"Don't Blame Me" is a song by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift from her sixth studio album,Reputation (2017). Written by Swift and the song's producers,Max Martin andShellback, "Don't Blame Me" combineselectropop,EDM, andgospelpop. Its production is driven by heavybass, pulsingsynthesizers, and manipulated vocals. The lyrics are about Swift's declaration of an unapologetic love, using imagery of drug addiction and religion. Music critics described the production as dark and moody; some deemed "Don't Blame Me" an album highlight and praised the dense production, while a few others deemed it generic.
In 2022, "Don't Blame Me" gained traction onTikTok and peaked in the top 50 of charts in Australia, Austria, Singapore, Hungary, and Norway. It has beencertified platinum in many European countries and multi-platinum in Australia and New Zealand. Swift included the song on the set list of herReputation Stadium Tour (2018) andthe Eras Tour (2023–2024).
Taylor Swift released her fifth studio album,1989, in October 2014 to commercial success. The album sold over six million copies in the U.S. and spawned threeBillboard Hot 100 number-one singles: "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", and "Bad Blood".[1][2] Swift continued to be a major target oftabloid gossip during the promotion of1989. She had short-lived romantic relationships with Scottish producerCalvin Harris and English actorTom Hiddleston. Her reputation was blemished from publicized disputes with other celebrities, including rapperKanye West, media personalityKim Kardashian, and singerKaty Perry.[3] Swift became increasingly reticent on social media, having maintained an active presence with a large following, and avoided interactions with the press amidst the tumultuous affairs.[4]
She conceived her sixth studio album,Reputation, as an answer to the media commotion surrounding her celebrity.[5] Describing the album as "cathartic", Swift followed the songwriting for her 2014 single "Blank Space", on which she satirized her perceived image. She said: "I took that template of, OK, this is what you're all saying about me. Let me just write from this character for a second."[5] The final cut ofReputation consists of 15 tracks, all of which Swift co-wrote.[6]
"Don't Blame Me" was written by Swift and its producers, Max Martin, and Shellback.[6][7] Both Martin and Shellback playedkeyboards, and the latter played guitar. Swift and Martin provided background vocals. Sam Holland and Michael Ilbert, with engineering assistants Cory Bice and Jeremy Lertola,engineered the track atMXM Studios in Los Angeles and Stockholm. It was mixed bySerban Ghenea at MixStar Studios inVirginia Beach, Virginia, and mastered byRandy Merrill at Sterling Sound Studios in New York City.[6]
For the lyrics, media publications interpreted "Don't Blame Me" as Swift's unapologetic attitude reflecting her reputation as a songwriter who mostly wrote about love and past relationships.[8][18] Swift hints at "how crazy her newest lover made her".[14] In the song, she also replies to the criticism she endured for singing about her relationships.[8] She understands the concept of consequence as she declares her love.[17] She uses religious imagery, "I would fall from grace / Just to touch your face" and makes references to addiction ("Oh, lord save me, my drug is baby").[17]Neil McCormick fromThe Daily Telegraph interpreted the song as a contemplation on whether love can survive in the presence of media scrutiny.[19] In the South African edition ofGQ, Bernd Fischer thought the song shows a more vulnerable side of Swift despite its title suggesting otherwise.[15] The track also contains a reference toThe Great Gatsby where Swift refers to herself as "yourDaisy".[20]
Swift performing "Don't Blame Me" onthe Eras Tour (2023)
"Don't Blame Me" is track number four onReputation, which was released in various countries on November 10, 2017, byBig Machine Records.[21] Swift included the song on the set list of herReputation Stadium Tour (2018).[22] She again featured the song in the set list of her 2023 headlining tour,the Eras Tour.[23]
In May–June 2022, "Don't Blame Me" gained traction on the video-sharing appTikTok and entered several record charts.[24] It appeared on the charts across various European countries, peaking within the top 50 in Norway (18),[25] the Czech Republic (33),[26] and Austria (49).[27] In the wider English-speaking world, "Don't Blame Me" peaked at number 16 in Australia[28] and at number 77 in the United Kingdom.[29] On theBillboard Global 200 chart, the track peaked at number 118.[30] The track was certified gold in several European countries including Norway, Greece, Poland, and Portugal. In New Zealand it was certified platinum, in the United Kingdom double platinum,[31] while in Australia, it was certified five-times platinum.[32]Rolling Stone noted that, despite never charting on theBillboard Hot 100, "Don't Blame Me" has amassed over a billion streams onSpotify.[33]
"Don't Blame Me" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Melendez opined that "Don't Blame Me" was the song that representedReputation, praising the production and lyrics.[17]Pitchfork's Jamieson Cox called the song a "glittering [monster] held together by Swift's presence at their center".[16] Writing forPopMatters, Evan Sawdy deemed the track a highlight on the album.[14] In other reviews, Petridis, McCormick, and Ellen Peirson-Hagger fromUnder the Radar picked it as an album highlight.[9][34][19] Peirson-Hagger noticed its "warming, singalong, confessional style intriguingly dark", while McCormick highlighted its "pithy observations, insidious melodies and intimately conversational vocals".[34][19]
On a less positive note, Eleanor Graham fromThe Line of Best Fit and Uppy Chatterjee fromThe Music found the EDM/electronic-influenced production ineffective partly because the sound had already been hugely popular on the charts, although the latter acknowledged that the track had some "deeply personal" lyrics.[35][36] Rudy K. fromSputnikmusic commented that the track "begs for a more nimble voice than Swift can give".[37] In a review forAtwood Magazine, Nicole Almeida found the drug metaphor in the lyricsclichéd.[38]
^ab"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 22. týden 2022 in the date selector. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 22. týden 2022 in the date selector. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
