Summer is almost over, and we're finally getting to this song.
We've been largely avoiding the hits on top of the pop chart this summer, mostly because it's been strange and partly because some of it has been terrible. But, now that we're at the end of the summer, we feel like we should address it.
How is a four year old song that had a run on the pop charts and was a top 30 hit in 2019 suddenly a top 5 hit in 2023?!
If you weren't aware, Taylor Swift is on tour. I know. She's kept it pretty low-key. But yes. And this song from 2019's Lover album, not released as a single but still a minor hit in 2019, was featured prominently on her tour this year. It makes sense - in a summer dominated by country music, a song that bridges her origins in country (the 2nd half of this song is clearly country-music influenced) and her current pop focus (this song is incredibly synth-heavy) fits in well.
Co-written by Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, and Annie Clark (who is St. Vincent and we hear clear shadows of "Los Ageless", which was also written by Jack Antonoff and Annie Clark, by the way), the song is not a Bananarama song, but rather a song about a summer romance and the associated pain.
The song became so popular as part of the tour that Republic Records rereleased it as a single and it took off, peaking at number 3 on the pop charts.
Those who read this blog know that I'm not a huge Taylor Swift fan and I did not attend this tour. This song, however, is fantastic.
Her current tour has a remarkable similar setlist every single night. Every show opens with a couple of songs from the Lover album, and this song is the 2nd song in almost every show.
Shockingly, people have recorded this song live on the tour. This is from her stop in Santa Clara, California. (edit: Taylor's people like to take down videos by her fans, so here is the performance in the Eras Tour movie. It's literally the same performance at a different show, this one in LA)
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