| "The Last Time" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byTaylor Swift featuringGary Lightbody ofSnow Patrol | ||||
| from the albumRed | ||||
| Released | November 4, 2013 (2013-11-04) | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:59 | |||
| Label | Big Machine | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Jacknife Lee | |||
| Taylor Swift singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "The Last Time" onYouTube | ||||
"The Last Time" is a song byTaylor Swift featuringGary Lightbody, taken from Swift's fourth studio album,Red (2012). Swift wrote the track with Lightbody andJacknife Lee; the latter two are members of therock bandSnow Patrol. Apower ballad, the song sees Swift's and Lightbody's characters expressing their perspectives on a failed relationship, torn between heartbreak and forgiveness. The production combinesalternative rock andfolk over dramaticstring instruments and anorchestral background in therefrain. "The Last Time" was released in the United Kingdom on November 4, 2013, as asingle fromRed.
Critics praised "The Last Time" for its production and Lightbody's performance, but some felt that Lightbody's and Swift's vocals do not complement each other. Retrospectively, they considered it one of Swift's weakest songs in her discography. Commercially, the song reached the top 30 in Scotland, on theIrish Singles Chart and theUK Singles Chart. Are-recorded version, "The Last Time (Taylor's Version)", was included on Swift's re-recorded albumRed (Taylor's Version), released on November 12, 2021.
Swift released her third studio album,Speak Now, in October 2010.[1] She wrote the album by herself and co-produced it withNathan Chapman.[2][3]Speak Now was similar to Swift's previous album,Fearless (2008), in itscountry pop production style.[4][5] On her fourth studio album,Red (2012), Swift wanted to experiment with other musical styles.[6] To this end, she approached different producers beyond her career base inNashville, Tennessee.[2] Swift worked with musiciansGary Lightbody andJacknife Lee of the Irish-Scottish bandSnow Patrol, admiring their sentimental music "about loss or longing".[7] She was connected with Lightbody by their mutual friend, English singer-songwriterEd Sheeran, when they were recording in the studio one day.[8] The song that Swift and Lightbody worked on together forRed is "The Last Time", which features Lightbody on guest vocals and Lee on writing and producing.[6]
"The Last Time" was released commercially as part of the albumRed, on October 22, 2012, byBig Machine Records.[9][10] It was released as a single in the United Kingdom for the week of November 4, 2013, byMercury Records.[11][12] Swift and Lightbody performed the track live during theSacramento, California, concert of Swift'sRed Tour on August 27, 2013—their first time singing live together. The performance was recorded by directorTerry Richardson and released as the song's live music video on November 15, 2013.[13] The pair performed the song once again on thetenth season ofBritish version ofThe X Factor on November 3, 2013.[14][15] On June 16, 2023, Swift performed "The Last Time" as a "surprise song" at theAcrisure Stadium inPittsburgh, as part of her sixth concert tourthe Eras Tour.[16]
"The Last Time" is apower ballad.[17] Lewis Randy of theLos Angeles Times said that it is analternative rock song, following the musical style of Snow Patrol.[18] Reviews fromThe Philippine Inquirer andThe Daily Telegraph categorized the song asfolk, with a relatively dark production compared toRed's upbeat tracks.[19][20] Therefrain is accentuated by anorchestral background consisting ofstrings andbrass.[17][21] The track ends with a strings-ladencoda.[9] The strings were arranged and conducted byOwen Pallett.[22]Musicologist James E. Perone noted that "The Last Time" uses the'50s progression, I–vi–IV–V, which is associated with many Americanpop songs from the 1950s; Perone argued that this quality lent "The Last Time" a timeless feel. He further remarked that the orchestral stringed instruments are reminiscent of the music by the 1970s and early-1980s groupElectric Light Orchestra.[23]
The lyrics tell the story of a crumbling relationship, with the two narrators detailing a vicious cycle of heartbreak and forgiveness. Swift said she was inspired to write "The Last Time" by a relationship with an unreliable ex-lover, "You never know when he's going to leave, you never know when he's going to come back, but he always does come back."[24] Swift imagined a scenario where outside a door is a boyfriend on his knees on the ground, with the girlfriend waiting inside the room, torn between allowing him to come back or not, after having been heartbroken many times.[24] The song features both Lightbody and Swift on lead vocals; Lightbody sings of his character's perspective on the failed relationship in the firstverse, followed by Swift's presentation of her character's in the second.[25] Swift recalled, "It's a really fragile emotion you're dealing with when you want to love someone, but you don't know if it's smart to."[24]
In album reviews ofRed, some critics selected "The Last Time" as an album highlight. Joseph Atilano ofThe Philippine Inquirer considered it the most mature album track because it "proves [Swift] is ready for the adult-pop realm", which lends her artistic credibility.[19] Allison Stewart fromThe Washington Post similarly lauded it as an album standout, opining that Lightbody's creative input helped Swift accordingly develop her artistry in experimenting with styles beyond country-pop.[26] Sharing the same sentiment, James Lachno fromThe Daily Telegraph commended the production and vocals: "[The song] digs into a hidden side to [Swift's] talent."[20] Reviews from Mesfin Fekadu of theAssociated Press[27] and Michelle Prosser ofTimes Record News considered "The Last Time" an album highlight, specifically thanks to Lightbody's performance.[28] Randall Roberts ofThe Los Angeles Times praised the track as "well-crafted" and the refrain as "instantly hummable".[17]
Other reviewers were less complimentary, taking issue with the duo's vocal performance. Billy Dukes ofTaste of Country was more critical of the song, as he felt Lightbody dominates the track and Swift "stretches out in the back seat"; he called "The Last Time" the "only pure skip-ahead moment" onRed.[29] Perone commented that Lightbody's vocals fit the song better than Swift's, who performs with "a sense of urgency in her singing".[25] In a negative review, James Reed fromThe Boston Globe criticized the duo's singing: "his morose croon sounds dreary alongside her thin, unadorned vocals."[30] Tony Clayton-Lea writing forThe Irish Times deemed the track and "Everything Has Changed" featuring Ed Sheeran, the other collaboration effort onRed, as Swift's "desperate attempts" to reach out to new audiences.[31]
Retrospective rankings have considered "The Last Time" one of Swift's weakest songs in her discography.Rob Sheffield ofRolling Stone, in a 2021 ranking of Swift's 237-song catalog, ranked the track at number 228; he commented that Swift's and Lightbody's vocals do not complement each other.[32] In another 2021 ranking of Swift's 207 songs, Nate Jones fromVulture placed it at number 186 and remarked that it isRed's worst song, criticizing the production "that you've got to slog through to get to the end".[33]Billboard placed it last on a ranking of all Swift's collaboration singles, deeming it forgettable.[34]Alexis Petridis inThe Guardian was more positive, placing "The Last Time" 29th out of 44 singles Swift released in a 2019 ranking; while saying that it is not a bad song, Petridis commented that it is not one of Swift's most memorable singles.[35]
UponRed's release, "The Last Time" peaked at number three on the USBillboardBubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart dated November 10, 2012.[36] During the same time frame, the song charted at number 73 on theCanadian Hot 100 chart.[37] In the United Kingdom, "The Last Time" debuted and peaked at number 25 on theUK Singles Chart for the week of November 10, 2013.[38] The track charted in the top 20 on the singles charts inIreland andScotland.[39][40]
Adapted fromRed liner notes[41]
| Chart (2012–2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[42] | 14 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[37] | 73 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[39] | 15 |
| Scotland (OCC)[40] | 20 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[38] | 25 |
| USBubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[36] | 3 |
| "The Last Time (Taylor's Version)" | |
|---|---|
| Song byTaylor Swift featuringGary Lightbody ofSnow Patrol | |
| from the albumRed (Taylor's Version) | |
| Released | November 12, 2021 (2021-11-12) |
| Studio |
|
| Length | 4:59 |
| Label | Republic |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Jacknife Lee |
| Lyric video | |
| "The Last Time (Taylor's Version)" onYouTube | |
Following adispute with Big Machine over the rights to themaster recordings of Swift's first six studio albums, Swiftre-recorded the wholeRed album and released it asRed (Taylor's Version) underRepublic Records on November 11, 2021; the re-recording of "The Last Time" is titled "The Last Time (Taylor's Version)".[43] Lightbody and Lee both returned on the re-recording as guest vocalist and producer, respectively.[44] The re-recording peaked at number 53 on the Canadian Hot 100 and number 66 on the USBillboard Hot 100.[37][45] On theBillboard Global 200, it peaked at number 61.[46] In a review ofRed (Taylor's Version) forUSA Today, Melissa Ruggieri found "The Last Time" one of the album's most beautiful songs, praising its "hushed beauty".[47]
Adapted fromRed (Taylor's Version) album liner notes[44]
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[37] | 53 |
| Global 200 (Billboard)[46] | 61 |
| UK Audio Streaming (OCC)[48] | 91 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[45] | 66 |
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