"Lavender Haze" is a song by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift from her tenth studio album,Midnights (2022). Swift wrote and produced the song withJack Antonoff,Jahaan Sweet, andSounwave.Zoë Kravitz andSam Dew co-wrote the song, andBraxton Cook was an additional producer. The title was inspired by a phrase used in the seriesMad Men that refers to the state of being in love.Republic Records released "Lavender Haze" to US radio on November 29, 2022, as the album's secondsingle.
The track's production incorporates a thumpingbassline, pulsingmodular synthesizers, and layeredfalsetto vocals in therefrain. Critics described the genre aspop,ambient house,R&B, anddisco, with elements ofhip-hop. The lyrics were inspired by the media scrutiny surrounding Swift's relationship with the English actorJoe Alwyn: the narrator disregards others' opinions on her relationship and unwed status, and she affirms her desire to stay in love with her partner. Music critics interpreted the lyrics from afeminist perspective, and they generally praised the track's production as restrained, sophisticated, and catchy.
"Lavender Haze" peaked at number two on theBillboard Global 200 chart and on the singles charts of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States. It reached the top 10 in many other countries. Swift wrote and directed themusic video for "Lavender Haze", which was released on January 27, 2023. It incorporatespsychedelic andsurrealist visual elements and features the Dominican-American modelLaith Ashley as Swift's love interest. She included "Lavender Haze" in the set list of her sixth headlining concert tour,the Eras Tour (2023–2024).
Taylor Swift announced her tenth original studio album,Midnights, at the2022 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28;[1] its title and cover artwork were released shortly after the same day via social media.[2] She conceivedMidnights as a collection of songs about her nocturnal ruminations, detailing a wide range of emotions such as regret, lust, nostalgia, contentment, and self-loathing. The standard album wasproduced by Swift andJack Antonoff, as a result of the two experimenting with music while their partners were both shooting for a film inPanama.[3]
"Lavender Haze" was inspired by the scrutiny on Swift's relationship withJoe Alwyn.
Swift announced the album's track listing via a thirteen-episode video series calledMidnights Mayhem with Me on the platformTikTok, where each video contained the title of one track at a time.[4] The title of "Lavender Haze" was revealed in the episode posted on October 7, 2022.[5] In anInstagram post that she uploaded the same day, Swift shared that she discovered the expression "lavender haze", which describes the state of being in love, when watching theperiod drama seriesMad Men.[6][7] Intrigued by its meaning and supposed 1950s origin, Swift saw parallels between the expression and her relationship with the English actorJoe Alwyn; she interpreted it as an "all-encompassing love glow".[8][9]
"Lavender Haze" was written by Swift, Antonoff,Sounwave,Jahaan Sweet,Sam Dew, andZoë Kravitz.[10] Sounwave wrote the initial track within 15 minutes. After experimenting with different sounds, he "[hit] one button by accident" and played a voice memo that Sweet had sent to him: it was a recording of his roommateBraxton Cook singing wordless melodies over somechords. Antonoff, who was in the same room, was fascinated by the sound. Sounwave and Antonoff then teamed up with Dew and Kravitz to write a track containing anR&Bgroove usingkeyboards, built on Cook's vocal coos; according to Sounwave, Dew came up with the melodies and Kravitz added some sonic embellishments. Antonoff shared the track to Swift, who recorded her vocals and sent it back to the other writers. Sounwave recalled their reactions when Antonoff played the finished track: "[...] all our mouths dropped. [Swift] took it to a whole new world and made it her own [by creating] different pockets we did not hear."[11]
The lyrics were inspired by the media scrutiny that Swift and Alwyn had faced.[7][34] The overall message is that she wants to stay in love with him despite others' opinions.[32] She appreciates his unwavering support for her and disregard of the gossip surrounding her past relationships: "I've been under scrutiny/ You handle it beautifully/ All this shit is new to me"; "I find it dizzying/ They're bringing up my history/ But you weren't even listening."[7] The song also explores the pressures that come with protecting this love, such as fighting back gendered stereotypes ("the 1950s shit they want from me")[35] that demand women to become either a wife or a one-night fling.[11] Swift ignores all of the inquiries into her unwed status: "I'll be damned if I do give a damn what people say";[36] "Talk your talk and go viral/ I just need this love spiral."[14]
According to several media publications, "Lavender Haze" has afeminist viewpoint and calls out themisogynistic conceptions about gender roles.[14][22][32] In the view ofSlate'sCarl Wilson, the song sees Swift asserting authority and rejecting others' perception of her as aMadonna–whore complex.[32]The New York Times' Lindsay Zoladz contended that the track represented Swift's shifted attitude towards romance: whereas her 2008 single "Love Story" depicted marriage as the ideal romantic ending with starry-eyedfairy tale imagery, "Lavender Haze" expresses ambivalence towards not only marriage but also the societal expectations and "traditional timelines of adulthood".[37] Writing for theAlternative Press, Ilana Kaplan considered "Lavender Haze" one of the album tracks where Swift grappled with the "good-girl" image that she had constrained herself to, a notion that she had explained in the 2019 documentaryMiss Americana.[38]
There were interpretations of "Lavender Haze" from aqueer perspective.[39] According to Shaun Cullen, a professor in the humanities, there are some reasons for this: the color lavender, which evokes the symbol ofgay pride; and the protest against the "1950s shit", which suggests not only defiance against gender discrimination but also sexuality-based discrimination. Cullen argued that this showcased Swift's increasing awareness of her status as "a white celebrity, artist, and citizen struggling to communicate [...] across the color line", which parallels her departure from "the trappings ofJim Crow-era country and planation nostalgia" suggested by her earlycountry songs.[40]
"Lavender Haze" debuted and peaked at number two on theBillboard Global 200.[48] It was one of theMidnights tracks that made Swift the first artist to chart in the top five the same week.[49] In the United States, the single debuted and peaked at number two on theBillboard Hot 100.[50] It helped Swift become the first artist to monopolize the top 10 of the Hot 100 the same week, together with otherMidnights tracks.[51] It spent two consecutive weeks in the top 10,[52] charted at number five on thePop Airplay chart and number four on theAdult Pop Airplay chart.[53] As Swift's 27th song to enter the top 10 of the Adult Pop Airplay, it made Swift the solo artist with the most top-10 entries.[54]
The single peaked at number two on the charts in Australia,[55] Canada,[56] Ireland,[57] and New Zealand;[58] number three in the Philippines[59] and the United Kingdom;[60] and number four in Singapore.[61] It reached the top 10 in India,[62] Portugal,[63] Vietnam,[64] Iceland,[65] and South Africa;[66] and the top 20 in Luxembourg,[67] Norway,[68] Lithuania,[69] Austria,[70] Croatia,[71] Hong Kong,[72] the Czech Republic,[73] and Sweden.[74] "Lavender Haze" wascertified triple-platinum in Australia;[75] platinum in Brazil,[76] Canada,[77] Mexico,[78] New Zealand,[79] and the United Kingdom;[80] and gold in Poland,[81] Portugal,[82] and Spain.[83]
Swift performed "Lavender Haze" as the opening number of theMidnights act onthe Eras Tour (2023–2024). Before the performance, the stage floor displayed a video of Swift swimming and visuals onstage showed ocean waves.[84] She then appeared onstage in a purple fur coat, climbing up a ladder leading to an elevated platform, as dancers wheeled around with lavender artificial clouds as props. Visuals onstage showed Swift lying in a lavender field, dancing in lavender clouds, and sitting and posing as abstract lavender lines cascaded around her.[84][85]Variety's Chris Willman thought that the performance set the sensual tone for theMidnights act, the final act of the concert, as "the best after-hours club in the world".[86]
"Lavender Haze" received positive reviews from music critics; many deemed it a strong opening track that sets the tone forMidnights.[13][24][28][32][34] The production was a common point of praise:PopMatters' Rick Quinn andThe A.V. Club's Saloni Gajjar complimented the sound as catchy and danceable,[87][88] whileRolling Stone's Brittany Spanos andOur Culture Mag's Konstantinos Pappis deemed it restrained and muted,[89] with the former adding that it has a playfulness to it.[34] InVulture, Craig Jenkins deemed it one of the R&B-tinged tracks ofMidnights that showcased Swift's abilities to create "a mannered genre reset constantly threatening to cut in an alluring new direction".[90] Elise Ryan of theAssociated Press considered track one of the album's more experimental cuts and deemed Swift's delivery "beckoning".[18]Annie Zaleski similarly lauded her vocals as "sophisticated and alluring",[11] andThe New York Times'Jon Caramanica picked the track as one of the album's better moments with Swift's great singing.[91] A lukewarm review was fromSlant Magazine's Paul Attard, who felt that the opening seconds were burdened by excessivereverb and turned out overwhelming.[92]
Other reviews focused on the lyrics.Billboard's Jason Lipshutz placed the track fourth on his ranking of all 13Midnights tracks; he contended that the lyrics were direct and barbed, and were elevated by the sophisticated production elements.[17] Willman thought that the feminist message was provocative, interesting for the audience, and self-revelatory for Swift.[13] In a similar vein, Quinn was impressed by Swift's rejection of societal norms and embrace of her own emotional journey.[87] Paul Bridgewater fromThe Line of Best Fit contended that the song was convincing because it showcased Swift's reflective side, "holding a mirror to herself and past behaviours".[93] Mary Siroky fromConsequence selected "Lavender Haze" as one of the album's essential tracks, praising how it functions as a "self-contained world".[35] Jenkins thought that although the song was inspired by Swift's fame and celebrity, its depiction of a desire for uncomplicated love was resonant and relatable to any listener.[90]
"Lavender Haze" has appeared on some rankings of Swift's songs. In his list of the select 75 tracks by Swift, Willman highlighted her defiance against the "1950s shit" stereotype and described its production as "a good groove in every possible regard".[94] The song appeared in the upper-tier of rankings byRolling Stone'sRob Sheffield (85 out of 274)[27] andVulture's Nate Jones (71 out of 245).[95]Slant Magazine's editorial staff picked "Lavender Haze" as one of the 20 best collaborations by Swift and Antonoff,[20] andBillboard placed it at number 69 on their list of the best songs of 2022.[19]
The video for "Lavender Haze" incorporatespsychedelic andsurrealist visuals. This screenshot depicts Swift's house as a celestial body, afloat amidst largekoi fish and lavender-hued fog.
Themusic video for "Lavender Haze" premiered on Swift'sVevo channel onYouTube, on January 27, 2023.[96] She wrote and directed the video herself.[97] It incorporatespsychedelic[98][99] andsurrealist visual elements.[43][97] According to Swift, "Lavender Haze" was the firstMidnights music video for which she wrote thetreatment; she described the concept as "a sultry sleepless 70's fever dream" that encapsulated the "world and mood" of the album.[100]
The video has a dominant purple color scheme[101] and 1970s fashion and interior design.[102] It starts with Swift waking up at midnight, listening to vinyl records, burning incense, and tracing the outline of the universe on the back of her lover (portrayed by the Dominican-Americantransgender activist and modelLaith Ashley).[99] Her bedroom is then engulfed in a lavender-hued fog, in which Swift dances.[100] She then crawls across a 1970s living room whose carpets are blooming withlavender flowers[100] and tears the television apart to reveal a cosmic aquarium.[97]
Swift is then seen swimming in a purple-hued pool and having a house party with her friends while cuddling with her lover, engulfed in the lavender mist.[97][103] The video ends with Swift floating in outer space with a lavender fog and floatingkoi fish around her.[97][102] According to publications, the "Lavender Haze" video contains numerousEaster eggs that link to Swift's re-recorded albumSpeak Now (Taylor's Version) and otherMidnights tracks.[99][101][104]
^ab"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 42. týden 2022 in the date selector. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 14. týden 2023 in the date selector. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
^"ČNS IFPI". IFPI ČR. Note: Select SK Singles Digital Top 100 and insert 202243 into search.Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. RetrievedOctober 31, 2022.
Cullen, Shaun (2024). "What It Means to Shake It Off: Taylor Swift, Race, and Citizenship". In Tontiplaphol, Betsy Winakur; Klimchynskaya, Anastasia (eds.).The Literary Taylor Swift: Songwriting and Intertextuality.Bloomsbury Publishing.ISBN979-876510452-1.
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