Taylor Swift dethrones herself at #1 with “Blank Space”

Blank Space Taylor Swift

Writer(s): Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback (see lyrics here) Released: November 10, 2014 First Charted: November 2, 2014 Peak: 17 US, 16 BA, 17 DG, 17 ST, 15 RR, 14 AC, 16 A40, 4 UK, 16 CN, 13 AU, 11 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 8.0 US, 1.63 UK, 11.68 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 3301.3 video, 1336.73 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Blank Space” was the second single from Taylor Swift’s fifth studio album 1989. It followed previous single, “Shake It Off,” to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. In fact, Swift knocked herself out of the top spot, becoming the first woman in the history of the chart to do so. WK So far, it has been her longest reign at #1. The “electropop song” was compared by some critics to the work of Lorde (“Royals”). WK Lyrically, it “satirizes the media’s perception of Swift and her relationships.” WK She is portrayed as “an overly attached maneater who dates for songwriting material.” WK She sings that she’s “got a long list of ex-lovers, they’ll tell you I’m insane” and that she has “a blank space, baby, and I’ll write your name.” Swift wrote the song with Max Martin and Shellback, who also produced. PopMatters called the song “likely the best of Swift’s career.” WK The New York Times said “This is Ms. Swift at her peak.” WK The song was nominated for Gramys for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance. She also took home an iHeart Radio Music Award for Best Lyrics for the song. SF For the video, Swift wanted to continue with the jokes about how she included her ex-boyfriends in her songs. Joseph Kahn, who’d done Eminem’s “Without Me” and Katy Perry’s “Waking Up in Vegas,” was tapped to direct the video. Swift is depicted as “an unhinged lovelorn woman who lives alone in a giant mansion.” SF In July 2015, the video became the fourth to reach one billion views on Vevo. WK It won the MTV awards for Best Pop Video and Best Female Video. WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Taylor Swift DMDB encyclopedia entry for Max Martin SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: Last updated 7/25/2023.