| "Gorgeous" | |
|---|---|
 Promotional graphic | |
| Promotional single byTaylor Swift | |
| from the albumReputation | |
| Released | October 20, 2017 |
| Studio | MXM (Los Angeles/Stockholm) |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:29 |
| Label | Big Machine |
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| Lyric video | |
| "Gorgeous" onYouTube | |
"Gorgeous" is a song by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift from her sixth studio album,Reputation (2017). She wrote the song with its producers,Max Martin andShellback. Abubblegum,electropop, andsynth-pop song, "Gorgeous" features aloop instrumented by minimalhip-hopdrum machine beats,synthesizers, occasional acoustic guitars, and atriangle ding before therefrain. Inspired by Swift's relationship with the English actorJoe Alwyn, the lyrics are flirtatious confessions to a newfound romantic interest: the narrator jokingly tells this man that his striking beauty makes her miserable and yearning for more.
Big Machine Records released "Gorgeous" fordownload on October 20, 2017. Critical reception of the song was mixed: some reviews complimented its simple lyrics and production, but some others deemed the songwriting subpar for Swift's abilities. The track reached the top 20 on charts and receivedcertifications in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Swift included "Gorgeous" in theset list of her 2018Reputation Stadium Tour, and she performed it twice onthe Eras Tour in 2023 and 2024.
Taylor Swift wrote "Gorgeous" with Swedish producersMax Martin andShellback for her sixth studio album,Reputation. The song was also produced by Martin and Shellback.[1] It wasengineered atMXM Studios in Los Angeles andStockholm, Sweden. The track wasmixed bySerban Ghenea at MixStar Studios inVirginia Beach, Virginia; andmastered by Randy Merrill atSterling Sound Studios in New York.[1] On October 19, 2017, Swift gave a preview of the song in anInstagram post which featured a baby voice saying the word "gorgeous" over anelectropop production.[2][3] The baby's voice featured on the song is that of James Reynolds, a daughter of actorsBlake Lively andRyan Reynolds.[4] Swift decided to feature the baby's voice after she played an acoustic guitardemo to Lively and Reynolds and then their daughter kept saying the word "gorgeous".[5] On October 20, "Gorgeous" was released for digital download as apromotional single.[6] It was the third song issued preceding the release ofReputation, following the singles "Look What You Made Me Do" and "...Ready for It?".[7]
Swift performed "Gorgeous" as part of her set list for theB96 Chicago andPepsi Jingle Bash 2017 on December 7, 2017, in Chicago.[8] Swift also sang the song during theJingle Bell Ball 2017 in London and atBBC Radio 1's Big Weekend inSwansea.[9][10] The song was included in the set-list for herReputation Stadium Tour (2018).[11] Swift also performed "Gorgeous" as a surprise song onthe Eras Tour on April 29, 2023, inAtlanta.[12] She sang the track again as a mashup with her song "I Think He Knows" (2019) on May 17, 2024, in the tour's stop atStockholm.[13]
"Gorgeous" is abubblegum,[14][15] electropop,[7][16][17] andsynth-pop song.[18][19] Compared to the two previousReputation singles ("Look What You Made Me Do" and "...Ready for It?"), "Gorgeous" features a brighter atmosphere with a "radio-friendly" production.[7][16] The track is accompanied by a gleefulloop accompanied by minimalsynthesizers anddrums, and occasional acousticguitar sounds.[20][21] Thepre-chorus is instrumented by a drum beat reminiscent of808 drums used inhip hop music.[22]Annie Zaleski wrote that the track's rhythm resembles sounds of a ticking clock.[17] Swift sings in a high, carefree tone.[22] Chris Willman fromVariety drew similarities between the song and Swift's previous single "Blank Space" (2014).[16] Maeve McDermott ofUSA Today likened the chorus of the song to the music ofKaty Perry.[23]The Atlantic's Spencer Kornhaber commented that the song's drums in the pre-chorus reminded him of hip hop songs, specifically the 2004 single "Drop It Like It's Hot" bySnoop Dogg featuringPharrell Williams.[22]
Lyrically, the song depicts Swift getting infatuated with a new love interest[24] that is too beautiful and seems unattainable, inspired by Swift's relationship with the English actorJoe Alwyn.[17] "Gorgeous" begins with a baby's voice saying the word "gorgeous", sampling the voice of James Reynolds, daughter of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.[25] In the track, Swift portrays a promiscuous aspect in an attempt to get the attention of a prospective lover.[22] She confesses that she is prompted to cheat on her boyfriend in order to get along with this new man, through the lines, "I got a boyfriend, he's older than us / He's in the club doing I don't know what."[26] She getsmelodramatic, singing "You've ruined my life by not being mine", which is followed by atriangle ding. In therefrain, Swift restates that her love interest is so "gorgeous" that she "can't say anything to [his] face", leaving her dumbstruck.[26] Compared to her previous songs about unrequited love or hopeless romance, "Gorgeous" sees Swift assuming a more assertive position: "I'm so furious / At you for making me feel this way."[22] She no longer gets overtly heartbroken should the relationship with this person not come true: "Guess I'll just stumble on home to my cats... alone."[26]
The song garnered mixed reviews from critics. In a positive review, Maeve McDermott ofUSA Today called it a proof for Swift's "domination".[23] Christopher Rosa fromGlamour stated that it was evidence that Swift was "single-handedly saving pop music in 2017," calling it "fizzy" and "delightful".[27] In a review forVariety, Chris William called it a pop song that offers "conventional pleasures", and appreciated it as a welcoming reminder of Swift's abilities as a songwriter, after the dark sounds ofReputation's previous singles "Look What You Made Me Do" and "...Ready for It?".[16] Jon Blistein ofRolling Stone agreed, calling it the "yang to the vindictive, angryyin" of "Look What You Made Me Do".[7]
Clayton Purdom fromThe A.V. Club wrote that the song "clears the low bar set by its two predecessors ['Look What You Made Me Do' and '...Ready for It?']", calling it "an extremely basic and extremely good" song.[28]Entertainment Weekly's Eric Renner Brown gave it a B+, deeming it a welcoming sign of Swift's songwriting skills compared to the petty lyrics of the two previousReputation singles.[21] Richard S. He fromBillboard was less complimentary, calling the lyrics clumsy: "For the first time ever, [Swift's] so tongue-tied she can't even think of a rhyme."[26] Spencer Kornhaber ofThe Atlantic praised the song's catchy production and straightforward lyrics, but felt that the song's hip hop influences proved that Swift was becoming another unoriginal singer "[attempting] to convey new edge, new danger, by trying on a little more syncopation".[22]
Frank Guan ofNew York, while saying that the song "isn't terrible", was disappointed with the production and lyrics. Guan deemed the romantic narrative of the song "disjointed and implausible", and Swift's delivery akin to a "malfunctioning android". He added that judging from the vengeance and drama-filled lyrics of the previousReputation singles, "Gorgeous" proved that Swift was becoming "a woman whose tremendous success has magnified her resentments to the point where she can't even enjoy the happiest of emotions: falling in love".[29] Similarly, Jordan Sargent fromSpin felt that the song, whose narrative was a step down from Swift's traditional vivid songwriting, was overshadowed by the dark and tumultuous promotional campaign forReputation and its lead single "Look What You Made Me Do".[20]
In the U.S., "Gorgeous" debuted at number 13 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart dated October 30, 2017.[30][31] Despite not being released to radio, the song drew 3.6 million in all-format airplay audience.[31] On theDigital Songs chart, it was Swift's 14th number-one chart entry, extending Swift's record as the artist with the most Digital Songs number-one debuts (13).[31] This madeReputation the first album sinceDrake'sViews (2016) to spawn three or more Digital Songs number ones, and the first album by a female artist since Swift's1989 (2014) to do so.[30] "Gorgeous" spent four weeks on theBillboard Hot 100.[32] It wascertified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for exceeding 500,000 units based on sales and on-demand streaming.[33]
In the U.K., where "Gorgeous" was added toBBC Radio 1's playlist,[34] it peaked at number 15 on theUK Singles Chart and was certified platinum (600,000 units) by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI).[35] In Australia, the track peaked at number nine on theARIA Singles Chart, becomingReputation's third top-10 chart entry.[36] It was certified triple platinum by theAustralian Recording Industry Association.[37] In Brazil, the song received a gold certification fromPro-Música Brasil (PMB).[38] Elsewhere, "Gorgeous" entered the top 10 on charts of Malaysia (eight),[39] Canada (nine),[40] and Hungary (nine).[41] "Gorgeous" was a top-20 chart entry in Scotland (12),[42] the Philippines (13),[43] Lebanon (15),[44] Slovakia (17),[45] Ireland (18),[46] and New Zealand (19).[47] The song peaked at number 15 on theEuro Digital Song Sales, aBillboard chart ranking the best-selling digital singles in Europe.[48] It additionally charted within the top 40 on charts in Austria,[49] the Czech Republic,[50] Norway,[51] Portugal,[52] and Slovenia.[53]
Credits are adapted from the liner notes ofReputation.[1]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[37] | 3× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[38] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[70] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[35] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[33] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
