Taylor Swift - “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (Single Review)
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| Taylor Swift "Never" Single artwork (Amazon) |
Label: Big Machine Records, LLC
Time: 3:12 minutes
Writers: Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback
Producers: Max Martin, Shellback, Dann Huff
Release Date: 14 Aug 2012
Rating (Out of 10): 7/10
Taylor's lead off single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" (WANEGBT) from the forthcoming October release of her album RED, finds the 22-year old on a stepping stone heading even closer towards the Pop World format. If judged purely on the basis of this song, which is one of sixteen tracks on a crammed fourth studio album, she is closing the country door that she opened in 2006 with single "Tim McGraw".
Swift's wonderful 2012 million-seller collaboration single “Safe & Sound” with The Civil Wars displayed a high level of maturity with her writing and excellent deliver. On "WANEGBT" written with Johan Shellback and Max Martin it marks a return to a rather silly, playful but funny mode. The song with its spoken-word sections draws comparisons to the style of Avril Lavigne. Both Shellback and Martin wrote and produced 4 of Avril's tracks on her 2011 record "Goodbye Lullaby.
Swedish producer Max Martin is also the creator of #1 hits “Baby One More Time” (Britney Spears) and “Since U Been Gone” (Kelly Clarkson)
In this break-up/relationship-gone-bad song its catchy pop hooks quickly register in the brain and the "Whee's!" will provide a hand waving crowd pleaser on her promised paint the town RED tours.
With its acoustic opening chords and heavy underlining beat Taylor pours scorn on her "unnamed" beau, who keeps turning up like a bad penny, doesn't understand the words "its over", and keeps crawling back to her door spilling out his overused mistrusting lines and no doubt holding an apologetic bunch of roses whilst offering the "love you's". Taylor opens up with her trademark snarl in the first verse
I remember when we broke up
The first time saying "This is it, I've had enough!"
Cause like, we hadn't seen each other in a month
When you said you needed space (what?)
Then you come around again and say
"Baby, I miss you, and I swear I'm gonna change"
Trust me, remember how that lasted for a day?
I say "I hate you", we break up, you call me, I love you
Taylor taunts with “Hide away and find your peace of mind,” and questions will again be raised to uncover who the real life boy is in this girl-power song. Miss Swift confirmed in a YouTube webchat that "he" is an actual ex-boyfriend, whose friend stopped by the studio while she was hard at work with the new record. The conversation led to instant inspiration and the song, quickly penned, emerged.
With the line "I'm really gonna miss you picking fights", and Tay, taking the bait, spits out "With some indie record that's much cooler than mine" (laughs) it is aimed most definitely at a fellow musician (Clue 1, tick) . Could it possibly relate to Parachute front-man Will Anderson who had a hot-and-cold relationship with the country/pop princess. The two met on New Year's Eve 2008–2009 in Times Square NY City. It could easily relate to John Mayer once more? The SPEAK NOW track “Dear John" was widely taken as a swipe at a dishonourable ex-boyfriend?
American pop singer and musician Joe Jonas has already distanced himself (who dated Miss Swift from July to October 2008). He told People magazine it isn't him - "I don't think we've ever tried [to get back together] another time, so I can tell you it's not about me," Previous outings of Swift's songs “Forever and Always” and “Last Kiss” were allegedly attributed to their relationship.
Will RED but the rumours to bed?
Whatever is the case the protagonist with his tiresome manner feels the full force of Taylor's impatience in the chorus as she ramps up the anger:
“We are never ever, ever, getting back together / We are never ever, ever, getting back together / You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me / We are never ever, ever, getting back together.”
Swift may have mistakenly led to believe that they were "forever, ever" and allowed herself to inwardly embrace the words "Never say never" but what feels like a [spoken] late night chat with a female pal she confides with a newfound wisdom: "So he calls me up and he's like "I still love you" and I'm like, I'm just...This is exhausting" Move on Taylor you deserve better was most probably the comforting words offered from the friend.
With a further 15 album tracks to appear once again former boyfriends might want to hide or duck the unscented Wonderstruck arrows heading in their direction, minus co-writer duet partner Ed Sheeran, who she greatly admires.
A country version of WANEGBT, laced fairly sparsely with additional banjo and fiddle riffs, has been readied to country radio and it may not be enough to satisfy their listeners needs and doubtful to draw new fans to the genre. The current online downloads are the pop version although rather surprisingly it is tagged “country” unless dishing dirt and story-telling counts.
As she approaches the age of 23, towards year end, Taylor has find the right balance and transition to maintain her teenage audience which has brought her vast riches whilst developing song writing pedigree to prove to the Music Biz of her credible maturity. This girly song with its electronic-heavy production, a more “pop-ier” vocal style than she has previously shown, will again win the hearts and minds of young female fans and with a more cathartic twist than Alanis Morissette’s track “You Oughta Know”, herself a teenage idol, Taylor shows she is capable of holding her own and standing her ground. She has learnt the art that revenge is more satisfying as a considered response. The proverb "revenge is a dish best served cold" has never sounded so sweet from her trademark red lips despite the tracks brash and honest sentiments.
Watch out for the ”been-there, done-that” T-shirts and fist-in-the-air sing-along’s on her RED tour.
This is infectious ear candy and your not gonna get this song out of your head!
Gaining immediate acceptance, within hours of its release this foot-stomper raced to #1 on iTunes around the world. In all genres it hit #1 in the U.S. in under an hour and has since reached No. 1 in 29 additional countries. Industry sources are suggesting it may sell between 450,000 to 500,000 downloads by the end of the Nielsen SoundScan tracking week (Sunday August 19th).
T-Swizzle looks set to break new records and has delivered another winner!
Available to download from:
Livewire
This Lyric Video is so cute!
(TaylorSwiftVEVO) Music video by Taylor Swift performing “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (Lyric Video).
(C) 2012 Big Machine Records, LLC. Director: Justin Nolan Key >> YouTube
Listen to Taylor Swift, ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’
>> Audio Link (LQ stream)
Listen to the country version at Taste Of Country
What others are saying about the single:
Entertainment Weekly praised it for its “undeniable, instantly catchy hook” and “festive flair.”
According to Time, the song “will certainly be the newest, most popular breakup anthem.”
Billboard praises both the song and Taylor saying “with ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,’ Swift expands an already impressive songwriting range to incorporate a biting sarcasm within her deep-rooted confidence.”
Around The Web:
Tweets:
@JoDeeMessina: @taylorswift13 LOVE the new single. Rock on sista,Friend. AWESOME! soooo proud of you
#WANEGBT is officially Number ONE in 25 countries on iTunes!
Ellen DeGeneres @TheEllenShow Incredible new song from @TaylorSwift13, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” It's definitely not about me
Taylor Swift 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together' Lyrics video @ www.universal-music.de and http://vevo.ly/NnrTik
News update
After being serviced to radio (Aug. 13) jointly by Big Machine and Universal Republic Records, "Never" has accrued approximately 30 million in all-format radio audience in less than 24 hours, according to Nielsen BDS. "Never" has the retail record books in its sights. With a sales forecast of between 450,000 to 500,000 downloads that large a sum could earn "Never" the biggest sales debut for a digital song by a woman, as well as a career-high sales week for the country/pop superstar.
NOTE - Only the pop edit of "Never" is currently available digitally for consumers.
(Aug 15 update) Taylor Swift's new is selling much faster than initially thought. Industry sources now suggest the even has a pretty decent shot of surpassing the 600,000 mark once they saw how well it was already selling, it blew all projections out of the water. On Wednesdays (Aug 15) new Billboard Hot 100 chart, the song makes a, well, Swift start, debuting at No. 72 after less than two days in release
It probably will be more “when” than “if” it surpasses 448,000, it will earn the largest debut for a digital song by a woman in history. Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" holds the current feat among female acts, when it launched at No. 1 on Billboard's Digital Songs chart with 448,000 according to Nielsen SoundScan.
If it surpasses 448,000 copies, "Never" will earn the largest debut for a digital song by a female artist.
Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" holds the mark among women, having launched at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart dated Feb. 26, 2011. (Impressively, "Born" racked 448,000 after only three days on sale when released on Friday, Feb. 11, 2011. (The SoundScan tracking week ends on Sunday each week). Taylor’s "Never" will start with a little more than six days' worth of sales.
As for Swift, her best sales week was tallied with "Love Story," which sold 360,000 over Christmas week of 2008 (on the Hot Digital Songs chart dated Jan. 10, 2009).
Her highest debut week came courtesy of "Today Was a Fairytale," which sold 325,000 on the Feb. 6, 2010, Hot Digital Songs chart. (Source - Billboard Story)
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