"Happiness" | |
---|---|
Song by Taylor Swift | |
from the album Evermore | |
Written | December 2020 |
Released | December 11, 2020 |
Studio | Long Pond (Hudson Valley) |
Genre | Ambient |
Length | 5:15 |
Label | Republic |
Songwriter(s) |
|
Producer(s) | Aaron Dessner |
Lyric video | |
"Happiness" on YouTube |
"Happiness" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). She wrote the song with Aaron Dessner, who produced it using an instrumental track he had written in 2019. A midtempo ambient ballad, "Happiness" has piano, guitar and synthesizer instrumentation generated by a slow drone that build up. Its lyrics are about a narrator finding happiness after a divorce.
Critics gave "Happiness" generally positive reviews, who praised it for Swift's songwriting, lyrics, and the production. Some picked the track as a highlight from Evermore and one of Swift's best songs in her entire catalog. Commercially, "Happiness" peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Global 200 and entered the charts of Australia, Canada, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It received gold certifications in Australia and Brazil.
After the critical and commercial success of her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020), [1] Taylor Swift and the album's collaborators, including Aaron Dessner, assembled at Long Pond Studio in Hudson Valley to film a concert documentary titled Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions . [2] [3] Both musicians continued writing songs at Long Pond, with Swift penning lyrics to Dessner's instrumental tracks, a process that was present on much of the songs they had worked on Folklore. Their sessions resulted in a studio album that was a natural extension to Folklore, titled Evermore . [4] [5] [6]
"Happiness" was the last song written for the album. [3] [7] Dessner had been working on the song's composition since 2019 and believed that it would be a track for Big Red Machine—his band with Justin Vernon. However, Swift became a fan of the instrumental and ended up writing the lyrics for it. [4] She and Dessner wrote the song days before the album was finished, and it overlapped recordings with "You Belong with Me (Taylor's Version)"—a track for her first re-recorded album Fearless (Taylor's Version) (2021)—on the same day. [3] [8] The song was recorded by Dessner and Jonathan Low at Long Pond, and the vocals were recorded by Robin Baynton at Scarlet Pimpernel Studios in the United Kingdom. It was mixed by Low at Long Pond and mastered by Greg Calbi and Steve Fallone at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey. [9]
"Happiness" is track number seven on Evermore, which was released by Republic Records on December 21, 2020. [9] It reached the countries of Canada (24), [10] Australia (37), [11] and Portugal (142). [12] In the United States, the song debuted and peaked at number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it extended Swift's total entries to 128. [13] [14] On Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, "Happiness" peaked at number nine and stayed for ten weeks. [15] It appeared on the chart's 2021 year-end at number 58. [16] On other charts, the song peaked at number 66 on the United Kingdom's Audio Streaming Chart [17] and number 33 on the Billboard Global 200. [18] It received a gold certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in Australia [19] and from Pro-Música Brasil (PMB) in Brazil. [20] On July 23, 2024, Swift debuted "Happiness" live in a mashup with her song "We Were Happy" (2021), as part of a Hamburg show of her Eras Tour. [21]
"Happiness" is a midtempo [22] ambient [23] ballad. [24] At five minutes and fifteen seconds long, it is the longest song on Evermore. [25] The production incorporates piano, guitar, and synthesizer instrumentation from a soft, building drone. [26] The song includes "churchy organ tones", according to The New York Times critic Jon Pareles. [27] It also features acoustic, bass, and electric guitars, drum kit, keyboards, violin, [3] programmed beats, and hi-hats. [28] Sarah Carson of i [29] and Ilana Kaplan of i-D both described the song as "hymnal", [30] while Claire Shaffer from Rolling Stone thought the production was reminiscent of the American electronic band Chromatics. [23]
The lyrics are about a narrator finding happiness after a divorce. [28] [31] Stereogum 's Tom Breihan said that the narrator on the song is in a "mid-breakup". The narrator tries to console someone else, while also doing it to herself: ("There'll be happiness after you / But there was happiness because of you / Both of these things can be true / There is happiness"). [26] The lyrics incorporates gothic and macabre imagery: ("Past the blood and bruise / Past the curses and cries / Beyond the terror in the nightfall / Haunted by the look in my eyes"). [32] Elsewhere in the lyrics, it features themes of forgiveness, personal histories, and looking at a perspective of another person. [23] The song also contains references to the 1925 novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. [33] In a Pitchfork review, Sam Sodomsky said that "the uncharacteristic retraction" on some of the lyrics "suggests she's striving toward more stoic, distanced writing". [34]
"Happiness" received generally positive reviews from critics, some of whom regarded it as a highlight from Evermore [lower-alpha 1] and one of Swift's best in her catalog. [lower-alpha 2] Many praised Swift's songwriting. Tom Breihan of Stereogum labeled the song "a masterful piece of recording and songwriting" and selected it as an example of how Swift can make personal songs sound huge. [26] Nina Schaarschmidt from Atwood Magazine said she conveyed "heartbreak and its mixed feelings at its finest" on "Happiness". [35] Patrick Ryan from USA Today said that the song has "the kind of elegant simplicity that makes Swift's songwriting so continually astonishing". [24] Konstantinos Pappis of Our Culture Mag similarly stated that the sentiments of its lyrics "made [her] storytelling so compelling". [39] Angela Morrison of Exclaim! wrote that the song had one of Swift's most mature lyricism to date, [40] while Shaffer thought it was a more mature direction for her. [23] Lauren DeHollogne from Clash said that the song's "maturity level [...] makes the track all the more devastating". [37] The Hits writer Holly Gleason opined that the track strayed from Swift's bitter sentiments in past songs. [41] The Guardian music journalist Alex Petridis believed "Happiness" was a song that showcased her skill at character studies and thought the song's bitter lyrics were more edifying than those she wrote for her 2017 album Reputation . [42]
Several critics also praised the song's lyrics. Jon Bream of the Star Tribune described it as a "haunting, hushed reflection" on a fading romance. [36] Lowndes Schaarschmidt from Atwood Magazine considered it a lyrical standout from Evermore: "The song as a whole is a hopeful one, a beautiful reflection of what once was and a bold look forward at what might be". [35] Saloni Gajjar of The A.V. Club said the track is one of the most crushing on Evermore because of its "oddly hopeful" lyrics. [43] Also from The A.V. Club, the music journalist Annie Zaleski selected "Happiness" as one of the album's "most poignant" tracks. [44] Jason Lipshutz from Billboard remarked that it is one of the album's most "brutal breakup songs". [28] The Slate writer Carl Wilson found the lyrics mixed with Swift's vocals to be "awfully damned right". [45] On a less positive note, The Ringer 's Rob Harvilla believed the song was one of the album's "clunkier" tracks, [46] and Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic criticized the lyrics for how Swift mixes its metaphors until they are condensed together. [47]
Some critics commended the production and its soundscape. Sodomsky thought that the song is where Swift departs from the album's thorough narratives and instead takes the music to showcase its emotional resonance. [34] Likewise, Lipshutz picked "Happiness" as one of Evermore's songs that serves its production as the emotional hook and found that it had one of the album's most "ornate" arrangements. [48] [28] Ellen Johnson from Paste viewed the song as one of the tracks to represent Evermore as a peaceful, intimate album. [49] Gajjar said that it had a "mature, melancholic spirit" which was "elevated by Swift's ethereal vocals". [43] Allaire Nuss of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the chorus best "capture[d] the album's essence", [50] and Harvilla said the song featured a "striking serenity" to it. [46]
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Evermore. [9]
|
Chart (2021) | Position |
---|---|
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard) [16] | 58 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [19] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [20] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Folklore is the eighth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was surprise-released on July 24, 2020, via Republic Records. Swift recorded her vocals in her Los Angeles home studio and worked virtually with the producers Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff, who operated from their studios in the Hudson Valley and New York City.
"Peace" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). Swift wrote the song with its producer, Aaron Dessner. According to Swift, "Peace" is her most personal song on Folklore. It has a minimal composition of a soft piano and harmonized guitars over an electric pulse, combining elements of R&B, funk, and jazz. In the lyrics, Swift's character pledges her commitment to a lover while acknowledging the downsides she might bring to their relationship.
"August" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). Swift and Jack Antonoff wrote the song, and the two produced it with Joe Alwyn.
"Invisible String" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). She wrote the song with its producer, Aaron Dessner. The lyrics are about how fate brings two soulmates together and refer to specific moments from their lives, containing references to the literature classics Jane Eyre and The Sun Also Rises. Musically, "Invisible String" is a folk tune with elements of blues, pop, and country. Its spare acoustic arrangement is driven by acoustic guitar strums on a rubber bridge and vocal backbeats.
"Mad Woman" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). The song was written by Swift and its producer, Aaron Dessner. "Mad Woman" is a ballad that confronts gaslighting and the sexist taboo regarding women's anger.
"Hoax" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). Swift wrote the track with its producer, Aaron Dessner; it was the last track she wrote for the album. A slow-paced piano ballad, "Hoax" is about a flawed but everlasting relationship; Swift describes the details using motifs and imagery.
"The 1" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the opening track from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). She wrote the song with its producer, Aaron Dessner. A folk and soft rock tune with elements of indie folk, "The 1" sets Swift's conversational vocals over a production consisting of piano and percussion. In its lyrics, the narrator fondly introspects a failed romance and details the time when she found "the one" who never came to be. Republic Records released the song for download in Germany on October 9, 2020.
Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions is a 2020 American documentary concert film directed and produced by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on Disney+ on November 25, 2020. The documentary is set at Long Pond Studio, an isolated recording studio in a forested area in the Hudson Valley, New York; Swift performs all of the 17 tracks of her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020), whilst discussing the creative process behind the songs with her collaborators Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff. Swift made her debut as a film director with the documentary, which is her fourth film to be released on a streaming service, following the releases of The 1989 World Tour Live (2015), Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour (2018), and Miss Americana (2020).
Evermore is the ninth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was a surprise album released on December 11, 2020, via Republic Records, less than five months after her previous studio album Folklore. Evermore was a spontaneous product of Swift's extended collaboration with her Folklore collaborator Aaron Dessner, mainly recorded at his Long Pond Studio in the Hudson Valley.
"Willow" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). It was released on December 11, 2020, by Republic Records as the lead single from the album. "Willow" is a chamber folk love song making use of several metaphors to convey the singer's romantic state of mind, such as portraying her life as a willow tree, over picked guitars, glockenspiel, flute, strings, and percussion.
"No Body, No Crime" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, featuring the American band Haim, from her ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). She wrote the track as a result of her fixation with crime documentaries and podcasts, and co-produced it with Aaron Dessner. A tune featuring styles of country, country rock, and Americana, "No Body, No Crime" is a murder ballad about the murder of a woman named Este, narrated by her friend who avenges her. Republic Records in partnership with MCA Nashville sent the song to US country radio on January 11, 2021, as a single from Evermore.
"Champagne Problems" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). She wrote the song with Joe Alwyn, who is credited under the pseudonym William Bowery, and produced it with Aaron Dessner. "Champagne Problems" is a lo-fi tune driven by a rhythmic composition of piano and guitar riff.
"Dorothea" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). Swift wrote the song with its producer, Aaron Dessner. The lyrics are from the perspective of an unnamed character reminiscing an old friendship with Dorothea when they were in their adolescence. It tells the story of how the two reconcile when Dorothea returns from Hollywood to their hometown Tupelo for the holiday season. The narrator confesses to Dorothea that they still love her despite the change and hope to reconcile the long lost connection.
"Coney Island" is a song by Taylor Swift featuring the National, taken from Swift's ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). Swift, Joe Alwyn, and the National's Aaron and Bryce Dessner wrote the song, with the latter two producing it. Matt Berninger contributed guest vocals. Republic Records sent "Coney Island" to US adult album alternative radio as a single on January 18, 2021.
"Long Story Short" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). She wrote the song with its producer, Aaron Dessner. "Long Story Short" is an upbeat song that consists of dynamic programmed and live drums, synths, strings, and guitars; music critics characterize the genre as synth-pop, electropop, folk-pop, and indie rock. The lyrics see Swift reminiscing about a dark part of her past and her contentment with a current state of mind.
"Marjorie" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). A tribute to Swift's late maternal grandmother, the opera singer Marjorie Finlay, the song features bits of advice that Finlay offered to Swift and touches on her guilt over not knowing Finlay to the fullest. It incorporates slow-burning synthesizers, strings, and samples of Finlay's operatic vocals.
"'Tis the Damn Season" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). She wrote the song with Aaron Dessner, who produced it using an instrumental track he had written prior. "'Tis the Damn Season" is a folk song instrumented by a finger-picked electric guitar and programmed drums. Narrated from the perspective of a female character named Dorothea, the lyrics detail her returning to her hometown during the holiday season and engaging in a quickly-faded rekindled relationship.
"Renegade" is a song recorded by American indie band Big Red Machine featuring American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on July 2, 2021, by 37d03d and Jagjaguwar. It was serviced to US triple-A radio on the same day as the third single from the band's second studio album, How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? (2021).
"Would've, Could've, Should've" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It is a bonus track originally released as part of the 3am Edition of her tenth studio album, Midnights (2022). Written and produced by Swift and Aaron Dessner, it is a new wave-leaning soft rock song about a narrator's rumination of a flawed, age-inappropriate romantic relationship in the past.
"Tolerate It" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). She wrote the track with its producer, Aaron Dessner. A slow building piano ballad, "Tolerate It" features a midtempo production and an odd time signature. Inspired by the Daphne du Maurier novel Rebecca (1938), its lyrics are narrated by a young woman who addresses her unstable relationship with an older man who does not seem to like her.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)