"Lavender Haze" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her tenth studio album, ''

Midnights ''Midnights'' is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 21, 2022, via Republic Records. Announced at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, the album marks Swift's first body of new work since her 2020 ...

'' (2022). It was written by Swift, Jack Antonoff,

Jahaan Sweet Jahaan Akil Sweet also known as J. Sweet, is an American musician, record producer, songwriter, and pianist from Jacksonville, Florida. He has produced for a variety of artists including Kehlani, Drake (musician), Drake, Eminem, The Carters, Ty Dol ...

, Sounwave, Zoë Kravitz, and Sam Dew, and produced by the first four in addition to Braxton Cook. According to Swift, the title is a 1950s-dated common phrase referring to the state of being in love, inspired by the series '' Mad Men''. The track was released to US radio on November 29, 2022, as the album's second single by

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

. Musically, "Lavender Haze" hybridizes

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

, ambient house, R&B, and

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

music, with elements of

electro hip hop Hip house, also known as rap house or house rap, is a musical genre that mixes elements of house music and hip hop, that originated in both London, United Kingdom and Chicago, United States in the mid to late 1980s. British group the Beatmaste ...

; its production uses

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, o ...

s, muffled synth drum beats, and layered,

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...

vocals in the

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...

. The lyrics were inspired by the online and

tabloid Tabloid may refer to: * Tabloid journalism, a type of journalism * Tabloid (newspaper format), a newspaper with compact page size ** Chinese tabloid * Tabloid (paper size), a North American paper size * Sopwith Tabloid, a biplane aircraft * ''Ta ...

scrutiny surrounding the romantic relationship between Swift and English actor Joe Alwyn. Upon the release of ''Midnights'', "Lavender Haze" charted at number two in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United States, and on the ''Billboard'' Global 200. Critics praised the song's sultry mood, danceability, and straightforward lyrics. The music video for "Lavender Haze", written and directed by Swift, was released on January 27, 2023. It incorporates

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

and surrealist elements, and features Dominican-American model Laith Ashley as Swift's love interest. The song was performed for the first time on the Eras Tour (2023).

Background and writing

On August 28, 2022, Taylor Swift announced her tenth studio album, ''

'', set for release on October 21, 2022. The track-list was not immediately revealed. Jack Antonoff, a longtime collaborator of Swift who had worked with her since her fifth studio album ''

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'' (2014), was confirmed as a producer on ''Midnights'' by a video posted to Swift's

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account on September 16, 2022, titled "The making of Midnights". Beginning on September 21, 2022, Swift began unveiling the track-list in a randomized order through her short video series on TikTok, called ''Midnights Mayhem with Me''. It consisted of 13 episodes, with one song revealed in every episode. Swift rolls a lottery cage containing 13 ping pong balls numbered from one to thirteen, each representing a track of ''Midnights'', and when a ball drops out, she disclosed the title of the corresponding track on the album, through a telephone. In the ninth episode on October 7, 2022, Swift announced the title of the album's opening track as "Lavender Haze". Zoe Kravitz 2020 dvna studio

The singer revealed that she first stumbled upon the expression "lavender haze" when watching season 2, episode 12 of period drama series '' Mad Men''. She then became intrigued by its meaning and found out about its origin in the 1950s. The singer subsequently saw parallels between the expression and her relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn. Swift explained that the song was specifically inspired by her relationship with Alwyn. To Swift, the title signified an "all-encompassing love glow". After revealing the song title as part of her TikTok series "Midnights Mayhem" on October 7, 2022, she went into further detail explaining the lyrics on her social media: The song stood out when writing credits for the album were revealed on October 18, as it featured a more varied assembly of songwriters, including Zoë Kravitz, who had been friends with Swift for several years prior to the collaboration. Jazz musician Braxton Cook, who had been college roommates with Swift's collaborator

, provided a vocal sample that was ultimately used in the song. For his contribution, Cook received production credit. As an Easter egg for the then-still-unannounced song, Swift unveiled a "Lavender Edition" of ''Midnights'' upon release, exclusively available from Target.

Composition and lyrics

"Lavender Haze" is a moody song rooted in ambient house, and

genres such

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

and dream pop. Rob Sheffield from '' Rolling Stone'' described it as a 1990s R&B track, and Chris Willman from ''Variety'' described it as an " emo-erotic" song that leans towards modern R&B. Alex Blimes of ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' dubbed it a "slow disco" song. It has a rhythmic-oriented, electro-hip-hop-inflected production with layered,

vocals in the

, propelling

s and synth drums. Ann Powers of NPR thought the song's layered vocals and synth drums are reminiscent of the music by Whitney Houston. The lyrics are about the tabloid scrutiny and online rumors that Swift and Alwyn face, and wanting to stay away from it all with her lover. Neil McCormick of '' The Telegraph'' noted "the Prince-like

funkiness" throughout the track, illustrated by "high-pitched backing vocals" from producer Jack Antonoff. Swift addresses engagement and marriage rumors with Alwyn, stressing how the concept has become outdated. She refers to questions surrounding the relationship as "dizzying" and compliments Alwyn's disregard to public inquiries about their relationship. Lyrically, the song was compared to " Delicate", "Dress" and " Call It What You Want", all from her album '' Reputation'' (2017).

Release

released ''Midnights'' on October 21, 2022 at 12:00 EDT, with "Lavender Haze" sequenced as the opening track. On November 29, 2022, the song was released to US

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

as the album's second

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

. Following the premiere of the music video, "Lavender Haze" was made available for digital download in the US on Swift's official webstore. A

tropical house Tropical house, also known as trop house, is a subgenre of house music, and a derivation of tropical music, with elements of dancehall and Balearic house. Artists of the genre are often featured at various summer festivals such as Tomorrowland. T ...

remix of "Lavender Haze" by German DJ Felix Jaehn was released on February 10, 2023. Three more remixes by Tensnake, Snakehips and Jungle, respectively, followed on March 3, 2023 and were released individually as digital downloads exclusively to Swift’s official webstore. All three, along with the remix by Felix Jaehn, were also released together that same day to

streaming services An over-the-top media service is a streaming media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms, the companies that traditionally act as a controller or distributors of s ...

in a remix EP.

Critical reception

"Lavender Haze" received critical acclaim. '' Rolling Stone''s Brittany Spanos described the song as the most explicit on the album about Swift's "forcefield of protection", and compared it to " Cruel Summer" (2019) thematically, both being about "love glow breaking through all the negativity, criticism, and expectations." Sonically, Spanos praised the track's restrained, "subtle and shimmering sound" setting the mood for ''Midnights'' as the opening track. Chris Willmam of ''Variety'' opined that the song harkens Swift "back in autobiographical territory as a lyricist". Rick Quinn, writing for '' PopMatters,'' dubbed the song an "infectiously danceable tune". ''Paste'' critic Ellen Johnson said the song has a "sultry" melody with the lyrics expressing "

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

discontent". In congruence, ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

Carl Wilson Carl Dean Wilson (December 21, 1946 – February 6, 1998) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian and Dennis, and the group's ''de ...

wrote that "Lavender Haze" references the Madonna–whore complex. ''

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 ...

'' ranked "Lavender Haze" as the 69th best song of 2022.

Commercial performance

"Lavender Haze" received over 16.4 million plays in its first 24 hours on Spotify globally, becoming the second biggest opening day for a song in the platform's history, behind the album's lead single " Anti-Hero". In the United States, "Lavender Haze" debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (behind "Anti-Hero" at number one) with 41.4 million streams, 2,800 digital downloads sold, and 2.4 million airplay audience. With this, Swift earned the most number-two hits for a female artist in the chart's history. Swift became the first artist to simultaneously occupy the top-10 spots of the Hot 100; and the first act to occupy the entire top-10 of the Hot 100, Streaming Songs, and

Digital Songs 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 sta ...

charts simultaneously. ''Midnights'' also became the first album in history to contain 10 top-10 songs. "Lavender Haze" spent a second consecutive week inside the top-10 of the Hot 100, alongside "Anti-Hero", " Bejeweled" and " Midnight Rain". After its release as the second single from ''Midnights'', "Lavender Haze" charted at number six on the Pop Airplay and at number eight on the Adult Pop Airplay charts, becoming Swift's milestone twentieth top ten hit on the former and her twenty-seventh one on the latter.

Music video

The music video for "Lavender Haze" was teased along with the music videos for " Anti-Hero" and " Bejeweled" during the ''Midnights'' album trailer on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

on October 20, 2022. It premiered on Swift's Vevo channel on YouTube at midnight EST on January 27, 2023.

Synopsis

In the

video, Swift rises from her bed, where her lover, portrayed by Laith Ashley, lies asleep. A lavender-hued mist appears from underneath the bed and engulfs the room. The video cuts to Swift on a couch watching a weather channel on television, wearing a purple fur coat. She crawls towards the television through patches of lavender flowers and parts the screen like curtains, revealing koi fish swimming through an outer space featuring stars and bright purple clouds. In the next scene, Swift lies seemingly disrobed in a purple-hued pool. The video intercuts between Swift in the pool and in the lavender before cutting to her at a party with her lover, where they are dancing, engulfed in the lavender mist. The video ends with Swift back in her bedroom. The walls suddenly fall down, revealing the house to be afloat in space, and then leaving her on a cloud surrounded by the floating koi fish.

Analysis and interpretation

* A vinyl record titled " Mastermind" is seen on the floor in the first scene of the video; the album artwork features the

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s of

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and

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, which are the

zodiac signs In Western astrology, astrological signs are the twelve 30-degree sectors that make up Earth's 360-degree orbit around the Sun. The signs enumerate from the first day of spring, known as the First Point of Aries, which is the vernal equinox. ...

of Swift and Alwyn, respectively. * A lit incense stick is also seen in the first few shots, alluding to the lyrics of "

Maroon Maroon ( US/ UK , Australia ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word ''marron'', or chestnut. "Marron" is also one of the French translations for "brown". According to multiple dictionaries, there are var ...

", the second track of ''Midnights''. * The weather forecast news on TV displays a weather map of the eastern US, reporting rain at midnight in several locations—a reference to " Midnight Rain", the sixth track of ''Midnights''. * Ashley, who is Swift's love interest in the video, is also the weatherman on TV. This is considered a reference to a lyric in the bridge of " Karma", the 11th track of ''Midnights''. * Several fans and journalists identified the incorporation of koi fish as an easter egg of what is presumed to be Swift's next re-recorded album, ''Speak Now (Taylor's Version);'' the custom guitar Swift used to play songs acoustically at the Speak Now World Tour (2011–12) prominently featured three similar koi fish. * The music video features a house floating in space surrounded by the koi fish, which has been compared to the fishbowl scene in the music video for Swift's 2019 single "

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 ...

Track listing

;Digital download - Single # "Lavender Haze" – 3:22 ;Digital download and streaming – Remixes # "Lavender Haze" (Tensnake remix) – 3:34 # "Lavender Haze" (Snakehips remix) – 3:07 # "Lavender Haze" (Jungle remix) – 3:55 # "Lavender Haze" (Felix Jaehn remix) – 2:51 # "Lavender Haze" – 3:22

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''Midnights''. Recording * Recorded at Rough Customer Studio (Brooklyn), Electric Lady Studios (New York City), and Henson Recording Studio (Los Angeles) * Mixed at MixStar Studios ( Virginia Beach) * Mastered at Sterling Sound ( Edgewater, New Jersey) *

's performance was recorded by himself at the Sweet Spot (Los Angeles) * Dominik Rivinius's performance was recorded by Ken Lewis at Neon Wave Studio ( Pirmasens, Germany) Personnel * Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriter, producer * Jack Antonoff – songwriter, producer, engineer, drums, programming, percussion,

synths 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 f ...

, Juno 6,

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

, Wurlitzer, background vocals, recording * Zoë Kravitz – songwriter, background vocals * Sounwave – songwriter, producer, programming * Jahaan Sweet – songwriter, producer, engineer,

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, bass pad, flute, Juno 6, recording * Sam Dew – songwriter, background vocals, recording * Braxton Cook – additional producer * Dominik Rivinius – snare * Laura Sisk – engineer, recording * Ken Lewis – engineer, recording * Megan Searl – assistant engineer * Jon Sher – assistant engineer * John Rooney – assistant engineer * Mark Aguilar – assistant engineer * Jonathan Garcia – assistant engineer * Şerban Ghenea – mixing engineer * Bryce Bordone – assistant mix engineer * Randy Merrill – mastering engineer

Charts

Certifications

Release history

Footnotes

References

{{Authority control 2022 songs 2022 singles Taylor Swift songs Songs written by Taylor Swift Songs written by Jack Antonoff Songs written by Sounwave Songs written by Sam Dew Song recordings produced by Taylor Swift Song recordings produced by Jack Antonoff American synth-pop songs American contemporary R&B songs Songs with feminist themes Transgender-related mass media Dream pop songs Psychedelic art