"Cruel Summer" is the second track from American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's seventh studio album, Lover, released on August 23, 2019, through Republic Records. The song became the fifth single from the album on June 20, 2023.[1] On October 18, 2023, two remixes came out, a live version from the Eras Tour, and a remix produced by LP Giobbi.
Background[]
Spotify storyline[]
Swift discussed several topics within the storyline that accompanied this song on Spotify, including her choice behind the mood and feeling of the song and her favorite lyric.
| “ | I wrote this song with two people I'm a huge fan of, Jack Antonoff and Annie Clark of St. Vincent. / I wanted this song to feel like a desperate summer love that might be doomed from the start. / My favorite line from this song is 'I love you. Ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?' | ” |
—Taylor's Spotify story, each slide separated by a slash | ||
On October 23, 2023, "Cruel Summer" hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[2]
Easter eggs[]
Taylor hinted at this song's title a few times before the track list was announced. In the music video for "You Need to Calm Down", Ellen DeGeneres was seen getting a tattoo of the title of the song at 2:03. During Taylor's commercial for Amazon Music, featuring the song "You Need to Calm Down", a butterfly in the background had the words "cruel summer" written on the wings, in the same font as Ellen's tattoo.
In the music video for "Lover", two board games are featured, one titled Devils Roll the Dice, Angels Roll Their Eyes, and the other titled Breakable Heaven.
A mural was also painted with the lyric "Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes" in promotion of the Lover enhanced album on Spotify.
Lyrics[]
[Intro]
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
[Verse 1]
Fever dream high in the quiet of the night
You know that I caught it (Oh, yeah, you're right, I want it)
Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price
You know that I bought it (Oh, yeah, you're right, I want it)
[Pre-Chorus 1]
Killing me slow, out the window
I'm always waiting for you to be waiting below
Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes
What doesn't kill me makes me want you more
[Chorus]
And it's new, the shape of your body
It's blue, the feeling I've got
And it's ooh, whoa-oh
It's a cruel summer
It's cool, that's what I tell 'em
No rules in breakable Heaven
But ooh, whoa-oh
It's a cruel summer with you
[Verse 2]
Hang your head low in the glow of the vending machine
I'm not dying (Oh, yeah, you're right, I want it)
We say that we'll just screw it up in these trying times
We're not trying (Oh, yeah, you're right, I want it)
[Pre-Chorus 2]
So, cut the headlights, summer's a knife
I'm always waiting for you just to cut to the bone
Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes
And if I bleed, you'll be the last to know, oh
[Chorus]
It's new, the shape of your body
It's blue, the feeling I've got
And it's ooh, whoa-oh
It's a cruel summer
It's cool, that's what I tell 'em
No rules in breakable Heaven
But ooh, whoa-oh
It's a cruel summer with you
[Bridge]
I'm drunk in the back of the car
And I cried like a baby, coming home from the bar (Oh)
Said, "I'm fine," but it wasn't true
I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you
And I snuck in through the garden gate
Every night that summer just to seal my fate (Oh)
And I scream, "For whatever it's worth
I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?"
He looks up, grinning like a devil
[Chorus]
It's new, the shape of your body
It's blue, the feeling I've got
And it's ooh, whoa-oh
It's a cruel summer
It's cool, that's what I tell 'em
No rules in breakable Heaven
But ooh, whoa-oh
It's a cruel summer with you
[Outro]
I'm drunk in the back of the car
And I cried like a baby coming home from the bar (Oh)
Said, "I'm fine," but it wasn't true
I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you
And I snuck in through the garden gate
Every night that summer just to seal my fate (Oh)
And I scream, "For whatever it's worth
I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?"
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Live performances[]
"Cruel Summer" is performed as the second song in the Lover section of The Eras Tour.
Gallery[]
References[]
| Lover | ||
|---|---|---|
| "I Forgot That You Existed" • "Cruel Summer" • "Lover" • "The Man" • "The Archer" • "I Think He Knows" • "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince" • "Paper Rings" • "Cornelia Street" • "Death By A Thousand Cuts" • "London Boy" • "Soon You'll Get Better" • "False God" • "You Need to Calm Down" • "Afterglow" • "ME!" • "It's Nice to Have A Friend" • "Daylight" | ||
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