"Peace" (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 a song by American singer-songwriter

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

. It was written by Swift and its producer

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 is the fifteenth track on her eighth studio album, ''

Folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

'', which was released on July 24, 2020, through

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

. Swift has named "Peace" her most personal song on the album. Set to a slow minimal composition of a soft piano and harmonized guitars over a ticking electric pulse, "Peace" is a

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 ...

song that combines elements of R&B,

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

. Its lyricism sees Swift pledge her commitment to her lover while discussing the negative impact of her superstardom on their private life. She warns him of all the troubles one has to face when with her, and questions him whether it would be adequate if she could never give him the normalcy they strive to attain in her highly publicized life. Reviews praised "Peace" for its emotional lyrics, Swift's elastic vocal performance, and stripped instrumentation. Several music critics named it one of the best songs Swift has ever written, picked it as the album's most

autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

song, and noted traces of the vulnerable themes from Swift's sixth studio album, ''

Reputation The reputation of a social entity (a person, a social group, an organization, or a place) is an opinion about that entity typically as a result of social evaluation on a set of criteria, such as behavior or performance. Reputation is a ubiquitous ...

'' (2017), in the song. Upon ''Folklore'' release, "Peace" peaked at number 58 in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and in top 50 of single charts in Australia and Canada.

Background and release

conceived ''

'' as a set of mythopoeic visuals in her mind, a result of her imagination "running wild" while isolating herself during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Swift penned "Peace" upon hearing an instrumental track composed by

. She felt an "immediate sense of serenity" that provided the tranquil feeling of at being peaceful, however, she thought it would be "too on-the-nose" to sing about finding peace; Swift hence wrote about complex "conflicted" feelings in contrast to the calming sound of the track. She recorded it in one vocal take. On July 23, 2020, Swift announced her eighth studio album, ''Folklore'', and revealed its track listing where "Peace" placed fifteenth. The album was released on July 24, 2020.

Composition and lyrics

Characterized by a sparse,

instrumentation, "Peace" is a minimal R&B-influenced song with a slow

bassline, consisting of three lushly harmonized

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

s juxtaposed over a ticking

pulse In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the nec ...

, further textured by subtle

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

s and a drizzle of soft piano notes. Swift employs her soulful

y vocals in the "Peace", via a complex vocal melody, ranging between F₃ to A₄. The song is written in the key of

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...

and has a moderately fast tempo of 150 beats per minute. The song structure of "Peace" is an

ode An ode (from grc, ᾠδή, ōdḗ) is a type of lyric poetry. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structured in three majo ...

reminiscent of a prayer. Its lyrics discuss the effects of Swift's hectic superstardom on her private life, and is directly addressed to her lover, warning them of the challenges that come with them being a part of her hyper-publicized life. The song's title is deceptive, since "Peace" is about failing to achieve peace, seeing Swift confess that "tranquility is the only thing she can't promise" her lover. After witnessing the dissection and blemish of her personal life by the press for over a decade, especially

tabloid media Tabloid journalism is a popular style of largely sensationalism, sensationalist journalism (usually dramatized and sometimes unverifiable or even Fake news, blatantly false), which takes its name from the Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid ne ...

, Swift has been tight-lipped and private about her boyfriend since 2016, English actor

Joe Alwyn Joseph Matthew Alwyn (born 21 February 1991) is an English actor. He made his feature film debut as the titular character in Ang Lee's 2016 war drama, '' Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk,'' and has since played supporting roles in films such as ...

, who co-wrote and co-produced select tracks on ''Folklore''. "Peace" channels the balance Swift struck between her private and public lives, more rooted in her personal life unlike the fictional majority of ''Folklore''. Notable details in the song's lyrics include Swift's mention of Alwyn's younger brother in the lyric "Family that I chose now that I see your brother as my brother", the second time she mentions him in her discography, after the track "Paper Rings" from her 2019 album '' Lover''. An ''

Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...

'' critic opined that the lyric "But there's robbers to the east / clowns to the West" is a mention of her famous feuds, underscoring "the spectacle of Swift's everyday and her inability to escape the trappings of public life"; "robbers" referring to

Scott Borchetta Scott Borchetta (born July 3, 1962) is an American record executive and founder of the Big Machine Label Group. He started the label in 2005 with 13 employees, as its president/CEO and encompasses four imprints: Big Machine Records, BMLG Record ...

, who sold the masters of Swift's first six albums to

Scooter Braun Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun (born June 18, 1981) is an American entrepreneur, investor, and entertainment executive. Known as the manager for artists such as Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, J Balvin, Demi Lovato, The Kid Laroi and other artists ...

, while the "clowns to the West" refers to

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

and his ex-wife

Kim Kardashian Kimberly Noel Kardashian (formerly West; born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, media personality, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the sex ...

Critical reception

Sarah Carson of ''i'' remarked "Peace" as "the most romantic song" Swift has ever written, containing the "storybook poetry hallmarks" of her early

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

career, and underlined the lyric "All these people think love's for show / But I would die for you in secret." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' critic Chris Wilman called "Peace" the "champion romance song", and along with fellow track " Invisible String", found it a suitable addition that contrasts the overaching sadness of ''Folklore''. He thought "Peace" is a "realistic" love ballad that "renders all the compensatory vows of

fidelity Fidelity is the quality of faithfulness or loyalty. Its original meaning regarded duty in a broader sense than the related concept of ''fealty''. Both derive from the Latin word ''fidēlis'', meaning "faithful or loyal". In the City of London f ...

and courage all the more credible and deeply lovely". ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' Laura Snapes complimented the "deep dedication" Swift expresses in "Peace". Writing for ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

'', Nate Jones felt that "Peace" is "more clearly autobiographical than much of the album", having Swift apologize to her lover for "the stress that comes with dating one of the world's most famous women". He added that the song's purpose can come off as "an insufferable flex", but "her unassuming authenticity keeps it far away from humblebrag territory". Callie Ahlgrim of ''

'' said the song has Swift promise to give her partner "passion and warmth and undying loyalty" but yet "wrestles with her inability to promise peace". Also writing for ''Insider'', Courteney Larocca admired the song's "gut-wrenchingly vulnerable" lyrics, "stunning" musical composition, and Swift's "crisp" vocal performance. She also drew lyrical parallels between "Peace" and Swift's older songs " Call It What You Want" (2017) and " The Archer" (2019).

WRVU WRVU is a student-run college radio station associated with, but not operated by, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. It broadcasts via streaming radio, and from 1973 to 2014, it was also broadcast on licensed radio stations in Nashvi ...

stated that "Peace" is one of the "most exquisite" songs Swift has ever written, representing a love song in "the absolute purest and most devoted sense", with some of the "lushest" lyrics she has ever written. The review praised the "improvisational"

song structure Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs. Common forms include bar form, 32-bar form, verse–chorus form, ternary form, strophic form, and ...

of "Peace", deviating from standard pop structures of "a regular

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

", and pinpointed that the song's central theme is a derivative of Swift's sixth studio album, ''

''. In a mixed commentary, Kathryn Flynn of ''

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 ...

'' felt the song's slow pace and muted R&B sound does not fit the overall texture of ''Folklore''.

Commercial performance

Upon ''Folklore'' release, all of the album's tracks debuted on both the US ''Billboard'' Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and the all-genre

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

charts; "Peace" entered at number 12 on the former, and at number 58 on the latter. It further reached number 33 on Australia's

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 ...

and number 46 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes and ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' *

– vocals, songwriter *

– producer, songwriter, recording engineer, bass, piano, synthesizer, field recording, Mellotron and drone *

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 ...

–

Pulse In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the nec ...

* Laura Sisk – recording engineer * Jonathan Low – mixing, recording engineer * Randy Merrill – mastering engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 2020 songs Taylor Swift songs Songs written by Taylor Swift Songs written by Aaron Dessner Song recordings produced by Aaron Dessner