I Forgot That You Existed

Last updated
"I Forgot That You Existed"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album Lover
ReleasedAugust 23, 2019 (2019-08-23)
Studio
  • Electric Feel (Los Angeles)
Genre Post-tropical house
Length2:51
Label Republic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Audio video
"I Forgot That You Existed" on YouTube

"I Forgot That You Existed" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her seventh studio album, Lover (2019). Written and produced by Swift alongside Louis Bell and Frank Dukes, "I Forgot That You Existed" is a post-tropical house song with a minimalist production and lyrics that feature themes of moving on and feeling indifferent to past pain. The song peaked within the top 40 of single charts in Australia, Canada, Singapore and the US. It holds a platinum certification in Australia and a silver one in the UK.

Contents

Background and composition

"I Forgot That You Existed" was written during Taylor Swift's first writing session with Louis Bell and Frank Dukes. She wanted to work with them after hearing their work for her friend Camila Cabello. Swift came into the session with the idea of a simple song about feeling indifference to pain that has caused one in the past; she had some of the melody and lyrics with this idea. They wrote the song to be Lover 's opening track as Swift wanted to complete the "grief cycle" explored in her previous album Reputation (2017) with the last stage being indifference. Swift wanted the production to be simple to match the feeling of indifference. [1]

"I Forgot That You Existed" is a post-tropical house kiss-off anthem. [2] [3] It features a bouncy and minimalist production consisting of a light piano and finger snaps that form a pop-rap beat. [3] [4] The song features themes of letting go of the past, moving on and calming down, serving as a transition from Swift's Reputation era. [5] [6] The lyrics include a direct reference to Reputation. [7] They also feature a reference to Canadian rapper Drake and his 2018 song "In My Feelings". [8] [9] Swift makes use of spoken word deliveries and performs a "diabolical" laugh in the final chorus. [10] [11]

Release and promotion

"I Forgot That You Existed" was released as Lover's opening track on August 23, 2019. [12] An audio memo from the song's songwriting session dubbed "piano/vocal" is included on the album's deluxe edition. [13] Swift performed "I Forgot That You Existed" for the first time as a surprise song acoustically on guitar at her Eras Tour show in Mexico City on August 24, 2023. [14]

Critical reception

Nate Jones of Vulture named "I Forgot That You Existed" Swift's 73rd best song, calling it one of Swift's "coldest kiss-off songs". [15] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone ranked it as her 221st best song, finding it to be a song closer to “reminding" than forgetting. [5] Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times finds the track as an "unwelcome leftover from 2017’s revenge-minded “Reputation”. [16]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Lover [17]

Charts

Chart performance for "I Forgot That You Existed"
Chart (2019)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [18] 24
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [19] 29
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) [20] 3
Scotland (OCC) [21] 71
Singapore (RIAS) [22] 17
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [23] 50
UK Audio Streaming (OCC) [24] 39
UK Singles Downloads (OCC) [25] 82
UK Single Sales (OCC) [26] 82
US Billboard Hot 100 [27] 28
US Rolling Stone Top 100 [28] 5

Certifications

Certifications for "I Forgot That You Existed"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [29] Platinum70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [30] Gold20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [31] Silver200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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    References

    1. ↑
      • "I Forgot That You Existed (Piano/Vocal)" (Lover (Deluxe Version 3), Track 19). Taylor Swift. Republic Records. 2019.
      • Mastrogiannis, Nicole (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift Shares Intimate Details of 'Lover' Songs During Secret Session". iHeartRadio . Retrieved March 20, 2024.
    2. ↑ Catucci, Nick (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift Reaches For New Heights of Personal and Musical Liberation on 'Lover'" . Rolling Stone . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
    3. 1 2 Suskind, Alex; Snetiker, Marc (August 23, 2019). "EW's Friday Five: Missy Elliott goes vintage, Taylor Swift's kiss-off anthem, and The 1975 tear the roof off". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
    4. ↑ Jenkis, Craig (August 23, 2019). "'I Forgot That You Existed' Is Taylor Swift in All Her Passive-Aggressive Glory". Vulture . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
    5. 1 2 Sheffield, Rob (October 28, 2023). "All 243 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked". Rolling Stone . Retrieved March 20, 2024.
    6. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift Emerges From the Darkness Unbroken on 'Lover'" . The New York Times . Retrieved August 23, 2019.
    7. ↑ Mamo, Heran (September 6, 2019). "Here Are the Lyrics to Taylor Swift's 'I Forgot That You Existed'". Billboard . Retrieved March 20, 2024.
    8. ↑ Locker, Melissa (August 23, 2019). "You Probably Missed This Subtle Clue Taylor Swift Dropped for the Fans With Her Pin". Time . Retrieved March 20, 2024.
    9. ↑ McDermott, Maeve (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift's 'Lover': The juiciest lyrical references, from Kanye West to Leonardo DiCaprio". USA Today . Retrieved March 24, 2023.
    10. ↑ Zaleski, Annie (August 26, 2019). "Taylor Swift is done proving herself on the resonant Lover". The A.V. Club . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
    11. ↑ Jenkins, Craig (August 23, 2019). "Best New Music – August 23, 2019". Vulture . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
    12. ↑ Coscarelli, Joe (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift's 'Lover' Arrives the Old-Fashioned Way, and With Twists". The New York Times . Retrieved March 17, 2024.
    13. ↑ "Can't Wait for Taylor Swift's New Album 'Lover'? Pre-Order The Four Exclusive Deluxe Versions, Only at Target". Target Corporation. June 21, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
    14. ↑ Wilkes, Emma (August 25, 2023). "Watch Taylor Swift debut 'I Forgot That You Existed' and 'Sweet Nothing' live". NME . Retrieved March 20, 2024.
    15. ↑ Jones, Nate (November 8, 2023). "All 214 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked". Vulture . Retrieved March 20, 2024.
    16. ↑ Wood, Mikael (August 25, 2019). "Taylor Swift's 'Lover': All 18 songs, ranked". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 1, 2024.
    17. ↑ Lover (liner notes). Taylor Swift. Republic Records. 2019.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
    18. ↑ "Taylor Swift – I Forgot That You Existed". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
    19. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
    20. ↑ "Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved March 18, 2024.
    21. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
    22. ↑ "RIAS International Top Charts Week 35". Recording Industry Association Singapore. Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
    23. ↑ "Taylor Swift – I Forgot That You Existed". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
    24. ↑ "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
    25. ↑ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
    26. ↑ "I Forgot That You Existed – Taylor Swift". Official Charts Company . Retrieved March 20, 2024.
    27. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
    28. ↑ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone . August 29, 2019. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
    29. ↑ "Jan 2024 Single Accreds" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved March 17, 2024.
    30. ↑ "Brazilian single certifications – Taylor Swift – I Forgot That You Existed" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil . Retrieved May 1, 2024.
    31. ↑ "British single certifications – Taylor Swift – I Forgot That You Existed". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved March 17, 2024.
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