Taylor Swift released Reputation

Originally posted March 7, 2019.

Reputation Taylor Swift

Released: November 10, 2017 Peak: #14 US, #11 UK, #13 CN, #12 AU Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 0.1 UK, 4.5 world (includes US and UK) Genre: pop

Tracks: (Click for codes to singles charts.) Ready for It? (9/3/17, 4 US, 26 AC, 10 A40, 7 UK, 7 CN, 3 AU, worldwide sales: 2.5 million) End Game (with Ed Sheeran & Future, 11/14/17, 18 US, 14 A40, 49 UK, 11 CN, 36 AU) I Did Something Bad Don’t Blame Me Delicate (3/12/18, 12 US, 110 AC, 14 A40, 45 UK, 20 CN, 28 AU, worldwide sales: 1.44 million) Look What You Made Me Do (8/24/17, 13 US, 19 AC, 7 A40, 12 UK, 13 CN, 12 AU, worldwide sales: 5.6 million) So It Goes Gorgeous (11/11/17, 13 US, 15 UK, 9 CN, 9 AU, worldwide sales: 0.77 million) Getaway Car King of My Heart Dancing with Our Hands Tied Dress This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things Call It What You Want (11/25/17, 27 US) New Year’s Day (11/27/17, 33 CW)

Review: For her sixth album, Taylor Swift turned to producers Jack Antonoff, Max Martin, and Shellback – all of whom she’d worked with on 1989 album. While that album completed Swift’s transition to pop stardom, this album is arguably her “first self-consciously ‘adult’ record,” AMG “preoccupied with sex, betrayal, and the scars they leave behind.” AMG Previous albums focused on “the singer/songwriter who grew up in public” AMG as “ a babe in the woods” AMG while this one deals with themes such as “handling fame and media coverage of celebrities.” WK Sonically, Reputation has been described as “brash, weaponized pop” (Neil McCormick, The Daily Telegraph) WK and “another shift, this time into electronic pop” (Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune). WK Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield said this album “builds on the synth-pop of 1989.” WK Reputation “achieves a steely, nocturnal sound,” AMG “dwelling on drum loops and synthesizers.” AMG This sound is established from the opening song, Ready for It?, which has been described as and “electronic-inspired…industrial pop song with elements of tropical house, dubstep, and trap music.” WK Swift said the song is “about finding your own partner in crime” WK and that it “introduces a metaphor you may hear more of throughout…this kind of Crime and Punishment metaphor.” WK Look What You Made Me Do, the lead single, treads similar electro-pop territory, interpolating “I’m Too Sexy” by the British dance-pop group Right Said Fred. The song started as a poem “about realizing that you couldn’t trust certain people, but realizing you appreciate the people you can trust.” WK The song hit #1 in at least 15 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom and amassed more than a billion views on YouTube. Delicate, another single, was about “what happens when you meet somebody that you really want in your life and then you start worrying about what they’ve heard before they met you.” WK Swift wanted to use the vocoder on the song to create “an emotional and vulnerable sound for the track.” WK Nearly “every song on Reputation has a cool, gleaming patina that’s designed to put an alluring distance between Swift and the listener.” AMG The exception is “the delicate closer New Year’s Day,” AMG a song which “explores the flip side of the romanticism of a New Year’s Eve kiss.” WK It is about the person who “sticks around the next day to give you Adil and clean up the house.” WK There is some “awkwardness that’s distracting upon first listen but less so on revisits” AMG and “what’s left is a coming of age album anchored by some strong Swift songs” AMG which “carry Swift’s trademark blend of vulnerability, melody, and confidence.” AMG “They are deeply felt and complex, signs that all of the heavy-handed persona plays of reputation were a necessary exercise for her to mature as a singer/songwriter.” AMG Review Source(s): Taylor Swift’s DMDB Encyclopedia entry AMG All Music Guide review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine WK Wikipedia

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Awards:

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Justin Timberlake debuted at #1 with “Can’t Stop the Feeling”

Can’t Stop the Feeling! Justin Timberlake

Writer(s): Justin Timberlake, Max Martin, Johan Schuster (see lyrics here) Released: May 6, 2016 First Charted: May 21, 2016 Peak: 11 US, 12 RR, 15 BA, 110 DG, 116 AC, 19 A40, 2 UK, 11 CN, 3 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 7.6 US, 1.52 UK, 12.77 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.59 radio, 1157.7 video, 1562.18 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Justin Timberlake wrote and produced the “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” with Max Martin and Shellback for the movie Trolls, for which he served as the executive music producer. Timberlake said the movie felt “like one big, trippy disco experience” WK which needed a disco song. They initially had Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” but Timberlake wanted a more modern song. He noted the challenge of crafting a song which characters in the movie would sing.WK The film version featured vocals from James Corden, Zooey Deschanel, Anna Kendrick, and Gwen Stefani. Timberlake’s effort snagged a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song. It took best song honors at the iHeartRadio Music Awards and Peoples’ Choice Awards. WK The uptempo single was released six months before the film came out and debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the 26th song to do so. WK It was Timberlake’s fifth song to reach the summit in the United States and topped the charts in 18 other countries. WK It became the best-selling song of 2016 in the U.S. and was named the most-played song in the U.K. WK Billboard magazine named it the year’s Top Selling Song and Top Radio Song. WK It was described as a “funky mix of disco and pop” (Entertainment Weekly) which “gives off a feeling of pure joy that only a talent as great as Timberlake could bring to the table” (Music Times’ Jon Niles). WK AZCentral’s Ed Masley said, ‘the lyrics sound like they were custom-made to be the soundtrack to your favorite summer memories.” WK The A.V. Club’s Annie Zaleski said, “The tune doesn’t have to be meaningful – in fact, the more lightweight, the better – and it should offer a few minutes of unadulterated escapism.” WK “If Friday had a sound,” said CNN Entertainment’s Lisa Respers France, “it would be…’Can’t Stop the Feeling!’” WK The video shows Timberlake in everyday places such as a laundromat, diner, and barbershop. People dance to the song at each stop and then congregate at a highway overpass at the end of the song to dance with Timberlake. WK Mark Romanek, the director, said it was “the overall feeling of unironic and sincere humanism…It makes people smile for four minutes.” WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Justin Timberlake DMDB encyclopedia entry for Max Martin WK Wikipedia Last updated 7/19/2023.

Max Martin: Top 40 Songs

image from tv.aftonbladet.se

More than any other individual, Max Martin may be responsible for the sound of pop music in the 21st century. As a producer and songwriter, he made a name for himself in the late ‘90s as the man behind hits by Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, and N Sync. He went on to helm songs by Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Pink, and Taylor Swift. He has co-written 21 #1 songs (noted below) on the Billboard Hot 100, putting him third behind Paul McCartney (32) and John Lennon (26). He’s been behind 54 top-ten hits, putting him ahead of Madonna, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles. He has produced 19 #1 hits, putting him second only to George Martin (23).

So, in celebration of Martin’s accomplisments, here are his top songs of all time according to Dave’s Music Database:

1. Britney Spears…Baby One More Time (1998) #1
2. Katy Perry…Roar (2013) #1
3. Katy Perry with Juicy J…Dark Horse (2013) #1
4. Taylor Swift…Shake It Off (2014) #1
5. Katy Perry…I Kissed a Girl (2008) #1
6. Taylor Swift…Blank Space (2014) #1
7. Katy Perry with Snoop Dogg…California Gurls (2010) #1
8. Taylor Swift…We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (2012) #1
9. Kelly Clarkson…Since U Been Gone (2004)
10. Katy Perry…Hot N Cold (2008)

11. Maroon 5…One More Night (2012) #1
12. Backstreet Boys…I Want It That Way (1999)
13. Taio Cruz…Dymamite (2010)
14. Katy Perry with Kanye West…E.T. (2011) #1
15. Pink…So What (2008) #1
16. Taylor Swift…I Knew You Were Trouble (2012)
17. Katy Perry….Teenage Dream (2010) #1
18. Ariana Grande with Izzy Azalea…Problem (2014)
19. Britney Spears…Oops! I Did It Again (2000)
20. Ellie Goulding…Love Me Like You Do (2015)

21. Usher with Pitbull…DJ Got Us Falling in Love (2010)
22. Katy Perry…Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) (2010) #1
23. Katy Perry…Wide Awake (2012)
24. Pink…Raise Your Glass (2010) #1
25. Taylor Swift…Bad Blood (2015) #1
26. Kelly Clarkson…My Life Would Suck Without You (2009) #1
27. Katy Perry…The One That Got Away (2011)
28. Jessie J with Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj…Bang Bang (2014)
29. Jessie J…Domino (2011)
30. Pink…Fuckin’ Perfect (2010)

31. Taylor Swift…22 (2013)
32. Katy Perry…Part of Me (2012) #1
33. Pink…Who Knew (2006)
34. Kelly Clarkson…Behind These Hazel Eyes (2005)
35. Britney Spears with Nicki Minaj & Ke$ha…Till the World Ends (2011)
36. Taylor Swift…Style (2015)
37. The Weeknd…Can’t Feel My Face (2015) #1
38. Avril Lavigne…What the Hell (2011)
39. Pink…U + Ur Hand (2006)
40. Backstreet Boys…Quit Playing Games with My Heart (1996)

Taylor Swift hit #1 with “Bad Blood”

Bad Blood Taylor Swift with Kendrick Lamar

Writer(s): Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback, Kendrick Lamar (see lyrics here) Released: May 17, 2015 First Charted: November 15, 2014 Peak: 11 US, 15 BA, 15 DG, 16 RR, 9 AC, 13 A40, 4 UK, 11 CN, 13 AU, 12 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 6.0 US, 0.6 UK, 7.05 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1589.23 video, 826.18 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Taylor Swift’s fifth album, 1989, marked her completed transition away from country to mainstream pop. She enlisted producers Max Martin and Shellback to give the album its 1980s snyth-pop sound. The result was five top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. “Bad Blood” charted briefly when the album was released in October 2014, but was officially released as the album’s fourth single – in a remixed version featuring Kendrick Lamar – in May 2015. It was the third song from the album to hit #1. It was speculated the song was about Katy Perry, with whom Swift had a widely reported feud. Swift claimed that a female singer had tried to sabotage her concert tour by hiring away people who had worked for her. Others simply thought the song was about lost romance, the central theme of the album. Swift told GQ, “It was not a song about heartbreak. It was about the loss of friendship.” SF She told Rolling Stone, “Sometimes the lines in a song are lines you wish you could text-message somebody in real life…like, ‘Burn. That would really get her…but…my intent was not to create some gossip-fest. I wanted people to apply it to a situation where they felt betrayed in their own lives.” SF Either way, it fit with an established tendency for Swift to play victim and call others out publicly. Critics gave the song mixed reviews, some saying the lyrics were repetitive and the production was generic. WK Mike Diver from Clash called it “a litany of diary-page break up clichés set to directionless thumps and fuzzes.” WK Mikael Wood from the Los Angeles Times said it was “a generic song where Swift fails to showcase herself as a distinctive artist.” WK On the flip side, Sasha Geffen of Consequence of Sound applaued it as a defiant tune with heavy, hip-hop beats. Andy Pettifier of The Quietus said the song was “crammed with merit…all sass and bile.” WK A high-budget video directed by Joseph Kahn featured a cast of singers and models whom the media called Swift’s “squad.” The group included Jessica Alba, Cindy Crawford, Selena Gomez, Ellie Goulding, Gigi Hadid, Hailee Steinfeld, and Zendaya. The video was premiered at the Billboard Music Awards. It set a then-record for most views (20.1 million) in its first day. SF It won MTV’s Video of the Year and Best Collaboration. It also won a Grammy for Best Music Video and was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Performance. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Taylor Swift DMDB encyclopedia entry for Kendrick Lamar SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: Last updated 8/9/2023.

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.