| "New Romantics" | ||||
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| Single byTaylor Swift | ||||
| from the album1989 | ||||
| Released | February 23, 2016 (2016-02-23) | |||
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| Genre | Synth-pop | |||
| Length | 3:50 | |||
| Label | Big Machine | |||
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| Taylor Swift singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "New Romantics" onYouTube | ||||
"New Romantics" is a song by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift from the deluxe edition of her fifth studio album,1989 (2014). She wrote it with the producersMax Martin andShellback. The title references theNew Romantic cultural movement of the 1970s and 1980s; thenew wave music style of that era influenced the song'ssynth-pop production. "New Romantics" has an upbeat sound instrumented by pulsingsynthesizers, and its lyrics are about reigniting one's hopes and energy after enduring heartbreak.
Big Machine Records released "New Romantics" as the seventh and finalsingle from1989 on February 23, 2016. The song'smusic video is a compilation of footage fromthe 1989 World Tour that Swift embarked on in 2015. In the United States, "New Romantics" peaked at number 46 on theBillboard Hot 100 and wascertified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America. The single peaked in the top 40 on the charts in Australia, BelgianFlanders, Lebanon, and Scotland, and it receivedcertifications in Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Many music critics hailed the energetic and lively production of "New Romantics". Several commented that the song should have been featured in1989's standard release and have deemed it one of Swift's best songs. A few critics otherwise deemed it a forgettable track. In 2019,Rolling Stone included "New Romantics" in their list of the 100 best songs of the 2010s decade. Following a2019 dispute regarding the ownership of Swift's back catalog, shere-recorded the song and released it as "New Romantics (Taylor's Version)" as part of her 2023 re-recorded album1989 (Taylor's Version).
Inspired by 1980ssynth-pop, the singer-songwriterTaylor Swift moved away from thecountry-styled music of her previous releases to employ a straightforwardpop production for her fifth studio album,1989 (2014).[1] To this end, she enlisted prominent mainstream pop producers, including Swedish hitmakersMax Martin andShellback; Swift also recruited the former as co-executive producer.[2] Martin and Shellback produced seven out of thirteen tracks on the album's standard edition,[2] and two out of three bonus tracks on the deluxe edition, including "New Romantics".[3] Swift, Martin and Shellback are credited as the songwriters of "New Romantics".[3] The song was recorded by Michael Ilbert atMXM Studios inStockholm, Sweden, and Sam Holland atConway Recording Studios in Los Angeles.[3] It wasmixed bySerban Ghenea at MixStar Studios inVirginia Beach, Virginia, andmastered byTom Coyne atSterling Sound Studios in New York City.[3]
"New Romantics" incorporates pulsatingsynthesizers.[4] The song's title is a reference to theNew Romantic cultural movement of the late 1970s and 1980s.[5] According toSlate editor Forrest Wickman, this reference is also apparent through the song's sonic resemblance to the era'snew wave.[6]Rob Sheffield ofRolling Stone dubbed "New Romantics" the song that showcased the most authentic tribute to 1980s synth-pop on1989.[5]AllMusic'sStephen Thomas Erlewine similarly considered the track among the few on the album that truly sounded like 1980s pop, specifically "1983 new wave".[7] For Corey Baesley fromPopMatters, "New Romantics" is where Swift emulates the "indie electro-pop" styles of the Scottish bandChvrches.[8] While acknowledging the 1980s influences, such as the "coolness" of the 1980 hit "We Got the Beat", themusicologist James Perone opined that "New Romantics" was musically "more about the pop music of the 21st century" than about the prevailing styles of the New Romantic era.[9]
The lyrics are about Swift reigniting her hopes and energy after the heartbreak she had endured.[10][11] ForPitchfork's Vrinda Jagota, "New Romantics" is where Swift brushes off the pain "into a night of uninhibitedhedonism", representing her departure from "slow-burning heartache" on her previous songs towards a more positive, laid-back attitude.[10] Therefrain starts with Swift singing,"'Cause baby I could build a castle / Out of all the bricks they threw at me." Anna Leszkiewicz from theNew Statesman commented that the "castle" imagery in "New Romantics" was used in a "self-referential way" and departed from the fairytale notion of "castles" on Swift's previous songs.[12] The lyrics, "Heartbreak is the national anthem, we sing it proudly / We are too busy dancing to get knocked off our feet", find Swift celebrating the joys of youth; Emily Yahr fromThe Washington Post said this sentiment resembled Swift's 2013 single "22".[11]Slate'sCarl Wilson described the song as1989's representation of Swift's new attitude towards romance. The lyric, "The best people in life are free", sees Swift no longer seeking revenge on ex-lovers.[4] Perone noted that the lyrics were representational of Swift's generation's defiant and carefree attitude, which he compared to that of themods in the 1960s, specifically citingthe Who's 1965 song "My Generation".[9]
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"New Romantics" was initially one of the three bonus tracks on the deluxe edition of1989, which was available exclusively atTarget in the United States. On February 17, 2015, Swift announced that she would release the three bonus tracks toiTunes Stores in the United States aspromotional singles one at a time.[13] "New Romantics" was released on March 3, 2015, byBig Machine Records.[14] Following this release, the song entered the USBillboard Hot 100 chart dated March 21, 2015, at number 71.[15]
On February 19, 2016, Swift announced that "New Romantics" would be the seventh and final single from1989.[16]Republic Records in partnership with Big Machine released the song to UScontemporary hit[17] andhot adult contemporary radio stations on February 23.[18] Upon its single release, "New Romantics" debuted at number 28 onPop Songs, aBillboard airplay chart;[19] it peaked at number 18 on Pop Songs.[20] The single peaked at number 46 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart dated April 30, 2016, and spent eight weeks on the chart.[21] It reached the top 40 on charts in Lebanon (18),[22] BelgianFlanders (33),[23] Australia (35),[24] and Scotland (40).[25] "New Romantics" received agold certification from theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for exceeding 500,000 track-equivalent units, based on sales and on-demand streams.[26] It also received a gold certification by theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which indicates 35,000 units.[27] The song received a nomination forChoice Song – Female Artist at the2016 Teen Choice Awards.[28]
On April 6, Swift released the music video for "New Romantics" exclusively onApple Music, which required a paid subscription.[29] Directed byJonas Åkerlund,[30] the video consists of concert and behind-the-scenes footage duringthe 1989 World Tour in 2015, intertwined with Swift'svoice-overs about her thoughts for her fans.[31] Laura Bertens, a scholar in art history and cultural studies, cited "New Romantics" as an example of "why music videos often elicit strong reactions". Bertens noted that the behind-the-scenes footage of Swift's performances made the audience connect with her on a personal level, "to see the private person behind the celebrity, all the while knowing that we are looking at a performance as well".[32]Complex's Jessie Morris deemed the exclusive Apple release part of Swift's "partnership" with Apple Music, with whom Swift had collaborated on advertisements and interviews.[33]The Sydney Morning Herald's Karl Quinn labeled the release a "cynical move", through which Swift implicitly encouraged her fans to subscribe to Apple Music to balance the competition withSpotify—the largest on-demand streaming platform at the time. Swift had publicly condemned Spotify's free streaming services that provided low royalties for artists.[34] Swift made the video available on herVevo andYouTube accounts on April 13, 2016, without subscription requirements.[35]
Upon the release of1989, Corey Beasley fromPopMatters deemed "New Romantics" and the other two deluxe edition bonus tracks more "compositionally daring" than any track on the standard edition. Beasley favorably likened the song to the works of Chvrches, writing that "[Swift] can do it better than anyone else".[8]Slate's Carl Wilson called it "manifesto-toned",[4] andPitchfork's Vrinda Jagota described the track as a "surging, euphoric" number that captures the essence of the album.[10] Josh Duboff fromVanity Fair lamented the song's exclusion from the standard edition of1989, writing that it could end up as an album track "on pretty much any other 2014 pop star's album".[36] Aimee Cliff fromFact picked "New Romantics" as an example that best demonstrates Swift's ability to "[document] memories as romantic, filtered snapshots".[37]
Sheffield ranked "New Romantics" as the second best song of 2014[5] and the second-greatest song of Swift's career, behind "All Too Well" (2012). He hailed it as a "work of genius, exceeding even the wildest hopes any fan could have dreamed".[38]Rolling Stone featured "New Romantics" at number 58 in their list "100 Best Songs of the 2010s"; Brittany Spanos described it as "the type of relieving dance floor soul purge that the best pop can be".[39] Retrospective reviews fromThe Guardian'sAlexis Petridis,[40]NME's Hannah Mylrae,[41] andPaste's Jane Song have commented that the song should have made the final cut of1989's standard edition.[42] Lucy Ford fromBritish GQ ranked the single among Swift's 10 best and praised its "cheeky and winking" theme.[43] In a list ranking the bonus tracks from Swift's albums,Variety's Chris Willman ranked "New Romantics" third and described it as Swift and Martin's "peak [...] collaboration in terms of sheer ear candy".[44]
There were less enthusiastic reviews. Nate Jones fromVulture regarded "New Romantics" as a weaker attempt at "writing a big generational attempt" than Swift's 2012 song "22".[45] Chris Richards ofThe Washington Post said that the song "registers somewhere between moldy emo and the back pages of a high school literary magazine", containing some of the "worst lyrics" on1989.[46]
Swift included "New Romantics" on theset list for the 1989 World Tour, which ran from May to November 2015.[47] She sang the song at theFormula 1 United States Grand Prix at theCircuit of the Americas on October 22, 2016,[48] and at theDirecTV Super Saturday Night, as part of a series of pre-Super Bowl concerts, on February 4, 2017.[49] Swift performed an acoustic guitar rendition at the August 9, 2023, show ofthe Eras Tour atSoFi Stadium inInglewood, California, prefaced by her announcement of the October 27 release of her re-recording of1989,1989 (Taylor's Version).[50] She sang the song again as part of a guitar medley with her songs "Message in a Bottle" and "How You Get the Girl" in dedication to Martin on the May 19, 2024, show of the tour atFriends Arena inStockholm.[51]
Credits adapted from theliner notes of1989[3]
| Chart (2015–2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[24] | 35 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[23] | 33 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[52] | 58 |
| CanadaAC (Billboard)[53] | 46 |
| CanadaCHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[54] | 24 |
| CanadaHot AC (Billboard)[55] | 31 |
| France (SNEP)[56] | 190 |
| Japan (Japan Hot 100) (Billboard)[57] | 90 |
| Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20)[22] | 18 |
| Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[58] | 58 |
| Scotland (OCC)[25] | 40 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[59] | 132 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[21] | 46 |
| USAdult Contemporary (Billboard)[60] | 18 |
| USAdult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[61] | 9 |
| USPop Airplay (Billboard)[20] | 18 |
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Portugal (AFP)[62] | 65 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[27] | 2× Platinum | 140,000‡ |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[63] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[64] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[65] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[26] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "New Romantics (Taylor's Version)" | |
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| Song byTaylor Swift | |
| from the album1989 (Taylor's Version) | |
| Released | October 27, 2023 (2023-10-27) |
| Studio | Prime Recording (Nashville) |
| Length | 3:50 |
| Label | Republic |
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| Lyric video | |
| "New Romantics (Taylor's Version)" onYouTube | |
After signing a new contract withRepublic Records, Swift began re-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020.[66] The decision followed apublic 2019 dispute between Swift and the talent managerScooter Braun, who acquired Big Machine Records, including themasters of Swift's albums which the label had released.[67][68] 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 and therefore substituted the Big Machine–owned masters.[69]
The re-recording of "New Romantics", subtitled "Taylor's Version", was released as part of1989's re-recording,1989 (Taylor's Version), on October 27, 2023.[70] Swift produced "New Romantics (Taylor's Version)" withChristopher Rowe, who had produced her previous re-recordings.[71] The track wasengineered by Derek Garten at Prime Recording Studio inNashville, Tennessee; mixed by Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia; and mastered byRandy Merrill atSterling Sound inEdgewater, New Jersey. Rowe recorded Swift's vocals at Kitty Committee Studio in New York.[72]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of1989 (Taylor's Version)[72]
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[73] | 27 |
| Global 200 (Billboard)[74] | 24 |
| Greece International (IFPI)[75] | 40 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[76] | 26 |
| Singapore (RIAS)[77] | 22 |
| Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[78] | 13 |
| UK Streaming (OCC)[79] | 31 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[80] | 29 |
