Ruin the Friendship (Taylor Swift song)

Last updated

"Ruin the Friendship"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album The Life of a Showgirl
ReleasedOctober 3, 2025
Genre
Length3:40
Label Republic
Songwriters
Producers
  • Taylor Swift
  • Max Martin
  • Shellback
Lyric video
"Ruin the Friendship" on YouTube

"Ruin the Friendship" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl . It was written and produced by Swift, Max Martin, and Shellback. [1]

Contents

Background

On August 13, 2025, Swift announced The Life of a Showgirl as her twelfth studio album during an episode of the podcast New Heights , which was hosted by Kelce. [2] "Ruin the Friendship" was revealed on the same day as the album's sixth track. [3]

Composition

"Ruin the Friendship"'s production incorporates teen pop and 1990s country [4] . The song reflects on Swift's teenage romance with a high school classmate, supposedly Jeff Lang [5] [6] , who has since passed away [7] [8] . The lyrics convey Swift's regret over never pursuing a romantic relationship. [9] The song also references Swift's friend Abigail Anderson [10] , who has been previously mentioned in Swift's song "Fifteen". [11]

Critical reception

The song received mixed reviews from critics. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian praised it as "authentically heart-tugging." [12] Similarly, The Independent 's Roisin O'Connor described it as a "disarming, prettily arranged acoustic throwback." [13] However, The Daily Telegraph 's Poppie Platt described the track as "sweet" but added that it "leads to the feeling that Swift is an artist trapped in space and time: still singing about playground crushes at 35." [4] Wren Graves of Consequence was more critical, calling the song "sad and forgettable." [14]

References

  1. ↑ "The Life of a Showgirl / Taylor Swift / Credits". Tidal . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  2. ↑ Dailey, Hannah (August 13, 2025). "Taylor Swift reveals Life of a Showgirl release date, album cover & track list featuring Sabrina Carpenter". Billboard . Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  3. ↑ Bonner, Mehera (August 13, 2025). "Taylor Swift Reveals Tracklist for The Life of a Showgirl". Cosmopolitan . Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Platt, Poppie (October 3, 2025). "Taylor Swift is settling some scores: The Life of a Showgirl decoded" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  5. ↑ Rahbar, Sabba (October 4, 2025). "Taylor Swift's "Ruin the Friendship" Lyrics Explained: Why Fans Think She's Honoring Jeff Lang". E News. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  6. ↑ Norwin, Alyssa (October 3, 2025). "Who Is Jeff Lang? Taylor Swift's Late Friend May Have Inspired 'Ruin the Friendship'". Swoon. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  7. ↑ Bailey, Alyssa (October 4, 2025). "Taylor Swift's 'Ruin the Friendship' Lyrics Describe the Romantic Regret That Haunts Her". Elle . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  8. ↑ Mercuri, Monica (October 3, 2025). "Taylor Swift 'Ruin The Friendship' Lyrics—The Heartbreaking Story That May Have Inspired The SongHer". Forbes . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  9. ↑ Savage, Mark (October 3, 2025). "Taylor Swift: The Life of a Showgirl Is a Triumphant Pop Victory Lap". BBC News . Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  10. ↑ Bonner, Mehera (October 3, 2025). "Taylor Swift's new song 'Ruin the Friendship' lyrics meaning - A secret school crush who has passed away". Cosmopolitan UK . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  11. ↑ Tucker, Ken (March 26, 2008). "The Billboard Q&A: Taylor Swift". Billboard . Archived from the original on July 5, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  12. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (October 3, 2025). "Taylor Swift: The Life of a Showgirl Review – Dull Razzle-Dazzle From a Star Who Seems Frazzled". The Guardian . Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  13. ↑ O'Connor, Roisin (October 3, 2025). "Taylor Swift Review, The Life of a Showgirl: As Compelling as She's Ever Been – the Star, The Ringmaster and the Circus All in One". The Independent . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  14. ↑ Graves, Wren (October 3, 2025). "Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl Is All Dressed up with Nowhere to Go: Review". Consequence . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
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