Evermore

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EvermoreStudio album by Taylor Swift
Alternate covers
General information
Released	December 11, 2020
Recorded	August–December 2020
Genre	Alternative rock, chamber rock, country rock, folk pop, indie folk
Length	60:00 (digital) 69:00 (deluxe)
Label	Republic Records
Producer(s)	Swift Jack Antonoff BJ Burton Aaron Dessner Bryce Dessner James McAlister
Taylor Swift chronology
Previous	Folklore (2020)
Current	Evermore (2020)
Next	Fearless (Taylor's Version) (2021)
Singles from Evermore
1. "willow" Released: December 11, 2020 2. "no body, no crime" Released: January 11, 2021 3. "coney island" Released: January 18, 2021

Evermore (stylized as 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.

Swift described Evermore as an offshoot of "the folklorian woods"—an escapist, cottagecore-inspired direction she first ideated with Folklore during the COVID-19 pandemic; she regards them as sister albums. Evermore blends alternative rock, indie folk and chamber pop styles, carried by fingerpicked guitars, somber pianos, lavish strings, and sparse percussion. Impressionist storytelling and mythopoeia dominate its lyrical technique. The subject matter has been described as an anthology of tales about love, marriage, infidelity, and grief, exploring the complexities of human emotion. American bands Bon Iver, Haim, and the National appear as guest performers on the album.

Earning widespread acclaim from critics, Evermore was praised for its character studies, experimental production, and Swift's nuanced vocals. Reviews regarded the album a sequel or a counterpart to Folklore, and various publications listed it in their 2020 year-end rankings. Evermore was nominated for Album of the Year at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, a second consecutive nomination for Swift in the category after winning it with Folklore the previous year. Dessner and Long Pond have achieved mainstream notability since Evermore's release.

The album reached number one in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Greece, New Zealand, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Republic Records reported over a million copies of Evermore sold in its first week globally. It was Swift's eighth consecutive Billboard 200 number-one debut, spending four weeks atop the chart, and achieved various chart feats in Australia, the UK and the US; in the latter, the tracks "Willow", "No Body, No Crime", and "Coney Island" impacted pop, country, and alternative radio stations, respectively. "Willow" became Swift's seventh Billboard Hot 100 number-one song and her second in 2020 after "Cardigan", making her the first ever act to simultaneously debut atop both Billboard 200 and Hot 100 charts two times. Evermore was 2021's best-selling alternative music album and Americana album in the US and the UK, respectively.

Background

“	I wanted evermore to represent fall & winter while folklore represents spring & summer. I've always wanted to do a 2part anthology that's a collective body of work & it just kind of happened naturally	”
—Typed into the "Willow" music video premiere chat

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, on July 23, 2020, American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift announced her eighth studio album and first surprise album, Folklore, and released it the next day. Produced by herself, first-time collaborator Aaron Dessner, long-time collaborator Jack Antonoff, and then-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, the album was a critical and commercial success, becoming the best-selling album of 2020 and winning Album of the Year at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. On November 25, 2020, a concert documentary titled Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, shot at Dessner's Long Pond Studio in Hudson Valley, was released to Disney+. It detailed the making of Folklore with performances of its songs.

After releasing Folklore, Swift continued to work remotely with Dessner, who would send her instrumental tracks, to which she would write the lyrics. She stated the rave reception of Folklore further encouraged her to experiment further with its musical style. Soon after, Swift's sessions with Dessner resulted in a project that was a natural extension of Folklore, which eventually assumed its individual identity as Evermore. Dessner dubbed Evermore a "weird avalanche" effecting from Folklore. In comparison to its predecessor, the development of Evermore was a more experimental process, during which the duo did not subject themselves to any limitations. In an Apple Music interview to Zane Lowe, Swift stated Evermore gave her a feeling of "quiet conclusion and sort of this weird serenity" after putting out Folklore, and correlated it with the themes of those albums, saying one of Folklore's main tropes was "conflict resolution"—"trying to figure out how to get through something with someone", whereas Evermore deals with "endings of all sorts, sizes and shapes", and the pain and various phases of those closures.

On December 10, 2020, three days prior to her 31st birthday, Swift posted nine photos on Instagram, which together formed an image depicting the singer's back, with her hair in a braid and facing a forest. In another post across her social media, she announced her ninth studio album, titled Evermore, releasing at midnight. She revealed the track-list, and a music video for its opening track, "Willow", which would premiere on YouTube alongside the album release. Referring to lockdown regulations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift wrote: "You've all been so caring, supportive and thoughtful on my birthdays and so this time I thought I would give you something! I also know this holiday season will be a lonely one for most of us and if there are any of you out there who turn to music to cope with missing loved ones the way I do, this is for you".

Writing and lyrical content

Like its predecessor, Evermore is also a product of remote collaboration and virtual communication, and was recorded in total secrecy. Dessner produced or co-produced all of the tracks except "Gold Rush", which Swift and Antonoff produced. All of the tracks, except "Cowboy Like Me", were recorded at Long Pond Studio, where Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions was shot.

After the release of Folklore, Swift wrote two songs, "Closure" and "Dorothea", for Big Red Machine, which is a supergroup by Dessner and Justin Vernon, the frontman of American indie folk band Bon Iver; the songs ended up on Evermore instead. To celebrate Folklore, Dessner casually composed an instrumental track "Westerly", named after the location of Swift's Rhode Island home. An hour later, Swift wrote "Willow" to the track and sent it back to him. She wrote the title track "Evermore" with Alwyn (alias William Bowery) and sent it to Vernon, who added a bridge. Dessner realized they were creating a counterpart to Folklore only after the duo wrote more than seven songs. He composed "Tolerate It" on a piano in 5/4 time signature and sent it to Swift, conjuring a scene in her mind upon hearing the track; she sent it back with finished lyrics. Dessner stated he "cried when [he] first heard" its lyrics.

Swift traveled to Long Pond Studio to film Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions. Once filming was complete, Swift stayed at Long Pond overnight, to record with Dessner and Antonoff. The next morning, she approached Dessner in his kitchen with "'Tis the Damn Season", which she wrote during the night. Dessner cited the song as one of his favorite works ever, and that it could have just remained as an instrumental, but instead, Swift's "incredible storytelling ability and musical ability took it and made something much great". "No Body, No Crime" was inspired by Swift's "obsession with true crime podcasts/documentaries". She wrote the song on a rubber-bridge guitar and mailed Dessner a voice memo, after which he started producing it.

Aaron Dessner and his twin brother, Bryce Dessner, sent Swift some of the instrumentals they made for their band, American indie rock band the National. One of those was what would become "Coney Island". Swift and Alwyn wrote its lyrics, and recorded it with her vocals. After listening to the demo, the Dessner brothers felt that the song was very related to the National, and envisioned Matt Berninger (the band's lead vocalist) singing it, and Bryan Devendorf (the drummer) drumming it. Aaron Dessner informed Berninger, who was "excited" about the idea. The band assembled, Devendorf played the drums, while his brother Scott Devendorf played the bass and pocket piano; Bryce Dessner helped produce the song.

Evermore is an intimate album heavily rooted in elaborate first-person storytelling from third-person perspectives, character studies, and narrative mythmaking. It ventures deeper inside the imaginary world Swift built with Folklore, blending facts and fiction. Both albums share a common escapist concept, but in contrast to Folklore's more introspective and romantic nature, Evermore is bolder, uninhibited, playful, and impressionistic, delving extensively into Swift's ideas of adult love and pain. The songs generally ruminate themes of forbidden love, romantic neglect, forgiveness, marriage, and infidelity, revolving around a set of distinctive characters, such as embattled couples, scorned friends, and complicated women. Evermore also analyses conflicted emotions and possibilities, aside "noirish twists" in plots.

Like its sister album, Evermore lyrically incorporates nature, landscapes and objects in the sky, such as crescent moon, sunrise, comets, amber skies, precipice, Willow, clover and ivy. Swift's trademark turns of phrase and wordplay are also abundant. Variety observed that "warmth amid iciness" is a "recurring lyrical motif". American Songwriter opined that Evermore has Swift mostly writing "the 'unhappily ever after' anthology of marriages gone bad". Slate also called it an anthology, emphasizing "her leap away from autobiography into songs that are either pure fictions or else lyrically symbolic in ways that don't act as romans à clef". Stereogum labeled the album "observational fiction". Pitchfork noted that Swift remains a versatile, expressive vocalist, and a "wordy" lyricist to "magnify sad, small moments." Music theory professor Alyssa Barna said Swift adopts a static, colorless timbre for both vocals and instrumentation in the album. Spin remarked the "exceedingly complex human emotions" she unravels in Evermore with "precision and devastation".

Release and promotion

Evermore was released on December 11, 2020, two days before Swift's 31st birthday, to digital music and streaming platforms only. It is a "sister album" to Folklore, which was launched less than five months prior; both of them are surprise albums announced 16 hours prior to their midnight releases. Evermore marked the second time Swift abandoned her long, traditional album rollout.

The CDs were released on December 18, 2020. The bonus tracks of Evermore deluxe edition, "Right Where You Left Me" and "It's Time to Go", which were formerly physical-exclusive, were released to streaming services on January 7, 2021. Cassette tapes and vinyl LPs of Evermore were released on February 21, and May 28, 2021, respectively. Billboard reported that the delayed release of the album's physical formats is owed to its surprise release and the time-consuming manufacturing process of physical albums, specifically the vinyl copies. Limited number of autographed CDs were sold at select independent record stores.

On December 14, 2020, Swift appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote the album. On a December 2020 episode of Howard Stern's Sirius XM radio show, English singer-songwriter Paul McCartney revealed that Swift originally decided to postpone the release of Evermore by one week to respect the original December 11 release date of his eighteenth studio album, McCartney III; upon learning this, McCartney decided to release his album on December 18 instead so that Swift could move forward with her Evermore rollout as initially planned. Three six-song compilations consisting of tracks from both Evermore and Folklore, titled The Dropped Your Hand While Dancing Chapter, The Forever Is The Sweetest Con Chapter, and The Ladies Lunching Chapter (all stylized in all lowercase), were released to streaming platforms on January 21, January 27, and February 4, 2021, respectively.

Singles

"willow"
December 11, 2020

"no body, no crime"
January 11, 2021

"coney island"
January 18, 2021

Willow remixes

Dancing Witch Version (Elvira Remix)
December 13, 2020

Lonely Witch Version
December 14, 2020

Moonlit Witch Version
December 15, 2020

The Witch Collection EP
December 17, 2020

90's Trend Version
June 3, 2021

"Willow" was released as the lead single of Evermore, alongside the album itself, on December 11, 2020. The song was accompanied with a music video directed by Swift. The single debuted at number-one in Australia, Canada and the United States. In the US, it scored her seventh number-one song, second number-one in 2020 (after "Cardigan"), and the third number-one debut of her career. "Willow" topped Hot Alternative Songs, Adult Top 40 and Digital Song Sales charts as well. According to Billboard, three of the album's tracks were sent to different radio formats—a plan that was adapted for Folklore as well. "Willow" impacted US adult contemporary and pop radio stations on December 14 and 15, 2020, respectively; "No Body, No Crime" was sent to US country radio on January 11, 2021. "Coney Island" was promoted to US adult album alternative radio on January 18, 2021.

Commercial performance

Available only via digital music and streaming platforms, Republic Records reported over a million copies of Evermore sold in its first-week worldwide, marking Swift's eighth consecutive studio album to achieve it. All of the album's 15 tracks entered the top 75 of the Billboard Global 200 chart. Aided by Evermore and Folklore, Swift was 2020's top streamed artist on Amazon Music across all genres. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) named her the best-selling solo artist and female artist of 2020, and second overall.

United States

Evermore debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, topping it for four weeks. It opened with 329,000 units, consisting of 220.49 million on-demand streams and 154,000 digital albums, and earned the biggest sales week for an album since her own Folklore. It is Swift's second number-one album in 2020 and eighth consecutive number-one debut, making her the third woman with eight number-ones, behind Barbra Streisand (11) and Madonna (9). Alongside Folklore at number three, Swift became the first woman in the chart's history to simultaneously have two albums in the top-three. The gap between the number-one debuts of Folklore and Evermore was 140 days, breaking the Guinness World Record for the shortest gap between two chart-topping albums by a woman on the Billboard 200. The album debuted atop the Alternative Albums chart as well, dethroning Folklore from number one; Evermore topped the chart for 15 weeks.

All of the album's 15 tracks entered the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously. Evermore became Swift's third album to chart all of its standard tracks together, after Lover (2019) and Folklore. Swift became the woman with the most Hot 100 hits with 128, regaining the record from Nicki Minaj. With the number-one debut of "Willow", she also became first act to simultaneously place an album and a single atop both Billboard 200 and Hot 100 charts at two occasions, following Folklore and "Cardigan". All tracks appeared on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart as well, except "No Body, No Crime" which debuted at number two on the Hot Country Songs. Due to eight tracks from Folklore remaining on the chart alongside the 14 from Evermore, Swift occupied 22 of the chart's 50 positions—the second most simultaneous entries in the chart's history, behind Linkin Park (23). On the Hot Alternative Songs, Swift claimed 16 spots, besting Machine Gun Kelly's record.

Despite its availability for the last two weeks of 2020 only, Evermore became one of the top 10 best-selling albums of 2020. It placed eighth on Rolling Stone's best-sellers list, and tenth on MRC Data's best selling albums of 2020 with 283,000 sales; its sister record, Folklore, was the top seller of 2020.

In April 2021, Evermore surpassed a million units in the US. In June, it scored its fourth week atop the Billboard 200 with 202,000 units, following its vinyl release. 192,000 of that sum were pure sales, surpassing her own Fearless (Taylor's Version) for the largest sales week of 2021. It marked the 53rd chart-topping week of Swift's career, extending her record as the female act with the most weeks at number one in Billboard 200 history and the third-most overall, behind the Beatles and Elvis Presley. The album sold 102,000 vinyl copies the same week, breaking the former record by Jack White's Lazaretto (40,000) for the biggest sales week for vinyl LPs since MRC Data's inauguration in 1991. Evermore became the best-selling CD and vinyl album of 2021. In July 2021, it became the best-selling album of the year, with 374,000 copies sold; Evermore was the seventh most consumed album with 818,000 total units.

Evermore topped the 2021 Billboard Year-End Top Album Sales and Top Alternative Albums charts. It further placed fourth on the year-end Billboard 200 chart. Swift ranked as the number-one Billboard 200 Artist, Billboard 200 Female Artist, Top Album Sales Artist, Top Alternative Artist, and Top Alternative Albums Artist. Selling 529,000 pure copies, Evermore was sixth on the best-selling albums list of 2021, alongside three other Swift albums—Red (Taylor's Version), Fearless (Taylor's Version), and Folklore—in the top 10.

Other markets

In Canada, Evermore appeared at the top spot of Billboard Canadian Albums chart as Swift's eighth Canadian number-one album, and her second in 2020. The album spent three weeks atop the chart. All of the tracks debuted inside the top 50 region of the Canadian Hot 100 simultaneously, except "Closure" (number 57); "Willow" became her seventh Canadian number-one hit, with "Champagne Problems" at number six, "No Body, No Crime" at 11, "'Tis the Damn Season" at 13, "Gold Rush" at 14, and "Tolerate It" at 18. In 2021, Evermore was the country's seventh best-selling album.

In Australia, Swift achieved a "Chart Double" by occupying the top spots of both albums and singles charts simultaneously. Evermore entered at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart, garnering her seventh chart-topper. Collecting her second number-one album of the year 19 weeks after Folklore, Swift broke the record for the shortest gap between two successive number-ones, surpassing the 25 weeks between Ariana Grande's Sweetener (2018) and Thank U, Next (2019). "Willow" debuted atop the ARIA Singles Chart, accompanied by 11 fellow tracks. It marked her seventh Australian number-one song. Evermore spent four consecutive weeks at number-one in Australia, tying with Folklore as her second longest-running chart-topper, behind 1989 (11 weeks).

In the United Kingdom, Evermore topped the UK Albums Chart for two weeks. It made Swift the fastest female artist to accumulate six number-one albums in the country (i2012–2020), surpassing Madonna (1997–2008), and the first female artist to score six chart-toppers in the 21st century. The album is her second number-one album in 2020 after Folklore, establishing her as the first act to score multiple chart-topping albums in a calendar year, since David Bowie in 2016. Evermore also topped the UK's Vinyl Albums chart, and the Americana Albums chart. On the Official Singles Chart, "Willow" landed at number three and gave Swift her eleventh top-five hit, while tracks "Champagne Problems" and "No Body, No Crime" arrived at numbers 15 and 19, respectively, increasing her UK top-20 hits total to 21. Evermore was the best-selling Americana album of 2021 in the UK.

In New Zealand, the album launched atop the Top 40 Albums chart, while its tracks "Willow", "Champagne Problems", "No Body, No Crime" and "Gold Rush" charted at numbers three, 24, 29 and 34 on the Top40 Singles chart, respectively. In Malaysia, "Willow" and "Champagne Problems" debuted at numbers two and 15, respectively, whereas on the Singaporean Top 30 Singles chart, the tracks entered at the first and 16th spots; "Gold Rush" and "No Body, No Crime" also charted in Singapore.

In many European territories, Evermore attained its peak multiple weeks after its release. It debuted at number one in Croatia in January 2021, and reached the top spot in Flanders in its sixth week on the Ultratop 200 Albums, after debuting at number two. It marked Swift's fifth consecutive number-one album in the Belgian region. The album peaked at number two on the Irish Albums Chart in its third week. It opened at number three in its debut week, marking Swift's sixth consecutive top-three album in Ireland; it was the most downloaded and streamed album of the week. Simultaneously, "Willow" also placed at number three on Irish Singles Chart, alongside tracks "Champagne Problems" and "No Body, No Crime" at sixth and eleventh spots, respectively, rising Swift's sum of top 50 hits to 38. On the Scottish Albums Chart, Evermore opened at number five, but peaked at number three after 25 weeks. On Germany's Offizielle Top 100, the album opened at number 24, rose to number six the next week, and ascended to number five in June 2021, whereas it topped the Greek Albums Chart in August 2021.

Critical reception

Evermore ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	85/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
And It Don't Stop	A−
Clash	8/10
Entertainment Weekly	A
The Guardian
The Independent
NME
Pitchfork	7.9/10
Rolling Stone
The Sydney Morning Herald

Evermore was met with widespread critical acclaim upon release, with emphasis on its kinship with Folklore and Swift's expansion of her musical boundaries. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 85, based on 29 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Describing Swift as an unrivaled songwriter, Brodie Lancaster of The Sydney Morning Herald found Evermore traveling deeper into the singer's fictitious narratives, and praised the depth and variety of its characters. NME critic Hannah Mylrea opined that Swift pushes her indie reinvention further in Evermore, terming it a "freewheeling younger sibling" while Folklore is the "introspective, romantic older sister"; Mylrea thought Evermore is looser and more experimental, expanding on its predecessor's sonic palette. In congruence, American Songwriter designated Folklore as the "archetypal older sister—a careful, yet hopeless romantic" whereas Evermore is the "bold, scrappy younger one", with the latter being a yuletide evolution of the former's sound. Maura Johnston, writing for Entertainment Weekly, asserted that Swift "levels up" on Evermore by taking musical risks, and dubbed the sister albums a career-high for the singer.

Spin critic Bobby Olivier thought the "career-redefining" album finds Swift at her prime, joining "the pantheon of songwriters who consistently deliver despite unimaginable expectations". He regarded Evermore a stronger work than Folklore. Annie Zaleski of The A.V. Club also chose Evermore over Folklore, and noted that the former continues the latter's "universe-building" with stronger writing and greater sonic cohesion. The Guardian's Alexis Petridis said Evermore furthers Swift's departure to alternative rock from mainstream pop, comparing it to her country-to-pop shift in Red (2012); he added that it proves her ability to switch genres easily. Calling it heartfelt and ruminative, Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph lauded the album's emotional songcraft and unhurried tempo, noting its songs are not for stadiums. Patrick Ryan of USA Today gave plaudits to its mystical instrumentation and escapist lyrics, stressing that Evermore is not a vestige of Folklore, but rather a sister reinforcing Swift's strengths. In her Rolling Stone review, Claire Shaffer saw Swift embracing new genres and ambitious storytelling, and welcomed her new artistic direction.

The Independent writer Helen Brown deemed its songs haunting and contemplative, and complimented its "tasteful" compositions. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard stated that the album is more progressive and audacious than Folklore, although posing as a sequel at first. He explained that Evermore explores the complications of adult love more extensively than its predecessor, and flaunts Swift's boldest and richest songwriting. Variety critic Chris Willman praised the album's subliminal production and Swift's agile vocals, and underlined its impressionist storytelling style that clicks only after multiple listens. Stereogum's Tom Breihan named Evermore a "full-on winter album" populated by "subtle growers" shrouded in a sedative atmosphere. Jon Pareles of The New York Times commended its diligent sound and poised lyrics, and noted more character studies in it than Folklore.

In less favorable reviews, Kitty Empire of The Observer praised the album's emotion and themes, but felt Swift is "still a little muted on Evermore as she was on Folklore by pastel music that smears Vaseline on her otherwise keen lens." Chris Richards of The Washington Post found the album overlong, felt some lyrics were sub-par for Swift's prowess, and rejected the notion of categorizing her 2020 works as indie. Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times felt that the album is Folklore's leftovers, and "simply repeats its trick", but named "Tolerate It", "Gold Rush", "Champagne Problems", "No Body, No Crime" and "Dorothea" as highlights.

Year-end lists

By the time Swift unveiled the album, many publications had already issued their year-end rankings of best albums of 2020. Evermore ranked on lists published after December 11, including number-one placements from NJ.com, USA Today, and Variety, which it shared with Folklore. Evermore finished at number 20 on Metacritic's aggregated list of 2020 year-end rankings.

Accolades

At the 2021 American Music Awards, Evermore won the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Album, as Swift's record-breaking seventh nod and fourth win in the category. Swift was also nominated for Artist of the Year and Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist, and won the latter for a record-breaking sixth time. At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, Evermore contended for Album of the Year as Swift's fifth nomination in the category, following Fearless (2008), Red (2012), 1989 (2014) and Folklore.

Croatian singer-songwriter Mia Dimšić named Evermore as an inspiration for writing "Guilty Pleasure", her entry song representing Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. American singer-songwriter Christina Perri, regarding her 2022 single "Evergone", told Consequence that Evermore and Folklore influenced her to write heartfelt, melancholic songs as opposed to external expectations for upbeat music. After Evermore, artists such as Gracie Abrams, Ed Sheeran, King Princess and Girl in Red collaborated with Dessner at his Long Pond Studio. Dessner stated, "After Taylor, it was a bit crazy how many people reached out. And getting to meet and write songs with people you wouldn't have had access to... I'm so grateful for it." In 2023, Noah Kahan credited Folklore and Evermore with providing a mainstream prominence for his "brand of alt-folk". Swift also embarked on the Eras Tour (2023–2024), which consisted of 10 acts, the third of which was dedicated to Evermore.

Legacy

Swift's fast-succeeding release of Evermore after Folklore was met with appraisal. Variety compared the double-release to that of the Beatles and U2, especially to the latter releasing Zooropa (1993) during the tour for Achtung Baby (1991), while Rolling Stone dubbed it a "hot streak" reminiscent of Prince in 1987 and David Bowie in 1977. Vulture stated that the news of another surprise album from Swift "came as a major shock", as she has been "the industry's most prominent loyalist to the pop-album rollout", who turns her carefully planned releases into "an art of their own". Branding it a testament to her artistic dedication, Our Culture Mag praised Swift's ability to release an album on-par with its predecessor in a short time, while simultaneously re-recording her first six studio albums. NJ.com thanked Swift for making the "miserable year" a little more endurable, and added that no other artist of her stature "created so relentlessly" in 2020. The Sydney Morning Herald named her "the queen of pandemic productivity".

Evermore and Folklore have been lauded as two of 2020's seminal albums. Billboard cited the sister albums as the most notable examples for how the COVID-19 pandemic veered music in 2020, and forced artists to amend their creative process, which in turn led their works to major success. Arre wrote that Swift bottled the pandemic's cultural crisis in the two escapist albums, transporting listeners to "a simpler world whose sensibility is cottagecore instead of apocalyptic". It questioned the possibility of retrospecting on Evermore without reminiscing the pandemic, and added that future generations will get an idea of 2020 through the sister albums, which condense emotions "impossible to articulate".

Inspired by the track "Champagne Problems", French luxury hotel Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa offers guests a new package called "Champagne Solution", which includes a bottle of Dom Pérignon, the champagne brand mentioned in the song's lyrics.

Whilst Folklore was a fairly evenly split album with collaborations with Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, Evermore sees Swift working almost exclusively with Dessner, with Antonoff only appearing on the song "Gold Rush". New producers BJ Burton and James McAllister were also brought on to produce "Closure". They were most likely brought on due to their affiliations with hyperpop artists, such as BJ Burton's production work with Charli XCX, especially on her 2020 album, How I'm Feeling Now.

Track listing

Standard edition
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"willow"	Taylor Swift • Aaron Dessner	A. Dessner	3:35
2.	"champagne problems"	Swift • William Bowery	Swift • A. Dessner	4:04
3.	"gold rush"	Swift • Jack Antonoff	Swift • Antonoff	3:06
4.	"'tis the damn season"	Swift • A. Dessner	A. Dessner	3:50
5.	"tolerate it"	Swift • A. Dessner	A. Dessner	4:05
6.	"no body, no crime" (featuring HAIM)	Swift	Swift • A. Dessner	3:36
7.	"happiness"	Swift • A. Dessner	A. Dessner	5:15
8.	"dorothea"	Swift • A. Dessner	A. Dessner	3:46
9.	"coney island" (featuring The National)	Swift • Bowery • A. Dessner • Bryce Dessner	A. Dessner • B. Dessner	4:35
10.	"ivy"	Swift • A. Dessner • Antonoff	A. Dessner	4:20
11.	"cowboy like me"	Swift • A. Dessner	A. Dessner	4:35
12.	"long story short"	Swift • A. Dessner	A. Dessner	3:36
13.	"marjorie"	Swift • A. Dessner	A. Dessner	4:18
14.	"closure"	Swift	A. Dessner • BJ Burton • James McAlister	3:01
15.	"evermore" (featuring Bon Iver)	Swift • Bowery • Justin Vernon	Swift • A. Dessner	5:04
Total length:				60:38

Deluxe edition
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"right where you left me"	Swift • A. Dessner	A. Dessner	4:05
17.	"it's time to go"	Swift • A. Dessner	A. Dessner	4:15
Total length:				69:00

Japanese deluxe edition
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"willow (dancing witch version) [Elvira remix]"	Swift • A. Dessner	Elvira	3:05
19.	"willow (lonely witch version)"	Swift • A. Dessner		3:35
Total length:				75:45

Japanese limited edition
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
20.	"willow (moonlit witch version)"	Swift • A. Dessner	3:29
Total length:			79:13

Chapters

On streaming platforms, 3 distinct EPs, called "chapters", featuring thematic compositions of songs from the album were released in January and February 2021.

The Dropped Your Hand While Dancing Chapter

The Forever Is The Sweetest Con Chapter

The Ladies Lunching Chapter

The first chapter, titled The Dropped Your Hand While Dancing Chapter, was released on January 21, 2021.

The Dropped Your Hand While Dancing Chapter
No.	Title	Length
1.	"champagne problems"	4:04
2.	"happiness"	5:15
3.	"it's time to go"	4:14
4.	"tolerate it"	4:05
5.	"coney island" (featuring The National)	4:35
6.	"hoax"	3:40

The second chapter, titled The Forever Is The Sweetest Con Chapter, was released on January 28, 2021.

The Forever Is The Sweetest Con Chapter
No.	Title	Length
1.	"cowboy like me"	4:35
2.	"mirrorball"	3:28
3.	"evermore" (featuring Bon Iver)	5:04
4.	"long story short"	3:35
5.	"invisible string"	4:12
6.	"willow"	3:34

The third and the final chapter, titled The Ladies Lunching Chapter, was released on February 4, 2021.

The Ladies Lunching Chapter
No.	Title	Length
1.	"betty"	4:54
2.	"dorothea"	3:45
3.	"marjorie"	4:17
4.	"august"	4:21
5.	"no body, no crime" (featuring HAIM)	3:35
6.	"right where you left me"	4:05

Spotify streams

Standard edition

No.	Song	Streams
1.	willow	859,770,229
2.	champagne problems	625,264,348
3.	gold rush	290,786,508
4.	'tis the damn season	271,255,843
5.	tolerate it	320,182,129
6.	no body, no crime	279,027,645
7.	happiness	188,859,032
8.	dorothea	176,085,316
9.	coney island	182,540,598
10.	ivy	221,943,530
11.	cowboy like me	190,820,139
12.	long story short	200,020,264
13.	marjorie	222,718,610
14.	closure	124,773,654
15.	evermore	219,316,981

Deluxe edition

No.	Song	Streams
16.	right where you left me	336,602,147
17.	it's time to go	111,572,055
*	Total streams	4,821,539,028

Physical copies

Standard editions

Standard CD

Opaque Green Vinyl

Translucent Green Vinyl

Special editions

Target Exclusive Red Vinyl

Cassette

Booklet

Physical booklet (deluxe edition)

Digital booklet

Promotional

Album prelude

Tracklist/Back cover

Banner

Logo

Photoshoot

Main article: Evermore photoshoot

Personnel

Adapted from Pitchfork, and album liner notes.

Musicians

• Taylor Swift – lead vocals, songwriting, production (2, 3, 6, 15)
• Aaron Dessner – production (1, 2, 4–17), songwriting (1, 4, 5, 7–14, 16, 17), drum machine programming (1, 4–5, 7, 9–17), percussion (1, 10–12), keyboards (1, 5, 7, 11–12, 16–17), synthesizers (1–2, 4, 6–7, 9–12, 14–17), piano (1–2, 4–8, 11, 13–15, 17), electric guitar (1, 4, 6–12, 16–17), bass guitar (1, 4–10, 12, 14, 16–17), acoustic guitar (1–2, 4, 6–13, 16–17), synth bass (2, 10–13, 17), mandolin (6), field recording (6), tambourine (8), high string guitar (9–10), drum kit (10), rubber bridge guitar (10), drone (13), banjo (16)
• Bryce Dessner – production (9), songwriting (9), orchestration (1, 4–5, 7, 9–17), piano (9, 14), pulse (9), electric guitar (12)
• James McAlister – synthesizers (1, 5, 10, 12, 14), drum machine programming (1, 5, 10, 12), percussion (5), keyboards (5, 10), Vermona pulse (13), drum kit (14, 16)
• Bryan Devendorf – percussion (1, 10, 13), drum machine programming (1, 5, 9–10, 13, 17), drum kit (9, 12)
• Yuki Numata Resnick – violin (1, 4–5, 7, 9–17)
• Clarice Jensen – cello (1, 4, 5, 9–13, 15, 17)
• Jason Treuting – glockenspiel (1), percussion (5, 9, 13), drum kit (9), crotales (12, 15), metal percussion (12), chord stick (13–14, 17)
• Alex Sopp – flute (1, 15)
• CJ Camerieri – French horn (1)
• Thomas Bartlett – keyboard (1, 4, 7, 8, 16–17), synthesizers (1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 17), piano (8, 16–17)
• William Bowery – songwriting (2, 9, 15), piano (15)
• Logan Coale – upright bass (2, 10–11, 14–15)
• Jack Antonoff – production (3), songwriting (3, 10), drums (3), percussion (3), bass (3), electric guitar (3), acoustic guitar (3), slide guitar (3), piano (3), Mellotron (3), backing vocals (3)
• Mikey Freedom Hart – DX7 (3), electric guitar (3), nylon guitar (3), Rhodes (3), celeste (3)
• Sean Hutchinson – drums (3)
• Michael Riddleberger – drums (3)
• Evan Smith – horns (3)
• Patrik Berger – OP-1 (3)
• Bobby Hawk – violin (3)
• Nick Lloyd – Hammond B3 Organ (4, 16)
• Josh Kaufman – harmonium (4, 16), lap steel (4, 6, 11), electric guitar (6, 8, 16), acoustic guitar (8), organ (6), harmonica (6, 11, 16), mandolin (11)
• Benjamin Lanz – trombone (4, 10), horn arrangement (4), modular synthesizer (8, 10)
• Danielle Haim – vocals (6)
• Este Haim – vocals (6)
• JT Bates – drum kit (6–8, 10, 17), percussion (8, 16–17)
• Ryan Olson – Allovers Hi-Hat Generator (7, 13, 17)
• Matt Berninger – vocals (9)
• Scott Devendorf – bass guitar (9), pocket piano (9)
• Justin Vernon – backing vocals (10, 13), triangle (10), drum kit (10–11, 14), banjo (10), electric guitar (10–11, 17), Prophet X (13), Messina (14), synthesizers (15), field recording (15), vocals (15), bass guitar (17), acoustic guitar (17)
• Kyle Resnick – trumpet (10, 12, 14, 17)
• Marcus Mumford – backing vocals (11)
• Marjorie Finlay – backing vocals (13)
• Trever Hagen – trumpet (14), no-input mixer (14)
• BJ Burton – additional production (14)
• James McAlister –  additional production (14)
• Gabriel Cabezas – cello (14–15)
• Dave Nelson – trombone (14, 17)
• Stuart Bogie – alto clarinet (15), contrabass clarinet (15), flute (15)
• Jonathan Low – drum machine programming (16)

Additional instrument recording

• Kyle Resnick – violin (1, 4–5, 7, 9–17)
• Bobby Hawk – violin (3)
• Aaron Dessner – vermona pulse (13)
• Robin Baynton – piano (Bowery on 15)

Technical

• Beth Garrabrant – photography
• Jonathan Low – recording (1–2, 4–17), vocal recording (1–5; Swift on 6, 9; 10–14; Swift on 15; 17), mixing (all tracks)
• Aaron Dessner – recording (1–2, 4–17)
• Greg Calbi – mastering
• Steve Fallone – mastering
• Laura Sisk – recording (3), vocal recording (8)
• John Rooney – assistant engineering (3)
• Jon Sher – assistant engineering (3)
• Ariel Rechtshaid – vocal recording (Danielle and Este Haim on 6)
• Matt DiMona – vocal recording (Danielle and Este Haim on 6)
• Robin Baynton – vocal recording (7; Swift on 9; Mumford on 11; 16)
• Sean O'Brien – vocal recording (Berninger on 9)
• Justin Vernon – vocal recording (Bon Iver on 15)

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Version	Label
Worldwide	December 11, 2020	Digital download, streaming	Standard edition	Republic
United Kingdom	December 18, 2020	CD	Deluxe edition	EMI
United States				Republic
Worldwide	January 7, 2021	Digital download, streaming
Japan	January 22, 2021	CD	Standard edition	Universal Music Japan
Brazil	January 29, 2021	CD, vinyl		Universal
Worldwide	February 21, 2021	Cassette
	May 28, 2021	Vinyl		EMI

Merchandise

Main article: Evermore/Merchandise

Trivia

• There is a running joke in the online Swiftie community that Taylor 'hates evermore' due to the lack of promotion given to it compared to other albums. Taylor addressed this at the eras tour stating "Right now we are in the middle of the evermore album, an album which I absolutely love, despite what some of you say on TikTok, I've seen it all!". A satire account posted a video where they replaced the her response with "I f*cking hate even more than what you say on TikTok".
• Not including re-records, this album features the most collaborations of any Taylor Swift album.
• Evermore is the latest album to be released in the calendar year, being released in December.
• Evermore and The Tortured Poets Department are the only albums to feature odd time signatures. The songs Tolerate It and Closure both are in 5/4 time.