''Midnights'' is the tenth
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 ...
, released on October 21, 2022, via
Republic Records. Announced at the
2022 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2022 MTV Video Music Awards were held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on August 28, 2022. The show was emceed by LL Cool J, Nicki Minaj, and Jack Harlow. Minaj was honored with the Video Vanguard Award, presented to her by ...
, the album marks Swift's first body of new work since her 2020
alternative folk
Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation.
The genre has its ...
albums, ''
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 ...
'' and ''
Evermore''. ''Midnights'' is a
concept album about nocturnal contemplations, written and produced by Swift with longtime collaborator
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 pr ...
.
Inspired by the "sleepless nights" of Swift's life, ''Midnights'' contains confessional yet cryptic lyrics, exploring anxiety, insecurity, self-criticism,
self-awareness,
insomnia
Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...
, and self-confidence. Expanding on the
synth-pop sound of Swift's previous pop records, the album experiments with
electronica,
dream pop
Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
,
bedroom pop
Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...
, and
chill-out music
Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...
styles. The songs are characterized by subtle
grooves, vintage
synthesizers,
drum machine, and
hip hop/
R&B rhythms. Swift unveiled the track list on a
TikTok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version o ...
series called ''Midnights Mayhem with Me'' from September 21 to October 7, 2022, and
surprise-released seven bonus tracks three hours after the album's release.
''Midnights'' was met with critical acclaim for its restrained production, candid songwriting, and vocal cadences. It was also widely successful across all formats of music consumption, breaking many commercial records globally. Publications dubbed the album's ubiquitous success a testament to Swift's status as the leading pop star of the modern era. ''Midnights'' achieved the
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 ...
feat for the
most single-day streams of an album and topped the charts in 28 territories, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it opened with over 1.5 million units, logged the largest
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
sales week of the 21st century, marked Swift's 11th number-one album on the
''Billboard'' 200, and became 2022's top-seller.
The album spawned 10 top-ten songs on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100—
the most for any album—in the same week. The lead single "
Anti-Hero
An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform action ...
" scored Swift her ninth number-one song in the US and topped the charts in 14 other territories; fellow tracks "
Lavender Haze", "
Maroon", "
Snow on the Beach
"Snow on the Beach" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift featuring Lana Del Rey. The fourth track of Swift's tenth studio album ''Midnights'' (2022), "Snow on the Beach" was written by Swift, Jack Antonoff, and Del Rey, with the ...
" featuring
Lana Del Rey
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent r ...
, and "
Bejeweled
''Bejeweled'' (also referred as ''Bejeweled Deluxe'' in some releases) is a tile-matching puzzle video game by PopCap Games, developed for browsers in 2001. The first game developed by PopCap under their current name, ''Bejeweled'', involves ...
" also achieved top-tier positions internationally. To support ''Midnights'' along with her other albums, Swift will embark on
the Eras Tour
The Eras Tour (stylized as Taylor Swift The Eras Tour) is the upcoming sixth headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Having not toured for her studio albums '' Lover'' (2019), ''Folklore'' (2020), and '' Evermore'' ...
in 2023, but overwhelming demand for its tickets
crashed the Ticketmaster pre-sale.
Background
After
a dispute over the sale of the
masters of her first six studio albums in 2019,
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 ...
announced that she plans to re-record the said albums. She released the first two of these re-recordings, ''
Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' and ''
Red (Taylor's Version)
''Red (Taylor's Version)'' is the second re-recorded album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Released via Republic Records on November 12, 2021, as a part of Swift's countermeasure against the purchase of the masters of her back cata ...
'', in 2021. The latter included the
ten-minute, original version of her 2012 song "
All Too Well". It was accompanied by a corresponding short film, ''
All Too Well: The Short Film'', written and directed by Swift.
Fans speculated she would next release the third re-recording.
Swift garnered five nominations for the short film at the
2022 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2022 MTV Video Music Awards were held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on August 28, 2022. The show was emceed by LL Cool J, Nicki Minaj, and Jack Harlow. Minaj was honored with the Video Vanguard Award, presented to her by ...
on August 28, 2022, and won three of them. In her acceptance speech for the
Video of the Year award, she announced a "brand-new" studio album scheduled for release on October 21, 2022.
Shortly after, Swift's official website was updated with a clock counting down to midnight and the phrase "Meet me at midnight".
The canvases of some of Swift's songs on
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 ...
were changed to a visual featuring the clock. At midnight, Swift posted across her social media accounts that her tenth studio album would be titled ''Midnights'', accompanied by a premise. She described the album as "the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout
erlife".
Swift's official website crashed due to heavy
traffic
Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation.
Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffi ...
following the posts about the album.
Writing and production
According to Swift, the subject matter of ''Midnights'' was inspired by five major topics:
self-hatred
Self-hatred is personal self-loathing or hatred of oneself, or low self-esteem which may lead to self-harm.
In psychology and psychiatry
The term "self-hatred" is used infrequently by psychologists and psychiatrists, who would usually descri ...
, revenge fantasies, "wondering what might have been",
falling in love
Falling in love is the development of strong feelings of attachment and love, usually towards another person.
The term is metaphorical, emphasizing that the process, like the physical act of falling, is sudden, uncontrollable and leaves the ...
, and "falling apart".
Swift enlisted
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 pr ...
, her longtime collaborator since 2013, to produce ''Midnights'', which came together as a result of Swift's and Antonoff's partners, English actor
Joe Alwyn
Joseph Matthew Alwyn (born 21 February 1991) is an English actor. He made his feature film debut as the titular character in Ang Lee's 2016 war drama, '' Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk,'' and has since played supporting roles in films such as ...
and American actress
Margaret Qualley
Sarah Margaret Qualley (born October 23, 1994) is an American actress and model. A daughter of actress Andie MacDowell, she trained as a ballerina in her youth. She made her acting debut with a minor role in the 2013 drama film ''Palo Alto'', a ...
, respectively, shooting in Panama for the 2022
romantic thriller
A romantic thriller is a narrative that involves elements of the romance and thriller genres.
A good thriller provides entertainment by making viewers uncomfortable with moments of suspense, the heightened feeling of anxiety and fright. A thril ...
film ''
Stars at Noon;'' while their partners filmed, Swift and Antonoff worked together in New York City. The duo wrote 11 of the album's 13 songs together; of the remaining two, Swift wrote the track "Vigilante Shit" alone and "Sweet Nothing" with Alwyn, who is credited with his
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
William Bowery.
Some bonus tracks were co-produced by
Aaron Dessner
Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band the National, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums; a co-founder of the indie ...
, who had collaborated with Swift on her 2020 albums ''
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 ...
'' and ''
Evermore.''
She conceived the bonus tracks on their "journey to find that magic 13
racks
Rack or racks may refer to:
Storage and installation
* Amp rack, short for amplifier rack, a piece of furniture in which amplifiers are mounted
* Bicycle rack, a frame for storing bicycles when not in use
* Bustle rack, a type of storage bin m ...
.
Swift's love life inspired the lyrics of "
Lavender Haze" and "
Snow on the Beach
"Snow on the Beach" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift featuring Lana Del Rey. The fourth track of Swift's tenth studio album ''Midnights'' (2022), "Snow on the Beach" was written by Swift, Jack Antonoff, and Del Rey, with the ...
", the former of which takes after the phrase "in the lavender haze" from the
period drama
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...
series ''
Mad Men
''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its f ...
''. Swift wrote "Lavender Haze" after she and Alwyn had to protect their relationship from unsolicited scrutiny online ("weird rumors" and "
tabloid stuff"), and "Snow on the Beach" is about "falling in love with someone at the same time as they’re falling in love with you", co-written by American singer
Lana Del Rey
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent r ...
.
The composition of "Lavender Haze" was first conceived by Antonoff when he heard
Sounwave
Mark Anthony Spears, known professionally as Sounwave, is an American hip-hop producer and songwriter from Compton, California, and an original member of the Californian hip-hop label Top Dawg Entertainment. Sounwave has worked on every Kendric ...
, one of his collaborators, press a button accidentally, playing a "small little
loop" produced by
Jahaan Sweet. Sounwave edited the loop, adding "a bunch of effects".
Sam Dew
Sam Dew is an American singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is best known for writing the hook to the track "LoveHate Thing," a single from Wale's 2013 album '' The Gifted''. Dew is also credited for writing and performing on additional ...
wrote some melodies to the loop with
Zoë Kravitz
Zoë Isabella Kravitz (born December 1, 1988) is an American actress, singer, and model. She made her acting debut in the romantic comedy film '' No Reservations'' (2007). Her breakthrough came with portraying Angel Salvadore in the superhero fi ...
, who had been working with Antonoff as well. Antonoff then pitched the song to Swift, who wrote its lyrics. "Glitch" was also born from these sessions. Sweet further reached out to Swift via Antonoff with "Karma", which had also been worked on by Keanu Beats. The next day, Antonoff returned with "Karma" finished with Swift's vocals on it. In "
Anti-Hero
An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform action ...
", Swift detailed her insecurities, such as struggling with "
not feeling like a person".
Music and lyrics
![Lana Del Rey at Planeta Terra in 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Lana_Del_Rey_at_Planeta_Terra_in_2013.png)
The standard edition of ''Midnights'' consists of thirteen tracks. The deluxe CD adds three bonus songs, of which two are remixes, while ''Midnights (3am Edition)'', available only on music streaming platforms, adds seven other bonus tracks. Six of the album's tracks are labelled
explicit. Del Rey provides guest vocals on the fourth track, "Snow on the Beach".
Composition
Critics
A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...
described ''Midnights'' as an
electronica,
dream pop
Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
,
synth-pop,
bedroom pop
Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...
,
electropop,
and
chill-out music
Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...
album,
with
R&B influences
and
ambient elements.
Swift departed from the
alternative folk
Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation.
The genre has its ...
sound of ''Folklore'' and ''Evermore''
to create an
experimental
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a ...
album
with an "alt-synth" soundscape.
"
Maximalist
In the arts, maximalism, a reaction against minimalism, is an aesthetic of excess. The philosophy can be summarized as "more is more", contrasting with the minimalist motto "less is more".
Literature
The term ''maximalism'' is sometimes associ ...
minimalism" is the sonic signature of ''Midnights'',
incorporating subtle melodies,
emphasized rhythms,
vintage
synthesizers (prominently
Moog and
Roland Juno-60
The Roland Juno-60 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1982 and 1984. It followed the Juno-6, an almost identical synthesizer released months earlier. The Juno synthesizers introduced Roland's digitally contr ...
),
drum machine,
Reese bass
Kevin Maurice Saunderson (born September 5, 1964) is an American electronic dance music Dj and record producer. He is famous for being a member of a trio, along with Juan Atkins and Derrick May, who came to be known as The Belleville Three, w ...
,
Mellotron,
downbeats, and low-key harmonies.
Swift's vocals retain a
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 ...
timbre,
but with rhythmic
and conversational
cadences
In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (19 ...
.
The vocals are sometimes
electronically manipulated,
resulting in
androgynous and "hiccuping" vocal effects.
Influences of
hip hop and
rapping are also present in Swift's vocal delivery in the album, containing
internal rhyme In poetry, internal rhyme, or middle rhyme, is rhyme that occurs within a single line of verse, or between internal phrases across multiple lines. By contrast, rhyme between line endings is known as end rhyme.
Internal rhyme schemes can be denoted ...
s.
In describing its overall sound, ''
Paste'' said ''Midnights'' "moves fairly effortlessly between the
discotheque
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gene ...
and a moonlit boulevard".
''
Beats Per Minute
Beat, beats or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery ...
'' regarded the album as Swift's foray into
alternative R&B.
Theme
''Midnights'' is a
concept album,
about "after-hour agonies" and thoughts.
Midnight is a recurring lyrical motif in Swift's music, having been used in different contexts and viewpoints in her preceding albums. ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' said ''Midnights'' expands the artistic motif "into a full-blown album".
The album marks Swift's return to a mostly
autobiographical
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life.
It is a form of biography.
Definition
The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
lyricism, after exploring fictitious storylines and characters in ''Folklore'' and ''Evermore''.
''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' said ''Midnights'' is a collage of various emotions during "the spontaneous, restless headspace of nighttime thought". The main themes are self-assurance,
self-criticism, insecurity,
anxiety, public image,
and
insomnia
Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...
,
with a characteristic confessional but "cryptic" tone.
Several critics regard ''Midnights'' as Swift's most candid,
confident,
and frankest writing yet,
and a consolidatory work of her career, containing "bits and pieces from all of Swift's eras". ''
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 d ...
'' said ''Midnights'' is "caught between yesterday and tomorrow".
Songs
The opening track, "Lavender Haze", is a
disco-inflected,
rhythmic pop song driven by a murky groove,
falsetto chorus,
modular synths, and backing vocals from Kravitz.
It is an R&B-leaning, "
emo
Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...
-erotic" track
about the tabloid scrutiny and online rumors that Swift and Alwyn face,
and references the
Madonna–whore complex
In psychoanalytic literature, a Madonna–whore complex, also called a Madonna–mistress complex, is the inability to maintain sexual arousal within a committed, loving relationship. First identified by Sigmund Freud, under the rubric of ''psychic ...
.
"
Maroon" is a dynamic dream pop song
with a buzzing
drone
Drone most commonly refers to:
* Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg
* Unmanned aerial vehicle
* Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft
* Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone
Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to:
...
.
It is about a "missed-chance romance", recalling several specific memories.
The title is a call-back to Swift's fourth studio album, ''
Red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
'' (2012), with the
maroon color serving as the more "experienced version" of red.
"Anti-Hero" is a
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 ...
song about
self-loathing
Self-hatred is personal self-loathing or hatred of oneself, or low self-esteem which may lead to self-harm.
In psychology and psychiatry
The term "self-hatred" is used infrequently by psychologists and psychiatrists, who would usually describe ...
.
"Snow on the Beach" is a hazy dream pop
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 ...
, featuring backing vocals by Del Rey. It references "
All for You" (2001) by
Janet Jackson.
"
You're on Your Own, Kid" is an
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...
song
that begins with muted instrumentals and swells into a
crescendo
In music, the dynamics of a piece is the variation in loudness between notes or phrases. Dynamics are indicated by specific musical notation, often in some detail. However, dynamics markings still require interpretation by the performer dependin ...
.
It discusses Swift's early stardom and her struggles during rise to fame,
such as her
eating disorder.
"Midnight Rain" sees Swift remember an old relationship that was forestalled by her professional ambition and ambivalence about settling down.
It features a pitched-down hook, programmed drums and
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
.
The seventh track, "Question...?", asks rhetorical questions about "blurry" memories.
Its short
intro
Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to:
General use
* Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music
* Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and ...
interpolates Swift's own 2016 single "
Out of the Woods".
"Vigilante Shit" is built around bubbling beats, swirling synths,
industrial
Industrial may refer to:
Industry
* Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry
* Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems
* Industrial city, a city dominate ...
elements, and
snare drums. It is a "
noirish"
vengeance declaration, taking aim at an enemy and encourages other women to do the same.
"
Bejeweled
''Bejeweled'' (also referred as ''Bejeweled Deluxe'' in some releases) is a tile-matching puzzle video game by PopCap Games, developed for browsers in 2001. The first game developed by PopCap under their current name, ''Bejeweled'', involves ...
" is a disco tune
driven by synth
arpeggios,
with lyrics recognizing Swift's
self-worth
Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth or abilities. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Mackie (2007) d ...
.
"Labyrinth" is a steady synth-pop song with skittering electronic elements,
church
organ, and subtle guitars,
about the anxiety over falling in love again.
"Karma" is a playful,
electroclash
Electroclash (also known as synthcore, retro-electro, tech-pop, nouveau disco, and the new new wave) is a genre of music that fuses 1980s electro, new wave and synth-pop with 1990s techno, retro-style electropop and electronic dance music. It ...
and
chillwave
Chillwave (originally considered synonymous with glo-fi and hypnagogic pop) is a music microgenre that emerged in the late 2000s. It loosely emulates 1980s electropop while engaging with notions of memory and nostalgia. Common features inclu ...
"
diss track
A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the ...
"
with elements of
new wave, alternative pop and
techno
Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...
,
and comical lyrics.
It describes the culmination of Swift’s "good
karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
". Employing a
double entendre
A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...
, "Sweet Nothing" is a relaxed, love song driven by
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
and
electric piano,
emulating 1970s ballads.
It is an ode to Swift's calm romantic relationship inside her house, as opposed to her hectic stardom outside.
The standard album closes with "
Mastermind
Mastermind, Master Mind or The Mastermind may refer to:
Fictional characters
* Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde), a fictional supervillain in Marvel Comics, a title also held by his daughters:
** Martinique Jason, the first daughter and successor of th ...
", which
satirizes Swift's alternate perspective on fate and happenstance.
She confesses that her "calculating approach to pop stardom seeped into her love life as well", as opposed to the lyrics about destiny in the ''Folklore'' track, "
Invisible String".
It is also a nod to Swift's own "cryptic and
Machiavellian" habit of leaving
Easter eggs
Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tra ...
.
The first bonus track, "The Great War", evokes battle imagery to show the easiness two people in a relationship can find themselves in a conflict, while also paying tribute to a partner who puts a stop to one's own destructive tendencies. In the ballad "
Bigger Than the Whole Sky", Swift sings about the grief after the loss of a loved one; it was compared to "
Ronan", which was written about the death of a young boy to cancer days before his fourth birthday. "Paris" is an upbeat, synth-heavy
pop track, reminiscent of her style in ''1989''.
"High Infidelity" employs audio distortions as a metaphor for a bad connection in a relationship between musicians. "Glitch" is an electronica song,
about "malfunctioning" from lust. It features
octave shifts in the chorus.
In "
Would've, Could've, Should've", Swift expresses regret over entering into a relationship with a "grown" man when she was 19, his treatment of her, and the persisting emotional trauma.
"Dear Reader" is an electro-pop tune
about Swift's distress over her fans viewing her as the "guiding light".
Deluxe track "Hits Different" is an emotional breakup song about Swift imagining her past partner with someone else, as well as reflecting the time during their relationship.
Art direction
Upon the album's announcement, press outlets speculated that Swift's
Moschino outfit for the VMAs afterparty—a navy blue
micro mini romper embellished with silver stars—teased the album's aesthetic. Analyzing the album's promotional pictures, ''
The Ringer'' described the aesthetic as "glam, but a chill, interior kind of glamor as opposed to big popstar glamor", with
midnight blue
Midnight blue is a dark shade of blue named for its resemblance to the apparently blue color of a moonlit night sky around full moon. Midnight blue is identifiably blue to the eye in sunlight or full-spectrum light, but can appear black unde ...
dominating the color palette and
retro
Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...
photographs featuring upholstery.
Clock faces and "60s/'70s family-room decor" are also a part of the ''Midnights'' era.
''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'' noted
1970s styles in Swift's fashion, marking a departure from the rural,
cottagecore
Cottagecore is an internet aesthetic popularised by teenagers and young adults celebrating an idealized rural life. Traditionally based on a rural English and European life, it was developed throughout the 2010s and was first named ''cottagecore ...
attire she had adopted for ''Folklore'' and ''Evermore''.
Fashion critic
Jess Cartner-Morley found it reminiscent of the album cover of ''
Country Life'' (1974) by English
art rock band
Roxy Music
Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone ...
and the photographs by French artist
Guy Bourdin for ''
Vogue France
The French edition of ''Vogue'' magazine, formerly called ''Vogue Paris'', is a fashion magazine that has been published since 1920.
History 1920–54
The French edition of ''Vogue'' was first issued on 15 June 1920, the first editor-in-chief ...
''.
Cover artwork
The standard cover artwork of ''Midnights'' is
minimalist
In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post– World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Do ...
.
It takes inspiration from old-fashioned LP jackets whose songs were listed on the front cover.
The photograph of Swift featured in the artwork depicts her in blue eye shadow, black eye liner, and her signature red lips,
observing a glimmering lighter held near her face. It depicts
trāṭaka according to ''Beats Per Minute''.
The typeface used is
Neue Haas Grotesk.
The album title and track listing are in a blue gradient.
The vinyl edition of the cover, posted by Swift across her social media, splits the track list into an
A-side and B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
, indicating a two-sided LP. Three limited-edition color variants of the physical album, featuring different cover artworks were also issued. ''
The Cut'' said the covers depict Swift in "various states of glamorous late-night stress." The ''
Dallas Observer
''Dallas Observer'' is a free digital and print publication based in Dallas, Texas. The ''Observer'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circ ...
'' noted similarities to the
indie sleaze aesthetic. Additionally, the reverse side of the standard and three alternate editions each portray a quarter sector of a dial; when assembled together and combined with a
clock mechanism sold separately, they form a functioning clock.
Release and promotion
''Midnights'' was released on October 21, 2022.
The album was available to pre-save and
pre-order
A pre-order is an order placed for an item that has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came because people found it hard to get popular items in stores because of their popularity. Companies then had the idea to allow customers to r ...
on her website.
Swift engaged in a traditional roll-out for ''Midnights'', following limited promotion of her
surprise-released albums during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Two music videos—for "Anti-Hero" and "Bejeweled"—were released on October 21 and 25, respectively. On the ''Midnights Manifest'', Swift also teased a "very chaotic surprise" occurring hours after the album's release, which was revealed to be an extended album, entitled ''Midnights (3am Edition)'', containing seven bonus tracks that Swift said were written for the album but ultimately excluded from the standard thirteen; it was released at 03:00
EDT. The ''Midnights'' CDs and vinyl LPs were available in five editions each, as well as a
cassette
Cassette may refer to:
Technology
* Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback
** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in th ...
.
Marketing
To "defy" her usual routine of incorporating Easter eggs to hint at information,
Swift released a video series on
TikTok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version o ...
called ''Midnights Mayhem with Me'', consisting of thirteen episodes between September 21 and October 7, 2022.
She unveiled the track-list in a randomized order in the series, one song per episode, in front of a curtain backdrop, accompanied by an
elevator music
Elevator music (also known as Muzak, piped music, or lift music) is a type of background music played in rooms where many people come together (that is, with no intention whatsoever to listen to music), and during telephone calls when placed on ...
tune.
A
lottery cage containing 13 ping pong balls numbered from one to thirteen, each representing a track of the album, was rolled, and when a ball drops out, Swift disclosed the title of the corresponding track on the album, through a telephone. The first episode revealed the thirteenth track "Mastermind", and the final episode revealed "Snow on the Beach" and its Del Rey feature.
Some lyrics from ''Midnights'' were displayed on Spotify's billboards across the world in the days leading up to the album's launch, starting with
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
on October 17. Swift also posted an itinerary, entitled ''Midnights Manifest'', detailing the promotional events scheduled for the album. She limited her press appearances and did not perform, only appearing on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...
'' on October 24, and ''
The Graham Norton Show
''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton s ...
'' on October 28. An
iHeartRadio program called ''Midnights with Taylor,'' featuring commentary from Swift, ran on its pop stations from October 21 to 26, during which the album received airplay. She also answered some fan-submitted questions for
Sirius XM Hits 1
''Sirius XM Hits 1'' is a Top 40 radio station on Sirius XM Radio channel 2 and Dish Network channels 6002 and 099-02 (099-02 is only for Hopper users). Like most Sirius XM stations, it plays no commercials. The channel was formerly known as US-1 ...
.
Visuals
The teaser trailer for the album's music videos exclusively premiered during
Amazon Prime Video's ''
Thursday Night Football
''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...
'' broadcast on October 20, 2022, with a pre-taped introduction by Swift, which was first announced by American sportscaster
Charissa Thompson
Charissa Jean Thompson (born May 4, 1982) is an American television host and sportscaster working for Fox Sports. Previously, Thompson worked for ESPN, Versus, as well as for GSN and the Big Ten Network. She was the co-host of '' SportsNation ...
on October 14 as "something very, very special".
It revealed a trailer compiling clips of several visual works based on ''Midnights''. The cast includes Swift, Jack Antonoff,
Laura Dern
Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, and five Golden Globe Awards.
Born to actor Bruce Dern and a ...
, the
Haim
The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name '' Haimo''.
Hebrew etymology
Chayyim ( he, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Ha ...
sisters (Este,
Danielle
Danielle is a modern French female variant of the male name Daniel, meaning "God is my judge" in the Hebrew language.
Variants
*Dana – Czech, German, Romanian Polish
*Danette – English
*Daniela – Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, English, Germ ...
, and
Alana),
Mike Birbiglia
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
,
Laith Ashley
Laith Ashley De La Cruz (born July 6, 1989) is an American model, actor, activist, singer-songwriter and entertainer of Dominican descent.
Early life
Laith grew up in a Dominican American household in Harlem, New York. He practiced individual an ...
,
Dita Von Teese
Heather Renée Sweet (born September 28, 1972), known professionally as Dita Von Teese, is an American vedette, burlesque dancer, model, and businesswoman. She is credited with re-popularizing burlesque performance, earning the moniker "Que ...
,
Mary Elizabeth Ellis
Mary Elizabeth Ellis (born May 11, 1979) is an American actress, best known for her recurring roles as The Waitress on the FX comedy ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' (2005–present), Nick's ex-girlfriend Caroline in the Fox sitcom ''New ...
,
John Early, and
Pat McGrath, with cinematography by Rina Yang, who previously worked with Swift on ''All Too Well: The Short Film''. Swift wrote and directed the music videos. The music video for the lead single, "Anti-Hero", premiered on October 21, 2022, eight hours after the release of ''Midnights''. She described it as a depiction of her "nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts." Besides "Anti-Hero", the ''Midnights Manifest'' itinerary specified a music video release for "another track", which Swift later confirmed to be "Bejeweled". The video premiered on October 25, at midnight, and depicts an alternate take on the
Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
plot.
Media response
''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
,'' ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
,'' and
the Recording Academy
The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy A ...
named ''Midnights'' as one of the most anticipated records of fall 2022; ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...
'' called it the most anticipated release of Swift's career.
The incorporation of Swift's lucky number 13 in the number of tracks, a tradition she had implemented in her career several times, was also highlighted. ''Time'' found the track list's length a "concise lineup" for Swift, whose last album, ''Red (Taylor's Version)'', consisted of 30 tracks. ''The New York Times'' called Swift a "restless creative force" for releasing her fifth album in three years and expected ''Midnights'' to become one of 2022's best-selling albums, despite its October release. ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' compared Swift's "prolific run of albums" to those of "the all-time greats". ''
Quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...
'' projected ''Midnights'' to achieve record-setting vinyl sales.
The lack of a pre-released single led to speculation over the album's sound on the internet.
''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' opined ''Midnights'' could either "continue in that more subdued,
acoustic,
Americana
Americana may refer to:
*Americana (music), a genre or style of American music
*Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States
Film, radio and television
* ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...
vein" of ''Folklore'' and ''Evermore'', or return to the "pure
pop" of ''
Lover'' (2019) and its immediate predecessors.
''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' commended the "excellent marketing strategy".
''Fortune'' dubbed Swift an "unparalleled marketing genius", and praised the album's promotional roll-out, such as ''Midnights Mayhem with Me,'' for Swift's "ever-changing
burlesque act of selectively revealing details while maintaining an aura of mystery and excitement."
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 ...
described the album's release as a "dramatic" event. ''
Slate'' described ''Midnights'' as "the result of a winning formula"—hybridizing the "surprise-drop approach", which is more streaming-friendly but unfavorable for physical sales, with the traditional rollout by preannouncing the album, but withholding all of the tracks including the lead single until the release day.
''
I-D'' said Swift mixed "both old-school pop moves and with hyper-modern manoeuvres", and added that "while other popstars front-load their album campaigns with pre-release singles to appease streaming platforms, Taylor chose not to release any music ahead of ''Midnights,'' cementing its release as a proper newsworthy event."
Singles
"Anti-Hero" is the lead single of ''Midnights''.
Republic Records released the song to the US
hot 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, quiet ...
radio on October 24, 2022, followed by
contemporary hit radio on October 25.
"Bejeweled" and "Question...?" were released for limited-time digital download exclusively through Swift's website on October 25, as
promotional singles
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 ...
. "
Lavender Haze" was released to the contemporary hit radio as the second single on November 29.
Tour
On October 18, 2022, Swift's United Kingdom website indirectly confirmed a forthcoming concert tour. Pre-ordering ''Midnights'' on the UK store resulted in "special presale code access for forthcoming and yet to be announced Taylor Swift UK show dates." On ''The Tonight Show'', Swift stated she "should
o on tour When it's time,
willdo it". She said "it's going to happen" at ''The Graham Norton Show''. On November 1, Swift revealed on ''
Good Morning America'' and announced via social media her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour. She described the tour as "a journey through the musical eras of
ercareer". US dates have been revealed, while international dates are pending.
Critical reception
''Midnights'' received widespread acclaim from music critics, most of whom praised its subdued production and vocals;
some named it Swift's best album yet.
On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that 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 average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, which assigns a
normalized score out of 100 to ratings from publications, the album received a
weighted mean
The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...
score of 85 based on 28 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
Aggregator
AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.0 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
''s Brittany Spanos and
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 '' Ble ...
, and
Alex Bilmes
Alex Bilmes is a British journalist. He is the editor of the British edition of ''Esquire'' magazine.
Formerly features director at British '' GQ'' and contributing editor at British ''Vogue'', he has also written for newspapers and magazin ...
of ''
Esquire'' dubbed ''Midnights'' an instant classic; Spanos praised Swift's "brilliant and fresh" songwriting style,
Sheffield highlighted the moody production,
and Blimes called it "the pop album of the year".
Reviews published by ''Billboard'' Jason Lipshutz,
''Variety'' Chris Willman,
''Clash'''s Matthew Neale,
''
Under the Radar'' Andy Von Pip,
[ and '']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 ...
'' Alexis Petridis all appreciated ''Midnights'' for favoring an elegant and understated production over the market-oriented chart hits of Swift's contemporaries. Alex Hopper in ''American Songwriter
''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
History
The ''American Songwri ...
'' said the album harkens back to the synth-pop of ''1989'', but " grungier", combined with the lyrical highs of ''Folklore'' and ''Evermore''. ''PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' Rick Quinn stated that Swift "demonstrates her mastery of pop structure and style". In ''Paste,'' Ellen Johnson considered ''Midnights'', while containing some of Swift's "sleekest pop tunes yet" tracks, more nuanced than mainstream pop. Elise Ryan of the Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
called the album a product of Swift's maturity and artistic evolution, while '' Gigwise'' critic Lucy Harbron praised the reinvention and experimentation.
Reviews also noticed a more nuanced aspect to Swift's songwriting approach in ''Midnights''. According to ''NME'' Hannah Mylrea, the "candid" lyrics depart from the narrative-driven songwriting Swift had been known for and offer a glimpse into her expanding artistry. Mikael Wood of the ''Los Angeles Times'' admired Swift's strong vocals and wrote that while much of ''Midnights'' relies on her well-known first-person songwriting, it is "so strong ..that eventually you stop caring what's drawn directly from Swift’s real life and what's not". Helen Brown 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 publish ...
'' wrote although the music might take time for listeners to absorb, ''Midnights'' is enriched by Swift's "assured lyrical control" and "feline vocal stealth". ''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 ...
'' Kitty Empire
Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic, currently writing for ''The Observer''.
Early life
Empire says that she was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britain ...
described ''Midnights'' as "an album of fascinating small-hours contemplation".
Some critics were more reserved in their praise, taking issue with the production as somewhat redundant. Jon Caramanica
Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music.
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...
of ''The New York Times'' and Paul Attard of '' Slant Magazine'' felt that Swift played it safe, and Ann Powers
Ann K. Powers (born February 4, 1964) is an American writer and pop music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the ''Los Angeles Times'', where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also served as pop critic at ''The ...
of 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 ...
felt that the experiments result in a "half-finished quality" sometimes.'''' For ''Pitchfork'''s Quinn Moreland and ''The Line of Best Fit
''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music.
It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...
'''s Paul Bridgewater, ''Midnights'' is Swift's most cohesive work thematically, but an underwhelming record sonically. ''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 cu ...
'' Marc Hirsh felt the tracks are not Swift's "stickiest", but still manage to effectively depict moods and emotions as desired. ''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 f ...
'''s 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 ...
appreciated ''Midnights'' as an intimate album, but said it suggests Swift's uncertainty "to press deeper into intimate songcraft or restart a commercial juggernaut". Carl Wilson of '' Slate'' liked the album's concept, sound and vocals, but identified some weak lyrics.
Year-end lists
Commercial performance
''Midnights'' broke a string of sales, streaming, digital, vinyl and official chart records globally. ''Billboard'' described the album as a blockbuster
Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to:
*Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived.
Corporations
* Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain
** Bl ...
. It achieved the all-time Spotify record for the most streamed album in a single day with 186 million streams in its opening day, surpassing the previous record of 155 million streams 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
* ...
's ''Certified Lover Boy
''Certified Lover Boy'' is the sixth studio album by Canadian rapper and singer Drake, released on September 3, 2021, by OVO Sound and Republic Records. Its production was handled by frequent collaborators 40, Nineteen85, PartyNextDoor, OZ, a ...
'' (2021). Swift also became the most-streamed artist in a single day on Spotify, with 228 million streams across her discography, the first artist to cross the 200-million mark. The album also broke the Apple Music
Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...
record for the most-streamed pop album in a single day, the Amazon Music
Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights ...
records for the most-streamed album in a single day and week, the Amazon Alexa
Amazon Alexa, also known simply as Alexa, is a virtual assistant technology largely based on a Polish speech synthesiser named Ivona, bought by Amazon in 2013. It was first used in the Amazon Echo smart speaker and the Echo Dot, Echo Studio ...
record for the most single-day requests ever, the Apple Music Spatial Audio record for the most single-day streams, and the Spotify record for the fastest album to amass 700 million streams (within a week). All of the album's tracks entered the ''Billboard'' Global 200; nine and eight of those charted within the top 10 of the Global 200 and Global Excl. US charts, respectively, setting records for the most simultaneous top-10 entries on both and making Swift the first artist to occupy the entire top five of the Global 200. She became 2022's second most streamed artist on Spotify, behind Bad Bunny
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (born March 10, 1994), known professionally as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. His musical style is defined as Latin trap and reggaeton. He rose to prominence in 2016 with his song "Diles", w ...
. According to Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
, ''Midnights'' moved three million global 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 traditio ...
s in its first week, and over six million within 2022.
Americas
In the US, ''Midnights'' sold over 800,000 pure copies in its first day, becoming the best-selling album of 2022; it logged the biggest sales week for an album since Swift's own ''Reputation
The reputation of a social entity (a person, a social group, an organization, or a place) is an opinion about that entity typically as a result of social evaluation on a set of criteria, such as behavior or performance.
Reputation is a ubiquitous ...
'' (2017). It surpassed 1.2 million units in its first three days, becoming Swift's fifth album to open with one million sales and making her the first act to do so. It reached 1.4 million units by the fifth day, with 1.05 million pure sales, marking the largest opening week of the last seven years and Swift's best, surpassing ''1989''.
''Midnights'' has topped the ''Billboard'' 200 for five weeks. It opened with 1,578,000 units, of which 1.14 million were pure sales, including 575,000 vinyl LPs and 395,000 CDs. It became the year's best-selling vinyl LP, and the best-selling CD since ''Reputation''. ''Midnights'' garnered 549.26 million streams in its first week—the third-largest of all time. Overtaking '' Oops!... I Did It Again'' (2000) by Britney Spears, it marked the second-largest first week for an album by a female artist in the US, after 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 rec ...
's '' 25'' (2015). Swift tied Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...
for the most number-one albums among women (11), and most consecutive number-one debuts, surpassing Eminem and 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 ...
. ''Midnights'' earned over 200,000 units in each of its first four weeks—the first album to do so since ''25''.
All of the album's 20 tracks debuted in the top 45 of the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving Swift a total of 188 Hot 100 entries; the 13 standard tracks arrived in the top 15, led by "Anti-Hero", Swift's ninth US number-one song, and occupied all the spots except the 11th and 12th. Swift became the first act to control the entire top 10 of the Hot 100 concurrently; the woman with the most top-10 entries (40), surpassing Madonna (38); the first act to debut atop the ''Billboard'' 200 and Hot 100 simultaneously four times; and the first act to occupy the entire top 10 of the Hot 100, Streaming Songs
The Streaming Songs chart is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists each week's top streamed radio songs, on-demand songs and videos on leading online music services in the United States. The chart represents one of the three component ...
, and Digital Songs charts together. ''Midnights'' is the first album in history with ten top-10 songs, surpassing ''Certified Lover Boy'' (9). ''Billboard'' noted that its streams were strong enough to place 10 tracks inside the top 10 without airplay or digital sales. Swift ranked as the top female artist of 2022 on the ''Billboard'' Year-End charts.
In Brazil, ''Midnights'' marked the biggest first-week Spotify streams ever for an album in the country. On the Canadian Albums Chart, ''Midnights'' opened with the biggest first-week of the year and scored Swift's 11th number-one album. All of the album's 20 tracks debuted within the first 35 spots of the Canadian Hot 100, with the top 10 spots entirely occupied by the album, led by "Anti-Hero".
Asia-Pacific
In China, the album sold over 200,000 digital albums in its first day on QQ Music, and opened with the year's best units for an international artist in both China and Taiwan. Three, four and eleven ''Midnights'' tracks debuted on the Indonesia Songs, Hong Kong Songs
The Hong Kong Songs is a record chart that ranks the best-performing songs in Hong Kong since February 2022. Published by Billboard magazine, the data are compiled by MRC Data based collectively on each single's weekly digital streaming and downl ...
, and Malaysia Songs charts, led by "Anti-Hero" at numbers one, six and one, respectively. All of the album's standard tracks charted on the Vietnam Hot 100
The ''Billboard Vietnam'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Vietnam for songs, compiled by '' Billboard Việt Nam'' since January 2022. The chart is updated every Thursday ( ICT) on both the ''Billboard Việt Nam'' and '' Billboard'' websites.
The ...
, and within the top-15 of Singapore Top 30 Chart. In the Philippines, it garnered the biggest first-week Spotify streams ever for an album in the country, and monopolized the entire top-13 spots of the Philippines Songs
Philippines Songs is a music record chart in the Philippines, compiled by ''Billboard'' since February 2022. The chart is updated every Tuesday on ''Billboard''s website. The chart was announced on February 14, 2022, as part of ''Billboard''s Hi ...
chart, with "Anti-Hero" at number one. On India's IMI International Top 20 Singles
The IMI International Top 20 Singles is a weekly record chart in India for international singles, published by the Indian Music Industry (IMI) and supported by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Launched on 21 June ...
chart, ''Midnights'' debuted seven tracks, led by "Anti-Hero" at number four.
The album became a record tenth consecutive number-one album for Swift in Australia, with the biggest opening week since ''Reputation''. It set the Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing ...
(ARIA) records for the biggest streaming and vinyl sales weeks for an album. All of its standard tracks entered the ARIA Singles Chart, occupying the entire top 14 region, except the seventh spot. With the debut of "Anti-Hero" atop the singles chart, Swift earned a record third Australian "Chart Double" of her career, extending the feat for five consecutive weeks. ''Midnights'' was Swift's 11th consecutive number-one album on the New Zealand Albums Chart
The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
. Four of its tracks debuted within the top-five of the New Zealand Top 40 Singles chart.
Europe
''Midnights'' opened with Swift's best first-week units in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the UK. In the latter, ''Midnights'' sold over 140,000 units in its first three days, surpassing the opening-week tally of Harry Styles' ''Harry's House
''Harry's House'' is the third studio album by English singer and songwriter Harry Styles, released on 20 May 2022 by Columbia Records and Erskine. The album was largely written and recorded during 2020 and 2021 and has been noted as Styles' ...
'' (113,000 units) to become the fastest-selling album of 2022. Ultimately, the album debuted 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 ...
, beating ''The Car
''The Car'' is a 1977 American horror film directed by Elliot Silverstein and written by Michael Butler, Dennis Shryack and Lane Slate. The film stars James Brolin, Kathleen Lloyd, John Marley and Ronny Cox, along with real-life sisters Kim ...
'' by Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of Alex Turner (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Jamie Cook (guitar, keyboards), Nick O'Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Matt Helders (drums, ...
to the top spot with 204,000 units—Swift's highest first-week tally. She broke Madonna's record for the shortest time for a female act to accumulate nine UK number-one albums, and became the first woman since Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip ho ...
in 2013 to simultaneously debut atop both the albums and singles chart, following the number-one debut of "Anti-Hero" as well. ''Midnights'' topped the albums chart for three non-consecutive weeks.
The album marked Swift's eighth number-one album on the Irish Albums Chart
The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). The charts were previously compiled on behalf of IRMA by Chart-Track, and have been compiled by the ...
and the biggest opening week since 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 re ...
's ''÷'' (2017). In Germany, Swift scored her first number-one album on the Top 100 Albums chart with the largest streaming week for an album by an international artist in the country in 2022, at 20 million. It also marked the year's biggest overall opening week for an international artist in Germany. In Spain, ''Midnights'' marked the biggest debut-week Spotify streams for an English-language artist. Seven and eight tracks from ''Midnights'' debuted on Norway's Topp 40 Singles and ''Billboard'' Luxembourg Songs charts, respectively. The album marked Swift's fourth number-one debut on Portugal's Top 50 Albums chart. It debuted at number one in Sweden, where it remained for five non-consecutive weeks.
Accolades
Swift achieved over 20 '' Guinness World Record'' entries with the release of ''Midnights''. She won all of her three nominations at the 48th People's Choice Awards
The 48th ceremony of the People's Choice Awards was held on December 6, 2022, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. Hosted for a second consecutive year by Kenan Thompson, the show was broadcast live simultaneously on NBC and E!. N ...
, including the Female Artist of 2022.
Impact
Swift's unanticipated announcement of the album at the Video Music Awards was a "headline-grabbing" moment, according to ''Billboard''. Bruce Gillmer, the show's producer, stated that ''Midnights'' gave a "massive lift" to the viewership ratings. The album's cover artwork became an internet trend, mimicked and parodied by social media users, including official accounts of brands, organizations and celebrities. Apple Fitness+ released three exercise programs designed around Swift's music, featuring tracks from ''Midnights'', curated for yoga
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...
, treadmill
A treadmill is a device generally used for walking, running, or climbing while staying in the same place. Treadmills were introduced before the development of powered machines to harness the power of animals or humans to do work, often a type o ...
and HITT workouts. Spotify's servers crashed for several minutes when the album was released.
The commercial success of ''Midnights'' across all formats was unprecedented in the streaming era. Various publications described Swift as the paramount pop star of the 21st century, wielding a commercial and cultural dominance surpassing those of her contemporaries and on par with the music industry's "golden era" in the late 20th century. ''Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...
'' pondered whether Swift is "the last pop superstar", underscoring the 1.5 million first-week units—a figure unseen since the "1990s boy bands" era, which was regarded as the peak for the US music business. Music publisher Matt Pincus
Matthew Storrs Pincus is an American music publisher and investor who founded Songs Music Publishing. He was a former bassist of the band Judge.
Early life and education
Pincus is the son of Lionel Pincus, co-founder and chairman of private ...
called Swift "basically an intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
franchise now. Like a DC movie". ''Fortune'' compared her to the Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
. '' I-D'' dubbed Swift the "last remaining real popstar", capable of "shifting more albums and filling more stadiums than her contemporaries ..unseen since the industry's golden era". Noting a 2021 article from ''The New York Times'' that asked "if 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 rec ...
couldn't sell more than a million albums in a single week, could any artist?" after her album '' 30'' missed the mark, ''Rolling Stone'' responded that Swift "has once again moved the goalposts regarding what the music industry can see as possible from a major pop star". ''Slate'' underscored how Swift's career has lasted longer than that of the Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
, and broke the band's once-deemed "unbeatable" records. Business journalist Greg Jericho, in ''The Guardian'', lauded her ability to remain culturally relevant and successful 18 years into her music career, highlighting how the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
, David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
and Bruce Springsteen were past their prime at that stage.
Track listing
All songs written and produced by Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
and 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 pr ...
, except for where noted.
Notes
* signifies an additional producer
* signifies a co-producer
* "Question...?" interpolates Swift's 2014 song " Out of the Woods" written by herself and Antonoff.
Personnel
Musicians
* Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
– vocals
* 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 pr ...
– percussion, programming, synthesizer (all tracks); background vocals (1, 3–5, 7, 9, 10, 13), drums (1, 3, 4, 6, 11–13), Mellotron (1, 3–5, 7), Wurlitzer organ
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
(1, 3, 8), bass (2–5, 9, 15, 18, 20), electric guitar (2, 4, 5, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 20), piano (2, 12, 15, 16, 20), acoustic guitar (3, 4, 5, 9, 15), crowd noises (7), slide guitar (15)
* Aaron Dessner
Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band the National, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums; a co-founder of the indie ...
- percussion (14, 17), keyboards (14, 17), synth bass (14), piano (14, 17), electric guitar (14, 19), synthesizer (17, 19), acoustic guitar (17), bass guitar (19), harmonica (19)
* Sam Dew
Sam Dew is an American singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is best known for writing the hook to the track "LoveHate Thing," a single from Wale's 2013 album '' The Gifted''. Dew is also credited for writing and performing on additional ...
– background vocals (1, 18)
* Zoë Kravitz
Zoë Isabella Kravitz (born December 1, 1988) is an American actress, singer, and model. She made her acting debut in the romantic comedy film '' No Reservations'' (2007). Her breakthrough came with portraying Angel Salvadore in the superhero fi ...
– background vocals (1, 18)
* Jahaan Sweet – synth pads (1, 11); bass, flute, synthesizer (1); keyboards (11),
* Sounwave
Mark Anthony Spears, known professionally as Sounwave, is an American hip-hop producer and songwriter from Compton, California, and an original member of the Californian hip-hop label Top Dawg Entertainment. Sounwave has worked on every Kendric ...
– programming (1, 11)
* Dominic Rivinius – snare drum (1), drums (7-8)
* Evan Smith – saxophone (2, 12, 13); clarinet, flute, organ (2, 12); synthesizer (4, 5, 7–9, 13, 16), percussion (16)
* Bobby Hawk – violin (3, 4, 13)
* Dylan O'Brien
Dylan Rhodes O'Brien (born August 26, 1991) is an American actor. His first major role was Stiles Stilinski on the MTV supernatural drama ''Teen Wolf'' (2011–2017), where he was a series regular during all six seasons. He achieved further pr ...
– drums (4), crowd noises (7)
* Lana Del Rey
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent r ...
– vocals (4)
* Rachel Antonoff – crowd noises (7)
* Austin Swift – crowd noises (7)
* Sean Hutchinson – drums (5, 7), percussion (5)
* Mikey Freedom Hart – keyboards (9); programming (12-13), synthesizer (12-13, 16), theremin
The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...
(16), organ (16)
* Keanu Beats – synthesizer (11)
* Michael Riddleberger – drums (13)
* Zem Audu – saxophone (12-13)
* Kyle Resnick – trumpet (14)
* Yuki Numata Resnick – violin
* Benjamin Lanz – drums, trombone (17)
* James Krivchenia – drums (17)
Technical
* Jack Antonoff – engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
* Laura Sisk – engineering
* 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
* Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance
* 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, Cag ...
– mastering
* Jahaan Sweet – engineering (1, 11)
* Ken Lewis – engineering (1, 7, 8)
* Evan Smith – engineering (2, 4, 5, 7–9, 12, 13)
* Jon Gautier – engineering (3, 13)
* Dave Gross – engineering (4)
* Sean Hutchinson – engineering (5, 7)
* David Hart – engineering (9, 13)
* Sounwave – engineering (11)
* Keanu Beats – engineering (11)
* Michael Riddleberger – engineering (13)
* Zem Audu – engineering (13)
* John Rooney – engineering assistance
* Jon Sher – engineering assistance
* Megan Searl – engineering assistance
* Jonathan Garcia – engineering assistance (1, 7, 8)
* Mark Aguilar – engineering assistance (1, 11)
* Jacob Spitzer – engineering assistance (4)
* Laurene Marquez – additional engineer
* James McAlister – drums programming (14, 17)
* Jonathan Low – mixer, engineering (17)
* Bella Blasko – engineering (14, 17)
Charts
Weekly charts
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
* List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2022
* List of number-one albums from the 2020s (Denmark)
The Danish Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in Denmark. It is compiled by Nielsen Music Control in association with the Danish branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), and the ...
* List of number-one albums from the 2020s (New Zealand)
This is the Recorded Music NZ list of number-one albums in New Zealand during the 2020s decade. In New Zealand, Recorded Music NZ compiles the top 40 albums chart each Friday, and dates the chart for the following Monday. Over-the-counter sales ...
* List of number-one albums of the 2020s (Czech Republic)
This is a list of the albums ranked number one in the Czech Republic in the 2020s. The top-performing albums and EPs in the Czech Republic are ranked on the Albums – Top 100, which is published by the IFPI Czech Republic. The data is based on ...
* List of number-one albums of 2022 (Australia)
* List of number-one albums of 2022 (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
Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in B ...
* List of number-one albums of 2022 (Canada)
* List of number-one albums of 2022 (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.
Chart history
Number-one artists
See also
* List of number-one singles of 2022 ...
* List of number-one albums of 2022 (Portugal)
The Portuguese Albums Chart ranks the best-performing albums in Portugal, as compiled by the Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa.
See also
* List of number-one singles of 2022 (Portugal)
References
{{Portuguese charts
Number one albums
P ...
* List of number-one albums of 2022 (Spain)
Top 100 España is a record chart published weekly by PROMUSICAE (Productores de Música de España), a non-profit organization composed of Spanish and multinational record companies. This association tracks both physical (including CDs and viny ...
* List of number-one hits of 2022 (Austria)
* List of number-one hits of 2022 (Denmark)
* List of number-one hits of 2022 (France)
* List of number-one hits of 2022 (Germany)
The GfK Entertainment charts are record charts compiled by GfK Entertainment on behalf of the German record industry. They include the "Single Top 100" and the "Album Top 100" chart. The chart week runs from Friday to Thursday, and the chart com ...
* List of number-one hits of 2022 (Switzerland)
* List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden#2022
* List of Official Albums Streaming Chart number ones of 2022
* List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2020s
The UK Albums Chart is a weekly record chart based on album sales from Friday to Thursday in the United Kingdom. The Official Charts Company (OCC) defines an "album" as being a type of music release that feature more than four tracks and last lon ...
* List of UK top-ten albums in 2022
* Milestones and achievements for albums on Spotify
Footnotes
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Taylor Swift
2022 albums
Albums produced by Taylor Swift
Albums produced by Jack Antonoff
Albums produced by Aaron Dessner
Bedroom pop albums
Chill-out music albums
Concept albums
Dream pop albums by American artists
Electronica albums by American artists
Republic Records albums
Synth-pop albums by American artists
Taylor Swift albums