Holy Ground (song)

"Holy Ground" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her fourth studio album, ''Red'' (2012). Produced by Jeff Bhasker, "Holy Ground" is an upbeat song combining country rock and heartland rock with insistent drums. In the lyrics, the narrator reminisces about a good moment in a failed relationship; she describes where she and the ex-lover once stood as "holy ground".

Music critics praised the lyrical maturity for its showcase of a more complicated understanding of failed relationships and departed from the bitter sentiments on Swift's previous songs. Some picked it as an album highlight and one of Swift's best songs in her discography. "Holy Ground" peaked at number 12 on the US ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and number 89 on the Canadian Hot 100.

A re-recorded version, "Holy Ground (Taylor's Version)", was released as part of Swift's re-recorded album ''Red (Taylor's Version)'' on November 12, 2021. The song peaked at number 77 on the ''Billboard'' Global 200 and entered on singles charts in Canada and the United States.

Production

Swift released her third studio album, ''Speak Now'', in October 2010. She wrote the album by herself and co-produced it with Nathan Chapman. ''Speak Now'' was similar to Swift's previous album, ''Fearless'' (2008), in its country pop production style.

On her fourth studio album, ''Red'' (2012), Swift wanted to experiment with other musical styles. To this end, she approached different producers beyond her career base in Nashville, Tennessee. One such producer was Jeff Bhasker, whose drum work on the songs by pop-rock band Fun inspired Swift; she finished writing "Holy Ground" before meeting with Bhasker in his studio. There, Swift played the whole song on acoustic guitar, which left Bhasker impressed: "I was just blown away at how stone cold she was ..Her style of songwriting is very, very honest. She's just a really old soul."

Release and chart performance

"Holy Ground" is track number 11 on ''Red'', which was released on October 22, 2012, by Big Machine Records. After ''Red'' was released, in the U.S., "Holy Ground" peaked at number 12 on the ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and number 37 on the Hot Country Songs in November 2012. In Canada, it peaked at number 89.

Following a dispute with Big Machine over the rights to the master recordings of Swift's first six studio albums, Swift re-recorded the whole ''Red'' album and released it as ''Red (Taylor's Version)'' under Republic Records imprint on November 12, 2021; the re-recording of "Holy Ground" is titled "Holy Ground (Taylor's Version)". Bhasker returned on the re-recording as producer. "Holy Ground (Taylor's Version)" debuted and peaked at number 76 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 62 on the Canadian Hot 100, and number 77 on the ''Billboard'' Global 200.

Music and lyrics

Swift wrote "Holy Ground" inspired by an encounter with an ex-lover. Reflecting on the incident, Swift thought, "You know what? That was good... having that in my life." She said that the relationship that inspired the song had ended years ago, which she appreciated rather than feeling bitter about its unpleasant ending. The upbeat track features a recurring guitar riff and constant fast-paced drum beats that, according to Brad Nelson from ''The Atlantic'', are "insistent enough to act as punctuation for the lyrics".

Rob Sheffield from ''Rolling Stone'' noted influences of 1980s music by Billy Idol on the guitar. Musicologist James E. Perone characterized "Holy Ground" as country rock, with a "take on the country-pop tradition that had not really been found before in Swift's previous recordings". Meanwhile, Jonathan Keefe from ''Slant Magazine'' said that it is a heartland rock track. Other critics said the track features elements of pop rock and country on the drum beats, which Brittany Spanos from ''Rolling Stone'' described as "jaunty but gentle". The 2021 re-recording, "Holy Ground (Taylor's Version)", features an identical production, but Swift's vocals do not feature the twang as in the 2012 version.

In the lyrics, the narrator tells a past relationship that ran on "New York time". She reminisces about the early days of a blossoming romance, "Took off faster than a green light, go." There is a fleeting but exhilarating moment which makes the narrator feels that the ground on which the couple used to stand was "holy ground". According to Perone, the lyrics showcased a new side to Swift's songwriting; whereas her previous songs are mostly bitter confessions accusing ex-lovers of wrongdoings, the narrator in "Holy Ground" tells her ex-lover, "Tonight I'm gonna dance... but I don't wanna dance, if I'm not dancing with you," with a bittersweet and melancholic atmosphere in the wake of a breakup. Nelson agreed that Swift's take on failed relationships became "charmingly complicated".

Randy Lewis from the ''Los Angeles Times'', citing the lyric, "For the first time I had something to lose," said the song explores vulnerability and more nuanced relationship issues for Swift as an adult, transcending the adolescent perspective on her past albums. In ''PopMatters'', Arnold Pan picked "Holy Ground" as an example of Swift's songwriting for crafting specific lyrical details setting her apart from generic lyrics found in other pop artists' music, citing the line "Spinning like a girl in a brand new dress, we had this big wide city all to ourselves" as an example.

Critical reception

In reviews of ''Red'', "Holy Ground" received critical acclaim, and many music critics picked it as an album highlight. According to Perone, "Holy Ground" is a ''Red'' track that deserves the attention of casual listeners who are not fans of Swift. He praised the lyrical maturity and found the upbeat production, though at odds with the sentimental lyrics, "somehow works" because of the pop hook. Chris Willman of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' cited "Holy Ground" as one of the album's finest tracks, and remarked that the "driving drum and rhythm guitar... grab your attention from hefirst verse to helast". In ''Idolators review of ''Red'', Sam Lansky called it the "most startling" track; he highlighted the strong lyricism and dynamic production. Jonathan Keefe of ''Slant Magazine'' selected "Holy Ground" as one of ''Red'' tracks that experiment beyond Swift's country-pop comfort zone, where "the production is creative and contemporary in ways that are in service to Swift's songwriting".

'' The Spectrum'' commended the "anthemic", rock-influenced production: "Plenty of bands try it, but it takes a 20-something former country-pop star wiftto pull it off." ''The New Zealand Herald'' Scott Kara picked it as one of the strongest ''Red'' tracks: "These songs prove she's a strong enough songwriter to play it straight, while still being ambitious." '' Paste'' picked "Holy Ground" as one of the standouts on the album and described it as "hurried, yet precise, and rocking the hell out". Reviewing ''Red (Taylor's Version)'', Olivia Horn from ''Pitchfork'' selected the song as one of Swift's "great masterpieces" in her career. Spanos included "Holy Ground" among the 10 best album cuts from Swift's discography, and Sheffield in 2021 placed it among the 20 best songs out of Swift's 237-song catalog: "Nobody does zero-to-60 emotional peel outs like our girl." ''Today'' journalist Francesca Gariano ranked "Holy Ground" second on a list of the top 10 songs by Swift of the 2010s decade, behind "All Too Well", another ''Red'' track.

On a less positive side, Mesfin Fekadu from the Associated Press deemed the song average, and Bernard Perusse from the ''Edmonton Journal'' considered it an album filler.

Live performances

Swift included "Holy Ground" in the set list to the concerts on the Red Tour (2013–2014), where she sang the song in front of a New York cityscape background. The song was part of the set list for Swift's concert at the 2016 Formula One Grand Prix in Austin, Texas on October 22. On the Seattle show of her Reputation Stadium Tour on May 22, 2018, Swift performed a stripped-down version of "Holy Ground" as a "surprise song".

In September 2019, during promotion of her seventh studio album '' Lover'', she performed a slowed, stripped-down piano version of "Holy Ground" on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge held in New York City. Swift said the version was meant to "flip the coin of the song and show another side of it"; Rebecca Alter from ''Vulture'' remarked that the Live Lounge rendition contained a "soulful, wise... maturity". She performed it again as a "surprise song" for two dates of her Eras Tour: the first is the May 27, 2023, show in East Rutherford, and the second is the February 7, 2024, show in Tokyo.

Personnel

"Holy Ground"

* Taylor Swift – lead vocals, songwriting
* Jeff Bhasker – production, programming, bass, keyboards, piano, background vocals
* Pawel Sek – engineering
* Tyler Sam Johnson – engineering, background vocals
* John Hanes – engineering
* Tim Roberts – assistant engineering
* Serban Ghenea – mixing
* Anders Mouridsen – guitar family

"Holy Ground (Taylor's Version)"

* Taylor Swift – lead vocals, background vocals, songwriter
* Jeff Bhasker – producer, Moog, Juno, background vocals
* Christopher Rowe – vocals engineer
* Ian Gold – drum programming, engineer
* Bryce Bordone – engineer
* Serban Ghenea – mixing
* Mike Meadows – acoustic guitar
* Anders Mouridsen – electric guitar
* Bebel Matsumiya – background vocals

Charts

"Holy Ground"

"Holy Ground (Taylor's Version)"

References

Cited sources

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2012 songs
Taylor Swift songs
Songs written by Taylor Swift
Song recordings produced by Jeff Bhasker
Heartland rock songs
Country rock songs