"Sweeter Than Fiction" is a song by American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift. It is the fifteenth track from One Chance: The Incredible True Story of Paul Potts: Motion Picture Soundtrack, released on October 21, 2013, through Big Machine Records. It is also the twenty-second track from the tangerine edition of Swift's fourth re-recorded album, 1989 (Taylor's Version), released on October 27, 2023, through Republic Records.
Background[]
One Chance producer Simon Cowell approached Swift, whom he knew through her connection to One Direction member Harry Styles, with the idea of becoming involved with the project. Swift was reportedly "so moved" by the film's concept she was inspired to write a song for it. The song was co-written by Jack Antonoff, who claims "Sweeter Than Fiction" has a John Hughes vibe, and who tweeted he "[LOVED] working with" Swift.
Swift revealed in an interview with country music blog Taste of Country that she viewed the film as a love story in addition to a chronicling of a man's road to success, and approached the songwriting process from that perspective: "I’m very inspired by the concept of love. And this movie is, in a lot of ways, ... a story of the love his wife … has for him," Swift explained. "That was the story that hit me and really affected me. I wanted to tell a story musically from that perspective."
The song was released to digital retailers as the lead single from the One Chance soundtrack October 21, 2013. After its release, Swift admitted she had to fight her label to be allowed to release "Sweeter Than Fiction", as she tries to maintain a dormant period between album releases. Big Machine reportedly told Swift "no new music until the next album comes out", but Swift explained that after seeing the film, she insisted "I have to be a part of this."
Composition[]
"Sweeter Than Fiction" is a "rock-tinged" bubblegum pop song that also contains influences of synthpop and new wave music. Critics have deemed the song reminiscent of 80's pop. The song is musically and lyrically upbeat, with Swift singing from the point of view of a longtime friend or fan who has always believed in a performer's talents. "There you'll stand, ten feet tall", Swift sings in the chorus, "and I will say, 'I knew it all along.'"
Its first four verses are in the key of B major, and the rest of the song is in C# major. It has a tempo of 135 beats per minute and lasts three minutes and fifty-four seconds.
Critical reception[]
The song was well-received by critics. Entertainment Weekly praised Swift's approach to the subject matter - "The track ... is uplifting without being hokey and sweet without being cloying." - and described the song as "addictive". Rachel Mcrady of US Weekly felt "Sweeter Than Fiction" possessed "all the makings of another hit" in Swift's career. MTV blogger Jenna Hally Rubenstein summarized "Sweeter" as "a masterfully crafted pop song that should do a killer job of soundtracking any and all uplifting moments in "One Chance."" Carl Williott of Idolator called the song "pretty great", saying "it's a ... sweet song, but the confident synth-pop/New Wave stylings keep it from being an overly saccharine affair, resultingly in a surprisingly bold offering from Swift." Spin editor Larry Busacca gave a more mixed review. Though deriding the song for being "[not] the least bit groundbreaking", Busacca did admit the song was "too catchy and effortless-sounding to resist."
Chart performance[]
"Sweeter Than Fiction" debuted at number thirty-four on Billboard Hot 100, her forty-third top forty hit, thus tying with Aretha Franklin for the second-most top forty entries among women in the chart's history. It is also Swift's fourth movie song to crack the top forty, following "Today Was A Fairytale" from Valentine's Day which reached number two in 2010 and two songs from The Hunger Games: "Safe & Sound" with The Civil Wars which reached number thirty in 2012, and "Eyes Open" which reached number nineteen in 2012. On Hot Digital Songs, "Sweeter Than Fiction" entered at number six with 114,000 downloads sold. It is Swift's twenty-eight song to reach the top ten of the said chart, thus tying with Rihanna for the most top ten hits among all acts.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Hit the ground, hit the ground, hit the ground (Oh-oh)
Only sound, only sound that you hear is, "No"
You never saw it coming
Slipped when you started running
And now you've come undone and (I, I, I, I)
Seen you fall, seen you crawl on your knees (Eh-eh)
Seen you lost in a crowd, seen your colors fade
Wish I could make it better
Someday, you won't remember
This pain you thought would last forever and ever
[Chorus 1]
There you'll stand, ten feet tall
I will say, "I knew it all along"
Your eyes are wider than distance
This life's sweeter than fiction
[Verse 2]
Just a shot, just a shot in the dark, oh-oh
All you got, all you got are your shattered hopes
They never saw it coming
You hit the ground running
And now you're onto something
I, I, I say
What a sight, what a sight when the light came on
Proved me right, proved me right when you proved them wrong
And in this perfect weather
It's like we don't remember
The rain we thought would last forever and ever
[Chorus 2]
There you'll stand, ten feet tall
I will say, "I knew it all along"
Your eyes are wider than distance
This life's sweeter than fiction
There you'll stand, next to me
All at once, the rest is history
Your eyes are wider than distance
This life's sweeter than fiction, fiction
[Bridge]
I'll be one of the many saying,
"Look at you now, look at you now, now"
I'll be one of the many saying,
"You made us proud, you made us proud, proud"
I'll be one of the many saying,
"Look at you now, look at you now, now"
I'll be one of the many saying,
"You made us proud, you made us proud, proud"
And when they call your name
And they put your picture in a frame
You know that I'll be there time and again
'Cause I loved you when, when you
[Chorus 1]
Hit the ground, hit the ground, hit the ground (Oh-oh)
Only sound, only sound that you heard was, "No"
Now in this perfect weather
It's like we don't remember
The rain we thought would last forever and ever (Forever)
There you'll stand, ten feet tall
I will say, I knew it all along
Your eyes are wider than distance
This life's sweeter than fiction
There you'll stand next to me
All at once, the rest is history
Your eyes are wider than distance
This life's sweeter than fiction, fiction
[Outro]
It's sweeter than fiction
It's sweeter, yeah
It's sweeter than, sweeter
Sweeter than fiction
Live performances[]
"Sweeter Than Fiction" was performed as a surprise song on The Eras Tour on July 6, 2024, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, mashed-up with "Holy Ground".
Trivia[]
- Taylor sang a snippet of "Sweeter Than Fiction" in an interview about One Chance.
| 1989 | ||
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| "Welcome To New York" • "Blank Space" • "Style" • "Out Of The Woods" • "All You Had To Do Was Stay" • "Shake It Off" • "I Wish You Would" • "Bad Blood" • "Wildest Dreams" • "How You Get The Girl" • "This Love" • "I Know Places" • "Clean" | ||
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