''Reputation'' (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 sixth 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. Bor ...
. It was released on November 10, 2017, by
Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records is an American independent record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Specializing in country and pop artists, Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by fo ...
, and would be her last release under the label. Swift became a subject of rampant
tabloid scrutiny following the release of her fifth studio album ''
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
'' (2014), with the media outlets highly publicizing her personal life and her celebrity disputes. She hence secluded herself from the press and social media, where she had maintained an active presence, and created ''Reputation'' as an effort to revamp her state of mind.
Influenced by the commotion, Swift wrote ''Reputation'' under two major themes: the excessive gossip surrounding her, and finding love during tumultuous events. She recruited
Jack Antonoff
Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. Antonoff is the lead singer of rock band Bleachers, and is the guitarist and drummer in the pop rock band Fun. He was p ...
,
, and
Shellback for the album's production. Marking a stark shift from the
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 ...
style of its predecessor, ''Reputation'' is built around
electropop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
,
R&B, and
trap
A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research.
Trap or TRAP may also refer to:
Art and entertainment Films and television
* ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...
, inspired by
urban
Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to:
* Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas
* Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities
Urban may also refer to:
General
* Urban (name), a list of people ...
genres such as
EDM
EDM or E-DM may refer to:
Music
* Electronic dance music
* Early Day Miners, American band
Science and technology
* Electric dipole moment
* Electrical discharge machining
* Electronic distance measurement
*Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
,
hip hop, and
Miami bass
Miami bass (booty music or booty bass) is a subgenre of hip hop music that became popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The use of drums from the Roland TR-808, sustained kick drum, heavy bass, raised dance tempos, and frequently sexually explicit l ...
, resulting in a heavy
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 ...
production consisting of pulsing
drum machines, swelling
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 manipulated vocals.
In keeping with the album's themes, Swift did not promote ''Reputation'' through press interviews, which she had done for previous releases. Four international singles—"
Look What You Made Me Do
"Look What You Made Me Do" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 24, 2017, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Reputation'' (2017). Swift wrote and produ ...
", "
...Ready for It?", "
End Game" featuring
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
and
Future
The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...
, and "
Delicate"—supported the album; they peaked at number one, four, eighteen and twelve on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. "
Gorgeous" and "
Call It What You Want" preceded the album as
promotional tracks, while "
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...
" was serviced 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 ...
and "
Getaway Car
A crime scene getaway is the act of fleeing the location where one has broken the law. It is an act that the offender(s) may or may not have planned in detail, resulting in a variety of outcomes. A :crime scene is the "location of a crime; e ...
" to Australian radio. Contemporary critical response to ''Reputation'' was generally positive. Reviewers were divided on the brash sound and harsh themes, but praised Swift's resilient songwriting. Some critics felt the album is an intimate record in which Swift becomes vulnerable and discovers her inner self. Retrospective reviews have described ''Reputation'' as an album of experimentation and emotional evolution for Swift.
The album was Swift's fourth consecutive to debut atop the US
''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of over one million copies; it spent four weeks atop the chart. ''Reputation'' also topped charts in countries including Australia, Canada, and the UK. It was the best-selling album by a female artist of 2017, selling over 4.5 million copies. It was supported by the
Reputation Stadium Tour
The Reputation Stadium Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, in support of her sixth studio album ''Reputation'' (2017). The all- stadium tour began on May 8, 2018, in Glendale, Arizona, and concluded on ...
(2018), which became the highest-grossing North American tour of all time. ''Reputation'' was nominated for
Best Pop Vocal Album
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality vocal pop music albums. Awards in several ...
at the
61st Annual Grammy Awards
The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and fo ...
, listed on ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
'' list of the best albums of the 2010s decade, and has received sales certifications across the globe. Swift cleared out her website and social media accounts before announcing ''Reputation'', generating widespread attention across the internet; other artists have since emulated this tactic when announcing new music.
Background
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 ...
released her fifth studio album, ''
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
'', in October 2014. The album's
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 ...
production established Swift's official departure from the
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 ...
-oriented styles of her previous records. It received generally positive reviews from contemporary critics. A huge commercial success, the album sold over six million copies in the United States
and spawned three US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles–"
Shake It Off
"Shake It Off" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fifth studio album, ''1989''. Swift wrote the lyrics and composed the melody with producers Max Martin and Shellback. An uptempo dance-pop song featuring a saxop ...
", "
Blank Space
"Blank Space" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fifth studio album, ''1989''. The song was released to US radio stations as the second single from ''1989'' on November 10, 2014, by Republic Records in partners ...
", and "
Bad Blood".
Its
accompanying tour ran from May to December 2015 and was the highest-grossing concert tour of 2015. During promotion of ''1989'', Swift continued to be a major target of
tabloid gossip. She had short-lived romantic relationships with Scottish producer
Calvin Harris
Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums.
His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...
and English actor
Tom Hiddleston
Thomas William Hiddleston (born 9 February 1981) is an English actor. He gained international fame portraying Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), starting with ''Thor'' in 2011 and most recently in the Disney+ series ''Loki'' in 2021 ...
. Her media reputation was blemished from publicized
feuds
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one par ...
with several high-profile celebrities, such as with rapper
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 ...
, media personality
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 ...
, and singer
Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
.
Swift became increasingly reticent on social media, having maintained an active presence with a large following, and avoided interactions with the press amidst the tumultuous affairs.
On August 16, 2017, Swift cleared out her website and all of her
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
accounts, including
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
,
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 ...
and
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
. Two days later, a
glitch
A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system, such as a transient fault that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, in circuit bending, as well as among ...
y ten-second video of a snake was uploaded to her social accounts; two more such videos were posted in the next couple of days.
On August 23, 2017, Swift made posts across her social media, introducing ''Reputation'' as her upcoming sixth album, and added that its
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
, "Look What You Made Me Do" would come out the following night.
Production
![Antonoff in Tucson (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Antonoff_in_Tucson_%28cropped%29.jpg)
During her seclusion from social media, Swift worked on her sixth studio album with two production teams: one with
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
producer
Jack Antonoff
Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. Antonoff is the lead singer of rock band Bleachers, and is the guitarist and drummer in the pop rock band Fun. He was p ...
, and the other with Swedish producers
and
Shellback. She had previously worked with all three producers on ''1989''. By choosing a smaller production team compared to that of ''1989'', Swift envisioned that the album would be more coherent but still "versatile enough to kill ''1989''."
She wrote the songs as a "defense mechanism" against the tumultuous media gossip targeting her during the time, and as a means to revamp her state of mind. Elaborating on the songwriting, Swift told ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' in a 2019 interview that she followed the songwriting for her 2014 single "Blank Space", on which she satirized her perceived image. She said, "I took that template of, OK, this is what you're all saying about me. Let me just write from this character for a second."
In addition to the media commotion, love and friendship are major inspirations on the album, which corroborates Swift's trademark autobiographical storytelling through her songs.
The final cut of ''Reputation'' consists of 15 tracks, all of which Swift co-wrote.
Martin and Shellback, the former of whom was co-
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
with Swift on ''1989'', co-wrote and produced nine songs.
Antonoff co-wrote and co-produced with Swift the remaining six.
Swift's recording sessions with Antonoff mostly took place at his home studio in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, with several trips to
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
and
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
for him to incorporate ideas from other producers.
According to Antonoff, the sessions tried to capture Swift's emotions at a particular time, when "you can feel like you can conquer the world, or you can feel like the biggest piece of garbage that ever existed", resulting in a "very intense" record.
He encouraged Swift to portray emotional honesty, which he also implemented for his previous works with other musicians including
Lorde
Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Taking inspiration from aristocracy for her stage name, she is known for her unconventional musical styles and i ...
and
St. Vincent
Saint Vincent may refer to:
People Saints
* Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr
* Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia
* Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305) ...
.
He spoke of his work experience with Swift on ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'':
She is great at remembering the heart and soul of the process. Some people forget it — sometimes something works and everyone starts to rewire it. But she's really great at knowing what it's about: talking about what the hell is going on in your life and somehow finding a way to take that exact emotion and make a song out of it. That was the theme of those sessions: "Let’s just tell this story, whatever that story is, because that's the whole point."
As Swift wanted to record the album in secrecy, he kept his studio computer offline to prevent a possible
internet leak
An internet leak is the unauthorized release of information over the internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, a ...
, and deleted the recording trials once the
mixing and
mastering finalized.
The tracks produced by Swift and Antonoff feature a 1980s-styled sound equipped with pulsing
synthesizers
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 ...
and upbeat
choruses. For instance, Swift and Antonoff produced the song "
Call It What You Want" using an
Akai MPC
The Akai MPC (originally MIDI Production Center, now Music Production Center) is a series of music workstations produced by Akai from 1988 onwards. MPCs combine sampling and sequencing functions, allowing users to record portions of sound, modif ...
and a
Yamaha 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 ...
synthesizer. He cited that the song "
Look What You Made Me Do
"Look What You Made Me Do" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 24, 2017, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Reputation'' (2017). Swift wrote and produ ...
", which would be the album's lead single, "came from nowhere ... Nothing I do is really that planned." Incorporating an
interpolation
In the mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points.
In engineering and science, one often has a n ...
of "
I'm Too Sexy
"I'm Too Sexy" is a 1991 song by British group Right Said Fred, released as their debut single from their first album, '' Up'' (1992). It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, "I'm Too Sexy" topped the charts ...
" by English band
Right Said Fred
Right Said Fred are an English pop band formed by brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass in 1989. They are best known for the hit 1991 song " I'm Too Sexy". Their achievements include number 1 hits in 70 countries including one US number 1, o ...
, which Antonoff felt that it would bring about a "shock" element, the song is produced using "mostly modular synth, drums, big fuzzy guitars through those EMI strips that come in in the second pre-chorus."
An exception was the album's final track, "
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...
", which Swift and Antonoff recorded on an acoustic
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
devoid of electronic sounds.
Music and lyrics
Swift referred to ''Reputation'' as her "most cathartic album", and called the whole album "a
metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...
". She described the album's aesthetic as "evening-night", "all
cityscape
In the visual arts, a cityscape (urban landscape) is an artistic representation, such as a painting, drawing, print or photograph, of the physical aspects of a city or urban area. It is the urban equivalent of a landscape. ''Townscape'' is ...
, darkness, full swamp witch". In 2019, Swift revealed the reason why the album's title is 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 ...
, stating that ''Reputation'' "felt like it wasn't unapologetically commercial". Swift also highlighted out that she played an
alter ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...
in ''Reputation'', explaining "it was just so fun to play with on
tour
Tour or Tours may refer to:
Travel
* Tourism, travel for pleasure
* Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service
* Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus
* Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...
— the darkness and the bombast and the bitterness and the love and the ups and the downs of an emotional-turmoil record". The album's title alludes to many of its lyrical themes, such as handling fame and media scrutiny of celebrities. The cover artwork, which portrays Swift over a background of a
tabloid publication, reinforces these themes. The title also is derived from lyrics on the songs "
End Game" ("Big reputation, big reputation, ooh, you and me we got big reputations") and "
Delicate" ("My reputation's never been worse"). ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' called ''Reputation'' a
concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
.
Starkly departing from the
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 ...
textures of ''1989'', ''Reputation'' incorporates thumping
trap
A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research.
Trap or TRAP may also refer to:
Art and entertainment Films and television
* ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...
beats,
R&B, "harder-edged"
EDM
EDM or E-DM may refer to:
Music
* Electronic dance music
* Early Day Miners, American band
Science and technology
* Electric dipole moment
* Electrical discharge machining
* Electronic distance measurement
*Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
, especially
dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...
, melancholic
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
Miami bass
Miami bass (booty music or booty bass) is a subgenre of hip hop music that became popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The use of drums from the Roland TR-808, sustained kick drum, heavy bass, raised dance tempos, and frequently sexually explicit l ...
.
Greg Kot, writing for ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'', described the album as "another shift, this time into
electropop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
".
Neil McCormick
Neil McCormick (born 31 March 1961) is a British music journalist, author and broadcaster. He has been Chief Music Critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'' since 1996, and presented a music interview show for Vintage TV in the UK, Neil McCormick's Nee ...
, from ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'', defined it as "brash, weaponised pop",
while Sam Murphy of
Junkee
Junkee is an Australian popular culture and news website run by new media company Junkee Media. It covers various topics including film, university, food, TV, politics, travel, career, health and Internet culture. Its target demographic is 18- to ...
described ''Reputation'' sound as "dark trap".
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
's Ann Powers pointed out the influences of
urban
Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to:
* Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas
* Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities
Urban may also refer to:
General
* Urban (name), a list of people ...
genres, such as
hip hop and EDM, found throughout the album. Kitty Empire of ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' labeled ''Reputation'' a "riveting R&B set". Swift explained that the album had a linear timeline, starting with how she felt when she started working on the album, and transitioning to how she feels now,
with several songs inspired by the epic fantasy television series ''
Game of Thrones
''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...
''.
Songs
The opening track, "
...Ready for It?", is a "pop-oriented",
"
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 ...
-inspired"
electropop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
and
industrial pop
Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initiall ...
song,
with a thumping
bassline
Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, or classical music for the low-pitched Part ( ...
and elements of
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 ...
,
rap
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
,
dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...
and
trap
A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research.
Trap or TRAP may also refer to:
Art and entertainment Films and television
* ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...
. Swift states the song "introduces a metaphor you may hear more of throughout the rest album, which is like this kind of ''
Crime and Punishment
''Crime and Punishment'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Преступление и наказание, Prestupléniye i nakazániye, prʲɪstʊˈplʲenʲɪje ɪ nəkɐˈzanʲɪje) is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. ...
'' metaphor". The track is "basically about finding your own partner in crime", Swift said.
"
End Game", featuring American rapper
Future
The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...
and English singer
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
, is a self-reflective
hip hop,
R&B and
pop-rap
Pop rap (also known as pop hip-hop, hip pop, melodic hip-hop or melodic rap) is a genre of music fusing the rhythm-based lyricism of hip hop music with pop music's preference for melodious vocals and catchy tunes. This genre gained mainstrea ...
slow jam
A slow jam is music with rhythm and blues and soul influences. Slow jams are commonly R&B ballads
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', whi ...
.
It centers around the idea of Swift wanting to be some guy's "end game" or the one that he's aiming for. Heavily manipulated by electronic elements and punctuated by strong beats, "
I Did Something Bad
"I Did Something Bad" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her sixth studio album, ''Reputation (album), Reputation'' (2017). The song was written by Swift and its producers, Max Martin and Shellback (record producer) ...
" is a "bombastic" track with "unapologetic" lyrics that address "some of the narratives" that have surrounded Swift, incorporating a
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 ...
y
dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...
drop.
The song was initially developed on a piano. Swift explained to fans at a secret session with audio released on
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming Computing platform, platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbr ...
that the idea for the production of the song came to her in a dream. Swift described the concept to producer
, who used Swift's voice and pitched it down to create the desired effect in the post-chorus.
The song's lyrics were inspired by events taking place in the
season 7
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
finale episode of ''
Game of Thrones
''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...
'' and four of the series' central female characters:
Sansa Stark
Sansa Stark, later Alayne Stone, is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. Introduced in ''A Game of Thrones'' (1996), Sansa is the eldest daughter and second c ...
,
Arya Stark
Arya Stark is a fictional character in American author George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' epic fantasy novel series, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where she is portrayed by English actress Maisie Williams. She ...
,
Daenerys Targaryen
Daenerys Targaryen ( ) is a fictional character in the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' by American author George R. R. Martin. She is a prominent Narrative mode#Third-person view, point of view character, and is one of ...
, and
Cersei Lannister
Cersei Lannister is a fictional character in the '' A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation '' Game of Thrones'', where she is portrayed by Bermudan-English act ...
.
"
Don't Blame Me" is a moody, atmospheric, "thunderous" electropop
and
gospel pop song with a dark, "thick" production of slick
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, echoes and self-
harmonization
In music, harmonization is the chordal accompaniment to a line or melody: "Using chords and melodies together, making harmony by stacking scale tones as triads".
A harmonized scale can be created by using each note of a musical scale as a roo ...
. Swift's vocal performance in the song has been described as "fierce", backed by
gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
"love-as-a-drug" imagery in its lyrics.
"
Delicate" is a melodic "
electro-
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
" and
love song
A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...
, with tropical house and
dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
inflections, and a notable
resonant
Resonance describes the phenomenon of increased amplitude that occurs when the frequency of an applied periodic force (or a Fourier component of it) is equal or close to a natural frequency of the system on which it acts. When an oscillatin ...
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 ...
.
Swift's goal for the song was to use a
vocoder
A vocoder (, a portmanteau of ''voice'' and ''encoder'') is a category of speech coding that analyzes and synthesizes the human voice signal for audio data compression, multiplexing, voice encryption or voice transformation.
The vocoder was ...
to create an "emotional" and "vulnerable" sound for the track. The song is about "what happens when you meet somebody that you really want in your life and then you start worrying about what they've heard before they met you".
The sixth track, "
Look What You Made Me Do
"Look What You Made Me Do" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 24, 2017, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Reputation'' (2017). Swift wrote and produ ...
", started out as a poem and is "about realizing that you couldn't trust certain people, but realizing you appreciate the people you can trust."
It interpolates the song "
I'm Too Sexy
"I'm Too Sexy" is a 1991 song by British group Right Said Fred, released as their debut single from their first album, '' Up'' (1992). It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, "I'm Too Sexy" topped the charts ...
" by the British dance-pop group
Right Said Fred
Right Said Fred are an English pop band formed by brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass in 1989. They are best known for the hit 1991 song " I'm Too Sexy". Their achievements include number 1 hits in 70 countries including one US number 1, o ...
. Another ''Game of Thrones''-inspired track, the line "I've got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined" acts as a reference to
Arya Stark
Arya Stark is a fictional character in American author George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' epic fantasy novel series, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where she is portrayed by English actress Maisie Williams. She ...
's kill list in the show.
The melodramatic
Power Ballad
A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...
"So It Goes..." opens with a murky segment and advances into a trap-lite chorus. Lyrically, it sees Swift "getting caught up in the moment" and "reflecting on just how a new love interest might help her out of her fixations", using a
magician
Magician or The Magician may refer to:
Performers
* A practitioner of magic (supernatural)
* A practitioner of magic (illusion)
* Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context
Entertainment
Books
* ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...
imagery.
"
Gorgeous" has been described as a "fizzy" and "delightful",
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
-friendly
pop song,
that depicts "the pursuit of a maddening love interest", whom Swift describes as "gorgeous".
The song has an
electropop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
production that employs an
808 drum
The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patt ...
, over a bubbling,
chime-like beat. The baby voice featured in the song's intro is a sample of that of James Reynolds, daughter of
Blake Lively
Blake Ellender Lively ( Brown; born August 25, 1987) is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, Lively is the daughter of actor Ernie Lively, and made her professional debut in his directorial project ''Sandman'' (1998). She starred as Brid ...
and
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian-American actor. He is one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time, with a worldwide box-office gross of over billion.
He began his career starring in the Canadian teen ...
.
![Bonnieclyde f](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Bonnieclyde_f.jpg)
"
Getaway Car
A crime scene getaway is the act of fleeing the location where one has broken the law. It is an act that the offender(s) may or may not have planned in detail, resulting in a variety of outcomes. A :crime scene is the "location of a crime; e ...
" is a cinematic
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 ...
number with a shimmering
'80s production, reminiscent of the sounds of ''
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).
The song sees Swift performing a
metaphorical
A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared with ...
heist, through an "ill-fated love adventure",
attempting to leave a "doomed" relationship for someone else, using a
crime scene escape imagery. Swift also mentions
Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The co ...
in the lyrics. "King of My Heart" is a synth-heavy track,
which Swift structured such that each individual section of the song was its own phase of a relationship, with the sections getting deeper and more fast-paced as the song went on.
Once again, the song's lyrics were inspired by ''Game of Thrones'' and its characters, specifically the romantic relationship between Daenerys and
Khal Drogo
George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' saga features a large cast of characters. The series follows three interwoven plotlines: a dynastic war for control of Westeros by several families; the rising threat of the superhuman Others bey ...
, whereas the
programmed drums in the song were influenced by the drums played by the Dothraki, a clan in the series.
The eleventh track, "Dancing With Our Hands Tied", begins as a melancholic
downtempo
Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...
song that discusses Swift's "will-we-won’t-we tale" of
star-crossed lovers
"Star-crossed" or "star-crossed lovers" is a phrase describing a pair of lovers who, for some external reason, cannot be together. The term also has other meanings, but originally means that the pairing is being "thwarted by a malign star" or ...
, "separated by an unkind fate",
and also sees her singing about how "her every action is under the microscope". The sultry
R&B "Dress" contains Swift's breathy vocals,
with lyrics that she "came up with like a year before".
It has been described as Swift's "most overtly sexual work yet"
and "sexiest song to-date",
bringing out "her sensual side at last". Opening with a
siren
Siren or sirens may refer to:
Common meanings
* Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies
* Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology
Places
* Siren (town), Wisconsin
* Siren, Wisc ...
sound, "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" heavily references Swift's highly publicized feud with American rapper
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 television personality
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 ...
. The song is a "stomping call-out of the haters", and features "a burst" of Swift's
laughter
Laughter is a pleasant physical reaction and emotion consisting usually of rhythmical, often audible contractions of the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system. It is a response to certain external or internal stimuli. Laughter ...
.
The fourteenth track, "
Call It What You Want", was recorded at Antonoff's home studio in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
.
[References for recording at Jack Antonoff's home studio:
* Call It What You Want "Making of a Song":
* Antonoff's studio tour: ] Swift said the song best represents her then emotional state.
The song has been described as a "slow-burning meditation" and the "most by-the-book Swift song", filled with lyrical
pun
A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...
s.
It is a "stark" synth-pop love song,
in which Swift raps softly over a production "made with an MPC,
live kick,
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 19 ...
strings
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
", sampling her voice in the intro and throughout, "making her voice into an instrument". ''Reputation'' concludes with the
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 ...
tune "
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...
", which explores the flip-side of the romanticism of a
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
kiss, and is about how "the one that sticks around the next day" to "give you Advil and clean up the house" is the person that matters more.
The track is a tender, intimate,
acoustic piano ballad and love song, with lyrics acting as "evocative" snapshots, such as: "
glitter
Glitter is an assortment of small, reflective particles that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkle ...
on the floor after a party", "
candle wax
A candle is an ignitable candle wick, wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a Aroma compound, fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time.
...
and
polaroids on the
hardwood floor
Wood flooring is any product manufactured from timber that is designed for use as flooring, either structural or aesthetic. Wood is a common choice as a flooring material and can come in various styles, colors, cuts, and species. Bamboo flooring ...
", and "holding hands in the backseat of a taxi".
Artwork and packaging
''Reputation''s cover art was photographed by
Mert and Marcus
Mert and Marcus is the working name of two fashion photographers, Mert Alaş (born 1971) and Marcus Piggott (born 1971), who work together on a collaborative basis. Their work and style is influenced by photographer Guy Bourdin and, together, t ...
in London. The cover features Swift in her signature image of lipstick, slicked-back hair, grey sweatshirt, and
choker
A choker is a close-fitting necklace worn around the neck, typically 14 inch to 16 inch in length. Chokers can be made of a variety of materials, including velvet, plastic, beads, latex, leather, metal, such as silver, gold, or platinum, etc. The ...
necklace. Newspaper headlines and columns are superimposed over one side of her face, which is a mockery at media that plagued her life. The typeface used for the headlines is reminiscent of the signature font of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. ''
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 ...
''
's Tatiana Cirisano listed the album cover as one of the worst of 2017.
Target
Target may refer to:
Physical items
* Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports
** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports
** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
released two 72-page magazines that contain different content, including the album in the US.
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
distributed it in Canada. The magazines contain photos, handwritten lyrics, poetry and paintings by Swift. The ''Reputation Vol. 1'' magazine cover was shot by Mert and Marcus. ''Vol. 2'' was shot by Benny Horne and features Swift in a
camouflage
Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...
jacket.
Release and promotion
Following her social media blackout, Swift first announced through
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 ...
on August 23, 2017, that her sixth album would be titled ''Reputation'' and released on November 10, 2017.
The album's
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
, "
Look What You Made Me Do
"Look What You Made Me Do" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 24, 2017, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Reputation'' (2017). Swift wrote and produ ...
", was released the next day on August 24.
On September 2, Swift teased a second song during
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
's ''
Saturday Night Football
''ESPN Saturday Night Football on ABC'' (branded for sponsorship purposes as ''ESPN Saturday Night Football on ABC presented by Capital One'') is an American weekly presentation of prime time broadcasts of National Collegiate Athletic Association ...
'' telecast and was later posted on Instagram, titled "
...Ready for It?", previewing the new track. The song was released on September 3, 2017, as a promotional single. On October 20, 2017, Swift released a third song titled "
Gorgeous" at midnight as a promotional single.
A track named "
Call It What You Want" was released on November 2, 2017, as a promotional single with an accompanying lyric video.
On November 7,
Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to:
People
* Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer
* Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian
* Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and ma ...
reported the album would be kept off
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 ...
upon release for an undetermined amount of time and would only be available to purchase in digital and physical formats. Later that same day, Swift posted the album's track list to her social media accounts. ''Reputation'' became available to streaming services on December 1, 2017.
Digital purchases were initially exclusively sold through
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
and as a full album only. Streaming was limited to a branded
internet radio
Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...
station on
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming Computing platform, platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbr ...
's website and app until December 2017.
''Reputation'' was Swift's last studio album to be released under Big Machine Records. In November 2018, Swift departed Big Machine Records for
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 ...
.
Marketing
In August 2017,
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service (UPS, stylized as ups) is an American multinational corporation, multinational package delivery, shipping & receiving and supply chain management company founded in 1907. Originally known as the American Messenger Company ...
(UPS) announced it would be the "Official Delivery Partner" for ''Reputation''.
UPS trucks in select cities featured the ''Reputation'' album cover, and fans were encouraged to take pictures of the trucks and post images to Twitter with a hashtag for an "improved opportunity" to buy concert tickets.
A month before the album's release, Swift hosted exclusive secret sessions in London,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
, Los Angeles and
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
. She said, "Everything about this album is a secret." Each party had a number of attendees, with a total of 500 fans chosen from around the world, for whom the album was played but none of them leaked any music. The behind the scenes footage for the sessions was released on November 7 on ABC's ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
''.
Swift partnered with
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...
to produce a multi-part behind-the-scenes series chronicling the making of ''Reputation'', titled "The Making of a Song". The online series started on November 1 on AT&T's YouTube channel.
On November 9, a performance of the song "New Year's Day" was premiered during the broadcast of an episode of ABC's ''
Scandal
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
''.
It was filmed in one of the secret sessions, held at Swift's home in
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
on October 18, with an audience of 100 fans.
An extended version of Swift's performance was aired on November 10, during ''
The DUFF
''The DUFF'' (teen slang for "Designated Ugly Fat Friend") is a 2015 American high school teen comedy film directed by Ari Sandel. The screenplay by Josh Cagan was based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Kody Keplinger. The film stars Mae ...
''s air on
Freeform.
On November 11, Swift was the musical guest on the fifth episode of the
43rd season of ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'', where she performed "...Ready for It?" and "Call It What You Want" from the album. It was her first appearance on live television following the album's release, and her first appearance on the show since 2009.
Singles
On August 24, 2017, "
Look What You Made Me Do
"Look What You Made Me Do" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 24, 2017, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Reputation'' (2017). Swift wrote and produ ...
" was released as the lead single from ''Reputation''. The song broke several major records including the most
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
streams in a 24-hour period by any artist.
It hit number one on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 with the biggest sales and streaming figures of the year, becoming the fifth song by Swift to top the chart and also the first solo number one by a woman with 84.4 million streams since
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...
's "
Hello
''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses
''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the ''Norwich C ...
" in 2015 and the second biggest after "
Harlem Shake" (103.3 million). Its accompanying music video later premiered at the
2017 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2017 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 27, 2017 at The Forum in Inglewood, California, honoring music videos released between June 25, 2016 and June 23, 2017. It was hosted by Katy Perry. The 34th annual award show aired live from th ...
and was viewed 43.2 million times on YouTube in its first 24 hours, the most in any video in history breaking the 36 million views of "
Gentleman
A gentleman (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the ra ...
" in 2013.
On September 2, 2017, Swift teased on Instagram that the opening track off of ''Reputation'', titled "
...Ready for It?", was going to be released as a
promotional single
A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
. It was made available for digital download with the pre-order of ''Reputation'' on September 3. Upon release, the song landed inside the top-10 of singles charts worldwide, including its entry at number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. On October 24, "...Ready for It?" was upgraded into the album's second single, impacting US
rhythmic contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...
radio;
its official music video premiered three days later.
"
End Game", featuring
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
and
Future
The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...
, was released to French radio on November 14, 2017, as the album's third single.
The song's music video was released in January 2018 after Sheeran confirmed its existence in early December 2017.
"
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...
" was serviced to American country radio as the album's fourth single on November 27, 2017.
"
Delicate" was sent to
contemporary hit and
adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
radio as the album's fourth international single on March 12, 2018.
Its music video premiered at the
2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards
The 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards were held on March 11, 2018 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The list of nominations was announced on January 10, 2018. DJ Khaled and Hailey Baldwin hosted the ceremony. TBS, TNT, and truTV broadcast th ...
. It was the second single from ''Reputation'' to enter the top 10 of ''Billboard''
Radio Songs chart (peaking at number two), after lead single "
Look What You Made Me Do
"Look What You Made Me Do" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 24, 2017, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Reputation'' (2017). Swift wrote and produ ...
". A strong radio success, "Delicate" topped the ''Billboard''
Pop Songs
Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...
chart, and was ''Reputation'' first number-one single on the ''Billboard''
Adult Pop Songs
The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen B ...
and
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
charts. It became the biggest single from ''Reputation'' on the US radio.
"Delicate" peaked at number 12 and spent 35 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the longest-charting single from the album as well. It was one of the 10 most successful songs on US airplay of 2018, culminating 2.509 billion radio audience impressions.
"
Getaway Car
A crime scene getaway is the act of fleeing the location where one has broken the law. It is an act that the offender(s) may or may not have planned in detail, resulting in a variety of outcomes. A :crime scene is the "location of a crime; e ...
" was the album's final single in Australia and New Zealand.
Promotional singles
On October 19, 2017, Swift announced she would be releasing a new song titled "
Gorgeous".
It became available the next day through digital retailers and streaming services as a promotional single from the album.
The song reached the top ten in Canada and Australia and the top twenty in the United Kingdom and United States.
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
added the song to its playlist on January 12, 2018.
On November 2, 2017, Swift announced she would be releasing the second promotional song from ''Reputation'', while posting teasers on her official Twitter and Instagram accounts. The track, titled "
Call It What You Want" was released at midnight on November 3, 2017.
Tour
![Taylor Swift Reputation Tour1 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Taylor_Swift_Reputation_Tour1_%28cropped%29.jpg)
In August 2017, Swift partnered with
Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. is an American ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California with operations in many countries around the world. In 2010, it merged with Live Nation under the name Live Nation Entert ...
for a
bundling program, with people wishing to buy her concert tickets could gain priority by purchasing merchandise and pre-ordering ''Reputation''.
On November 13, 2017, Swift announced she would be embarking on the
Reputation Stadium Tour
The Reputation Stadium Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, in support of her sixth studio album ''Reputation'' (2017). The all- stadium tour began on May 8, 2018, in Glendale, Arizona, and concluded on ...
in 2018 in support of ''Reputation'', first announcing North American dates. The tour began on May 8, 2018, at the
University of Phoenix Stadium
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
in
Glendale, Arizona
Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located approximately northwest of Downtown Phoenix. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 248,325.
History
In the la ...
, and concluded on November 21, 2018, at the
Tokyo Dome
is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...
in Tokyo, Japan, with a total of 53 dates in stadiums throughout North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia. A concert film of the tour was released on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
on December 31, 2018, and it was filmed during the last concert of the North American leg, on October 6, 2018 at
AT&T Stadium
AT&T Stadium, formerly Cowboys Stadium, is a retractable roof, retractable-roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. I ...
in
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...
.
Critical reception
''Reputation'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. Most reviewers praised Swift's mature artistry, while some denounced the themes of fame and gossip. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a
normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received a weighted average score of 71 based on 28 reviews.
''
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 ...
'' writer
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 ...
opined ''Reputation'', "may be mired in bitterness and gossip, but the pop star's songwriting smarts and lyrical prowess are impossible to deny on her sixth album", noting the songs see "Swift cutting her last ties with her Nashville roots in favour of the blare and honk of EDM-influenced pop".
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
''s
Rob Sheffield
Robert James Sheffield (born February 2, 1966) is an American music journalist and author.
He is a long time contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'', writing about music, TV, and pop culture. Previously, he was a contributing editor at ''Blen ...
writes ''Reputation'', "shows the darker, deeper side of the pop mastermind". Sheffield also remarked, "As one of the all-time great pop masterminds, she's trying something new, as she always does."
Roisin O'Connor of ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' says "Call It What You Want" is "arguably, the best song Swift has ever made", also praising
Jack Antonoff
Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. Antonoff is the lead singer of rock band Bleachers, and is the guitarist and drummer in the pop rock band Fun. He was p ...
's production, calling it "essential" to the album; "
ntonoff'slove of Eighties synth-pop is the perfect counterbalance to Max Martin and Shellback's dance and electronic touch".
Neil McCormick
Neil McCormick (born 31 March 1961) is a British music journalist, author and broadcaster. He has been Chief Music Critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'' since 1996, and presented a music interview show for Vintage TV in the UK, Neil McCormick's Nee ...
of ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'' states, "''Reputation'' is a big, brash, all-guns-blazing blast of weaponised pop that grapples with the vulnerability of the human heart as it is pummelled by 21st-century fame." McCormick continued, "This is an album with blockbuster event status, preceded by a satirical hit ("Look What You Made Me Do") in which she provocatively ditched her "girl-next-door" image for something more glamorously sophisticated."
Troy Smith from ''
The Plain Dealer
''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday.
As of Ma ...
'' said the album served as a reminder of Swift's songwriting talent, labeling "New Year's Day", "End Game", "Delicate" and "Dress" as standouts of the album.
In a negative review, Geoff Nelson of ''
Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' gave the album a D+ rating, and wrote ''Reputation'' is "a bloated, moving disaster" that "doesn't improve past its initial singles" and added "Swift finds trouble: She raps, she adopts
African-American Vernacular English
African-American Vernacular English (AAVE, ), also referred to as Black (Vernacular) English, Black English Vernacular, or occasionally Ebonics (a colloquial, controversial term), is the variety of English natively spoken, particularly in urban ...
, and she bizarrely collaborates with Future." Nelson called "Gorgeous", "Delicate", and "Call It What You Want" the "strongest moments on the album".
''Consequence'' later self-criticized this review in 2022 for being excessively harsh and influenced by Swift's negative press in 2017, saying "in no way is
'Reputation''a D+ record. Taylor Swift of 2017 deserved better from the media at large, and this album deserves a much better score. Time has proven it."
Year-end lists
Decade-end lists
Awards and nominations
Commercial performance
Worldwide, ''Reputation'' sold two million copies in its first week.
In the U.S., the album sold roughly 700,000 copies after one day of availability, and 1.05 million within four days of release. ''Reputation'' ultimately became Swift's fifth number-one album on the US
''Billboard'' 200, debuting at number one with first-week figures of 1,238,000
album-equivalent unit
The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, is a measurement unit in music industry to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one album copy. This consumption includes streaming and song downloads in addition to traditi ...
s that consisted of 1,216,000 pure sales. It was her fourth album to sell a million copies in its first week, making Swift the first artist to have four albums each sell more than a million copies within one week since
Nielsen SoundScan
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 eve ...
began tracking sales in 1991. It sold more than all other albums on the chart that week combined.
The album spent a total of four non-consecutive weeks at number one. It was the fourth to spend
three or more weeks atop the ''Billboard'' 200 in 2017, after ''
Starboy'' by
The Weeknd
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...
, ''
More Life
''More Life'' is a commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper and singer Drake. Described and marketed as a playlist, some publications have referred to it as a mixtape. It was released on March 18, 2017, through Republic Records and distributed by Cas ...
'' by
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* ...
, and ''
Damn
Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment and torment in an afterlife for actions that were committed, or in some cases, not committed on Earth.
In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, citizens would recite th ...
'' by
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...
. Selling 1,903,000 copies by the end of 2017, ''Reputation'' was the
best-selling album of the year in the U.S. In terms of total album-equivalent units, it earned 2,336,000 units, the year's third largest overall consumption behind Lamar's ''Damn'' and
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
's ''
÷''. It was 2018's
''Billboard'' 200 Year-End number-one album. By July 2019, the album had sold 2.23 million copies in the U.S.
''Reputation'' was
certified 3× Platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) for surpassing three million album consumption units.
In Canada, ''Reputation'' was Swift's fifth number-one album on the
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocea ...
. With first-week sales of 80,000 copies (81,000 album-equivalent units in total), it had the largest opening for an album in 2017.
It spent three consecutive weeks atop the Canadian Albums Chart. The album sold 65,000 copies in the U.K. within three days, and opened atop the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
with 84,000 copies, becoming Swift's third UK number-one album.
The album was certified Gold by the
British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...
(BPI).
. By November 2022, the album had sold 550,000 copies on the UK
''Reputation'' also peaked atop the albums charts in European and Oceanic countries including Australia, Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, and Switzerland.
It was certified triple platinum in
Australian Recording Industry Association, Australia,
double platinum in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
,
and platinum in Austria.
''Reputation'' also achieved success in Asia. It became one of the
best-selling digital albums in China, having sold over one million units as of August 2019. The album was certified platinum in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and gold in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, where it peaked at number three on the Japanese
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
albums chart.
According to the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 19 ...
(IFPI), ''Reputation'' was the world's second-best-selling album of 2017, with 4.5 million copies sold.
The album sold 4.5 million units globally in 2017.
Legacy
Released after a period of immense
media and internet scrutiny of Swift, including the first documented use of #Isoverparty, ''Reputation'' is regarded as a comeback album by critics and fans alike.
The lead single, "Look What You Made Me Do", released after a year of hiatus from
public spotlight, is considered as one of pop music's most memorable moments, bolstered by its music video. Prior to the song's release, Swift cleared out her website and all her
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
, including
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
, Instagram and
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
. Two days after the blackout, cryptic,
glitchy and caption-less
snake
Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
videos were uploaded to her social media, leading to the announcement of the album and its lead single.
''Reputation'' "social media blackout" promotional campaign set a precedent for other pop stars to emulate.
In a retrospective review ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' Bryan Rolli noted that the "songs on ''Reputation'' have aged much better than ... initially predicted" In 2018, Rolli backtracked on an initial assessment of Swift as being unrelatable, following the release of sales data for the
album's corresponding tour. Similarly, Jason Lipshutz, executive director at ''
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 ...
'', claimed that "Taylor Swift's ''Reputation'' will age extremely well – possibly better than ''1989''." Lyndsey McKenna, in an ''
NPR Music
NPR Music is a project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music ...
'' roundtable discussion, argued that there would be no ''
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 ...
'' "without her experiments with hip-hop on ''Reputation''." In 2022, ''Consequence'' published an article titled "What Were We Thinking? 15 Times We Were Wrong" and receded on its 2017 negative review of ''Reputation'', opining that the album spoke to Swift's self-awareness and showed her evolution as a lyricist and a producer.
''
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 ...
'' Lauren Kranc stated that "
at should have been clear at the time is none of the music on ''reputation'' is political or specifically media-blasting at all ... ''reputation'' is Taylor reclaiming her own narrative. ... ''reputation'' was a risk, a revolution, even, but it was one she bulldozed." Cheyenne Roundtree, writing for ''
The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
'', applauded Swift for "no longer
eingsome lovestruck pushover," while Georgie Wright, writing for ''
i-D'', questioned whether it was time to "forgive" Swift. According to ''
Impact
Impact may refer to:
* Impact (mechanics), a high force or shock (mechanics) over a short time period
* Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US
Science and technology
* Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event
* Impact ...
'', Swift went through
character assassination
"Character Assassination" is a four-issue Spider-Man story arc written by Marc Guggenheim with art by John Romita, Jr. and published by Marvel Comics. The arc appears in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #584-#588. An interlude, "The Spartacus Gambit" ...
in 2016, bringing "the worst of the media-induced storm for
aylor Swift
Aylor may refer to:
* Aylor, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community
* Mark Aylor
Mark Aylor (born January 11, 1978 in Santa Clara, California) is a former American rugby union flanker. He was a member of the United States nation ...
...
ndthe unnecessary bashing of Swift on social media," which she successfully "churned up more than the expected accolades and trophies, giving her a whole new attitude and ... a different reputation." Jadey O'Regan, senior music lecturer at
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
commented for ''
ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
'' that Swift used "the art of pop in the best way" with ''Reputation,'' acknowledging "the way she’s been stereotyped in popular culture."
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (born April 4, 1988) is an American director, producer, and writer. She is best known for creating the MTV show '' Sweet/Vicious'', the Netflix film '' Someone Great'' (2019), and co-writing Marvel Studios's '' Thor: L ...
, writer and director of 2022
teen comedy
A teen situation comedy, or teen sitcom, is a subgenre of comedic television program targeted towards young people. In general, these type of programs focus primarily on characters between 11 and 19 years of age and routinely feature characters inv ...
film ''
Do Revenge
''Do Revenge'' is a 2022 American teen black comedy film directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who co-wrote the screenplay alongside Celeste Ballard. It stars Camila Mendes, Maya Hawke, Austin Abrams, Rish Shah, and Sarah Michelle Gellar, and ...
'', stated that ''Reputation'' inspired the film's themes and characters.
Track listing
Notes
* signifies an additional vocal producer
* "Look What You Made Me Do" contains an interpolation of the 1991 song "
I'm Too Sexy
"I'm Too Sexy" is a 1991 song by British group Right Said Fred, released as their debut single from their first album, '' Up'' (1992). It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, "I'm Too Sexy" topped the charts ...
" by the band
Right Said Fred
Right Said Fred are an English pop band formed by brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass in 1989. They are best known for the hit 1991 song " I'm Too Sexy". Their achievements include number 1 hits in 70 countries including one US number 1, o ...
.
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album liner notes.
*
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 ...
– vocals, backing vocals ; writer, producer ; executive producer; packaging creative design, package direction, creative packaging direction
*
– producer, writer, keyboards, programming ; recording ; piano ; backing vocals
*
Shellback – producer, writer, keyboards, programming ; drums ; bass ; guitars
*
Ali Payami
Ali Payami is an Iranian-Swedish record producer, songwriter, and DJ.
Payami's first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 was The Weeknd's single "Can't Feel My Face". In 2016, he won a Grammy for Album of the Year for his contributions on ...
– producer, writer, keyboards, programming
*
Jack Antonoff
Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. Antonoff is the lead singer of rock band Bleachers, and is the guitarist and drummer in the pop rock band Fun. He was p ...
– producer, writer, programming, instruments ; backing vocals ; piano, bass, guitar, synths
*
Oscar Görres
Oscar Michael Görres (born 20 March 1986), also known as OzGo, is a Swedish record producer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for writing and producing songs with the likes of Marina Diamandis, MARINA, Taylor Swift, 5 Seconds of Summer, ...
– producer, writer, keyboards, programming, piano
*
Oscar Holter
Oscar Thomas Holter (born 26 February 1986) is a Swedish record producer and songwriter based in the United States. He is best known for his work with record producer and fellow Swede Max Martin and Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd on the ...
– producer, writer, keyboards, programming
* Michael Ilbert – engineer
* Sam Holland – engineer
* Laura Sisk – engineer
* Noah Passovoy – engineer
* Cory Bice – assistant engineer
* Jeremy Lertola – assistant engineer
* Jon Sher – assistant engineer
*
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
– featured artist, writer
*
Future
The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...
– featured artist, writer
*
Ilya Salmanzadeh
Ilya Salmanzadeh (; born 19 September 1986 in Stockholm), known mononymously as ILYA, is a Swedish-Persian songwriter, producer and singer. He rose to prominence outside of Sweden after co-writing and producing Ariana Grande's " Problem" and Je ...
– additional vocal production
* Seth Ferkins – engineer
* Sean Flora – assistant engineer
* Peter Karlsson – assistant engineer
* Mike – assistant engineer
* Daniel Watson – assistant engineer
* Victoria Parker – violins ; viola
* Phillip A. Peterson – cellos
* Evan Smith – saxophones
*
James Reynolds – baby voice intro
* Sean Hutchinson – drums
*
Serban Ghenea
Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer.
Early life and education
Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...
– mixing
* John Hanes – mix engineer
*
Randy Merrill
Randy Merrill is an American mastering engineer who has worked with international artists including DAY6, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Harry Styles, One Direction, Adele, Imagine Dragons, Beck, Liam Gallagher, Jonas Brothers, Muse, Cage the ...
– mastering
*
Mert and Marcus
Mert and Marcus is the working name of two fashion photographers, Mert Alaş (born 1971) and Marcus Piggott (born 1971), who work together on a collaborative basis. Their work and style is influenced by photographer Guy Bourdin and, together, t ...
– photography
*
Mat Maitland
Mat Maitland is an English art director and visual artist who lives in London. He is renowned for his photo collage works and for co-creating numerous music mascots for music artists because of his creative direction, including the "seafox" for ...
– photo creative direction
* Joseph Cassell – wardrobe stylist
* Isamaya French – makeup
* Lorraine Griffin – manicurist
* Paul Hanlon – hair
* Josh and Bethany Newman – packaging art direction
* Ben Fieker – packaging design
* Parker Foote – packaging design
* Austin Hale – packaging design
Charts
Weekly charts
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*
List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2017
*
List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2018
*
List of number-one albums of 2017 (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 ...
*
List of number-one albums of 2017 (Belgium)
The Belgian Albums Chart, divided into the two main regions Flanders and Wallonia, ranks the best-performing albums in Belgium, as compiled by Ultratop.
__NOTOC__
Flanders
Wallonia
See also
*List of Ultratop 50 number-one singles of 2017 ...
*
List of number-one albums of 2017 (Canada)
*
List of number-one albums of 2017 (Ireland)
The Irish Albums Chart ranks the best-performing albums in Ireland, as compiled by the Official Charts Company on behalf of the Irish Recorded Music Association.
Number-one artists
See also
* List of number-one singles of 2017 (Ireland)
Re ...
*
List of number-one albums of 2018 (Ireland)
The Irish Albums Chart ranks the best-performing albums in Ireland, as compiled by the Official Charts Company on behalf of the Irish Recorded Music Association.
Number-one artists
See also
* List of number-one singles of 2018 (Ireland)
Re ...
*
List of number-one albums from the 2010s (New Zealand)
This is the Recorded Music NZ list of number-one albums in New Zealand during the 2010s decade. Adele's 2011 album ''21'' charted at number one for a total of 38 weeks, and was the top-selling album in both 2011 and 2012. New Zealand vocal trio ...
*
*
List of top 25 albums for 2017 in Australia
The following lists the top 25 albums of 2017 in Australia from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) end-of-year albums chart.
Ed Sheeran's album '' ÷'' was the most popular album in Australia in 2017. The album spent 22 wee ...
*
List of top 25 albums for 2018 in Australia
*
Lists of fastest-selling albums
This is a list of the world's fastest-selling albums of recorded music. To appear on the list, the figure must have been published by a reliable source and all sales must have occurred in the first week of release. This list can contain any type ...
*
List of best-selling albums in China
This is a list of the best-selling albums in China.
As of 2021, China was the world's 6th largest music market, an increase from being 14th in 2015 and 27th in 2005.
Best-selling albums in China
This is a list of Top 10 Best Selling Albums in ...
*
List of best-selling albums by year in the United States
This is a list of the best-selling albums by year in the United States ''Billboard'' magazine began publishing year-end lists for album sales in 1956. Until 1991, the ''Billboard'' album chart was based on a survey of representative retail outl ...
*
References
External links
''Reputation''on Swift's official website
*
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2017 albums
Taylor Swift albums
Big Machine Records albums
Albums produced by Taylor Swift
Albums produced by Jack Antonoff
Albums produced by Max Martin
Albums produced by Shellback (record producer)
Electropop albums
Contemporary R&B albums by American artists
Concept albums
Trap music albums
Albums produced by Ali Payami
Albums produced by Oscar Görres
Albums produced by Oscar Holter