Florida!!!

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This article is about the Taylor Swift song. For other uses, see Florida (disambiguation).

"Florida!!!"
Song by Taylor Swift featuring Florence and the Machine
from the album The Tortured Poets Department
ReleasedApril 19, 2024 (2024-04-19)
Length3:35
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Lyric video
"Florida!!!" on YouTube

"Florida!!!" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift featuring the English band Florence and the Machine, taken from Swift's eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (2024). Swift wrote the track with the band's frontwoman Florence Welch, who also sang lead vocals, and produced it with Jack Antonoff. Its lyrical content revolves around seeking relief through escapism and alcohol.[1]

Background[edit]

Swift announced The Tortured Poets Department on February 4 at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards during her acceptance speech for Best Pop Vocal Album award. Shortly after the announcement, the album's artwork was shared on her Instagram profile. Swift's website also enabled the album to be pre-ordered in vinyl, CD, cassette and digital format.[2] The album's tracklist was announced on February 5, revealing sixteen tracks and a bonus track called "The Manuscript". The album would also feature Post Malone and Florence and the Machine on two tracks.[3]

"Florida!!!" marks the first collaboration between Taylor Swift and Florence Welch.[4] Swift shared with iHeartRadio that the inspiration behind "Florida!!!" came from the series Dateline NBC. In the interview, she drew a parallel between people who flee to Florida after commiting crimes and those dealing with heartbreak, saying: "They try to reinvent themselves, have a new identity, blend in."[5] Apple Music enabled the option to pre-save the album which revealed seven explicit tracks including "Florida!!!".[6] At a Spotify pop-up at The Grove in Los Angeles, several globes were featured, all with pins marking Miami, Florida.[7] Swift's father, Scott, said "Florida!!!" was his favorite song from the album, adding that it is "one hell of a drug", a reference to the song's lyric.[8] According to Welch, Swift approached her with "a concept and a story" for "Florida!!!". Welch said it was her "favourite way to start songwriting."[9]

Music and lyrics[edit]

"Florida!!!" is a power ballad[10] with an uptempo pop production[11] accompanied by jarring drums and guitars.[12] Welch sings two complete verses and later in the track, intertwines lines with Swift.[13] The lyrics of "Florida!!!" tells of Swift and Welch embarking on a therapeutic journey after a failed relationship.[14] While Swift pipes about a town that drives her insane, Welch dreams of indulging in alcohol and burying her past lovers in a swamp, similar to Swift's character in "No Body, No Crime".[15] Howard Cohen of the Miami Herald says the lyrics of "Florida!!!" paints the state as peak leisure destination for a getaway, but adds elements of mystery to it. During Welch's first line in the feature, she makes a reference to Hurricane Florence which came close to Florida in September 2018 ("The hurricane with my name when it came").[16] Swift sings; “All my friends smell like weed or little babies” hints at her friends of similar age getting high while others have children.[17] Swift further uses drugs as a metaphor likening the state to "one hell of a drug" she wants to use up, recalling the popular Rick James phrase "Cocaine is a hell of a drug". Writing for WFLA, Sara Filips believes the lyric "So pack your life away just to wait out the shitstorm back in Texas,” alludes to issues raised while Swift was in Houston, Texas after her split with Joe Alwyn.[18]

Reception[edit]

The song received generally positive reviews from critics. Samantha Olson of Cosmopolitan ranked it the best song from the album, complimenting Welch's vocals and the production. In her ranking, she says the song encapsulates the "essence of Florida."[11] In a positive review by Melissa Ruggieri of USA Today, Swift and Welch's vocals against stomping instrumentals made the song "cinematic and purposeful."[19] Rolling Stone's Helen Brown praised Welch's vocals.[20] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard ranked the song third against the album's eighteen tracks, commending Swift's emotional vocals and the brash sound.[21] Erica Gonzales from Elle said the song brought an "infectious energy" with its blasting drums during the chorus. She added that the sound may be influenced by Welch’s music.[22] Alex Gonzalez of Uproxx gave the song a positive review, saying: the collaboration sounds so fresh, yet feels so timeless.[14] Pitchfork's Shaad D’Souza said it was the boldest and most energetic song from the album's mostly subdued, contemplative tones.[13]

P. Claire Dodson from Teen Vogue said the drums and percussive instrumentals were exciting. She added that "Florida!!!" resuscitates the latter half of the original set of 16 songs when previous moments of the album seem to diminish.[23] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Mesfin Fedaku praised the song and performance by Florence and the Machine, calling it a "winning track,"[24] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times called the song "punchy".[25] Writing for The Nightly, Jay Hanna said the collaboration lives up to all expectations.[26] The Associated Press's Maria Sherman said the song was reminiscent of the indie rock sounds of the 2010s such as Sufjan Stevens's Illinois.[27] Chris Willman of Variety called it the "funniest track" from the album,[28] referring to the lines "My friends all smell like weed or little babies" and "Fuck me up, Florida".[29]

The Line of Best Fit's Paul Bridgewater said "Florida!!!" comes close to being a standout track, especially with the collaboration with Welch. However, he said that Welch's voice "jars a little" with Swift's.[30] Stereogum's Tom Breihan said the track had "lot of half-baked Bible-belt imagery" undeserving of the exclamation points in its title.[31] Paste criticized the lyrical content, saying Welch's verse was "grossly watery" and the chorus was the worst of 2024.[32] Wrting for Paste in another article, Grace Byron writes that the while the song does not live up to the artistry or impact of a song by Welch, it "more sonically interesting".[33]

Personnel[edit]

  • Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriter, producer
  • Florence Welch – vocals, songwriter, drums, piano, percussion
  • Jack Antonoff – producer, bass, cello, drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, mellotron, piano, programming, synth
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Ben Loveland – recording engineer
  • Laura Sisk – recording engineer
  • Oil Jacobs – recording engineer
  • Bryce Bordone – mix engineer
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Ryan Smith – mastering

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "Florida!!!"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Argentina (Argentina Hot 100)[34] 91
Australia (ARIA)[35] 8
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[36] 36
Brazil (Brasil Hot 100)[37] 62
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[38] 9
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[39] 49
Denmark (Tracklisten)[40] 33
France (SNEP)[41] 80
Global 200 (Billboard)[42] 8
Lithuania (AGATA)[43] 50
Luxembourg (Billboard)[44] 18
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[45] 9
Philippines (Billboard)[46] 23
Portugal (Billboard)[47] 20
Singapore (RIAS)[48] 12
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[49] 61
South Africa (Billboard)[50] 22
South Korea Download (Circle)[51] 169
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[52] 60
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[53] 33
UK (Billboard)[54] 12
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[55] 39
UK Singles Sales (OCC)[56] 73
UK Streaming (OCC)[57] 12
US Billboard Hot 100[58] 8

References[edit]

  1. ^ Martin, Rachel (April 19, 2024). "Album Review: The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift". Notion. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  2. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (April 18, 2024). "Taylor Swift Announces New Album 'The Tortured Poets Department' During Grammys Acceptance Speech". Variety. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  3. ^ Corcoran, Nina (February 5, 2024). "Taylor Swift Unveils Tracklist for The Tortured Poets Department". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  4. ^ Marshall, Louisa (April 17, 2024). "Who Is Florence Welch? Meet Taylor Swift's Collaborator and Florence and the Machine Musician". Life & Style. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  5. ^ Ellis, Maddie; Cappadona, Bryanna; Nicolaou, Elena; Kubota, Samantha (April 20, 2024). "'The Tortured Poets Department': Breaking down Taylor Swift's 'sensational and sorrowful' album". Today. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  6. ^ Huff, Lauren (April 18, 2024). "Everything we know about Taylor Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  7. ^ Ellis, Maddie; Cappadona, Bryanna; Nicolaou, Elena; Kubota, Samantha (April 19, 2024). "'The Tortured Poets Department' live updates: Taylor Swift's 11th album is here". Today. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  8. ^ West, Bryan (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's collab with Florence + The Machine 'Florida!!!' is 'one hell of a drug'". USA Today. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  9. ^ McDermott, Kerry (April 25, 2024). "Florence Welch Talks Down-Time, Taylor Swift And Her Proms Debut". British Vogue. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  10. ^ Power, Ed (April 19, 2024). "If you expected a Taylor Swift revenge album, you were wrong". i. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Olson, Samantha (April 20, 2024). "The 5 Best Songs From Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department,' Ranked". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  12. ^ Savage, Mark (April 19, 2024). "Review: Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Department finds the star bereft but vicious". BBC News. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  13. ^ a b D'Souza, Shaad (April 19, 2024). "8 Takeaways From Taylor Swift's New Album The Tortured Poets Department". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Gonzalez, Alex (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift And Florence And The Machine Embark On A Healing Journey To 'Florida!!!' On Their New Collab". UPROXX. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  15. ^ Ahlgrim, Callie (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' is the messiest, horniest, and funniest album she's ever made". Business Insider. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  16. ^ Cohen, Howard (April 19, 2024). "What's the Florida mystery in Taylor Swift's just-released album? Let us unravel it". Miami Herald. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  17. ^ "The Taylor Swift 'The Tortured Poets Department' Exit Survey". The Ringer. April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  18. ^ Filips, Sara (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift drops 'Florida!!!' song; What does it mean?". WFLA-TV. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  19. ^ Ruggieri, Melissa (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift pens some of her most hauntingly brilliant songs on 'Tortured Poets'". USA Today. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  20. ^ Brown, Helen (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department review: Irresistible, country-hued tales of relationships past and present". Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  21. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department': All 18 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  22. ^ Gonzales, Erica (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's Track 'Florida!!!' Seems to Have a Joe Alwyn Breakup Reference". Elle. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  23. ^ Dodson, P. Claire (April 20, 2024). "Taylor Swift Tortured Poets Department Album Review: Who's Afraid of Taylor Swift?". Teen Vogue. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  24. ^ Fekadu, Mesfin (April 19, 2024). "Review: On 'Tortured Poets,' Taylor Swift Continues to Spill Her Own Tea (and the Flavor Is Mostly English Breakfast)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  25. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poets Department review — heartbreak inspires anguish, anger and a career highlight". Financial Times. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  26. ^ Hannah, Jay (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department full album review". The Nightly. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  27. ^ Sherman, Maria (April 19, 2024). "Music Review: Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' is great sad pop, meditative theater". Associated Press. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  28. ^ Willman, Chris (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift Renews Her Vows With Heartbreak in Audacious, Transfixing 'Tortured Poets Department': Album Review". Variety. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  29. ^ Willman, Chris (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's Best 'Tortured Poets Department' Lyrics: 'So Long, London,' 'The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,' 'LOML,' 'The Black Dog' and More". Variety. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  30. ^ Bridgewater, Paul (April 20, 2024). "Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poets Department Review". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  31. ^ Breihan, Tom (April 20, 2024). "Premature Evaluation: Taylor Swift The Tortured Poets Department". Stereogum. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  32. ^ "Taylor Swift Strikes Out Looking on The Tortured Poets Department". Paste. April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  33. ^ Byron, Grace. "The Masochistic Acrobatics of Taylor Swift". Paste. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  34. ^ "Billboard Argentina Hot 100: Semana del 5 de mayo". Billboard Argentina (in Spanish). Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  35. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  36. ^ "Taylor Swift feat. Florence + the Machine – Florida!!!" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  37. ^ "Billboard Brasil Hot 100 - Semana de 29 de abril, 2024" [Billboard Brasil Hot 100 - Week of April 29, 2024]. Billboard Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  38. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  39. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 202417 into search. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  40. ^ "Track Top-40 Uge 17, 2024". Hitlisten. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  41. ^ "Top Singles (Week 16, 2024)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  42. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  43. ^ "2024 16-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  44. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Luxembourg Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  45. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  46. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Philippines Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  47. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Portugal Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  48. ^ "RIAS Top Charts Week 17 (19 - 25 Apr 2024)". RIAS. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  49. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 202417 into search. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  50. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (South Africa Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  51. ^ "Download Chart – Week 16 of 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  52. ^ "Taylor Swift – Florida!!!" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  53. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 17". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  54. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (U.K. Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  55. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  56. ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  57. ^ "Official Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  58. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
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