| "Haunted" | |
|---|---|
| Song byTaylor Swift | |
| from the albumSpeak Now | |
| Released | October 25, 2010 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:02 |
| Label | Big Machine |
| Songwriter | Taylor Swift |
| Producers |
|
| Official audio | |
| "Haunted" onYouTube | |
"Haunted" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift from her third studio album,Speak Now (2010). Inspired by an unsettling realization, the lyrics are about the harrowing feelings following the aftermath of a relationship. Produced by Swift andNathan Chapman, "Haunted" is anarena rock andgoth rock song with anorchestral arrangement; it incorporates a composite instrumentalriff, a dramatic piano line, and densepercussion. Critics primarily praised the song for the vocals, songwriting, and production, though some deemed it lacking.
An acoustic version of "Haunted", originally included on the deluxe edition ofSpeak Now, was released fordownload byBig Machine Records on November 8, 2011. The song charted in Canada and the United States, where it received a goldcertification as well as in Australia. Swift included the track on the set list of herSpeak Now World Tour (2011–12) and performed it at certain dates of her later tours. It was also used in an episode of the American television series,True Blood. Following a2019 dispute regarding the ownership of Swift's back catalog, shere-recorded the song as "Haunted (Taylor's Version)" for the album's re-recording,Speak Now (Taylor's Version) (2023).
Taylor Swift began development on her third studio album,Speak Now (2010), two years prior to its release.[1] She conceived the album as a collection of songs about the things she had wanted to but was unable to do with the people she had met in real life.[2]Speak Now was solely written by Swift, who co-produced it withNathan Chapman.[3][4] Swift was inspired to write "Haunted" after waking up of a disturbing realization of someone she was in love with drifting away. Because of that, she envisioned the music to "reflect the intensity of the emotion of the song is about", and broughtPaul Buckmaster to arrangestrings for it. Both of them recorded the strings atCapitol Studios inLos Angeles.[5]
"Haunted" was included as the twelfth track onSpeak Now, which was released on October 25, 2010, byBig Machine Records.[6] An acoustic version of the song was also released as part of aTarget-exclusive deluxe edition of the album.[7] The track debuted and peaked at number 61 on theCanadian Hot 100[8] and number 63 on the USBillboard Hot 100.[9] It also reached number eight on the USCountry Digital Song Sales and spent five weeks on the chart.[10] In August 2011, the song was used in an episode of the American television series,True Blood.[11] In November, all ofSpeak Now's deluxe tracks became available foriTunes-exclusivedownload; Big Machine Records released the acoustic version of "Haunted" onto the platform on November 8.[12][13] It re-entered theBillboard Hot 100 at number 98 on the issue of November 26, 2011.[14]
Over the years, "Haunted" receivedcertifications in some countries. The song was first certified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 27, 2017, after reaching 500,000 units in the US.[15] In November 2023, the acoustic version received a gold certification from theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for selling over 35,000 units in Australia;[16] the original also received the certification in January 2024.[17]
"Haunted" is 4 minutes and 2 seconds long.[18] It has anorchestral arrangement[19] containing sweeping violins,[20] tense accents, and dramaticcountermelodies.[21] The production incorporates an alternatingeighth-note line in the orchestral strings and the song's leadelectric guitar, both of which mix to create an unabashed composite instrumentalriff.[19] It also features a dramatic piano line[22] and heavy-soundingpercussion[23] with a persistent drum line.[20]
Critics deemed the song one ofSpeak Now's tracks that experimented beyond Swift'scountry style.[a] Nate Jones ofVulture described the music as "Evanescence-stylegoth-rock",[30] whileThe New York Times' journalistJon Caramanica called it "anthemicarena rock".[27] Themusicologist James E. Perone said that the song combined arena rock and contemporary styles with "big-production and musical theater".[19] Chris Willman fromOurCountry stated that "Haunted" was musically the most dramatic on the album and thought the track had "Evanescence-qualities" to it.[31] Matt Bjorke ofRoughstock agreed and attributed the sentiment to the song'sgroove.[32] Carena Liptak fromTaste of Country thought the song recalledrock acts like the aforementioned band.[22] Roisin O'Connor ofThe Independent wrote that a number of musical elements were too dramatic for Swift.[33] Hannah Dailey ofBillboard and James Rettig ofStereogum thought it veered intopop-punk.[34][29] ForThe Morning Call, John J. Moser wrote that the song had "an almostemo vibe and dramatic approach".[26]
The lyrics of "Haunted" takes place at the end of a relationship with Swift's character pleading for her lover to not leave her.[35] The lover does depart from her, and she is tormented by the aftermath of their relationship: "Something's gone terribly wrong/You're all I wanted".[19][31] She is also unable to forget the romance.[32]PopMatters' Dave Heaton thought it was reminiscent of the filmVertigo (1958) and made the "breakup sound like death".[36]
Early and retrospective reviews for "Haunted" were generally positive. Critics commented on the production. Perone considered the song memorable and a highlight fromSpeak Now because of its composition.[19] Caramanica chose "Haunted" as an example of Chapman's versatility as a producer on the album.[27] Jane Song fromPaste said that Swift "should use more string instruments in her music".[37] Liptak believed that it was entertaining to see her exploring darker tones and thought it has the "perfect musical treatment" for the narrative but "not quite beyond the point of no salvation".[22] Rettig wrote that how much the song would sound better if Swift executed it with a different production.[29]
Swift's vocals received commentary. TheLos Angeles Times' writerAnn Powers commended her on how she handled the song's climax.[38] Moser considered "Haunted" one of the best tracks from the album and an "impressive switch-up" and thought Swift's voice "overwrought over-reaching and crackling" was effective.[26] Willman, writing forVariety, believed that it was where she "had a touch of girlish shrillness in her voice" that although not technically skillful, "doesn't mean we can't feel a twinge of quaint nostalgia" of her excessive performance on the track.[39] Matthew Horton fromBBC Music wrote that Swift's "[ripping] with her overwrought innerBonnie Tyler" on the track was "less convincing" and made it sound misplaced on the album.[40] Jones said that she almost succeeded with "Haunted" but thought her voice was not strong enough to pull the "unrestrained performance" it needed.[30]
Critics also discussed the songwriting and lyrics. Dailey deemed the song mysterious and quaint as well as a "banger" that "captures a darker strain of the magical themes" of the album.[34] A staff member fromBillboard deemed Swift's melodramatic songwriting on "Haunted" made it an "extremely compelling deep cut" and a standout because it subverted the formula of breakup songs.[23] Sam Gnerre of theLos Angeles Daily News thought the song was too long but said that it still contained her great skill of "crafting hooky choruses, melodic bridges and appealing vocal arrangements".[41] Hannah Mylrea fromNME viewed the song a "younger sibling to Swift's fairy-tale epics" but felt it "[lacked] the nuance that some of her enchanting," ideal romances her other tracks have.[42]
On November 25, 2010, Swift performed "Haunted" during anNBCSpeak NowThanksgiving Special, which took place at the Psycho House inUniversal Studios Hollywood; she was accompanied by a band with a string section.Rolling Stone's Larisha Paul praised the emotion and vulnerability of the performance.[43] Swift included the song on the set list of her second headlining tour,Speak Now World Tour (2011–12), where aerial dancers dropped out of massive bells, which Swift hit withmallets as she performed.[44][45] Kevin Coffey ofOmaha World-Herald reported that the song's set was the biggest of the entire concert, and where Swift's voice was exceptionally strong at.[46]
Swift would sing "Haunted" outside the set lists of her later tours. It was performed during the firstGlendale show of herRed Tour (2013–14)[47] and the secondLandover show of herReputation Stadium Tour (2018).[48] Inthe Eras Tour (2023–24), Swift sang the song as a standalone track with an acoustic guitar on the first show in Detroit[49] and as part of amashup with her song "Exile" (2020) two times on the Sydney and Edinburgh stops of the tour.[50] She also performed "Haunted" in a mashup with her song "Wonderland" (2014) during an Eras Tour show in Vancouver.[50]
| Chart (2010–11) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[8] | 61 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[9] | 63 |
| USCountry Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[10] | 8 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[17] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| Australia (ARIA)[16] Acoustic version | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[15] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "Haunted (Taylor's Version)" | |
|---|---|
| Song byTaylor Swift | |
| from the albumSpeak Now (Taylor's Version) | |
| Released | July 7, 2023 (2023-07-07) |
| Studio |
|
| Length | 4:05 |
| Label | Republic |
| Songwriter | Taylor Swift |
| Producers |
|
| Lyric video | |
| "Haunted (Taylor's Version)" onYouTube | |
Swift departed from Big Machine and signed a new contract withRepublic Records in 2018. She beganre-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020.[55] The decision followed a2019 dispute between Swift and the talent managerScooter Braun, who acquired Big Machine Records, over the masters of Swift's albums that the label had released.[56][57] By re-recording the albums, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, which enabled her to encourage licensing of her re-recorded songs forcommercial use in hopes of substituting the Big Machine-owned masters.[58] She denoted the re-recordings with a "Taylor's Version" subtitle.[59]
The re-recording of "Haunted" is titled "Haunted (Taylor's Version)" and was included onSpeak Now (Taylor's Version), the re-recording ofSpeak Now, which was released on July 7, 2023.[60] The song has morereverberation and three additional seconds compared to the original.[61][62] Kate Solomon from thei said that the "high drama" of the re-recorded track gave her a new appreciation for it.[63] "Haunted (Taylor's Version)" peaked within the countries of the Philippines (25),[64] Singapore (30),[65] New Zealand (40),[66] Australia (48),[67] and Canada (55).[68] The song debuted and peaked at number 50 on theBillboard Hot 100[69] and number 22 onHot Country Songs.[70] It also reached number 83 in the United Kingdom'sAudio Streaming Chart.[71]
Adapted fromSpeak Now (Taylor's Version) digital album inline notes[72]
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[67] | 48 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[68] | 55 |
| Global 200 (Billboard)[73] | 53 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[66] | 40 |
| Philippines (Billboard)[64] | 25 |
| Singapore (RIAS)[65] | 30 |
| UK Streaming (OCC)[71] | 83 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[69] | 50 |
| USHot Country Songs (Billboard)[70] | 22 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[74] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
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