| "All You Had to Do Was Stay" | |
|---|---|
| Song byTaylor Swift | |
| from the album1989 | |
| Released | October 27, 2014 |
| Studio | Conway Recording (Los Angeles) |
| Genre | Synth-pop |
| Length | 3:13 |
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| "All You Had to Do Was Stay (Taylor's Version)" | |
|---|---|
| Song byTaylor Swift | |
| from the album1989 (Taylor's Version) | |
| Released | October 27, 2023 |
| Studio | Prime Recording (Nashville) |
| Length | 3:13 |
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Lyric video | |
| "All You Had to Do Was Stay (Taylor's Version)" onYouTube | |
"All You Had to Do Was Stay" is a song by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift from her fifth studio album,1989 (2014). Swift wrote the song withMax Martin, who produced it withShellback andMattman & Robin. The lyrics were inspired by a dream where Swift asked an ex-lover to stay when he was leaving, and the track'srefrain incorporates her high-pitched voice shouting "stay". Musically, thesynth-pop song incorporates anelectronicgroove consisting of densesynths, drum pads, and processed backing vocals.
In reviews of1989, some critics praised the production of "All You Had to Do Was Stay" as catchy, but some others found the track weak and generic.Billboard included the song in their 2017 list of the "100 Best Deep Cuts by 21st Century Pop Stars". Commercially, the track charted in Australia and Canada, and it receivedcertifications in both countries and the United States. Following a2019 dispute over the ownership of hermaster recordings, Swift re-recorded the song as "All You Had to Do Was Stay (Taylor's Version)" for the re-recorded album1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023).
Taylor Swift had identified as acountry musician until her fourth studio album,Red, which was released on October 22, 2012.[1]Red incorporates eclecticpop androck styles beyond the country stylings of Swift's past albums, which led to critics questioning her country-music identity.[2] Swift began writing songs for her fifth studio album in mid-2013 while touring onthe Red Tour.[3] Inspired by 1980ssynth-pop, she named the album1989 after her birth year to signify an artistic reinvention: she described it as her first "official pop album".[4][5]
On1989, Swift worked withMax Martin asexecutive producers. Martin andShellback produced seven out of 13 tracks for1989's standard edition.[6][7] The track "All You Had to Do Was Stay" was additionally produced byMattman & Robin.[6] Speaking about the song's inspiration, Swift toldGQ that it originated from a dream where she asked an ex-lover not to leave when he "showed up at [her] door, [and] knocked on the door".[8][9] She said how the idea translated into the song'srefrain: "I opened it up and I was about ready to launch into the perfect thing to say. [...] Instead, all that would come out of my mouth was that high-pitch chorus of people singing 'Stay!'"[10] She recalled that the multiple "Stay! Stay! Stay!" was "mortifying" but "kind of a cool vocal part".[9]
"All You Had to Do Was Stay" was written by Swift and Martin, whoprogrammed and produced it with Shellback and Mattman & Robin. All three producers playedkeyboards, Shellback and Mattman & Robin played guitars, and the latter played bass and drums. The track was recorded by Sam Holland, assisted by Cory Bice, atConway Recording Studios in Los Angeles. John Hanesengineered the song, andSerban Gheneamixed it at MixStar Studios inVirginia Beach, Virginia.[6]
"All You Had to Do Was Stay" is asynth-pop track.[11][12] It begins with what the musicologist James E. Perone described as a "1967-era backward tape manipulation" that recallspsychedelic music. The song's production is aligned with 1980s musical stylings,[13] such as anelectronicgroove[14] consisting of densesynths, drum pads, and processed backing vocals.[15] Lyrically, "All You Had to Do Was Stay" is abreakup song[16] that samples Swift singing the word, "stay", in a high pitch throughout,[17] which is blended into the instrumental.[18] Swift's character tells an ex-lover that she will not let him back into her life.[19] Her vocals on the track are heavily processed;The New York Times'Jon Caramanica thought that the "bratty background chorus chants" exemplified this.[20]
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"All You Had to Do Was Stay" was released as the fifth track on1989 on October 27, 2014, byBig Machine Records.[21] It charted at number 99 in Australia,[22] number 92 in Canada,[23] and number 14 on the United StatesBubbling Under Hot 100.[24] The song received a platinumcertification by theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA),[25] a silver certification by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI),[26] and a gold certification by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[27] A fan-made remix of "All You Had to Do Was Stay" containing sounds of a screaming goat became viral on the internet.[28][29] Swift performed the song on most dates ofthe 1989 World Tour in 2015 but left it out of the set list of a few dates.[30][31][32] Swift left "All You Had to Do Was Stay" out of the setlist ofthe Eras Tour (2023-2024) but performed it as a surprise song during the second Detroit show. Swift later performs the song in a mashup with "Right Where You Left Me" (2020) during the firstZurich show and "Out of the Woods" (2016) during the thirdMiami show.[33]
After signing a new contract withRepublic Records, Swift began re-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020.[34] The decision followed apublic 2019 dispute between Swift and the talent managerScooter Braun, who acquired Big Machine Records, including themasters of Swift's albums released under the label.[35][36] By re-recording the albums, Swift would have full ownership of the new masters, enabling her to control the licensing of her songs forcommercial use in hopes of substituting the Big Machine–owned masters.[37]
The re-recording of "All You Had to Do Was Stay", subtitled "Taylor's Version", was released as part of1989's re-recording,1989 (Taylor's Version), on October 27, 2023.[38] Swift produced "All You Had to Do Was Stay (Taylor's Version)" withChristopher Rowe, who engineered her vocals.[39] The re-recorded track reached theBillboard Global 200 (20)[40] and individual charts for the countries of Canada (23)[23] and New Zealand (30).[41] In the United States, "All You Had to Do Was Stay (Taylor's Version)" debuted and peaked at number 20 on theBillboard Hot 100, where it extended Swift's record for the most top-40 chart entries by a female artist.[42]
Rachel Sonis, writing forTime, called "All You Had to Do Was Stay" a "criminally underrated" song, applauding the story behind the song for being "vulnerable, relatable, and cutting", further elaborating that the song is "unmistakably Swiftian".[15]Rob Sheffield ofRolling Stone called the song a "1989 banger that could have made an excellent single". He said that the track sounded quite like "Out of the Woods" but had a "livelier chorus and a stormier range of electro-Tay sound effects".[43] Erin Browne ofVulture ranked the song as eight out of ten among Taylor's "track fives", saying that it is "definitely the most upbeat of all the track fives", and it "shows Taylor's growth from herfirst album to her fifth".[44] Leanne Bayley ofGlamour UK listed the song as one of1989's highlights.[45]
Alex Hopper ofAmerican Songwriter ranked "All You Had to Do Was Stay" sixth out of the album's 15 tracks, calling it "as fun and blithe as one could make a breakup song" and complimenting the contrast between emotional lyrics and "dance-inducing" sounds.[46]Billboard placed the track at number 77 on its list of the 100 best songs by Swift published in 2023, saying that it had the most potentials of becoming a single out of the deep cuts on1989.[47] The magazine ranked it third on its 2017 list of the "100 Best Deep Cuts by 21st Century Pop Stars"; its editor Chris Payne highlighted the high-pitched "Stay!" that "captures the manic desperation of a sudden split" and "the way the chorus sprawls out and lets its hook run wild".[11] Reviewing the re-recorded version,The Line of Best Fit's Kelsey Barnes praised Swift's vocals as having improved and said that it was one of the best tracks on1989 (Taylor's Version).[48]
Mixed reviews were fromSlant Magazine's Annie Galvin, who described it as one of the "repetitive diary entries that have been churned through the Swedish pop-hit-making factory";[49] andPopMatters's Corey Baesley, who considered its sound "saccharine".[50] Mikael Wood of theLos Angeles Times deemed "All You Had to Do Was Stay" a generic song that could have been mistaken for one sung by "Kelly Clarkson orPink orDemi Lovato".[14]The New Zealand Herald described the song as a "tiresome" depiction of early-20s "innocence, and sweet-natured wholesome fun" that left the impression of Swift being a "sweet 16 year old".[51]
"All You Had to Do Was Stay" (2014)
"All You Had to Do Was Stay (Taylor's Version)" (2023)
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[22] | 99 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[23] | 92 |
| USBubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[24] | 14 |
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[23] | 23 |
| Global 200 (Billboard)[40] | 20 |
| Greece International (IFPI)[52] | 38 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[53] | 22 |
| Philippines Songs (Billboard)[54] | 20 |
| Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[55] | 5 |
| UK Streaming (OCC)[56] | 24 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[57] | 20 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[25] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[58] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[26] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[27] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
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