Forever Winter

Last updated
"Forever Winter"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album Red (Taylor's Version)
ReleasedNovember 12, 2021 (2021-11-12)
Genre Power pop
Length4:23
Label Republic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Forever Winter" [lower-alpha 1] is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Originally written for her fourth studio album Red (2012), Swift ultimately left it out from the original and deluxe tracklist and later re-recorded the song for her second re-recorded album, Red (Taylor's Version) (2021) as a "From the Vault" track. [lower-alpha 2] Co-written and co-produced with American musicians Mark Foster and Jack Antonoff respectively, "Forever Winter" is a power pop song about a friend's mental health issues.

Contents

Background

After ending her 13-year contract with Big Machine Records and signing a new deal with Republic Records in 2018, Swift began re-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020. [1] The decision followed a public 2019 dispute between Swift and the talent manager Scooter Braun, who had acquired Big Machine, including the masters of her albums which the label had released. [2] [3] By re-recording the albums, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, which enabled her to encourage licensing of her re-recorded songs for commercial use in hopes of substituting the Big Machine-owned masters. [4]

In April 2021, Swift released her first re-recorded album: the re-recording of her 2008 studio album Fearless, subtitled Taylor's Version. In addition to the re-recorded tracks, it contained several unreleased "From the Vault" tracks that she had written but left out of the original album. [5] On November 12, 2021, she released her second re-recorded album: the re-recorded version of her 2012 studio album Red, also subtitled Taylor's Version. [6] As with its predecessor, Red (Taylor's Version) also includes "From the Vault" tracks that Swift had intended for but left out of the original Red. [7]

Around the release of Swift’s third studio album, Speak Now (2010), a troubled high-school friend of hers died from a drug overdose. [8]

Composition and critical reception

"Forever Winter" is a power pop song opening with energetic brass [9] before proceeding to the chorus that features Swift's dynamic vocals and incorporates horns, flutes, and guitars. [10] The song is four minutes and 23 seconds long. [11] Lyrically, "Forever Winter" is about Swift trying to help a friend through his mental health struggles. [12] [13] Swift worries about the dark path her friend is taking because of them, even though what he says through their phone calls seem less suicidal that it actually is. [8]

Chris Willman, writing for Variety , praised the "breezing lilt" of "Forever Winter" in his ranking of 25 of Swift’s bonus tracks, placing it in 19th place. [8] In a Billboard ranking of every vault track in Red (Taylor’s Version), Jason Lipshutz ranked it at 8th, praising its "intricate" production and Swift’s "nuanced" vocal range in the song. [10] Uproxx 's Josh Kurx ranked "Forever Winter" at 15th out of 25 vault tracks, noting a "voice crack" he found around the chorus but later praising it as giving the song "texture". [14] In a ranking of every song on Swift’s discography by Vulture 's Nate Jones, "Forever Winter" is ranked at 120th place. Jones praises the truth in Swift’s emotions in the song. [15] In another ranking by Rolling Stone , Rob Sheffield ranked it at 168th place, praising its "empathetic look" to its subject, connecting it her 2021 single, "Renegade". [16]

Release

Red (Taylor’s Version) was released on November 21, 2021; "Forever Winter" is track 27. [11] "Forever Winter" charted in Canada (64), [17] Australia (64), [18] and the Billboard Hot 100 (79) [19] and Global 200 (87). [20]

Charts

Chart performance for "Forever Winter"
Chart (2023)Peak

position

Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [17] 64
Global 200 ( Billboard ) [20] 87
Australia (ARIA) [18] 64
US Billboard Hot 100 [19] 79

Notes

  1. ↑ subtitled "(Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)"
  2. ↑ Referred to as "vault tracks" for simplicity.

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References

  1. ↑ Melas, Chloe (November 16, 2020). "Taylor Swift Speaks Out about Sale of Her Masters". CNN. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Taylor Swift Wants to Re-Record Her Old Hits". BBC News . August 22, 2019. Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  3. ↑ Finnis, Alex (November 17, 2020). "Taylor Swift Masters: The Controversy around Scooter Braun Selling the Rights to Her Old Music Explained". i . Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  4. ↑ Shah, Neil (April 9, 2021). "Taylor Swift Releases New Fearless Album, Reclaiming Her Back Catalog" . The Wall Street Journal . Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Taylor Swift Remade Fearless as Taylor's Version. Let's Discuss" . The New York Times . April 9, 2021. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  6. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (July 6, 2023). "7 Key Stats Proving That Taylor Swift's First Two Taylor's Version Re-Recordings Have Been Dominant". Billboard . Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  7. ↑ Al-Heeti, Abrar (November 11, 2021). "Red (Taylor's Version): Release date, tracklist, why Taylor Swift is rerecording her albums". CNET . Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 Willman, Chris (2023-08-09). "Taylor Swift's 25 Best Bonus Tracks, Ranked". Variety. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  9. ↑ Brown, Helen (November 12, 2021). "Taylor Swift's Red Is a Better, Brighter Version of a Terrific Pop Album" . The Independent . Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  10. 1 2 Lipshutz, Jason (November 12, 2021). "Every 'From The Vault' Song Ranked on Taylor Swift's Red (Taylor's Version): Critic's Picks". Billboard . Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  11. 1 2 Red (Taylor's Version) (digital media liner notes). Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift / Republic Records. 2021.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ↑ "The Best Taylor Swift Vault Songs, Ranked". Time . October 25, 2023. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  13. ↑ Kurp, Josh (October 27, 2023). "Every Taylor Swift 'From The Vault' (Taylor's Version) Song, Ranked". Uproxx . Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Every Taylor Swift 'From The Vault' (Taylor's Version) Song, Ranked". UPROXX. 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  15. ↑ Jones, Nate (2024-05-20). "All 245 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  16. ↑ ""Forever Winter" (2021)". Rolling Stone Australia. 2024-04-26. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  17. 1 2 "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  18. 1 2 "Taylor Swift – Forever Winter". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  19. 1 2 "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  20. 1 2 "Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
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