The track peaked in the top 40 on the singles charts of Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and the United States. Critical reception of the song was generally positive, although retrospective opinions have regarded it as a lesser entry in Swift's discography. Some critics opined that "Sweeter than Fiction" was pivotal in shaping the synth-pop sound of Swift's album 1989, as well as the long-lasting collaboration between Swift and Antonoff. Following the 2019 dispute over the ownership of Swift's back catalog, she re-recorded the song as "Sweeter than Fiction (Taylor's Version)", which was released exclusively on the Tangerine Edition of her fourth re-recorded album, 1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023).
Background and production
Taylor Swift began writing songs for her fifth studio album while embarking on the Red Tour (2013–2014).[1] Upon watching the 2013 biographical film One Chance about the opera singer Paul Potts, she insisted on writing a song for the film's soundtrack, although her management and record label initially refused to release new music in between different album cycles to avoid overexposure.[2][3] Swift stated that she viewed One Chance as a "love story" and that she was inspired by Potts's relationship with his wife to write the song "Sweeter than Fiction" from his wife's perspective.[4][5] She also expressed her relief in stepping away from her usual autobiographical songwriting approach, adding that "there's a different kind of thrill you get hoping you have accurately portrayed someone else's emotions".[4]
Swift wrote the lyrical hook for "Sweeter than Fiction" and collaborated with Jack Antonoff to finish writing and producing the song.[4] She said that Antonoff was her choice collaborator because of his 1980s and 1990s-inspired production, "walking this line between very current-sounding music and shades of nostalgic-sounding music".[6] They were inspired by a particular snare drum from a song by Fine Young Cannibals; they sent each other ideas and wrote the track at Antonoff's apartment in New York City.[7][8]
Swift departed from Big Machine and signed with Republic Records in November2018.[13] She began re-recording her first six studio albums in November2020.[14] The decision followed a public dispute in 2019 between her and Scooter Braun, who acquired Big Machine including the masters of her albums which the label had released.[15][16] The re-recording of "Sweeter than Fiction", subtitled "Taylor's Version", was released as part of a Target-exclusive "Tangerine Edition" LP record of her fourth re-recorded album, 1989 (Taylor's Version), on October 27, 2023.[17] It was recorded at Rough Customer Studio in Brooklyn, Electric Lady Studios in New York, and Sharp Sonics Studios and Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles.[18] Swift performed "Sweeter than Fiction" live in a mashup with her song "Holy Ground" (2012), at the Eras Tour concert on July 6, 2024, in Amsterdam, Netherlands.[19]
Lyrically, Swift wrote "Sweeter than Fiction" from the perspective of Potts's wife, who stood by him and unwaveringly supported his dream of becoming an opera singer even when he was unemployed.[6][5] She also connected with Potts's resilience despite skepticism from others, including his own father.[6] "Sweeter than Fiction" is about believing in a friend's potentials: Swift sings from the point of view of a friend who has always believed in this friend and stood with him despite the rejection that came before the final victory, acknowledging both the external pressures and the low self-confidence that he suffers from; the chorus goes, "Then you'll stand 10 feet tall/ I will say, 'I knew it all along.'"[32][34][37]
Several initial reviews of the track considered it catchy.[34][39] Sheffield described the song as a "whirlwind tour of the prom scene in every John Hughes movie".[35]Entertainment Weekly's Grady Smith praised it for being "uplifting without being hokey and sweet without being cloying", describing it as "addictive".[27]Brian Mansfield from USA Today wrote that its "irresistible" sound turns it into "kind of record that makes you want to ask somebody to the prom in Pretty in Pink".[26] Carl Williott of Idolator called the song "pretty great", deeming the synth-pop/new wave production "confident" and "surprisingly bold" for Swift,[31] while Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times complimented how well Swift executed the early 1980s new wave sound.[40] Writing for Digital Spy, Lewis Corner highlighted the "swooping chorus, which is underpinned by an '80s riff that makes you want to fist-pump the air on top of a hill in classic movie style".[38]
Ellis Winder of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette described the song as "alluring" and wrote that "Swift's pop chops are razor-sharp."[36]Taste of Country's Christina Vinson dubbed the track "catchy and meaningful" and thought that "the lyrics sum up the One Chance plot incredibly well".[41] In a more reserved review, Spin'sMarc Hogan wrote that while the lyrical content was not groundbreaking, the melody was catchy enough to become commercially successful.[10] "Sweeter than Fiction" was nominated for Best Original Song at the 2014 Golden Globe Awards.[42] This was Swift's second consecutive (and overall) nomination in the category, after "Safe & Sound" the previous year.[6][43]
In retrospective reviews, Sheffield and NME's Hannah Mylrea regarded it as a first taste of the synth-pop sound of Swift's next album, 1989 (2014).[44][45] Sheffield and Vulture's Nate Jones ranked it among the lower-tier of rankings of Swift's entire catalog: the former placed it at number 269 out of 286 total songs as of October 2025[update], while the latter ranked it 155th out of 245 songs as of May 2024[update].[44][46] Mylrea was more positive, ranking it at number 69 out of 161 as of September 2020[update].[45] In 2022, Business Insider ranked "Sweeter than Fiction" as Swift's sixth-best soundtrack song, with Courteney Larocca calling it a "pivotal moment in Swiftian history" due to it being the first collaboration between Swift and Antonoff.[25] Meanwhile, Billboard ranked it fifth on their 2025 compilation of Swift's soundtrack songs.[24]
Commercial performance
"Sweeter than Fiction" debuted and peaked at number 34 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated October 27, 2013.[47][21] That same week, the track debuted at number six on the Hot Digital Songs chart, with first-week downloads of 116,000.[48] Elsewhere, the song peaked in the top 40 in Canada (17),[49] New Zealand (26),[50] Ireland (38),[51] and Scotland (39);[52] while charting at number 44 in Australia and number 45 in the United Kingdom.[53][54] It also charted at number 83 in Italy[55] and number three on South Korea's international singles chart.[56]
Perone, James E. (2017). "1989 And Beyond". The Words and Music of Taylor Swift. The Praeger Singer-Songwriter Collection. ABC-Clio. pp.55–68. ISBN978-1-4408-5294-7.
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