I Did Something Bad
"I Did Something Bad" | |
---|---|
Song by Taylor Swift | |
from the album Reputation | |
Released | November 10, 2017 |
Genre | |
Length | 3:58 |
Label | Big Machine |
Songwriter(s) |
|
Producer(s) |
|
"I Did Something Bad" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her sixth studio album Reputation (2017). The song is written by Swift and its producers Max Martin and Shellback. She performed the song at the Reputation Stadium Tour and 2018 American Music Awards.
Writing and composition
"I Did Something Bad" was written by Swift, Max Martin and Shellback, and was produced by the latter two. "I Did Something Bad" runs for a duration of three minutes and fifty-eight seconds;[1][2] and it has a tempo of 86 beats per minute. Swift performs it in the key of G minor in a vocal range span from G3 to D5. Musically, the track contains heavy electronic production and trap elements, while it was initially written on the piano. Swift has also explained to iHeartRadio that the idea for the production of the song's post-chorus came to her in a dream. Swift described the concept to producer Max Martin, who used Swift's voice and pitched it down to create the effect that takes place after the chorus, because he was unable to use an appropriate instrument to make that sound.[3]
Lyrically, the song is inspired by events taking place in the season 7 finale episode of Game of Thrones, as well as four of the series' central female characters: Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Daenerys Targaryen, and Cersei Lannister.[4] It talks about Swift being satisfied with herself and her actions, no matter what the world and the media think of her.[5] The song is speculated to be aimed at her ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris[6][7] or Kanye West. This is one of Swift's only two songs with explicit lyrics although it's not given an explicit badge.[citation needed] The second song with explicit lyrics is the song "The Man" from her 2019 album Lover.[citation needed]
Critical reception
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Upon release, "I Did Something Bad" received critical praise. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone ranked "I Did Something Bad" as Swift's thirty-third best song.[8]
Chart performance
The song debuted at number 5 on New Zealand Heatseeker Singles,[9] and number 14 on Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100.
Live performances
The song had its debut performance at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on May 8, 2018, as part of the regular setlist for Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour. On October 9, 2018, Swift, opened the 2018 American Music Awards by performing the song.[10] The performance was ranked by a Billboard article as the second-best of the night.[11] Billboard hailed it as appropriately massive, with brilliantly deliberate pacing.[12]
Credits and personnel
Credits and personnel adapted from the liner notes of Reputation.[13]
- Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriting
- Max Martin – songwriting, production
- Shellback – songwriting, production
- Michael Ilbert – engineering
- Sam Holland – engineering
- Cory Bice – engineering
- Serban Ghenea – mixing
- John Hanes – mix engineering
- Randy Merrill – mastering
Charts
Chart (2018) | Peak position |
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New Zealand Heatseeker Singles (Recorded Music NZ)[14] | 5 |
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[15] | 14 |
Release history
Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | November 10, 2017 | Big Machine | [16] |
References
- ^ "reputation by Taylor Swift on TIDAL". TIDAL. November 10, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (November 10, 2017). "The Old Taylor Swift Is Hiding Within Reputation". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ "Taylor Swift's iHeartRadio reputation Release Party: Everything We Learned". 96.1 KISS. November 10, 2017. Archived from the original on November 11, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ Suskind, Alex (May 9, 2019). "Taylor Swift reveals how Game of Thrones (and Arya's kill list) inspired reputation". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- ^ "What does "I Did Something Bad" by Taylor Swift mean?". Pop Songs Professor. November 10, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ "Who Is "I Did Something Bad" About? Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' Track Seems To Be About A Certain Ex". Bustle. October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ "All of Taylor Swift's Calvin Harris References in Her "I Did Something Bad" Lyrics". Elle. November 10, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ Sheffield, Rob (November 10, 2017). "All 129 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
- ^ "Heatseeker Singles". Official New Zealand Music Chart.
- ^ "'I Did Something Bad': Swift to open 2018 American Music Awards". KEPRTV. October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ "2018 American Music Awards Performances Ranked". Billboard. October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/articles/events/amas/8479146/amas-performances-ranked-2018
- ^ Reputation (CD). Taylor Swift. Big Machine Records. 2017. p. 8. B0028815-02.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Heatseeker Singles". Official New Zealand Music Chart.
- ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
- ^ "Taylor Swift - reputation". Amazon. Retrieved August 12, 2019.