"Champagne Problems" is a song by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift from her ninth studio album,Evermore (2020). She wrote the song withJoe Alwyn, who is credited under the pseudonym William Bowery, and produced it withAaron Dessner. "Champagne Problems" is alo-fi tune driven by a rhythmic composition of piano and guitarriff.
Lyrically, the song is asentimental ballad written from the perspective of a troubled girlfriend who turns down her lover's earnest marriage proposal due to her not feeling ready. The narrator takes responsibility for the breakup and mourns the faded relationship. "Champagne Problems" received critical acclaim for its portrayal of characters and their heartbreak, with particular praise for its bridge. The song peaked within the top 25 of eight countries and theBillboard Global 200.
On December 10, 2020, Swift announced that her ninth studio album andFolklore's sister album,Evermore, would come out at midnight and revealed its track listing, where "Champagne Problems" placed second.[6]Kitty Committee Studio was also credited as a studio in which the song was recorded.[4] In the announcement, Swift teased imageries of various tracks, including "Champagne Problems", which she described as a song about twocollege sweethearts.[7] Lyric videos of each song on the album were released to Swift'sYouTube channel; "Champagne Problems" has since garnered over 42 million views as of July 2023. In the video, the lyrics appear over a glass of champagne.[8] The song was also included inThe "Dropped Your Hand While Dancing" Chapter, a streaming compilation by Swift released by Swift on January 21, 2021, featuring four other songs fromEvermore and one fromFolklore.[9] The song was included in the setlist of Swift's sixth concert tour,the Eras Tour (2023–2024).[10]
"Champagne Problems" is aballad[11] withlo-fi instrumentals, consisting of piano chords, guitararpeggios, and choir vocals; the piano also possesses a stylisticoom-pah sound.[12]Pitchfork critic Sam Sodomsky felt the song's composition is "spacious" in nature.[13] Lyrically, the song is narrated by a girlfriend whose personal issues interfere with her romantic relationship,[14] leading to her rejecting her lover's earnest marriage proposal,[12] which takes place at aChristmas party.[15]Maura Johnston ofEntertainment Weekly described the song's tone as "weepy".[16] In the second verse, she alludes to the fact that the subject was so confident the narrator would say yes that they told their family beforehand.[17][18] The song sees her take responsibility for the heartache caused and mourning the relationship while observing her former lover moving on.[19] Jason Lipshutz ofBillboard described the narrative as "a quiet sense of hurt growing louder as the song's story of a shriveled romance... turns more urgent."[11] The narrator addresses her former lover from a second-person perspective throughout the song.[16]
"Champagne Problems" received widespread critical acclaim.The Guardian'sAlexis Petridis compared the depiction of insanity in the bridge of "Champagne Problems" to Swift's 2014 single "Blank Space",[20] whereas Hannah Mylrea ofNME felt the song is more thematically similar to Swift's 2008 single "Love Story".[21] Music journalistJon Pareles, inThe New York Times, noted the song's "elaborate" music.[22] Johnston,[16] Brodie Lancaster ofThe Sydney Morning Herald,[23] Tom Breihan ofStereogum,[24] and Helen Brown ofThe Independent praised Swift's ability to build detailed characters in her songwriting.[25] Johnston also cited "Champagne Problems" as an example of Swift's "pointilistic" showcase of characters in her lyrics.[16]
Several critics, such as Patrick Ryan ofUSA Today,[26] Mikael Wood of theLos Angeles Times,[27] and Bobby Olivier ofSpin, selected "Champagne Problems" as a highlight onEvermore.[28] Annie Zaleski ofThe A.V. Club opined that the song demonstratesEvermore's sonic cohesion.[15]Billboard's Jason Lipshutz[29] andVariety's Chris Willman emphasized Swift's storytelling prowess and commended the song for showcasing it.[17] The song received plaudits with respect to Swift's other songs as well. According toConsequence, "Champagne Problems" has the best bridge inEvermore, containing Swift's best lyrics and performance in the album.[30]Clash critics picked it as one of Swift's 15 best songs, for its metaphor and "brutal honesty".[31]
Upon the release ofEvermore, all 15 tracks debuted within the top 75 of theBillboard Global 200 chart simultaneously, with "Champagne Problems" at number 12.[32] In the United States, the song opened at number 21 on theBillboard Hot 100,[33] and number 3 on theHot Rock & Alternative Songs chart,[34] where it stayed for 22 weeks.[35] In Canada, it peaked at number 6 on theCanadian Hot 100.[35] Elsewhere, "Champagne Problems" debuted on severalsingle charts worldwide, peaking within the top 25 of Ireland (6),[36] Australia (12),[37] Malaysia (15),[38] Singapore (16),[39] New Zealand (24),[40] and further reaching Portugal (75)[41] and Switzerland (92).[42] In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 15 onUK Singles Chart.[43]
Inspired by the track, French luxury hotelRoyal Champagne Hotel & Spa offered guests a new package called "Champagne Solution", which includes a bottle ofDom Pérignon, thechampagne brand mentioned in the song's lyrics.[44]
