"Clean" | |
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Song by Taylor Swift | |
from the album 1989 | |
Released | October 27, 2014 |
Studio | The Hideaway (London) |
Genre | |
Length | 4:30 |
Label | Big Machine |
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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"Clean (Taylor's Version)" | |
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Song by Taylor Swift | |
from the album 1989 (Taylor's Version) | |
Released | October 27, 2023 |
Length | 4:31 |
Label | Republic |
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Lyric video | |
"Clean (Taylor's Version)" on YouTube |
"Clean" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). Written and produced by Swift and the British musician Imogen Heap, the track is a steady soft rock, dream pop, and synth-folk ballad with an electronic production. Its lyrics depict difficulty in letting go of a broken relationship.
Initial reviews of 1989 praised "Clean" for the lyrical sentiments and Swift's songwriting, and picked it as an album highlight. Retrospective rankings have considered the track one of Swift's best songs. Commercially, "Clean" reached the charts of Canada and Portugal and received certifications from Australia and the United Kingdom. It has been covered by several singers, and was featured on the set list of Swift's 1989 World Tour (2015).
A re-recorded version, titled "Clean (Taylor's Version)", was released as part of 1989 (Taylor's Version) on October 27, 2023. The re-recording peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Global 200 and entered in the top 30 on the national charts of Canada, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United States.
The American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift had identified as a country artist until she released her fourth studio album, Red , in October 2012. [1] Although Swift and Big Machine Records promoted Red to country radio, some of its tracks feature styles of pop and rock, a result of Swift's desire to experiment with new styles. [2] [3] This sparked a media debate over her status as a country artist. [4] In mid-2013, she began writing songs for her next studio album. [5]
Swift titled her fifth studio album after her birth year, 1989. [6] She decided to make it her first "official pop" record that would transform her image to a pop artist and move away from the country styles of her previous releases. [7] [8] To this end, Swift recruited new producers including the British musician Imogen Heap, whom she called "one of the most interesting and unique artists". [9] [10] "Clean" was one of the last tracks Swift wrote for 1989; she finished the lyrics and melody before approaching Heap to co-produce it. [9] [11] Swift recalled that she was inspired to write "Clean" after spending two weeks in London: "it hit me that I'd been in the same city as [an ex-lover] for two weeks and I hadn't thought about it." [11]
Heap helped to complete the track by playing instruments, and they finished recording it after two takes in one day at The Hideaway Studio in London. [12] The song was mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and was mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound Studio in New York City. [9] [13] In the third part of the listening session at Grammy Pro in 2015, Swift revealed that for the unique instrumentation of "Clean", Heap combined two of her unique instruments, the mbira, a thumb piano, and "then these things called boomwhackers, which are for the percussion." [14] [15]
"Clean" is a soft rock, [16] dream pop, [12] and synth-folk ballad. [17] At four minutes and thirty seconds long, [13] the song progresses at a steady tempo. [18] Jem Aswad from Billboard believed that the electronic production was influenced by Heap's musical style. [19] It incorporates piano, keyboard, drums, mbira, vibraphone, [13] bass, [20] layered vocals, [21] and a groove that is built around percussion. [22] The Telegraph author Neil McCormick described "Clean" as "understated" and "atmospheric". [23] Hannah Mylrea from NME said the song has "chiming soft rock instrumentals", [21] while The Guardian 's Alex Petridis wrote that it features "alternately pulsing and drifting electronics". [24]
The lyrics use imagery of a torrential storm to describe breaking from an addictive, toxic relationship. [23] At one point, Swift sings of a past relationship, "You're still all over me like a wine-stained dress I can't wear anymore." [23] She continues, "When I was drowning, that's when I could finally breathe / And by morning / Gone was any trace of you / I think I am finally clean." [25] The word clean is a metaphor with two meanings: clean as in the feeling of taking a shower and as in getting free from an addiction. [26]
1989 was released on October 27, 2014, via Big Machine Records. In the track-list, "Clean" is placed at number 13 as the closing track. [27] The song appeared on the Canadian Digital Song Sales chart upon release, with a peak of number 45. [28] In 2015, Swift included the song on the set list of the 1989 World Tour. [29] Before performing it, she would share lessons she had learned in her personal life with the audience. [30] In 2023, she performed the track as a "surprise song" on two dates of the Eras Tour: April 1 in Arlington, Texas, and May 28 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In 2024, Swift sang it with a piano as part of a mashup with her songs "Welcome to New York" and "Say Don't Go" at the tour's Stockholm stop on May 18 and with "Is It Over Now?" and "Out of the Woods" at the tour's London stop on June 23. [31] The song also received platinum and silver certifications in 2023 from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) [32] and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), respectively. [33]
After signing a new contract with Republic Records, Swift began re-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020. [34] The decision followed a public 2019 dispute between Swift and talent manager Scooter Braun, who acquired Big Machine Records, including the masters of Swift's albums that the label had released. [35] [36] 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. [37] The re-recording of "Clean", subtitled "Taylor's Version", was released as part of 1989's re-recording, 1989 (Taylor's Version) , on October 27, 2023. [38] "Clean (Taylor's Version)" is a second longer than the original; Heap reprised her role as co-producer and player of instruments including vibraphone, percussion, kalimba, keyboard, and drums. [39] [40]
The song reached the countries of the Philippines (13), [41] Singapore (26), [42] Canada (28), [43] and New Zealand (28). [44] In the United States, "Clean (Taylor's Version)" was a top-30 entry on the Billboard Hot 100, where it extended Swift's record for the most top-40 chart entries by a female artist. [45] Elsewhere, it appeared on the Billboard Global 200, Sweden's Heatseeker chart, and the United Kingdom's Audio Streaming Chart, with peaks of 25, [46] 17, [47] and 33, [48] respectively. The original version also charted at number 85 on Portugal's AFP Singles Chart following the album's release. [49]
"Clean" received generally positive reviews upon release, with a number of critics choosing it as a highlight from 1989. [18] [50] [51] Forrest Wickman of Slate called the song "sad but ultimately hopeful" and thought it had similar themes to Swift's other closing tracks, such as "Begin Again" from Red. [52] Sam Lansky from Time picked the song as one of the tracks that demonstrates Swift's songwriting in "tight, evocative images". [53] Aswad from Billboard said "Clean" was an "aching, bittersweet" song and opined that Swift "surrenders to" Heap more than other collaborators on 1989. [19] Amy Pettifer of The Quietus deemed the lyrics "sparkling–sad and clever". [54] Sasha Geffen of Consequence called "Clean" a "bell-accounted number" and commended Swift's sentiment of finding strength through friendship. [50] In a less positive review, Matthew Horton of NME thought the song was "weepy" and considered it "a late collapse" on the album. [16]
In retrospective rankings, Billboard, [55] Paste , [56] Chris Willman of Variety , [26] Mylrea, [21] and Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone listed "Clean" among Swift's top 20 songs; Sheffield called it an "intense finale" for 1989. [17] Clash picked the track as one of Swift's 15 best songs—editor Sahar Ghadirian labeled the song a "masterclass in songwriting" and lauded its emotional sentiment as "empowering and validating". [57] Mary Kate Carr from The A.V. Club wrote that while there are "occasions when Swift's whimsical metaphors can become overwrought, but the fantastical imagery of the lyrics and the zen chime sounds" work on "Clean", which makes it "a perfect ode to set oneself free" that is aware enough to admit that "just because you're clean, don't mean you don't miss it". [58] Alex Hopper from American Songwriter viewed the song as a fan-favorite and commended how Swift opens up her struggles and ventures deep with her audience. [59]
The singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson recalled that she loved "Clean" upon hearing it in Swift's apartment before 1989's release; Michaelson asked Swift to send the full song to her ahead of the album's release, but Swift declined. Michaelson covered "Clean" at the Billboard Women in Music event on December 12, 2014, to honor Swift's win for Woman of the Year. [60] On September 21, 2015, the American rock singer Ryan Adams released "Clean" as part of his track-by-track cover of Swift's 1989. [61] Annie Zaleski of The A.V. Club commented that it has a "sleeker" production. [62] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly opined that it "sounds like a polished evolution" of his alternative country band Whiskeytown. [63]
On June 9, 2021, the American singer Sara Bareilles performed a cover of "Clean" as a tribute to Taylor Swift at the annual National Music Publishers' Association meeting. [64] On April 12, 2023, the American singer Kelly Clarkson sang the song on The Kelly Clarkson Show . [65] Critics described the performance as "emotional" [66] and "stunning"—Larisha Paul of Rolling Stone said that Clarkson maintained the song's "sense of rebirth and new beginnings". [67]
"Clean" (2014) [13]
"Clean (Taylor's Version)" (2023) [40]
"Clean"
| "Clean (Taylor's Version)"
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [32] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [33] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
"New Romantics" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, who wrote it with the producers Max Martin and Shellback. The title is a reference to a cultural movement of the 1970s and 1980s, whose new wave musical style influenced the song's synth-pop production and pulsating synthesizers. The lyrics are about reigniting one's hopes and energy after emotional hardships.
Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her biographical songwriting, artistic reinventions, and cultural impact, Swift is a leading figure in popular music and the subject of widespread public interest.
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"Everything Has Changed" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift featuring the English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran from Swift's fourth studio album, Red (2012). It was released as the sixth single from the album on July 14, 2013, by Big Machine Records. A music video for the song was released earlier on June 6, 2013. Produced by Butch Walker, "Everything Has Changed" is a guitar-led folk-pop ballad. Its lyrics are about wanting to know a new lover better. The song received mixed reviews from critics, who either complimented or criticized the production.
1989 is the fifth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 27, 2014, by Big Machine Records. Executive-produced by Swift and the Swedish producer Max Martin, it was Swift's effort to recalibrate her artistic identity from country to pop.
"Shake It Off" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the lead single from her fifth studio album, 1989. She wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin and Shellback. Inspired by the media scrutiny on Swift's public image, the lyrics are about her indifference to detractors and their negative remarks. An uptempo dance-pop song, it features a looping drum beat, a saxophone line, and a handclap–based bridge. Big Machine Records released "Shake It Off" on August 19, 2014, to market 1989 as Swift's first pop album after her previous country–styled sound.
"Out of the Woods" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). Swift wrote and produced the song with Jack Antonoff. With lyrics inspired by a failed relationship and the ensuing anxieties that Swift experienced, "Out of the Woods" is a synth-pop song with elements of Eurodance and indietronica and features heavy synthesizers, looping drums, and layered background vocals.
"Welcome to New York" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). Written by Swift and Ryan Tedder, the song was inspired by Swift's relocation to New York City in April 2014. Its lyrics explore a newfound freedom in the city and a lighthearted attitude towards past heartbreaks.
"Blank Space" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the second single from her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). Swift wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin and Shellback. Inspired by the media scrutiny on Swift's love life that affected her girl-next-door reputation, "Blank Space" portrays a flirtatious woman with multiple romantic attachments. It is an electropop track with a minimal arrangement consisting of synthesizers, hip hop–influenced beats, and layered vocals.
"Style" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the third single from her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). She wrote the track with its producers Max Martin, Shellback, and Ali Payami. An incorporation of pop, funk, disco, and electronic styles, "Style" is built on an electric guitar riff, pulsing synthesizers, and dense vocal reverb. The lyrics are about a couple who could not escape from an unhealthy relationship because they are never "out of style". Big Machine in partnership with Republic Records released the song to US radio on February 9, 2015.
"Bad Blood" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). She wrote the song with the Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback. It is a pop song using keyboards and hip hop–inspired drum beats, and the lyrics are about betrayal by a close friend. A remix featuring the American rapper Kendrick Lamar, with additional lyrics by Lamar and production by the Swedish musician Ilya, was released to radio as 1989's fourth single on May 17, 2015, by Big Machine and Republic Records.
"This Love" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). Swift produced the song with Nathan Chapman. An atmospheric ballad, "This Love" combines soft rock and synth-pop. Its lyrics use oceanic imagery to describe the revival of a faded romance.
"Enchanted" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her third studio album, Speak Now (2010). Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, the song is a power ballad combining pop, rock, and country. The production incorporates gentle acoustic guitars and crescendos after each refrain, leading to dynamic electric guitars, a steady drum beat, and a vocal harmony-layered coda. In the lyrics, a narrator is infatuated with someone after meeting them for the first time, and she worries about whether the initial feeling will be reciprocated.
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"Say Don't Go" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. She wrote the track with Diane Warren in 2013 for her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014), but left it out of the final track-list. Swift re-recorded the song and produced it with Jack Antonoff for 1989's re-recording, 1989 (2023). "Say Don't Go" is a new-age and pop rock power ballad with a production featuring 1980s-inspired drum beats, pizzicato arpeggios, and isolated vocal patterns. The lyrics are about a narrator attempting to maintain her unfruitful relationship.
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