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The Archer (song)

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"The Archer"
Promotional single by Taylor Swift
from the album Lover
ReleasedJuly 23, 2019 (2019-07-23)
Genre
Length3:31
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jack Antonoff
  • Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift promotional singles chronology
"Call It What You Want"
(2017) 		"The Archer"
(2019)
Lyric video
"The Archer" on YouTube

"The Archer" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her seventh studio album, Lover (2019). It was written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff. The song was released as the first promotional single from the album on July 23, 2019. "The Archer" is a synth-pop and dream pop[1][2] ballad that features heavy synthesizers, minimalistic sounds and a slow groove. Praised for its artful lyrics, the song documents the highs and lows of Swift's relationships. It received acclaim from music critics, who compared it to "All Too Well" (2012).

Background and composition

"The Archer" was written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff within two hours, when they were in California. The two have also previously collaborated on "Sweeter than Fiction" (2013), 1989 (2014), "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" (2016) and Reputation (2017).[3] On July 23, it was unveiled as the fifth track from her upcoming seventh studio album, Lover (2019), through its pre-order on the iTunes Store.[4][5] Regarding the song's placement at number five on the track list, Swift explained that she puts the most "honest, emotional, vulnerable, and personal" track at the position.[6]

"The Archer" is a midtempo synth-pop and dream pop ballad that features heavy synthesizers,[1][2] minimalistic sounds and a slow groove.[7][8][9] The song, described as "darker and more introspective" than preceding singles, showcases a "more vulnerable and confessional" side of the singer, as it features her as "both hunter and hunted".[10] According to Paper's Jael Goldfine, it "builds up to a feverish climax", after which Swift interpolates lyrics from the nursery rhyme "Humpty Dumpty" to "describe her emotional anguish", then "brings it all back to how her life has been marked by haters and betrayal".[6]

Critical reception

"The Archer" received widespread acclaim from music critics. Rolling Stone's Claire Shaffer called the song "a somber, synth-heavy ballad centered around the metaphor of the archer".[1] Rania Aniftos of Billboard opined that it is "sparkling, airy", and that Swift "tears down the wall she puts up, asking the person she loves to accept all of her as she chants".[11] Writing for Forbes, Caitlin Kelley stated that the lyrics of "The Archer" scan "as a more nuanced acknowledgment of the well-documented highs and lows of her high-profile relationships", adding that "the song's biggest strength is the artfulness of [its] lines".[12] NME's Sofiana Ramli wrote that "the song exposes the singer's insecurities", describing it as "delicate and dreamy in the same minimalistic vein" as "All Too Well" (2012).[13]

Chris Willman of Variety opined that its "lyrics reflect a suspicious state of mind in a seemingly happy relationship where old fears arise easily", and also drew comparisons to "All Too Well".[14] Writing for Vulture, Jackson McHenry stated that "The Archer" finds "Taylor slipping into a slower groove", adding that "it's potentially an admission that she does, in fact, love drama and getting into fights, even if she’s played the victim, but it could also be a metaphor".[7] Vox's Constance Grady wrote that the song "is spare and minimalist, and it’s a little bit self-hating in the way Swift can occasionally get when she’s at her most vulnerable as a songwriter", adding that it is "exponentially more emotional and powerful" than preceding singles.[15]

Lyric video

On July 23, 2019, a lyric video for the song was released on YouTube. The lyrics in the video use a handwritten font, while the background of the video is made up of colorful clouds moving. At the end, there are a few seconds of snow falling down. The lyric video has surpassed 12 million views on YouTube.[16]

Commercial performance

"The Archer" debuted at number 100 on the UK Singles Chart, later peaking at number 43. Additionally, the song entered at number 17 in Scotland and number 31 in Ireland, later peaking at number 31 in the latter. Other places where it charted include, number 28 in New Zealand and number 41 on the Canadian Hot 100. "The Archer" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 69, becoming Swift's 80th song to enter the chart later peaking at number 38.[17] In Australia, the song debuted at number 55 and moved to number 19 the following week.[18]

Live performances

Swift's first live performance of the song was an acoustic rendition on the "Lover's Lounge", a Q&A session live streamed on YouTube on August 22, 2019.[19] The next day, she again performed the song acoustically at a SiriusXM Town Hall.[20] The song was included in Swift's setlist for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on September 2.[21] On September 9, Swift performed the song at the City of Lover one-off concert in Paris, France.[22]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[23]

  • Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriter, producer
  • Jack Antonoff – producer, songwriter, programmer, recording engineer, keyboards, studio personnel
  • Laura Sisk – recording engineer, studio personnel
  • John Rooney – assistant recording engineer, studio personnel
  • Serban Ghenea – mixer, studio personnel
  • John Hanes – mix engineer, studio personnel

Charts

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[18] 19
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[24] 28
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[25] 41
China Airplay/FL (Billboard)[26] 2
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[27] 69
Estonia (Eesti Ekspress)[28] 32
Greece (IFPI)[29] 19
Hungary (Single Top 40)[30] 22
Ireland (IRMA)[31] 31
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[32] 28
Scotland (OCC)[33] 17
Singapore (RIAS)[34] 18
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[35] 63
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[36] 6
UK Singles (OCC)[37] 43
US Billboard Hot 100[38] 38
US Rolling Stone Top 100[39] 23

Release history

Country Date Format Label Ref.
Various July 23, 2019
Taylor Swift Productions [23]

References

  1. ^ a b c Shaffer, Claire (July 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift Releases Intimate New Song 'The Archer'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal. "Review: Taylor Swift's Lover Course Corrects in Multiple Directions". Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  3. ^ Spruch, Kirsten (July 24, 2019). "Jack Antonoff Reveals Taylor Swift's 'The Archer' Took 'About 2 Hours' to Create". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  4. ^ Kenneally, Cerys (July 23, 2019). "Apple Music has accidentally leaked the title of Taylor Swift's next single". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  5. ^ "Lover by Taylor Swift on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Goldfine, Jael (July 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift's Big, Sad Jack Antonoff-Produced Ballad Is Here". Paper. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  7. ^ a b McHenry, Jackson (July 24, 2019). "Ready, Aim, Listen to Taylor Swift's New Song 'The Archer' From Lover". Vulture. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  8. ^ Stavropoulos, Laura (July 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift Shares New Synth-Pop Single 'The Archer'". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  9. ^ Burks, Tosten (July 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift – 'The Archer'". Spin. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  10. ^ Murphy, Rhodes (July 24, 2019). "In Her New Song, Taylor Swift Interrogates the Fragility of Identity". Slate. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  11. ^ Aniftos, Rania (July 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift Unveils Vulnerable New Song 'The Archer'". Billboard. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  12. ^ Kelley, Caitlin (July 24, 2019). "Taylor Swift Releases Vulnerable New Song 'The Archer'". Forbes. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  13. ^ Ramli, Sofiana (July 24, 2019). "Taylor Swift gets real on honest new song, 'The Archer'". NME. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  14. ^ Willman, Chris (July 24, 2019). "Taylor Swift Turns 'Red' Again With Third Song from New Album: 'The Archer'". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  15. ^ Grady, Constance (July 24, 2019). "Taylor Swift's new single, 'Archer,' is Swift at her most intimate and vulnerable". Vox. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  16. ^ Swift, Taylor (July 23, 2019), "Taylor Swift - The Archer (Lyric Video)", YouTube, retrieved August 9, 2019
  17. ^ https://twitter.com/billboardcharts/status/1155940524009775104
  18. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – The Archer". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  19. ^ Tingley, Anna (August 22, 2019). "Taylor Swift Debuts 'Lover' Video, Sings 'Archer' During YouTube Livestream (Watch)". Variety. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  20. ^ Warner, Denise (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift Reveals Which 'Lover' Song She May Never Play Live During SiriusXM Town Hall". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  21. ^ Hussey, Allison; Monroe, Jazz (September 2, 2019). "Taylor Swift Covers Phil Collins' "Can't Stop Loving You": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  22. ^ Mylrea, Hannah (September 10, 2019). "Taylor Swift's The City of Lover concert: a triumphant yet intimate celebration of her fans and career". NME. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  23. ^ a b "Try the TIDAL Web Player". listen.tidal.com. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
  24. ^ "Taylor Swift – The Archer" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  25. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  26. ^ "China Airplay Chart/Foreign Language - 29/07/2019". Billboard China (in Chinese). Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  27. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 32. týden 2019 in the date selector. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  28. ^ "EESTI TIPP-40 MUUSIKAS: Kuidas on lood Maxtracti staminaga?" (in Estonian). Eesti Ekspress. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  29. ^ "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Week: 30/2019". IFPI Greece. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  30. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  31. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  32. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. August 5, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  33. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  34. ^ "RIAS International Top Charts Week 31". Recording Industry Association (Singapore). Archived from the original on August 7, 2019.
  35. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201932 into search. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  36. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 31". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  37. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  38. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  39. ^ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. August 29, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
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