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Guilty as Sin?

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This article is about the Taylor Swift song. For the 1993 film, seeGuilty as Sin.
"Guilty as Sin?"
SongbyTaylor Swift
from the albumThe Tortured Poets Department
ReleasedApril 19, 2024(2024-04-19)
Studio
Genre
Length4:14
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff
Lyric video
"Guilty as Sin?"onYouTube

"Guilty as Sin?"is a song by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swiftfrom her eleventh studio album,The Tortured Poets Department(2024). She wrote and produced the song withJack Antonoff.It is a 1990s-tingedpop rockandsoft rocktrack combiningrock,country,andfolkstyles, accentuated by guitars and live drums. The lyrics see Swift's character sexually fantasizing about a man while being in a relationship.

In reviews ofThe Tortured Poets Department,critics generally praised the lyrics, production, and vocals of "Guilty as Sin?", with some picking it as an album highlight. The track peaked at number 11 on theBillboardGlobal 200and charted within the top 10 in Australia, Singapore, and the United States and the top 20 in several other countries.

Background and release

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Swift started working onThe Tortured Poets Departmentimmediately after she submitted her tenth studio album,Midnights,toRepublic Recordsfor release in 2022. She continued working on it in secrecy throughout the US leg ofthe Eras Tourin 2023.[1]The album's conception took place when Swift's personal life continued to be a widely covered topic in the press.[2]She describedThe Tortured Poets Departmentas her "lifeline" album which she "really needed" to make.[3]Republic Records released it on April 19, 2024; "Guilty as Sin?" is ninth on the track list.[4][5]On May 18, Swift performed the song on guitar on theStockholmstop of the Eras Tour.[6]

Music and lyrics

[edit]
"Guilty as Sin?"
"Guilty as Sin?" is apop rockandsoft rocksong with live drums and guitars. In therefrain,Swift sings withmelismavocals.
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Swift wrote and produced "Guilty as Sin?" withJack Antonoff,whoprogrammedthe song and played drums, bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, andJuno.The track was recorded by Oli Jacobs and Laura Sisk atConway Recording Studiosin Los Angeles andElectric Lady Studiosin New York, while Swift's vocals were recorded by Sisk andChristopher Roweat Electric Lady Studios in New York and Prime Recording in Nashville. The track'smixingwas engineered by Bryce Bordone and conducted bySerban Gheneaat MixStar Studios inVirginia Beach.[7]

"Guilty as Sin?" is 4 minutes and 14 seconds long.[7]It is a 1990s-tingedsoft rock[8][9]andpop rocktrack[10][11]combining stylings ofrock,country,andfolk,[12]accentuated by guitar[13]and live drums.[14]In the chorus, Swift sings usingmelisma.[10]Lyrically, the song is about desire[10]where Swift's character, while still in a relationship, longs for intimacy with another man.[15]The relationship in question has her feeling trapped ( "My boredom's bone deep/ This cage was once just fine/ Am I allowed to cry?/ I dream of crackin' locks" ).[16]She questions whether she should be guilty about her sexual thoughts ( "What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh / Only in my mind?" )[17]and rationalizes them ( "Without ever touching his skin, how can I be guilty as sin?" ).[12][17]

The track features extensive religious imagery,[18]with Swift singing, "What if I roll the stone away?/ They're gonna crucify me anyway",[14][19]showing that the narrator is aware of others' perception of her.[16]The lyrics, "These fatal fantasies/ Giving way to labored breath/ Taking all of me/ We've already done it in my head", were interpreted as an allusion tomasturbationby journalists includingThe Guardian's Laura Snapes[20]and theBBC's Clare Thorp.[21]Mehera Bonner ofCosmopolitancommented that "Guilty as Sin?" is lyrically connected with Swift's 2022 song "Carolina",a track that features the phrase" guilty as sin "to describe" [sleeping] in a liar's bed ".[22]Meanwhile,The Tennessean's Bryan West compared the theme of infidelity to "Gorgeous",a track from Swift's 2017 albumReputation.[23]

The song features a reference to the Scottish bandthe Blue Nileand their 1989 single "The Downtown Lights"in the lyrics (" Drowning in the Blue Nile/ He sent me 'Downtown Lights'/ I hadn't heard it in a while ").[24]This led to an increase of 1,400% in streams of "The Downtown Lights" within four days of the release ofThe Tortured Poets Department,[25]and increase of vinyl sales for the band's albums.[26]

Critical reception

[edit]

Ken TuckerofNPRappreciated "Guilty as Sin?" for showcasing Swift's vulnerable and weak sides compared to contemporary pop culture's saturation of "kick-butt, tough, perfect, independent women" and found the track to have "a cleverly retrograde image".[27]Reviewing the album forVanity Fair,Erin Vanderhoff described the song as "charming and beguiling" and considered it the album's "emotional apex".[28]In a staff review of the album forThe Spinoff,Alex Casey and Isaiah Tour picked the track as one of their favorites.[29]Similarly, Ross Horton offMusicOMHattributed its success to the ambivalent lyrical sentiments and saying that the track "would be a highlight on any of her records".[30]

The production and Swift's vocals also received praise. West described the song as a "catchy song with elongated, ethereal harmonies".[23]In theIrish Independent,John Meagher complimented the lyrics and Swift's singing for featuring "one of the loveliest vocals Swift has ever committed to tape".[31]John Wohlmacher fromBeats Per Minutesaid that the track was one of the album's better songs, highlighting the "sensual" guitar alongside "seductive" and "lush" vocals.[13]InThe Atlantic,Spencer Kornhaber opined that "Guilty as Sin?" is one of the album's best moments for its "perfect" combination of live drums, rock/country elements, and Swift's "keening" voice.[14]Jason Lipshutz ofBillboardranked "Guilty as Sin?" ninth out of the 31 tracks on thedouble albumedition ofThe Tortured Poets Department,writing: "the real fireworks come from Swift’s vocal nuances."[10]

Mary Siroky inConsequenceselected "Guilty as Sin?" as one of the album's "essential tracks" for showcasing a "personality",[32]and Anna Leszkiewicz from theNew Statesmansimilarly picked it as one of the album's "bright pop tracks [that] shine through the fog".[33]Lindsay Zoladz ofThe New York Timesappreciated the track for its 1990s soft rock production and Swift's vocals.[8]Giving the track four stars out of five,Will HodgkinsonofThe Timeswrote, "The earnest, thoroughly American delivery mars the eroticism somewhat, but it comes straight from theFleetwood Macschool of pop-rock inspired by disastrous romance. "[11]Maria Sherman from theAssociated Pressgave a negative review, saying that "Guilty as Sin?" is one of the album's "missteps" for its "mawkish" lyrics.[34]

Commercial performance

[edit]

WhenThe Tortured Poets Departmentwas released, tracks from the album occupied the top 14 of the USBillboardHot 100;"Guilty as Sin?" opened at its peak of number 10 on the chart, where Swift became the first artist to monopolize the top 14.[35][36]In Australia, the song reached number 10 on theARIA Singles Chartand made her the artist with the most entries in a single week with 29.[37][38]Elsewhere, "Guilty as Sin?" peaked at number eight in Singapore[39]and charted within the top 20 on theBillboardGlobal 200(11),[40]New Zealand (11),[41]the Philippines (12),[42]Canada (13),[43]Malaysia (17),[44]and Ireland (18).[45]

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Guilty as Sin?"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Argentina (Argentina Hot 100)[46] 96
Australia (ARIA)[37] 10
Brazil (Brasil Hot 100)[47] 75
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[43] 13
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[48] 67
France (SNEP)[49] 103
Global 200(Billboard)[40] 11
Greece International (IFPI)[50] 24
Ireland (Billboard)[45] 18
Lithuania (AGATA)[51] 66
Malaysia(Billboard)[52] 23
Malaysia International (RIM)[44] 17
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[41] 11
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[53] 73
Philippines(Billboard)[42] 12
Portugal (AFP)[54] 28
Singapore (RIAS)[39] 8
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[55] 84
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[56] 49
Swiss Streaming (Schweizer Hitparade)[57] 32
UAE (IFPI)[58] 20
UK Streaming(OCC)[59] 16
USBillboardHot 100[35] 10

References

[edit]
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  2. ^Sisario, Ben(April 19, 2024)."Taylor Swift'sTortured PoetsArrives With a Promotional Blitz ".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2024.RetrievedApril 19,2024.
  3. ^Bonner, Mehera (February 16, 2024)."Taylor Swift Reveals Bonus Track Title and New Album Cover forThe Tortured Poets Department".Cosmopolitan.Archivedfrom the original on February 16, 2024.RetrievedApril 19,2024.
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  6. ^Iasimone, Ashley (May 19, 2024)."All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed on The Eras Tour (So Far)".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2024.RetrievedMay 20,2024.
  7. ^abSwift, Taylor (2024).The Tortured Poets Department(CD liner notes).Republic Records.
  8. ^abZoladz, Lindsay (April 19, 2024)."Taylor Swift's New Album,The Tortured Poets Department,Could Use an Editor: Review ".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on April 20, 2024.RetrievedApril 29,2024.
  9. ^"The Best Songs of 2024 So Far".Rolling Stone.June 12, 2024.RetrievedJune 20,2024.
  10. ^abcdLipshutz, Jason (April 19, 2024)."Taylor Swift'sThe Tortured Poets Department:All 31 Tracks Ranked ".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on April 20, 2024.RetrievedApril 29,2024.
  11. ^abHodgkinson, Will(April 19, 2024)."Love, Men and the Story Behind Each Song on Taylor Swift's New Album".The Times.ISSN0140-0460.Archivedfrom the original on April 19, 2024.RetrievedApril 29,2024.
  12. ^abFish, Ryan (April 22, 2024)."Every Song on Taylor Swift'sThe Tortured Poets Department,Ranked ".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on April 23, 2024.RetrievedApril 29,2024.
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  23. ^abWest, Bryan (April 19, 2024)."FilingTortured Poetsinto Taylor Swift's card catalog, track by track ".The Tennessean.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2024.RetrievedApril 29,2024.
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