"Gorgeous" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her sixth studio album Reputation. It was released on October 20, 2017, as the second promotional single from the album.[1] In the UK, it was the second single off the album.
Background and release
After the release of "...Ready for It?", fans started speculating Swift would release a new song on October 13, 2017. Instead, she held a secret listening party, where she played her sixth studio album Reputation for 100 fans from all around the world.[2][3] A few days later, on the 19th, the singer announced the release of a song titled "Gorgeous" through her Instagram account, along with a small preview of the track, featuring "a baby voice saying 'gorgeous' over an electro-pop soundbed", as described by Billboard.[4] It was then released a day later, on October 20, 2017, as Reputation's second promotional single. On the same day, a lyric video for the song was premiered.
Composition
"Gorgeous" was written by Swift, along with Max Martin and Shellback, who also produced the track. Lyrically, the song depicts "the pursuit of a maddening love interest", whom Swift describes as "gorgeous". Hugh McIntyre of Forbes characterized the production of the song as "simultaneously a basic 808 drum and an attempt at something that pushes electro-pop into a more interesting territory than Top 40 is used to".Maeve McDermott of USA Today likened the chorus of the song to the sound of Katy Perry. According to Elle, the man mentioned in the song is the British actor Joe Alwyn, who is Swift's current boyfriend.
Reception
The song received acclaim from music critics. Maeve McDermott of USA Today called it "further proof of their queen's pop domination" for Taylor Swift fans, and "a promising omen that the old Taylor may not be dead just yet" for "listeners who have so far been skeptical of Swift's new direction". Glamour stated that it was evidence that Swift was "single-handedly saving pop music in 2017", calling it "fizzy" and "delightful", owing to its "slightly left of centre style". In a positive review for Variety Chris William called the song a "more conventional Taylor Swift song" that, "provides some of the conventional pleasures that only a pop song about falling deeply in crush can". Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone thought the song is "the yang to the vindictive, angry yin of "Look What You Made Me Do", as Swift sings "wistfully" about a man over "gentle, radio-friendly pop." Clayton Purdom from The A.V. Club called it "her first good single in forever", stating that the song "clears the low bar set by its two predecessors ["Look What You Made Me Do" and "...Ready for It?"], standing easily alongside the best work on that album".
Trivia
- The baby's voice credited for saying "gorgeous" at the beginning of the song is Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's daughter, James Reynolds
- One of the lines in this song made a cameo in Taylor's "...Ready For It?" music video. "Ur gorgeous" is featured on the wall as graffiti
Lyrics
Gorgeous
You should take it as a compliment
That I got drunk and made fun of the way you talk
You should think about the consequence
Of your magnetic field being a little too strong
And I got a boyfriend, he's older than us
He's in the club doing, I don't know what
You're so cool, it makes me hate you so much (I hate you so much)
Whiskey on ice,
Sunset and Vine
You've ruined my life, by not being mine
You're so gorgeous
I can't say anything to your face
'Cause look at your face
And I'm so furious
At you for making me feel this way
But, what can I say?
You're gorgeous
You should take it as a compliment
That I'm talking to everyone here but you
And you should think about the consequence
Of you touching my hand in the darkened room
If you've got a girlfriend, I'm jealous of her
But if you're single that's honestly worse
'Cause you're so gorgeous it actually hurts
(Honey, it hurts)
Ocean blue eyes looking in mine
I feel like I might sink and drown and die
You're so gorgeous
I can't say anything to your face
'Cause look at your face
And I'm so furious
At you for making me feel this way
But what can I say?
You're gorgeous
You make me so happy it turns back to sad, yeah
There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have
You are so gorgeous it makes me so mad
You make me so happy it turns back to sad, yeah
There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have
Guess I'll just stumble on home to my cats
Alone, unless you wanna come along, oh!
You're so gorgeous
I can't say anything to your face
'Cause look at your face
And I'm so furious
At you for making me feel this way
But what can I say?
You're gorgeous
You make me so happy it turns back to sad, yeah
There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have
You are so gorgeous it makes me so mad
You're gorgeous
You make me so happy it turns back to sad, yeah
There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have
You are so gorgeous it makes me so mad
You're gorgeous
References
- ↑ Taylor Swift's 'Gorgeous' New Single Has Arrived: Listen
- ↑ Taylor Swift Just Hosted Her First ‘Reputation’ Listening Party in London
- ↑ Taylor Swift Holds First Secret 'Reputation' Listening Party for Fans in the UK and Swifties Are Freaking Out
- ↑ Taylor Swift Announces a New "Gorgeous" Taylor Swift Song Is Coming
