"Actually Romantic" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl (2025). She wrote and produced it with Max Martin and Shellback. The track combines alternative rock, pop-punk, and guitar pop styles; its arrangement is characterized by a grungeelectric guitar motif. In the lyrics, Swift's narrator expresses her amazement and enjoyment of another woman's attention on her.
Upon its release, various critics and listeners speculated that the track was written as a diss track targeting the British singer Charli XCX and her song "Sympathy Is a Knife" (2024), which is allegedly about Swift. It garnered comparisons to the composition of the Pixies's "Where Is My Mind?" (1988). Music critics generally criticized the song's narrative as unmerited, although a few complimented it as a standout from the album for its production choices.
Background
Charli XCX had collaborated with Taylor Swift on her live shows and concert tours, including as an opening act on Swift's 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour.[1] Upon the release of Charli XCX's 2024 album Brat, fans speculated that the track "Sympathy Is a Knife" was directed at Swift's alleged romantic linking with Matty Healy of the band the 1975,[2][1] particularly the lyric, "Don't wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend's show", which also references Charli XCX's husband George Daniel, also from the 1975.[3] Charli XCX later denied that any tracks on Brat were intended as diss tracks[4] and said "Sympathy Is a Knife" was not about Swift.[3]
In an August 2024 interview with Vulture, Charli XCX expressed that "people are gonna think what they want to think" and stated "Sympathy Is a Knife" is about her anxiety, insecurities, and wanting to avoid situations that make her feel self-doubt. In the same interview, Swift was said to have lauded Charli XCX's musical sensibilities, called her writing "surreal and inventive, always", and said she enjoys seeing the results of Charli XCX's hard work. She further praised Charli XCX's ability to "[take] a song to places you wouldn't expect it to go" and how "she's been doing it consistently for over a decade".[5]
Lyrically, "Actually Romantic" addresses an individual whose adversarial fixation on Swift is portrayed as a perverse declaration of love.[15] Multiple critics interpreted the song as a diss track targeting Charli XCX,[14][16][17] as the title is speculated to allude to Charli XCX's "Everything Is Romantic" (2024).[14] The lyric mentioning a song whose author feels "sick [seeing Swift's face]" is viewed as a direct reference to "Sympathy Is a Knife".[18] Another line ("High-fived my ex and then you said you're glad he ghosted me") is believed to reference Healy.[10]
Critical reception
Critics interpreted "Actually Romantic" as a diss track from Swift (left) targeting Charli XCX (right).[19]
Most criticisms of "Actually Romantic" dismissed its narrative as misguided and spiteful.[12][20][19] Several commentators questioned whether it was necessary for Swift to convey such a message given her prominent status as a leading pop star;[10] Laura Snapes of The Guardian called it "queen-bee spite",[13] and Jaeden Pinder of Pitchfork is reminiscent of Swift's earliest revenge songs, in which she was "too caught up in anger to see straight", and that it stood in contrast to her approach of revising lyrics on Speak Now (Taylor's Version) to avoid anti-feminist interpretations.[16]
Critics argued that the narrative of "Actually Romantic" was ineffective and led to unwarranted interpretations. Craig Jenkins of Vulture contended that Swift was unable to interpret Charli XCX's song as a "cry for attention" and thus "validates what was once understood as a nonsensical notion of Taylor Swift as a foil".[21] Citing the same reason, Snapes panned the lyrics as emotionally unsophisticated.[13]News.com.au's Joshua Haigh expressed surprise at Swift's perceived inability to empathize with Charli XCX's "insecurity and jealousy", due to the "thought-provoking and nuanced songs" that she had written.[20]
Several more positive reviews focused on the production elements. In The New York Times, Wesley Morris said he enjoyed the "cascading verses", and Lindsay Zoladz highlighted "the most inspired vocal performance on the album", which turns it into an erotic song that "borders on the exotic".[7]DIY's Ben Tipple and Aisling Murphy of The Globe and Mail contended that it has one of the best melodic compositions on the album.[22][23] In The Daily Telegraph, Neil McCormick selected "Actually Romantic" as one of the album's "interesting outliers" for its evocative content,[24] while Poppie Platt considered it a standout because of its "echoes of vengeful bangers like 'Bad Blood' and 'Blank Space'".[25] On a negative side, Green criticized it as a "Kidz Bop version" of the Pixies's "Where Is My Mind?".[12]
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Life of a Showgirl.[6]
Studios
Produced at MXM Studios and Shellback Studios, Stockholm
↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 41. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 41. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
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