mistress (lover) * Extramarital sex * Premarital sex Lover or Lovers may also refer to: Geogr ...
'' (2019) and ''Folklore''. Swift became the woman with the most Hot 100 hits with 128, regaining the record from Nicki Minaj. With the number-one debut of "Willow", she also became first act to simultaneously place an album and a single atop both ''Billboard'' 200 and Hot 100 charts at two occasions, following ''Folklore'' and "Cardigan". All tracks appeared on
Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (formerly known as Rock Songs and Hot Rock Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of songs across alternati ...
chart as well, except " No Body, No Crime" which debuted at number two on the Hot Country Songs. Due to eight tracks from ''Folklore'' remaining on the chart alongside the 14 from ''Evermore'', Swift occupied 22 of the chart's 50 positions—the second most simultaneous entries in the chart's history, behind Linkin Park (23). On the
Hot Alternative Songs The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
, Swift claimed 16 spots, besting
Machine Gun Kelly George Kelly Barnes (July 18, 1895 – July 18, 1954), better known by his pseudonym "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, active during the Prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thomps ...
's record. Despite its availability for the last two weeks of 2020 only, ''Evermore'' became one of the top 10 best-selling albums of 2020. It placed eighth on '' Rolling Stone'' best-sellers list, and tenth on
MRC Data Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and ev ...
's best selling albums of 2020 with 283,000 sales; its sister record, ''Folklore,'' was the top seller of 2020. In April 2021, ''Evermore'' surpassed a million units in the US. In June, it scored its fourth week atop the ''Billboard'' 200 with 202,000 units, following its
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...
release. 192,000 of that sum were pure sales, surpassing her own ''
Fearless (Taylor's Version) ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' is the first re-recorded album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on April 9, 2021, through Republic Records. It is a re-recording of Swift's second studio album, '' Fearless'' (2008), and the ...
'' for the largest sales week of 2021. It marked the 53rd chart-topping week of Swift's career, extending her record as the female act with the most weeks at number one in ''Billboard'' 200 history and the third-most overall, behind the Beatles and Elvis Presley. The album sold 102,000 vinyl copies the same week, breaking the former record by
Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...
's '' Lazaretto'' (40,000) for the biggest sales week for vinyl LPs since
MRC Data Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and ev ...
's inauguration in 1991. ''Evermore'' became the best-selling CD and vinyl album of 2021. In July 2021, it became the best-selling album of the year, with 374,000 copies sold; ''Evermore'' was the seventh most consumed album with 818,000 total units. ''Evermore'' topped the 2021 ''Billboard'' Year-End Top Album Sales and Top Alternative Albums charts. It further placed fourth on the year-end ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Swift ranked as the number-one ''Billboard'' 200 Artist, ''Billboard'' 200 Female Artist, Top Album Sales Artist, Top Alternative Artist, and Top Alternative Albums Artist. Selling 529,000 pure copies, ''Evermore'' was sixth on the best-selling albums list of 2021, alongside three other Swift albums—''
Red (Taylor's Version) ''Red (Taylor's Version)'' is the second re-recorded album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Released via Republic Records on November 12, 2021, as a part of Swift's countermeasure against the purchase of the masters of her back cat ...
'', ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'', and ''Folklore''—in the top 10.


Other markets

In Canada, ''Evermore'' appeared at the top spot of ''Billboard'' Canadian Albums chart as Swift's eighth Canadian number-one album, and her second in 2020. The album spent three weeks atop the chart. All of the tracks debuted inside the top 50 region of 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 ...
simultaneously, except "Closure" (number 57); "Willow" became her seventh Canadian number-one hit, with "Champagne Problems" at number six, "No Body, No Crime" at 11, "'Tis the Damn Season" at 13, "Gold Rush" at 14, and "Tolerate It" at 18. In 2021, ''Evermore'' was the country's seventh best-selling album. In Australia, Swift achieved a "Chart Double" by occupying the top spots of both albums and singles charts simultaneously. ''Evermore'' entered at number one on the
ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
, garnering her seventh chart-topper. Collecting her second number-one album of the year 19 weeks after ''Folklore'', Swift broke the record for the shortest gap between two successive number-ones, surpassing the 25 weeks between
Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
's '' Sweetener'' (2018) and ''
Thank U, Next ''Thank U, Next'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Ariana Grande, released on February 8, 2019, by Republic Records. It was released six months after her fourth studio album ''Sweetener'' (2018), conceived in the midst of Grande's ...
'' (2019). "Willow" debuted atop the
ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
, accompanied by 11 fellow tracks. It marked her seventh Australian number-one song. ''Evermore'' spent four consecutive weeks at number-one in Australia, tying with ''Folklore'' as her second longest-running chart-topper, behind ''1989'' (11 weeks). In the United Kingdom, ''Evermore'' topped the UK Albums Chart for two weeks. It made Swift the fastest female artist to accumulate six number-one albums in the country (i2012–2020), surpassing Madonna (1997–2008), and the first female artist to score six chart-toppers in the 21st-century. The album is her second number-one album in 2020 after ''Folklore'', establishing her as the first act to score multiple chart-topping albums in a calendar year, since David Bowie in 2016. ''Evermore'' also topped the UK's
Vinyl Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
chart, and the Americana Albums chart. On the
Official Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, "Willow" landed at number three and gave Swift her eleventh top-five hit, while tracks "Champagne Problems" and "No Body, No Crime" arrived at numbers 15 and 19, respectively, increasing her UK top-20 hits total to 21. ''Evermore'' was the best-selling Americana album of 2021 in the UK. In New Zealand, the album launched atop the Top 40 Albums chart, while its tracks "Willow", "Champagne Problems", "No Body, No Crime" and "Gold Rush" charted at numbers three, 24, 29 and 34 on the Top40 Singles chart, respectively. In Malaysia, "Willow" and "Champagne Problems" debuted at numbers two and 15, respectively, whereas on the Singaporean Top 30 Singles chart, the tracks entered at the first and 16th spots; "Gold Rush" and "No Body, No Crime" also charted in Singapore. In many European territories, ''Evermore'' attained in its peak multiple weeks after its release. It debuted at number one in Croatia in January 2021, and reached the top spot in Flanders in its sixth week on the Ultratop 200 Albums, after debuting at number two. It marked Swift's fifth consecutive number-one album in the Belgian region. The album peaked at number two on the Irish Albums Chart in its third week. It opened at number three in its debut week, marking Swift's sixth consecutive top-three album in Ireland; it was the most downloaded and streamed album of the week. Simultaneously, "Willow" also placed at number three on Irish Singles Chart, alongside tracks "Champagne Problems" and "No Body, No Crime" at sixth and eleventh spots, respectively, rising Swift's sum of top 50 hits to 38. On the
Scottish Albums Chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Cha ...
, ''Evermore'' opened at number five, but peaked at number three after 25 weeks. On Germany's Offizielle Top 100, the album opened at number 24, rose to number six the next week, and ascended to number five in June 2021, whereas it topped the
Greek Albums Chart International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece, or simply IFPI Greece, is the Greece, Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and is the official charts provider and music recording sales cer ...
in August 2021.


Awards and impact

Journalists praised Swift's fast-succeeding release of ''Evermore'' after ''Folklore''. ''Variety'' compared it to similar moves by the Beatles and U2, while ''Rolling Stone'' termed it a "hot streak" reminiscent of Prince in 1987 and David Bowie in 1977. ''
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 ...
'' called it a "major shock", as Swift is known for her traditional album roll-outs. ''
Our Culture Mag ''Our Culture Mag'' (stylised ourculture) is a British arts and culture online magazine launched in 2016 by Modestas Mankus , based in Cambridge, England. It covers film, fashion, music, art, photography and literature. History In 2016, Mode ...
'' and '' NJ.com'' welcomed her "artistic dedication", as Swift was also concurrently re-recording her back catalog in 2020. ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' named her "the queen of pandemic productivity". ''The New York Times'' felt the album was as a crucial moment in Swift's career and creativity. ''The Guardian'' and ''Vox'' opined that ''Evermore'' and ''Folklore'' threw emphasis on Swift's work ethic, helped critics recognize her musicianship and view her as a dedicated songstress, moving away from her popstar image in the mid-2010s. ''Billboard'' cited the two albums as the most notable examples for how the pandemic veered music in 2020, and forced artists to amend their creative process. ''
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...
'' and '' The Times'' named Swift among the most prominent celebrities of the pandemic. Swift was the world's top paid solo musician of 2020, and the highest paid in the US, thanks to her revenues from ''Evermore'' and ''Folklore'', which according to Junkee were "alternative experiments" taken mainstream by Swift's "sheer star power". At the 2021 American Music Awards, ''Evermore'' won the
American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Album The American Music Award for Favorite Album – Pop/Rock has been awarded since 1974. Years reflect the year in which the awards were presented, for works released in the previous year (until 2003 onward when awards were handed out on November of t ...
, as Swift's record-breaking seventh nod and fourth win in the category. Swift was also nominated for
Artist of the Year ''Artist of the Year'' is a television competition shown on the Sky Arts channel (formerly known as Artsworld and Sky Arts 1) which aims to find the best portrait and landscape painter every year. Overview Through several rounds of regional com ...
and
Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist The American Music Awards for Favorite Female Artist – Pop/Rock has been awarded since 1974. Years reflect the year in which the awards were presented, for works released in the previous year (until 2003 onward when awards were handed out on Nove ...
, and won the latter for a record-breaking sixth time. At the
64th Annual Grammy Awards The 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, ...
, ''Evermore'' contended for
Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...
as Swift's fifth nomination in the category, following '' Fearless'' (2008), ''
Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...
'' (2012), ''
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 ...
'' (2014) and ''Folklore''. Croatian singer-songwriter Mia Dimšić named ''Evermore'' as an inspiration for writing "
Guilty Pleasure A guilty pleasure is something, such as a film, a television program, or a piece of music, that one enjoys despite understanding that it is not generally held in high regard, or is seen as unusual or weird. For example, a person may secretly like ...
", her entry song representing Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. American singer-songwriter
Christina Perri Christina Judith Perri (born August 19, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter. After her debut single " Jar of Hearts" was featured on the television series ''So You Think You Can Dance'' in 2010, Perri signed with Atlantic Records and relea ...
, regarding her 2022 single "Evergone", told ''
Consequence Consequence may refer to: * Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment'' * In operant conditioning, a result of some behavior * Consequentialism, a theory in philosophy in which the morality of an act is determi ...
'' that ''Evermore'' and ''Folklore'' influenced her to write heartfelt, melancholic songs as opposed to external expectations for upbeat music. After ''Evermore'', artists such as Gracie Abrams, Ed Sheeran,
King Princess Mikaela Mullaney Straus (born December 19, 1998), known by her stage name King Princess, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician from Brooklyn, New York. She is signed to Mark Ronson's label Zelig Records, an imprint of Columbia Records ...
and
Girl in Red Marie Ulven Ringheim (born 16 February 1999) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer, known for her indie pop project Girl in Red (stylized as girl in red). Her early EPs ''Chapter 1'' (2018) and ''Chapter 2'' (2019) were recorded i ...
collaborated with Dessner at his Long Pond Studio. Dessner stated, "After Taylor, it was a bit crazy how many people reached out. And getting to meet and write songs with people you wouldn't have had access to... I'm so grateful for it."


Theme park lawsuit

On February 2, 2021, a theme park in
Pleasant Grove, Utah Pleasant Grove, originally named Battle Creek, is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States known as "Utah's City of Trees". It is part of the Provo– Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 37,726 at the 2020 Census. Histo ...
, called Evermore Park, sued Swift and her team for allegedly infringing its "EVERMORE" trademark, seeking to prevent Swift's further use of the word, and demanded "statutory damages of $2 million per counterfeit mark per type of goods or services sold". The park had sent a
cease-and-desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not disc ...
letter to Swift on December 29, 2020, to which the singer's team declined to abide, replying "If anything, your client's website traffic has actually increased as a result of the release of Ms. Swift's recent album which, in turn could only serve to enhance your client's mark". The park claimed that the title of Swift's album confuses consumers, negatively affects the park's searchability. According to their court documents, the park's visitors enquired the staff about whether the album was a collaboration between Swift and the park, and that on the day ''Evermore'' was announced, the traffic on the park's official website surged by 330 percent in comparison to the previous day, affecting the park's "Google footprint". It also mentioned the park's
merchandise Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more i ...
and original music on streaming platforms under the "EVERMORE" trademark, claiming Swift's album has made them "harder to find". Swift's team denied the accusations, referring to the suit as "baseless". Their letter filed in court stated "it is inconceivable that there is any likelihood of confusion between your client's theme park and related products and Ms. Swift's music and related products", and claimed that the park's merchandise—"small dragon eggs, guild patches, and a small dragon mount"—are not similar to the products on Swift's webstore. Speaking to ''Billboard'', Swift's spokesperson called the suit "frivolous" and disputed its "true intent", highlighting a Utah Business report, according to which, the park's founder and CEO Ken Bretschneider "has had at least five lawsuits filed against him and the Evermore group by major construction companies, claiming they are owed between $28,000 and $400,000 in construction, mechanic and landscaping fees. Smaller subcontractors who did work on the park have also filed more than 20 construction liens on the Evermore property". On February 24, 2021, TAS Rights Management (Swift's copyrights company) countersued the park for allegedly infringing Swift's songs "
Love Story Love Story or A Love Story may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres * Romance (love) ** Romance film ** Romance novel Films * ''Love Story'' (1925 film), German silent film * ''Love Story'' (1942 film), Italian drama film * ''Love ...
", " You Belong with Me" and " Bad Blood" by regularly using them in their performances without a license. TAS claimed that the park "blatantly ignored the numerous notices from BMI and opted instead to continue to benefit from the free and unauthorized public performance of
he songs He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
despite actual knowledge of the liability and substantial penalties imposed by the Copyright Act to protect artists", and pointed out that Bretschneider reached out to BMI "seeking a retroactive license that would cover all performances from 2018 through 2021" after anticipating a lawsuit from Swift's side. In March 2021, Swift's spokesperson stated that both parties have resolved to "drop and dismiss their respective suits without monetary settlement".


Track listing

All songs written by
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. Bo ...
and
Aaron Dessner Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band the National, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums; a co-founder of the indie ...
, and/or produced by the latter, except where noted.


Notes

* signifies an additional producer. * signifies a vocal producer. * signifies a remixer. * All track titles are stylized in
all lowercase Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...
.


Credits and personnel

Adapted from Tidal, ''Pitchfork'', and album liner notes.


Musicians

*
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. Bo ...
– lead vocals, songwriting, production (2, 3, 6, 15) *
Aaron Dessner Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band the National, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums; a co-founder of the indie ...
–  production (1, 2, 4–17), songwriting (1, 4, 7–14, 16, 17), drum machine programming (1, 4–5, 7, 9–17), percussion (1, 10–12), keyboards (1, 5, 7, 11–12, 16–17), synthesizers (1–2, 4, 6–7, 9–12, 14–17), piano (1–2, 4–8, 11, 13–15, 17), electric guitar (1, 4, 6–12, 16–17), bass guitar (1, 4–10, 12, 14, 16–17), acoustic guitar (1–2, 4, 6–13, 16–17),
synth bass 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 ...
(2, 10–13, 17), mandolin (6), field recording (6), tambourine (8), high string guitar (9–10), drum kit (10), rubber bridge guitar (10), drone (13), banjo (16) *
Bryce Dessner Bryce David Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American composer and guitarist based in Paris, as well as a member of the rock band the National. Dessner's twin brother Aaron is also a member of the group. Together they write the music, in col ...
– production (9), songwriting (9), orchestration (1, 4–5, 7, 9–17), piano (9, 14), pulse (9), electric guitar (12) * James McAlister – synthesizers (1, 5, 10, 12, 14), drum machine programming (1, 5, 10, 12), percussion (5), keyboards (5, 10), Vermona pulse (13), drum kit (14, 16) *
Bryan Devendorf Bryan Devendorf is an American drummer. He is best known as a founding member of the indie rock band The National, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums. Devendorf is also a member of the experimental rock bands Pfarmers and LNZNDRF. I ...
– percussion (1, 10, 13), drum machine programming (1, 5, 9–10, 13, 17), drum kit (9, 12) * Yuki Numata Resnick – violin (1, 4–5, 7, 9–17) * Clarice Jensen – cello (1, 4, 5, 9–13, 15, 17) * Jason Treuting – 
glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a Musical keyboard, keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibra ...
(1), percussion (5, 9, 13), drum kit (9),
crotales Crotales (, ), sometimes called antique cymbals, are percussion instruments consisting of small, tuned bronze or brass disks. Each is about in diameter with a flat top surface and a nipple on the base. They are commonly played by being struck ...
(12, 15), metal percussion (12), chord stick (13–14, 17) * Alex Sopp – flute (1, 15) *
CJ Camerieri CJ Camerieri (born in New Jersey) is a trumpet and french horn player, arranger, and producer. Camerieri is best known as the brass player for Paul Simon, Bon Iver, and the contemporary classic ensemble yMusic. His extensive discography is highli ...
– French horn (1) * Thomas Bartlett – keyboard (1, 4, 7, 8, 16–17), synthesizers (1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 17), piano (8, 16–17) * William Bowery – songwriting (2, 9, 15), piano (15) * Logan Coale – upright bass (2, 10–11, 14–15) * Jack Antonoff – production (3), songwriting (3, 10), drums (3), percussion (3), bass (3), electric guitar (3), acoustic guitar (3), slide guitar (3), piano (3), Mellotron (3), backing vocals (3) * Mikey Freedom Hart – 
DX7 The Yamaha DX7 is a synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1989. It was the first successful digital synthesizer and is one of the best-selling synthesizers in history, selling more than 200,000 units. In the early 1980 ...
(3), electric guitar (3),
nylon guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor of ...
(3), Rhodes (3),
celeste Celeste may refer to: Geography * Mount Celeste, unofficial name of a mountain on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada * Celeste, Texas, a rural city in North Texas ** Celeste High School, public high school located in the city of Celest ...
(3) * Sean Hutchinson – drums (3) * Michael Riddleberger – drums (3) * Evan Smith – horns (3) * Patrik Berger –  OP-1 (3) * Bobby Hawk – violin (3) * Nick Lloyd – 
Hammond B3 Organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
(4, 16) *
Josh Kaufman Josh Kaufman (born November 9, 1976) is an American soul singer and singer-songwriter. A native of the Tampa Bay area in Florida, Kaufman is based out of and resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is best known for winning the season 6 of NBC's ' ...
–  harmonium (4, 16), lap steel (4, 6, 11), electric guitar (6, 8, 16), acoustic guitar (8), organ (6), harmonica (6, 11, 16), mandolin (11) * Benjamin Lanz – trombone (4, 10), horn arrangement (4),
modular synthesizer Modular synthesizers are synthesizers composed of separate modules for different functions. The modules can be connected together by the user to create a patch. The outputs from the modules may include audio signals, analog control voltages, ...
(8, 10) *
Danielle Haim Danielle Sari Haim (born February 16, 1989) is an American musician. She is the lead guitarist and vocalist of the pop rock band Haim, which also consists of her two sisters, Este Haim and Alana Haim. Danielle also serves as the group's drummer i ...
– vocals (6) *
Este Haim Este Haim (born 14 March 1986) is an American musician and composer. She is best known as a member of the pop-rock trio Haim, which Este formed with her younger sisters Alana and Danielle. Este is Haim's bass player and a vocalist. She co-writes ...
– vocals (6) * JT Bates – drum kit (6–8, 10, 17), percussion (8, 16–17) * Ryan Olson – Allovers Hi-Hat Generator (7, 13, 17) *
Matt Berninger Matthew Donald Berninger (, born February 13, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter, primarily known as the frontman and lyricist of indie rock band The National. In 2014, he also formed the EL VY project with Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls and ...
– vocals (9) * Scott Devendorf – bass guitar (9), pocket piano (9) *
Justin Vernon Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the primary songwriter and frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. Known for his distinct falsetto voic ...
– backing vocals (10, 13), triangle (10), drum kit (10–11, 14), banjo (10), electric guitar (10–11, 17), Prophet X (13), Messina (14), synthesizers (15), field recording (15), vocals (15), bass guitar (17), acoustic guitar (17) * Kyle Resnick – trumpet (10, 12, 14, 17) * Marcus Mumford – backing vocals (11) * Marjorie Finlay – backing vocals (13) * Trever Hagen – trumpet (14), no-input mixer (14) *
BJ Burton BJ Burton is an American record producer, songwriter, engineer, and mixer. He is known for his work with Bon Iver, Francis and the Lights, Low, Charli XCX, and The Japanese House, and has also worked with the likes of Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, ...
– additional production (14) * James McAlister –  additional production (14) * Gabriel Cabezas – cello (14–15) * Dave Nelson – trombone (14, 17) *
Stuart Bogie Stuart D. Bogie is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and music producer. Originally from Evanston, Illinois, Bogie became a staple in the Brooklyn music scene. Early years Bogie studied music at the Interlochen Arts Academ ...
– 
alto clarinet The alto clarinet is a woodwind instrument of the clarinet family. It is a transposing instrument pitched in the key of E, though instruments in F have been made. In size it lies between the soprano clarinet and the bass clarinet. It bears a grea ...
(15),
contrabass clarinet The contrabass clarinet (also pedal clarinet, after the pedals of pipe organs) and contra-alto clarinet are the two largest members of the clarinet family that are in common usage. Modern contrabass clarinets are transposing instruments pitch ...
(15), flute (15) * Jonathan Low – drum machine programming (16) Additional instrument recording * Kyle Resnick – violin (1, 4–5, 7, 9–17) * Bobby Hawk – violin (3) * Aaron Dessner – vermona pulse (13) * Robin Baynton – piano (Bowery on 15)


Technical

* Taylor Swift – executive producer * Jonathan Low –  recording (1–2, 4–17), vocal recording (1–5; Swift on 6, 9; 10–14; Swift on 15; 17), mixing (all tracks) * Aaron Dessner – recording (1–2, 4–17) * Greg Calbi –  mastering * Steve Fallone – mastering * Laura Sisk – recording (3), vocal recording (8) * John Rooney – assistant engineering (3) * Jon Sher – assistant engineering (3) *
Ariel Rechtshaid Ariel Rechtshaid ( ;) is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. His accolades include three Grammy Awards for music production. Rechtshaid was the lead singer and guitarist of the ska ...
– vocal recording (Danielle and Este Haim on 6) * Matt DiMona – vocal recording (Danielle and Este Haim on 6) * Robin Baynton – vocal recording (7; Swift on 9; Mumford on 11; 16) * Sean O'Brien – vocal recording (Berninger on 9) * Justin Vernon – vocal recording (Bon Iver on 15)


Design

* Beth Garrabrant – photography


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications and sales


Release history


See also

* List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2020 * List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2021 * List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2020s * List of UK Album Downloads Chart number ones of the 2020s *
List of number-one albums of 2020 (Australia) The ARIA Albums Chart ranks the best-performing albums and extended plays (EPs) in Australia. Its data, published by the Australian Recording Industry Association, is based collectively on the weekly physical and digital sales of albums and E ...
* List of number-one albums of 2021 (Australia) * List of number-one albums of 2020 (Canada) * List of number-one albums of 2021 (Canada) *
List of number-one albums from the 2020s (New Zealand) This is the Recorded Music NZ list of number-one albums in New Zealand during the 2020s decade. In New Zealand, Recorded Music NZ compiles the top 40 albums chart each Friday, and dates the chart for the following Monday. Over-the-counter sales o ...
* List of number-one albums of 2021 (Belgium)


Footnotes


References


External links

* * {{Authority control 2020 albums ARIA Award-winning albums Albums produced by Jack Antonoff Albums produced by Aaron Dessner Albums produced by Taylor Swift Albums impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic Alternative rock albums by American artists Chamber pop albums Folk-pop albums Folk albums by American artists Republic Records albums Surprise albums Taylor Swift albums Albums produced by Bryce Dessner