Taylor Swift “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” hit #1

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together Taylor Swift

Writer(s): Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback (see lyrics here) Released: August 13, 2012 First Charted: August 19, 2012 Peak: 13 BB, 15 DG, 10 AC, 7 A40, 110 CW, 4 UK, 14 CN, 3 AU, 9 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 6.0 US, 1.2 UK, 9.29 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 832.63 video, 971.57 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Taylor Swift’s fourth album, Red, saw her more fully embracing pop music. This was noticeable in the album’s lead single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” which – despite topping the country charts – was a full-on pop song embracing “pulsing synthesizers, processed guitar riffs, [and] bass drums.” WK Writer Jonathan Keefe (Slant, Spin) even called it “bubblegum pop.” WK MTV’s James Montgomery called it “a turning point in her career.” WK After writing her previous album, 2010’s Speak Now, entirely on her own, she opted to collaborate with others on Red. She connected with production and songwriting gurus Max Martin and Shellback, who’d had #1 success with Pink (“So What,” “Raise Your Glass”), Britney Spears (“3”), and Maroon 5 (“One More Night”). They helped her write “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” after a friend of Swift’s ex-boyfriend (rumored to be actor Jake Gyllenhaal) came in the studio talking about rumors of a reunion. SF Afterward, they asked her for details and she described their relationship as “break up, get back together, break up, get back together, just, ugh, the worst.” WK According to Taylor, “Max says, ‘This is what we’re writing; we’re writing this song.’ And I picked up the guitar and just started singing ‘we are never ever.’ It just happened so fast. It was so much fun.” SF She said it became one of her most humorous experiences while recording. WK She said of the ex that he belittled her music, saying she “wasn’t as good or as relevant as these hipster bands he listened to…So I made a song that I knew would absolutely drive him crazy when he heard it on the radio.” SF She references it in the song, singing, “Hid away and find your peace of mind / With some indie record that’s much cooler than mine.” SF The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #72 and leapt to #1 the following week, making it one of the biggest jumps into the top slot in history. It was also her first #1 on the chart after 45 chart entries – a record. SF The song won the Billboard Music Award for Top Country Song and was nominated for a Grammy for Record of the Year. It also received a People’s Choice Award nomination for Favorite Song. It also set a Guinness World Record for fastest selling single in digital history WK with 623,000 units in its first week. SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Taylor Swift SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 2/19/2024; last updated 4/14/2024.