Wish List (song)

Last updated

"Wish List"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album The Life of a Showgirl
ReleasedOctober 3, 2025 (2025-10-03)
Studio
  • MXM
  • Shellback (Stockholm)
Genre
Length3:27
Label Republic
Songwriters
Producers
  • Taylor Swift
  • Max Martin
  • Shellback
Lyric video
"Wish List" on YouTube

"Wish List" (stylized as "Wi$h Li$t") is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her twelfth studio album The Life of a Showgirl (2025). Written and produced by Swift, Max Martin and Shellback, it is a 1980s electropop and synth-pop power ballad, with lyrics about the narrator's desire for love and a peaceful domestic life.

Contents

Background and release

The American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift created her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl , to reflect on her triumphant state of mind amidst the success of the Eras Tour and her relationship with the football player Travis Kelce in 2024. [1] She recorded the album with the producers Max Martin and Shellback in Sweden during May–August 2024, in between the European stops of the Eras Tour. [2] Swift announced the album during the August 13, 2025, episode of Travis and Jason Kelce's podcast New Heights ; "Wish List" was revealed as the eighth track. [1]

The Life of a Showgirl was released on October 3, 2025, via Republic Records, with "Wish List" as the eighth track. [3] [4] In an interview on the Heart Breakfast show, Swift revealed that "Wish List" was her favorite song in the album, describing it as "dreamy" and "romantic". [5] She additionally stated that the track was the final song to be written and recorded for The Life of a Showgirl, calling it the album's "final piece". [6]

Music and lyrics

Swift wrote and produced "Wish List" with Martin and Shellback. At 3 minutes and 27 seconds long, [7] it is a 1980s electropop [8] and synth-pop [9] [10] power ballad. [11] The track is instrumented with chiming synths and a pedal steel guitar, and features Swift's upper register vocals. [12] [13] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times described the sound as "electro-trappy". [14] Maria Sherman of the Associated Press likened the song's production to that of Swift's 2022 album Midnights . [15] Wesley Morris of The New York Times compared Swift's vocal delivery to Beyoncé's "stutters". [16]

Lyrically, Swift wrote "Wish List" to contrast between others' desires from life and hers; whereas others want to have material wellbeing and excesses (a "yacht life", "bright lights", a Palme d'Or, a contract with Real Madrid), she wants a life with her lover: "Have a couple kids/ got the whole block looking like you." [6] [17] [18] [19] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian summed up the content as "suburban domestic contentment", which reflected Swift's personal journey and resonated with her audiences who once related to songs like "Fifteen" and "Love Story" (2008). [20] Paste's Ellen Johnson argued that "Wish List" shared the same lyrical premise with "Lavender Haze" (2022) but had a different conclusion, [21] while Ariana Brockington of Today.com described the song as a sequel to "So High School" (2024). [22]

Reception

In The New York Times, Lindsay Zoladz dubbed the track "dreamy", and Jon Caramanica deemed it the album's "poppiest track". [16] [23] Rolling Stone 's Rob Sheffield described "Wish List" as a "beautifully candid love song" and opined that the line, "Please God bring me a best friend who I think is hot", as Swift's version of Joni Mitchell's lyric, "Send me somebody who's strong and somewhat sincere." [24] Alan Light of Esquire considered the track "pleasant but minor". [25]

Several critics took issue the lyrics about wanting to settle down and having children, interpreting them as Swift's embodying and promoting the "tradwife" idea. [26] [27] Several journalists, as well as the actress Ruby Rose, defended Swift and criticized this discourse as ridiculous or point-missing. [28] [29] [30] In their ranking of 101 moments of 2025, Pitchfork assigned the lyric "I got the whole block looking like you" a 3.4 score. [31]

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Life of a Showgirl. [7]

Studios

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance
Chart (2025)Peak
position
Argentina Hot 100 ( Billboard ) [32] 56
Australia (ARIA) [33] 9
Brazil Hot 100 ( Billboard ) [34] 47
Canada Hot 100 ( Billboard ) [35] 9
Czech Republic Singles Digital (ČNS IFPI) [36] 27
Denmark (Tracklisten) [37] 17
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [38] 34
France (SNEP) [39] 56
Germany (GfK) [40] 57
Global 200 ( Billboard ) [41] 7
Greece International (IFPI) [42] 8
Hong Kong ( Billboard ) [43] 20
Iceland (Tónlistinn) [44] 14
India International (IMI) [45] 9
Italy (FIMI) [46] 79
Latvia Streaming (LaIPA) [47] 11
Lithuania (AGATA) [48] 31
Luxembourg ( Billboard ) [49] 11
Malaysia ( Billboard ) [50] 13
Malaysia International (RIM) [51] 15
Middle East and North Africa (IFPI) [52] 19
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [53] 10
Norway (IFPI Norge) [54] 18
Philippines (IFPI) [55] 8
Philippines (Philippines Hot 100) [56] 6
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100) [57] 46
Portugal (AFP) [58] 9
Singapore (RIAS) [59] 7
Slovakia Singles Digital (ČNS IFPI) [60] 46
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [61] 26
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [62] 13
United Arab Emirates (IFPI) [63] 8
UK Singles Sales (OCC) [64] 92
UK Streaming (OCC) [65] 12
UK Video Streaming (OCC) [66] 31
US Billboard Hot 100 [67] 6
US Adult Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [68] 33
US Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [69] 39

Certifications

Certifications
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [70] Gold35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada) [71] Platinum80,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [72] Gold15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [73] Silver200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Mier, Tomás (August 13, 2025). "Taylor Swift Made The Life of a Showgirl While on the Eras Tour" . Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on August 14, 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  2. ↑ Sisario, Ben (October 2, 2025). "Taylor Swift Conquered With the Eras Tour. Now Comes the Victory Lap" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on October 2, 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  3. ↑ Madani, Doha (August 14, 2025). "The Life of a Showgirl era: What we know so far about Taylor Swift's new album". NBC News. Archived from the original on August 13, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  4. ↑ Jeyaretnam, Miranda (August 14, 2025). "Everything We Know So Far About Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl" . Time . Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  5. ↑ Bonner, Mehera (October 3, 2025). "Taylor Swift Explains Why 'Wish List' Is Her Favorite Song on TLOAS and Details Its Real Meaning". Cosmopolitan . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  6. 1 2 Wilson, Hope (October 7, 2025). "Taylor Swift explains meaning behind 'Wish List' on The Life of a Showgirl". Heart . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Anon. (2025). The Life of a Showgirl (booklet). Taylor Swift. Republic Records.
  8. ↑ Hodgkinson, Will (October 3, 2025). "Taylor Swift: The Life of a Showgirl review — sound of a megastar in love" . The Times . Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  9. ↑ Bagdady, Mariam (October 7, 2025). "The Life of a Showgirl Is Taylor Swift at Her Most Ambitious – And Most Underwhelming". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  10. ↑ McIntyre, Sarah (October 4, 2025). "Taylor Swift's The Life Of A Showgirl is an utterly joyful ode to love". RTÉ . Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  11. ↑ Powers, Ann (October 3, 2025). "On The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift Feels Love's Glow and the Spotlight's Glare". NPR. Archived from the original on October 3, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  12. ↑ Ruggieri, Melissa (October 3, 2025). "Taylor Swift ups her game again on playful Life of a Showgirl". USA Today . Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  13. ↑ Gaca, Anna (October 6, 2025). "Taylor Swift: The Life of a Showgirl". Pitchfork . Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  14. ↑ Wood, Mikael (October 3, 2025). "Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl is an immaculate act of damage control" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  15. ↑ Sherman, Maria (October 3, 2025). "Music Review: On Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl, love and reputation are on the line". Associated Press . Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Taylor Swift Keeps Getting Bigger. Can the Music Keep Up?" . The New York Times . October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  17. ↑ Bonner, Mehera (October 3, 2025). "Taylor Swift Rejects Fame for Travis Kelce and Kids in Revealing 'Wi$h Li$t' Lyrics". Cosmopolitan . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  18. ↑ Bailey, Alyssa (October 4, 2025). "Taylor Swift's 'Wi$h Li$t' Lyrics Detail the Future She Wants With Travis Kelce—Kids and All". Elle . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  19. ↑ Empire, Kitty (October 3, 2025). "Is Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl her happiest album yet?". The Observer . Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  20. ↑ 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 January 21, 2026.
  21. ↑ Johnson, Ellen (October 5, 2025). "Taylor Swift, The Life of a Showgirl Album Review". Paste . Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  22. ↑ Brockington, Ariana (October 8, 2025). "What's On Taylor Swift's 'Wi$h Li$t'? Lyrics, Explained". Today.com . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  23. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (October 3, 2025). "On Showgirl, Taylor Swift Has a Lust for Love (and Her Foes)" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on November 6, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  24. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (October 6, 2025). "'Wi$h Li$t' (2025)". Rolling Stone . Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  25. ↑ Alan, Light (October 6, 2025). "The Curious, Wildly Uneven Case of Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl". Esquire . Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  26. ↑ "The 15 worst albums of 2025". Paste . December 26, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  27. ↑ Kheraj, Alim (October 3, 2025). "Taylor Swift has lost her grip with The Life of a Showgirl". Dazed . Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  28. ↑ Hesse, Monica (October 7, 2025). "Is Taylor Swift a tradwife?". The Washington Post . Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  29. ↑ McNeal, Stephanie (October 7, 2025). "Why Calling Taylor Swift a Trad Wife Is Missing the Point". Glamour . Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  30. ↑ Dailey, Hannah (October 14, 2025). "Ruby Rose Slams 'Incredibly Stupid' Criticism of Taylor Swift's 'Trad Wife' Lyrics on Showgirl: 'Stop It'". Billboard . Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  31. ↑ "101 Things That Happened in 2025, Ranked on the Pitchfork Scale". Pitchfork . December 18, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  32. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Argentina Hot 100)". Billboard . Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  33. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Wi$h Li$t". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  34. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Brasil Hot 100)". Billboard . Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  35. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard . Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  36. ↑ "ČNS IFPI – CZ Singles Digital – Top 100 – 41. týden 2025" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  37. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Wi$h Li$t". Tracklisten. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  38. ↑ "Taylor-Swift: Wi$h Li$t" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  39. ↑ "Top Singles (Week 41, 2025)" (in French). SNEP . Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  40. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  41. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard . Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  42. ↑ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 41/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on October 15, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  43. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hong Kong Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  44. ↑ "Tónlistinn – Lög: Streymi, spilun og sala viku 41. Birt 11. október 2025 – Næst uppfært 18. október 2025" (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on October 10, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  45. ↑ "IMI International Top 20 Singles for week ending 13th October 2025 | Week 41 of 52". IMIcharts. Archived from the original on October 14, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  46. ↑ "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 41 (dal 03.10.2025 al 09.10.2025)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  47. ↑ "Teilore Svifta plūc mūzikas topu uzvaras laurus arī Latvijā" [Taylor Swift also tops the music charts in Latvia] (in Latvian). TV Net  [ lv ]. October 14, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  48. ↑ "2025 41-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. October 10, 2025. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
  49. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Luxembourg Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  50. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Malaysia Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  51. ↑ "TOP 20 Most Streamed International Singles In Malaysia Week 41 (03/10/2025-09/10/2025)". RIM. October 18, 2025. Retrieved October 18, 2025– via Facebook.
  52. ↑ "The Official MENA Chart | Weekly Chart – Week 41, 2025 – 03/10 to 09/10/2025". The Official MENA Chart (Select year 2025 and week 41 to view peak.). Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  53. ↑ "Official Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. October 17, 2025. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  54. ↑ "Singel 2025 uke 41". IFPI Norge . Retrieved October 10, 2025.
  55. ↑ "The Official Southeast Asia Charts – This Week's Official Philippines Chart Top 20 from 10/03/2025 to 10/09/2025". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . Retrieved October 14, 2025. [Select 2025 Week 41]
  56. ↑ "Billboard Philippines Hot 100 (Week of October 18, 2025)". Billboard Philippines . Archived from the original on October 15, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  57. ↑ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 03.10.2025–09.10.2025.) (in Polish). OLiS . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  58. ↑ "Top 200 Singles Semana 41 de 2025" (PDF) (in European Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 8. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  59. ↑ "The Official Singapore Charts Week 41 (3 - 9 Oct 2025)". RIAS. Archived from the original on October 14, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  60. ↑ "ČNS IFPI – SK Singles Digital – Top 100 – 41. týden 2025" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  61. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Wi$h Li$t". Canciones Top 50. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  62. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Wi$h Li$t". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  63. ↑ "The Official MENA Chart | Weekly Chart – Week 41, 2025 – 03/10 to 09/10/2025". The Official MENA Chart (Select year 2025, week 41 and UAE chart to view peak.). Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  64. ↑ "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company . Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  65. ↑ "Official Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company . Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  66. ↑ "Official Video Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company . Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  67. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard . Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  68. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  69. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  70. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2025 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  71. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Taylor Swift – Wi$h Li$t". Music Canada . Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  72. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Taylor Swift – Wi$h Li$t". Radioscope. Retrieved January 23, 2026.Type Wi$h Li$t in the "Search:" fieldand press Enter.
  73. ↑ "British single certifications – Taylor Swift – Wish List". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved January 9, 2026.
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