| "I Know Places" | |
|---|---|
| Song byTaylor Swift | |
| from the album1989 | |
| Released | October 27, 2014 (2014-10-27) |
| Studio | Conway Recording, Los Angeles |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:15 |
| Label | Big Machine |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Official audio | |
| "I Know Places" onYouTube | |
"I Know Places" is a song by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift from her fifth studio album,1989 (2014). She wrote the song withRyan Tedder, and the two produced it withNoel Zancanella. Atrip hop anddrum and bass song with influences ofreggae andtrap in its instrumentation, "I Know Places" is about a couple's struggle with public scrutiny. Music critics generally praised the composition and imagery of "I Know Places", with some deeming it one of1989's most vulnerable and underrated tracks, although a handful of them deemed it a weaker track in her discography.
"I Know Places" received goldcertifications in Australia and the United States. Swift performed the song onthe 1989 World Tour (2015) and as a surprise number in select shows in her future tours. Following a2019 dispute over her masters, Swiftre-recorded the song as "I Know Places (Taylor's Version)" for her fourth re-recorded studio album,1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023). Critics praised its increase in power in Swift's vocals compared to the original version.
The American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift abandoned thecountry stylings of her past music and embraced apop production for her fifth studio album,1989 (2014), which she marketed as her "first official" pop album.[1] Her musical inspiration was 1980ssynth-pop and its experimentation withsynthesizers,drum pads, and overlapped vocals.[2][3] She began writing the album in mid–2013 while touring in support of her fourth album,Red (2012),[4] and enlisted prominent contemporary pop producers includingRyan Tedder, whom she contacted via aVoice Memo.[5][6] In that voice memo, Swift sang a demo of the chorus while playing a piano.[7]
During the production of1989, Swift faced a lot of media scrutiny, which she said put her in a place where "no one is going to sign up for [a relationship]". Swift stated, "There are just too many cameras pointed at me. There are too many ridiculous elaborations about my life". She stated that she wrote "I Know Places" after fantasizing about a relationship in which she "[met] someone awesome, and they were like, hey, I'm worried about all this attention you get", with Swift responding, "Hey, I know places we can hide. We could outrun them".[8][9]
"I Know Places" is atrip hop[10] anddrum and bass song[11] about the pressures of public scrutiny.[12] With a length of three minutes and fifteen seconds, "I Know Places" is co-written by Swift and Tedder, who co-produced the track alongsideNoel Zancanella. The song was recorded atConway Recording, located atLos Angeles.[13] It contains influences ofreggae and incorporatestrap-inspiredsnare beats.[14] It takes a seemingly hopeless perspective on a lifestyle where nothing is private,[15] and Swift's need to "hide [her personal information] from the world".[16] It has angry and anthemic feels in the verses and chorus, which were praised byCosmopolitan's Eliza Thompson.[17] In an interview with Grammy Pro, Swift mentioned that the love she wrote about in "I Know Places" was similar to that of her 2016 single "Out of the Woods".[8] "I Know Places" portrays thepaparazzi as people that "cage" celebrities and put them into "boxes", with the lyrics showing Swift "running from something" despite being painted as a role model to other people.[16] It builds up trap-influenced snare drums before launching into a chorus reminiscent of the American singer-songwriterPat Benatar.[18] The song also focuses on Swift's desire to preserve an unstable relationship.[9]
In a ranking of Swift's entire catalog,Rob Sheffield ofRolling Stone placed "I Know Places" at number 115, describing it as "underrated" and saying that Swift "goes allKate Bush" in the song".[19] While ranking every track on1989's standard edition, Christine DiStasio ofBustle ranked "I Know Places" at number four, praising the song's intense imagery and suspense and claiming that it was unsuspected by anyone. DiStasio deemed "I Know Places"1989's most vulnerable track, believing that it made her worried about Swift's well-being.[20][21] Lindsay Zoladz, writing forVulture, compared "I Know Places" tothe soundtrack of thedystopian filmThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014). Zoladz thought that the song was inspired by the "moody" and "electro-minimalist" vibe of the New Zealand singer-songwriterLorde, who curated the soundtrack album to the film.[22][23]The Independent's Roisin O'Connor ranked "I Know Places" 34th out of 100 select album tracks of Swift, praising the way Swift sounds "delightfully menacing" with the lyrics: "Loose links sink ships all the damn time/ Not this time". However, O'Connor also described the song as an inferior version of "Out of the Woods".[24] Nate Jones, writing forVulture, criticized the song's "lack of universality" but praised its "slice of gothic pop-star paranoia", which gave1989 a "much-needed bit of edge".[10] In a ranking of Swift's entire catalog, Jones ranked "I Know Places" at number 122 in 2024.[25]
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Big Machine Records released1989 on October 27, 2014; "I Know Places" is number 12 on the standard track listing.[13] The song received received goldcertifications in Australia (ARIA)[26] and the United States (RIAA).[27]
Swift performed "I Know Places" as part of the permanent setlist ofthe 1989 World Tour (2015), during which Swift wears thigh-high black boots and garters.[28] The song's intense lyrics and production are accompanied by a performance of Swift being chased by the masked dancers through multiple mobile doors as she sings "They are the hunters / We are the foxes".[29][30] Outside the 1989 World Tour, Swift performed the song as a surprise song during theReputation Stadium Tour (2018) (Tokyo, first show) andthe Eras Tour (2023–2024) (Los Angeles, fifth show).[31][32] During the firstEdinburgh show of the Eras Tour, Swift performed "I Know Places" in a mashup with "Would've, Could've, Should've" (2022).[32] The Australian singer-songwriterVance Joy recorded a video of him covering "I Know Places" to hisYouTube channel.[33] Swift described his cover as "so mesmerizing" and "so pretty".[34] The American singer-songwriterRyan Adams covered the song as part of histrack by track cover of1989.[12]
Adapted from theliner notes of1989.[13]
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| CanadaDigital Song Sales (Billboard)[35] | 51 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[26] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[27] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "I Know Places (Taylor's Version)" | |
|---|---|
| Song byTaylor Swift | |
| from the album1989 (Taylor's Version) | |
| Released | October 27, 2023 (2023-10-27) |
| Studio | Mandarin Oriental, Milan |
| Length | 3:15 |
| Label | Republic |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
| Producer(s) |
|
| Lyric video | |
| "I Know Places (Taylor's Version)" onYouTube | |
After signing a new contract withRepublic Records, Swift beganre-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020.[36] The decision followed apublic 2019 dispute between Swift and talent managerScooter Braun, who acquired Big Machine Records, including themasters of Swift's albums which the label had released.[37][38] By re-recording the albums, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, which enabled her to control the licensing of her songs forcommercial use. In doing so, she hoped that the re-recorded songs would substitute the Big Machine–owned masters.[39]
The re-recording of "I Know Places", subtitled "Taylor's Version" was released as part of1989's re-recording,1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023).[40] Swift produced "I Know Places (Taylor's Version)" with Ryan Tedder and Noel Zancanella, who reprised their co-production roles.[41] The re-recording is also three minutes and fifteen seconds long, but is recorded atMandarin Oriental, located in Milan, instead.[42] Upon release, all songs on1989 (Taylor's Version) entered the USBillboard Hot 100, with "I Know Places (Taylor's Version)" peaking at 36.[43] The re-recording also charted in Canada (35),[44] Greece (41),[45] New Zealand (32),[46] the United Kingdom (38),[47] and theBillboard Global 200 (30).[48]
Rachel Martin ofNotion praised its uptick in emotion in the vocals of "I Know Places (Taylor's Version)", alongside its "more powerful end", and the addition of more "depth and emotion" made by a few tweaks in the bridge of the song.[49] Kelsey Barnes ofThe Line of Best Fit hailed the re-recording as one of the best re-recordings on1989 (Taylor's Version), elaborating that it is "more guttural" and hypothesizing that Swift "[channeled] her anger" at media scrutiny into the recording.[50] Jonathan Keefe ofSlant Magazine praised Swift's vocals' soar in power in "I Know Places (Taylor's Version)".[51]
Adapted from the liner notes of1989 (Taylor's Version).[42]
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[44] | 35 |
| Global 200 (Billboard)[48] | 30 |
| Greece International (IFPI)[45] | 41 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[46] | 32 |
| UK Streaming (OCC)[47] | 38 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[52] | 36 |
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