"Babe" | ||||
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Single by Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift | ||||
from the album Bigger | ||||
Released | April 20, 2018 | |||
Genre | Country pop | |||
Length | 3:35 | |||
Label | Big Machine | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | ||||
Sugarland singles chronology | ||||
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Taylor Swift singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Babe" on YouTube |
"Babe" is a song recorded by American country music duo Sugarland,featuring guest vocals from American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released by Big Machine Records on April 20,2018,as the second single from Sugarland's sixth studio album, Bigger (2018). "Babe" is a midtempo country pop [1] ballad and breakup song. It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart,number 8 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs,and at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song was originally written by Swift and Pat Monahan of the American band Train,for Swift's fourth studio album, Red (2012);however,it did not make the final track-list. Swift re-recorded the song for her second re-recorded album, Red (Taylor's Version) (2021).
Scott Borchetta,CEO of Big Machine Records where Swift was signed at the time,first teased a collaboration with Monahan in September 2012 at the iHeartRadio Music Festival. [2] Patrick Monahan,the founding member of rock band Train,first spoke about the song during a 2013 interview with ABC News Radio. He said that when he asked Swift about collaborating on a song for Train's next album,she asked him to co-write a song for her album Red (2012). Ultimately,the song was not included on the album,but when Swift decided to put out a deluxe version of Red,Monahan thought it would finally be released. [3] [4] [5] The song was not previously recorded. [6] [7]
Bigger's track list,which was released on April 12,2018,shows that "Babe" is the only song on the album not co-written by Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland. Nettles and Bush noted at the time that it was the first time they had recorded a song that neither of them were involved in writing. [8] [9] It also marks the second song Swift has written for a country act since making her full transition to pop in 2014,following Little Big Town's "Better Man",as well as the first country song on which she is credited as an artist since that time. [10] [11]
Sugarland told reporters backstage at the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards that the collaboration came about after Swift,who is a Sugarland fan,called the duo wanting to work with them. [12] [13] "She was gracious enough to reach out to us when she heard we were coming back together and doing a record," Bush said. "She said,'I have a song,would you like to do it?' And we said,'Uh,yeah!' I was a little anxious. I didn't want to mess it up!" Nettles added:"But she loved it and wanted [us] to be a part of it,which is exciting. She said,'I have a song,' and we said,'Okay. Send it over.'" [14] [15] [16] The duo found it to be an unusual experience,since they have never featured anybody on their past albums. "So we weren't really used to sorting through that and we didn't want to mess it up. We didn't tell anybody about it until we got finished and she liked it,thank God." [17] In a video Swift posted on Instagram,she expressed that she is delighted that the song "gets its own life" and that "Sugarland wanted to record it and has done such a great job with it". [18] [19] [20]
Swift revealed in August 2021 that she would be recording a solo rendition of "Babe" for the 2021 re-recording of Red. [21]
"Babe" is an acoustic,midtempo country ballad about breaking up. [22] [23] [24] According to Rolling Stone 's Brittney McKenna,the "foot-stomping" song bears a resemblance to Swift's Speak Now era. Nettles handles the lead vocals while Swift contributes to the song's backing vocals,which can be heard echoing in the chorus and the bridge. [25] [26] Lyrically,the song addresses an unfaithful lover. [27]
The song debuted at No. 27 on Country Airplay dated April 28,2018, [28] The following week it was released for sale,and the song reached No. 8 on Hot Country Songs with 38,000 copies in the first sales week. The song peaked at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and at number two on Digital Song Sales chart. [29] [30] [31] It has sold 166,000 copies in the United States as of November 2018. [32] Additionally the song peaked at number 94 in Canada and number 64 in Scotland.
The trailer for the music video aired during the 2018 CMT Music Awards and was uploaded to Sugarland's YouTube channel on June 6,2018,while the official music video premiered on June 9. Swift had the original idea for the video's concept,and as stated per the Sugarland duo themselves,they all got together before the video shoot to collaborate on ideas. [33] To date the video has over 37 million views on YouTube.
The video,directed by Anthony Mandler,features Brandon Routh,Jennifer Nettles and Taylor Swift in primary roles. [34] [35] Routh and Nettles are a married couple while Swift plays the role of a secretary who is having an affair with her married boss (Routh). [36] Routh is shown to be an unfaithful husband throughout the clip and is,ultimately,discovered by Nettles. However,it is later revealed that both women were victims,with Nettles being cheated on and Swift being told by Routh that he loves her and has written love letters to her,but later abandons her,breaking both women's hearts. The video ends with Routh leaving Swift's house to find his front doors locked and his belongings thrown out on the lawn. Nettles,now alone and free,lies down to go to bed,ready to enjoy her new life,and Routh leaves,as Kristian Bush,playing their neighbor,witnesses the whole thing while walking his dog. [37] Swift's attire in the music video was compared to that of character Joan Holloway from the television series Mad Men . [38] [39]
Year | Organization | Award | Result | Ref. |
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2018 | Country Music Association Awards | Video of the Year | Nominated | [40] [41] |
2019 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Nominated | [42] | |
CMT Music Awards | Duo Video of the Year | Nominated | [43] | |
Collaborative Video of the Year | Nominated | |||
Golden Boot Awards | Music Video of the Year | Nominated | [44] | |
Collaboration of the Year | Won |
Sugarland performed the song for the first time on Live with Kelly and Ryan on May 8,2018. [45] On June 6,2018,they performed it on The Today Show live from Blake Shelton's bar,Ole Red. [46] The song is also included in the Still the Same Tour set list. Swift included the song on her pre-show playlist on her Reputation Stadium Tour and sang it as the surprise song at her Cleveland show. [47] Sugarland joined Swift as the special guest at the second show in Arlington on the tour,where they performed the song together live for the first time. [48] Swift performed the song as a surprise song on the Eras Tour in mashup with Death by a Thousand Cuts during the fourth show in Singapore. [49]
Credits adapted from Tidal. [50]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA) [61] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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Various | April 20, 2018 | Big Machine | [50] | |
United States | Country radio |
| [62] |
"Babe (Taylor's Version)" | |
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Song by Taylor Swift | |
from the album Red (Taylor's Version) | |
Released | November 12, 2021 |
Genre | |
Length | 3:44 |
Label | Republic |
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Lyric video | |
"Babe (Taylor's Version)" on YouTube |
Swift re-recorded "Babe", subtitled "(Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)", for her second re-recorded album, Red (Taylor's Version) , released on November 12, 2021, through Republic Records. [63] Swift posted a snippet of the re-recording on Tumblr a day before the album's release. [64] "Babe (Taylor's Version)" is a country pop [65] and ska-pop song [66] that features trumpets, saxophones, and flutes that were absent from Sugarland's version. It includes additional, repetitive lyrics "What about your promises, promises, promises?" on the background. [67]
Credits adapted from Tidal. [68]
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
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Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [69] | 56 |
Global 200 ( Billboard ) [70] | 71 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [71] | 69 |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [72] | 21 |
Sugarland is an American country music duo founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The duo consists of singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. They were founded in 2002, at which point Kristen Hall was also a member. All three had experience in folk rock: Nettles had recorded in the groups Soul Miner's Daughter and Jennifer Nettles Band, Bush had recorded two albums as one-half of the duo Billy Pilgrim, and Hall had recorded two solo albums. After Hall left in 2006, Nettles and Bush continued as a duo.
Jennifer Odessa Nettles is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer.
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"Stay" is a song recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in September 2007 as the fourth and final single from their album Enjoy the Ride. Overall, the song is the group's eighth single to enter the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, where it reached a peak position of #2 for four weeks, stuck behind Taylor Swift's "Our Song", and has become their signature song. The music video for "Stay" was ranked #10 on CMT's 100 Greatest Videos.
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The American country music duo Sugarland has released six studio albums for Mercury Nashville and 18 singles, including one as a featured artist. Founded in 2002 as a trio composed of Kristian Bush, Kristen Hall, and Jennifer Nettles, they have recorded as a duo since Hall's departure in December 2005.
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