Jump to content

Wildest Dreams (Taylor Swift song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Chandelia16 (talk | contribs) at 00:27, 14 November 2015 (→‎Credits and personnel). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Wildest Dreams"
Song

"Wildest Dreams" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her fifth studio album, 1989. Written by Swift in collaboration with the song's producers Max Martin and Shellback, the song was released to radio by Big Machine Records on August 31, 2015,[1] as 1989's fifth single. Musically, "Wildest Dreams" is a ballad with a prominent dream pop influence, with the lyrics describing Swift's plea for her lover to remember her.

The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who compared it to the work of Lana Del Rey and commended its composition. Meanwhile, the music video received a mixed reception, for allegedly "bringing back white colonialism." Following the release of 1989, it was met with moderate commercial successes, charting in the United States, Canada, and Australia on the strength of digital downloads. After its release as a single, it reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the fifth consecutive top-10 song from 1989 and Swift's 19th top-10 hit on the chart.[2] Later a remix by Dutch DJ R3hab was released digitally in October 11, 2015, with a duration of three minutes and seventeen seconds.[3]

Writing and composition

Swift wrote the track with the song's producers, Max Martin and Shellback. "Wildest Dreams" is a ballad,[4] with reviewers comparing it to the works of Lana Del Rey.[5][6] Written in the key of A♭ major, it has moderate tempo of 69 beats per minute. Swift's vocal range spans from E♭3 to E♭5.[7]

Critical reception

The song received mostly positive reviews. Sputnikmusic called the song an "impassioned piece" and thought that, "all it really proves is that Swift is capable of taking the contemporary influences around her and molding them into something impressively original."[8] Corey Bealsey of PopMatters described it as "Swift doing more or less a literal Lana Del Rey impression and managing it with a ventriloquist's mastery to conjure Del Rey's moody, sultry atmospherics."[9] Marah Eakin of The A.V. Club said that "Swift even takes her voice down a few notches, sounding a bit more like the brusque Del Rey than her chipper self."[10] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian praised the Lana Del Rey influences, citing that "there's something hugely cheering about the way Swift turns the persona of the pathetic female appendage snivelling over her bad-boy boyfriend on its head. Ramping up the melodrama by way of Be My Babyish drums, Wildest Dreams paints the man as the victim, doomed to spend the rest of his life haunted by what he's carelessly lost."[11] In a review by The New York Times, noted that this song contained the "most pronounced vocal tweak" on the album and how "at the bridge, she skips up an octave, sputtering out bleats of ecstasy, before retreating back under the covers."[12]

On the other hand, Craig Manning of AbsolutePunk dismissed the song as "a bit disposable".[13] Jem Aswad of Billboard had a mixed reception about the Lana Del Rey similarities, saying that "it's hard to tell if the song is homage or parody."[14]

Chart performance

"Wildest Dreams" first entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 76 on the week ending November 15, 2014 as a cut off from 1989. Following its release as an official single and the release of an accompanying music video at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards pre-show, the song re-entered the Hot 100 at number 15 on the chart dated September 19, 2015. It reached number 12 the following week, later peaking at number 5. It re-entered the Billboard Digital Songs chart at number 7 selling 83,000 copies (up 981% from its previous week sales). At the Billboard Radio Songs chart it debuted at number 26 with 43 million audience impression (up 114%).[15]

Music video

Development and synopsis

Parts of the video were shot in the Serengeti, Tanzania.[16]

The accompanying music video was directed by Joseph Kahn, who previously directed the music videos for the second and fourth singles from 1989, "Blank Space" and "Bad Blood" and filmed in Africa and California.[17] The video was first aired on television during the pre-show of the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards on August 30, 2015.[18] Scott Eastwood appeared in the video.[19] In the video, Swift plays a fictional actress named Majorie Finn which is a reference to her grandmother's name, Majorie Finlay, and Scott Eastwood plays a fictional character named Robert Kingsley. Swift's grandfather's name was Robert and her dad's middle name is Kingsley. Swift came up with the concept after reading a book by Ava Gardner and Peter Evans, The Secret Conversations. Her premise for the video is that—since social media did not exist in the '50s—it would be impossible for actors not to fall in love if they were isolated together in Africa, since there would be no one else to talk to.[20] According to Khan the video is based on classic Hollywood romances like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, as well as classic movies like The African Queen, Out of Africa and The English Patient.[21]

The video, set in an African Savannah in the 1950s during the golden age of cinema, follows the story of fictional brunette actress Marjorie Finn (Swift) shooting a romantic adventure film, Wildest Dreams, in the desert with co-actor, Robert Kingsley (Eastwood) which is a reference to the 1985 film Out of Africa.[22] The video is interspersed with shots of African wildlife and natural scenery including shots of a cascading waterfall and others such as Swift lounging with a lion. After a fight on set, the romance ends and the video cuts to a Hollywood premiere, where Swift sees her co-star, Eastwood, with his wife. She is visibly upset but tries to act nonchalant, and the video ends with her fleeing the premiere and seeing her co-star run out onto the road in the side mirror of the limousine.

The biplane in the video is a Fisher R-80 Tiger Moth .[23]

Reception

File:Wildest Dreams music video.jpg
In the video, Swift portrays an actress akin to Elizabeth Taylor, while Eastwood portrays an actor akin to Richard Burton.

The video received mixed reviews. Slate's Forrest Whickman found that the video was "a lot more engaging" and that "it does a good job matching the song's theme of lingering on with someone 'even if it's just pretend'."[24] Mike Wass of Idolator called the video "a much stronger effort" than Swift's previous videos and likened it to romance films Out of Africa, The English Patient and The Notebook. While saying "it all hangs together rather nicely", he highlighted the scenery, which "raises this above your average video".[25] Rolling Stone writer Brittany Spanos felt that the video's visuals emulated "retro Hollywood glamour" and Brittany Spanos of The Wall Street Journal opined they were "lush".[26][27] Writing for Digital Spy, Justin Harp deemed the video "spellbinding" and as "streamy" as the music video for "Bad Blood".[28]

Writing for NPR, Viviane Rutabingwa and James Kassaga Arinaitwe criticized the video for "present[ing] a glamorous version of the white colonial fantasy of Africa" and ignoring the brutality of colonialism. "[...] We don't totally blame Taylor Swift, but the people behind the video should have done a little more research. They should have wondered how Africans would react. This nostalgia that privileged white people have for colonial Africa is awkwardly confusing to say the least and offensive to say the most."[17] Lauren Duca of The Huffington Post criticized the video for bringing back "white colonialism" despite the fact that both its producer and its editor are African-American. Duca opined that "Instead of the cultural appropriation that has become almost status quo in today's pop music, Swift has opted for the bolder option of actually just embodying the political exploitation of a region and its people. It's brave, really. Almost as brave as moving sensuously in the vicintiy [sic] of a real-life lion."[29] Lauretta Charlton of Vulture.com responded to these criticisms, writing "I am a black woman, and this week the internet says I should be angry because Taylor Swift's "Wildest Dreams" video is set in an Africa full of white people....Racists are very real. Colonialism is very real. But Taylor Swift is not a racist, and her "Wildest Dreams" video is not a boon for colonialism. Take a deep breath, exhale, and direct our rage toward something that matters."[30]

Track listings

Digital download[31]

  1. "Wildest Dreams" – 3:40

Digital download – single (R3hab Remix)[3]

  1. "Wildest Dreams (R3hab Remix)" – 3:17

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from liner notes of 1989.[32]

Charts

Chart (2014–15) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[33] 3
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[34] 27
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[35] 33
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[36] 24
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[37] 4
Canada AC (Billboard)[38] 4
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[39] 5
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[40] 6
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[41] 67
France (SNEP)[42] 122
Hungary (Single Top 40)[43] 35
Ireland (IRMA)[44] 39
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[45] 8
Scotland (OCC)[46] 9
South Africa (EMA)[47] 5
UK Singles (OCC)[48] 40
US Billboard Hot 100[49] 5
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[50] 5
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[51] 1
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard)[52] 3
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[53] 1
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[54] 25

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[55] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[56] Platinum 80,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[57] Gold 0*
United States (RIAA)[58] Gold 500,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country Date Format Label Ref.
United States August 31, 2015 Hot/Modern/AC radio
[1]
September 1, 2015 Contemporary hit radio [59]
Worldwide October 15, 2015 Digital download (R3hab Remix) Big Machine Records [3][60]
Italy October 30, 2015 Contemporary hit radio Universal Music [61]

See also

List of Billboard Pop Songs number-one songs of 2015

References

  1. ^ a b "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on August 24, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  2. ^ "The Weeknd at No. 1 on Hot 100, Shawn Mendes earns first Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "Wildest Dreams (R3hab Remix) - Single by Taylor Swift". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  4. ^ "Review: Taylor Swift channels Lana Del Rey in new single 'Wildest Dreams'". Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  5. ^ "Review: Taylor Swift - 1989". Sputnikmusic. October 28, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  6. ^ Eakin, Marah (October 28, 2014). "With 1989, Taylor Swift finally grows up". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  7. ^ "Wildest Dreams By Taylor Swift". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  8. ^ "Review: Taylor Swift - 1989". Sputnikmusic. October 28, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  9. ^ Bealsey, Corey (October 31, 2014). "Taylor Swift: 1989". PopMatters. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  10. ^ Eakin, Marah (October 28, 2014). "With 1989, Taylor Swift finally grows up". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  11. ^ Petridis, Alexis (October 24, 2014). "Taylor Swift: 1989 review – leagues ahead of the teen-pop competition". The Guardian. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  12. ^ Caramanica, Jon (October 23, 2014). "A Farewell to Twang". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  13. ^ Manning, Craig (October 31, 2014). "Taylor Swift - 1989 - Album Review". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  14. ^ Aswad, Jem (October 24, 2014). "Album Review: Taylor Swift's Pop Curveball Pays Off With '1989'". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  15. ^ Trust, Gary (September 8, 2015). "The Weeknd Doubles Up in Hot 100's Top Three". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  16. ^ Weiner, Natalie (August 31, 2015). "VMAs: Taylor Swift Debuts 'Wildest Dreams' Video Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  17. ^ a b Rutabingwa, Viviane; Kassaga Arinaitwe, James (September 1, 2015). "Taylor Swift Is Dreaming of a Very White Africa". NPR. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  18. ^ "Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' Will Premiere During the VMA Pre-Show". MTV News. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  19. ^ Christopher Rosen (August 29, 2015). "Taylor Swift teases 'Wildest Dreams' video with pic of Scott Eastwood". Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  20. ^ Klosterman, Chuck (October 15, 2015). "Taylor Swift on 'Bad Blood', Kanye West, and How People Interpret Her Lyrics". GQ. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  21. ^ "Director of Taylor Swift's New Video Defends His Work". NPR. September 2, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  22. ^ Emilee Linder (August 30, 2015). "Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' Video Is Here To Make You Cry". MTV. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  23. ^ "Fisher R-80 Tiger Moth in Latest Taylor Swift Video". September 14, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  24. ^ Whickman, Forrest (August 30, 2015). "Watch Taylor Swift Go Classical Hollywood With the Video for 'Wildest Dreams'". Slate. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  25. ^ Wass, Mike (August 30, 2015). "Taylor Swift And Scott Eastwood Pay Tribute To Cinema's Greatest Love Stories In "Wildest Dreams": Watch". Idolator. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  26. ^ Spanos, Brittany (August 30, 2015). "Watch Taylor Swift's Glamorous, Retro 'Wildest Dreams' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  27. ^ Ayers, Mike (August 30, 2015). "Taylor Swift Heads to the Desert in 'Wildest Dreams' Video". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  28. ^ Harp, Justin (August 31, 2015). "The Longest Ride's Scott Eastwood romances Taylor Swift in the spellbinding video for 'Wildest Dreams'". Digital Spy. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  29. ^ Duca, Lauren (August 30, 2015). "Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' Channels White Colonialism". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  30. ^ Charlton, Lauretta (September 4, 2015). "Take a Breath – the 'Wildest Dreams' Video Isn't Racist – Now Exhale". Vulture.com. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  31. ^ "Amazon.com: Wildest Dreams: Taylor Swift: MP3 Downloads". Amazon Music. Amazon.com. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  32. ^ 1989 (Compact disc liner notes). Taylor Swift. Big Machine Records. 2014. BMRBD0500A.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  33. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  34. ^ "Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  35. ^ "Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  36. ^ "Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  37. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  38. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  39. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  40. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  41. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201538 into search. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  42. ^ "Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  43. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  44. ^ "Chart Track: Week 41, 2015". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  45. ^ "Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  46. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  47. ^ "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2015-10-06". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  48. ^ "Taylor Swift: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  49. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  50. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  51. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  52. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  53. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  54. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  55. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  56. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams". Music Canada. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  57. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  58. ^ "American single certifications – Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  59. ^ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on August 24, 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  60. ^ "Wildest Dreams (R3hab Remix) - Single by Taylor Swift". iTunes Store (Canada). Apple Inc. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  61. ^ "Taylor Swift - Wildest Dreams Radiodate". radioairplay.fm. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2015.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wildest_Dreams_(Taylor_Swift_song)&oldid=690534807"