New Romantics (song)

"New Romantics" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from the deluxe edition of her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). She wrote it with the producers Max Martin and Shellback. The title references the New Romantic cultural movement of the 1970s and 1980s; the new wave music style of that era influenced the song's synth-pop production. "New Romantics" has an upbeat sound instrumented by pulsing synthesizers, and its lyrics are about reigniting one's hopes and energy after enduring heartbreak.

Big Machine Records released "New Romantics" as the seventh and final single from 1989 on February 23, 2016. The song's music video is a compilation of footage from the 1989 World Tour that Swift embarked on in 2015. In the United States, "New Romantics" peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. The single peaked in the top 40 on the charts in Australia, Belgian Flanders, Lebanon, and Scotland, and it received certifications 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 in 1989'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 a 2019 dispute regarding the ownership of Swift's back catalog, she re-recorded the song and released it as "New Romantics (Taylor's Version)" as part of her 2023 re-recorded album 1989 (Taylor's Version).

Production

Inspired by 1980s synth-pop, Swift moved away from the country-styled music of her previous releases to employ a straightforward pop production for her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> To this end, she enlisted prominent mainstream pop producers, including Swedish hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback; Swift also recruited the former as co-executive producer.Template:Sfn Martin and Shellback produced seven out of thirteen tracks on the album's standard edition,Template:Sfn and two out of three bonus tracks on the deluxe edition, including "New Romantics".<ref name="notes"/> Swift, Martin and Shellback are credited as the songwriters of "New Romantics".<ref name="notes"/> The song was recorded by Michael Ilbert at MXM Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, and Sam Holland at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles.<ref name="notes"/> It was mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound Studios in New York City.<ref name="notes"/>

Music and lyrics

Template:Listen "New Romantics" incorporates pulsating synthesizers.<ref name="Slate"/> The song's title is a reference to the New Romantic cultural movement of the late 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="RSsheffield"/> According to Slate editor Forrest Wickman, this reference is also apparent through the song's sonic resemblance to the era's new wave.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone dubbed "New Romantics" the song that showcased the most authentic tribute to 1980s synth-pop on 1989.<ref name="RSsheffield"/> AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine similarly considered the track among the few on the album that truly sounded like 1980s pop, specifically "1983 new wave".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> For Corey Baesley from PopMatters, "New Romantics" is where Swift emulates the "indie electro-pop" styles of the Scottish band Chvrches.<ref name="PM"/> While acknowledging the 1980s influences, such as the "coolness" of the 1980 hit "We Got the Beat", the musicologist 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.Template:Sfn

The lyrics are about Swift reigniting her hopes and energy after the heartbreak she had endured.<ref name="Pitchfork"/><ref name="stuff"/> For PitchforkTemplate:'s Vrinda Jagota, "New Romantics" is where Swift brushes off the pain "into a night of uninhibited hedonism", representing her departure from "slow-burning heartache" on her previous songs towards a more positive, laid-back attitude.<ref name="Pitchfork">Template:Cite web</ref> The refrain starts with Swift singing, Template:" 'Cause baby I could build a castle / Out of all the bricks they threw at me." Anna Leszkiewicz from the New 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 from The Washington Post said this sentiment resembled Swift's 2013 single "22".<ref name="stuff">Template:Cite news</ref> SlateTemplate:'s Carl Wilson described the song as 1989Template:'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.<ref name="Slate">Template:Cite web</ref> Perone noted that the lyrics were representational of Swift's generation's defiant and carefree attitude, which he compared to that of the mods in the 1960s, specifically citing the Who's 1965 song "My Generation".Template:Sfn

Release

Swift performed "New Romantics" on the 1989 World Tour in 2015. Footage of the tour was included in the song's music video.

"New Romantics" was initially one of the three bonus tracks on the deluxe edition of 1989, which was available exclusively at Target in the United States. On February 17, 2015, Swift announced that she would release the three bonus tracks to iTunes Stores in the United States as promotional singles one at a time.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> "New Romantics" was released on March 3, 2015, by Big Machine Records.<ref name="promo">Template:Cite web</ref> Following this release, the song entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated March 21, 2015, at number 71.<ref name="Hot 100 debut">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

On February 19, 2016, Swift announced that "New Romantics" would be the seventh and final single from 1989.<ref name="singlerel">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Republic Records in partnership with Big Machine released the song to US contemporary hit<ref name="CHR adds">Template:Cite web</ref> and hot adult contemporary radio stations on February 23.<ref name="radio">Template:Cite web</ref> Upon its single release, "New Romantics" debuted at number 28 on Pop Songs, a Billboard airplay chart;<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> it peaked at number 18 on Pop Songs.<ref name="mt40"/> The single peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated April 30, 2016, and spent eight weeks on the chart.<ref name="hot100"/> It reached the top 40 on charts in Lebanon (18),<ref name="lbn"/> Belgian Flanders (33),<ref name="fla"/> Australia (35),<ref name="aus"/> and Scotland (40).<ref name="sct"/> "New Romantics" received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for exceeding 500,000 track-equivalent units, based on sales and on-demand streams.<ref name="riaa"/> It also received a gold certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which indicates 35,000 units.<ref name="aria"/> The song received a nomination for Choice Song – Female Artist at the 2016 Teen Choice Awards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On April 6, Swift released the music video for "New Romantics" exclusively on Apple Music, which required a paid subscription.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Directed by Jonas Åkerlund,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the video consists of concert and behind-the-scenes footage during the 1989 World Tour in 2015, intertwined with Swift's voice-overs about her thoughts for her fans.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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".Template:Sfn ComplexTemplate:'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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Sydney Morning HeraldTemplate:'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 with Spotify—the largest on-demand streaming platform at the time. Swift had publicly condemned Spotify's free streaming services that provided low royalties for artists.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Swift made the video available on her Vevo and YouTube accounts on April 13, 2016, without subscription requirements.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Critical reception

Upon the release of 1989, Corey Beasley from PopMatters 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".<ref name="PM">Template:Cite web</ref> SlateTemplate:'s Carl Wilson called it "manifesto-toned",<ref name="Slate"/> and PitchforkTemplate:'s Vrinda Jagota described the track as a "surging, euphoric" number that captures the essence of the album.<ref name="Pitchfork"/> Josh Duboff from Vanity Fair lamented the song's exclusion from the standard edition of 1989, writing that it could end up as an album track "on pretty much any other 2014 pop star's album".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Aimee Cliff from Fact picked "New Romantics" as an example that best demonstrates Swift's ability to "[document] memories as romantic, filtered snapshots".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sheffield ranked "New Romantics" as the second best song of 2014<ref name="RSsheffield">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Retrospective reviews from The GuardianTemplate:'s Alexis Petridis,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> NMETemplate:'s Hannah Mylrae,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and PasteTemplate:'s Jane Song have commented that the song should have made the final cut of 1989Template:'s standard edition.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lucy Ford from British GQ ranked the single among Swift's 10 best and praised its "cheeky and winking" theme.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

There were less enthusiastic reviews. Nate Jones from Vulture regarded "New Romantics" as a weaker attempt at "writing a big generational attempt" than Swift's 2012 song "22".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chris Richards of The 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" on 1989.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Live performances

Swift included "New Romantics" on the set list for the 1989 World Tour, which ran from May to November 2015.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She sang the song at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas on October 22, 2016,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and at the DirecTV Super Saturday Night, as part of a series of pre-Super Bowl concerts, on February 4, 2017.<ref name="Kayleigh">Template:Cite news</ref> Swift performed an acoustic guitar rendition at the August 9, 2023, show of the Eras Tour at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, prefaced by her announcement of the October 27 release of her re-recording of 1989, 1989 (Taylor's Version).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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 at Friends Arena in Stockholm.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of 1989<ref name="notes">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

• Taylor Swift – vocals, background vocals, songwriter
• Cory Bice – assistant recording
• Tom Coyne – mastering
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• John Hanes – engineered for mix
• Sam Holland – recording
• Michael Ilbert – recording
• Max Martin – producer, songwriter, keyboard, piano, programming
• Shellback – producer, songwriter, background vocals, guitar, keyboards, drum, programming, bass

Charts

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2015–2016 weekly chart performance for "New Romantics"

Chart (2015–2016)	Peak position
Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20)<ref name="lbn">Template:Cite web</ref>	18
UK Singles (OCC)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	132

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2023 weekly chart performance for "New Romantics"

Chart (2023)	Peak position

"New Romantics (Taylor's Version)"

After signing a new contract with Republic Records, Swift began re-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The decision followed a public 2019 dispute between Swift and the talent manager Scooter Braun, who acquired Big Machine Records, including the masters of Swift's albums which the label had released.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By re-recording the albums, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, which enabled her to control the licensing of her songs for commercial use and therefore substituted the Big Machine–owned masters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The re-recording of "New Romantics", subtitled "Taylor's Version", was released as part of 1989Template:'s re-recording, 1989 (Taylor's Version), on October 27, 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Swift produced "New Romantics (Taylor's Version)" with Christopher Rowe, who had produced her previous re-recordings.<ref name="Pitchfork2">Template:Cite web</ref> The track was engineered by Derek Garten at Prime Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee; mixed by Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia; and mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey. Rowe recorded Swift's vocals at Kitty Committee Studio in New York.<ref name="Republic Records-2023">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of 1989 (Taylor's Version)<ref name="Republic Records-2023" /> Template:Div col begin

• Taylor Swift – vocals, background vocals, songwriter, producer
• Max Bernstein – synthesizer, electric guitar, acoustic guitar
• Matt Billingslea – drums, drum programming
• Bryce Bordone – engineer for mix
• Dan Burns – drum programming, synth bass, synthesizer
• Derek Garten – engineer, editing, programming
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• Amos Heller – bass guitar
• Max Martin – songwriter
• Mike Meadows – synthesizer, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Brian Pruitt – drums, drum programming
• Christopher Rowe – producer, vocal engineer
• Shellback – songwriter

Charts

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Chart performance for "New Romantics (Taylor's Version)"

Chart (2023)	Peak position
Greece International (IFPI)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	40
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	26
Singapore (RIAS)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	22
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	13
UK Streaming (OCC)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	31

References

Cited literature

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