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Vigilante Shit

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"Vigilante Shit"
SongbyTaylor Swift
from the albumMidnights
ReleasedOctober 21, 2022
Studio
GenreDark pop
Length2:44
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
  • Taylor Swift
Producer(s)
Lyric video
"Vigilante Shit"onYouTube

"Vigilante Shit"is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swiftfor her tenth studio albumMidnights(2022). Produced by Swift andJack Antonoff,the track is adark poptune with elements ofindustrialandhip hop.Itsminimalisticproduction is driven bytrapbeats composed of pulsingsnare drumsand lightbassandelectronictones. The lyrics are about anoirishvengeance declaration, taking aim at an enemy and encouraging other women to do the same.

Critics praised "Vigilante Shit" for its dark, minimalist production; several reviewers described its theme of vengeance and its hip hop-influenced production as a more sophisticated continuation of Swift'sReputation(2017). In the United States, the song peaked at number 10 on theBillboardHot 100;it additionally entered theGlobal 200at number nine and reached the top 10 on music charts in Australia, Canada, Greece, and the Philippines. It was included on the set list of Swift's sixth headlining concert tour,the Eras Tour(2023–2024).

Background and release

[edit]
Swift performing "Vigilante Shit" at theEras Tour(2023)

On August 28, 2022, Swift announced her tenth studio album,Midnights,set for release on October 21, 2022. The track-list was not immediately revealed.[1]Jack Antonoff,a longtime collaborator of Swift who had worked with her since1989(2014), was confirmed as a producer onMidnightsby a video posted to Swift'sInstagramaccount on September 16, 2022.[2]On September 21, 2022, Swift began unveiling the track-list in a randomized order through her 13-episode short video series onTikTok,calledMidnights Mayhem with Me.[3]In each episode, Swift rolls alottery cagecontaining 13ping pongballs numbered from one to thirteen,[4]each representing a track ofMidnights,and when a ball drops out, she disclosed the title of the corresponding track on the album, through atelephone.[5][6]In the second episode, released on September 23, 2022, Swift announced "Vigilante Shit" would be track eight.[6][7]The song, along with the rest ofMidnights,was released on October 21, 2022, underRepublic Records.[8][9]

"Vigilante Shit" was included on the set list of Swift's sixth headlining concert tour,the Eras Tour(2023–24), as part of theMidnightsact.[10]The performance is aburlesquechair dance[11]that resembles 1975 musicalChicago;[12]the performance went viral on social media[13]and critics highlighted it as a standout moment of the concert.[11][14]

Composition and lyrics

[edit]

"Vigilante Shit" is adark poptune produced by Swift and Antonoff; it is the only track from the standard version ofMidnightsthat Swift wrote alone.[16][17][18]At two minutes and 44 seconds, it is the shortest track on the album's standard edition.[19]The song is set in the key ofA minorwith a moderately slowtempoof 80 beats per minute.[20]Swift's vocals span fromF3toA4.[21]Theminimalistproduction is built on atrapbeat consisting of pulsingsnare drumsand lightbassandelectronictones.[22][23][24][25]It incorporates swirlingsynthsand elements ofindustrialandhip hop.[26][27][23]Writing forThe Independent,Helen Brown described "Vigilante Shit" as a noirish rap, whileThe New York Times'Jon Caramanicacalled it an "electro-cabaretexhale. "[28]USA Today'sMelissa Ruggieri said that the song's "minor chordsand theatricalchorusprovide the noirambiance".[29]Other critics compared the moody production to that ofLorde'sPure Heroine(2013)[25][30]andBillie Eilish'sWhen We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?(2019).[25][31][32][33]

Lyrically, "Vigilante Shit" is a revenge fantasy told by a sneering narrator who recruits her lover's ex-wife to join the narrator's plot.[15]The lyrics describe an envelope handed to an ex-wife who is now driving her ex-lover'sMercedes-Benz.[34]The song's final verse concludes referencing the antagonist'scocaineuse: "While he was doing lines / And crossing all of mine / Someone told his white collar crimes to theFBI."[16]Some music critics theorized that the lyrics were a reference to either Swift's feuds with rapperKanye West[31]or talent managerScooter Braun,whose purchase of the masters for her first six albums created ahighly publicized dispute.[35][36]"Vigilante Shit" was described as a more direct response to the dispute, building on her previous songs "My Tears Ricochet"and"Mad Woman",both fromFolklore(2020).[37][38]Various critics drew lyrical parallels to Swift's sixth studio album,Reputation(2017), which focused heavily on scrutiny directed towards Swift and public feuds with figures like West.[a]

Critical reception

[edit]

In reviews ofMidnights,critics praised the vengeful lyrics and production of "Vigilante Shit".Variety's Chris Willman lauded the track's production and lyrics, predicting it would be the album's "most talked-about song."[37]Clash's Mattew Neale called the track "utterly irresistible."[39]Along with "Karma","Vigilante Shit "was praised byRolling Stone's Brittany Spanos andThe Guardian's Alexis Petridis for creating an intriguing energy onMidnights.[25]BothAmerican Songwriter's Alex Hopper andPopMatters' Rick Quinn lauded Swift for not sugarcoating her desire for vengeance.[43][40]Lucy Habron ofGigwisepraised the purposeful decisions made on the track, comparing Swift's musical experimentation to that ofPrince.[44]Helen Brown ofThe Independentlauded the lyrical details and "classy-sharpwordplay"of" Vigilante Shit "as conjuring a vivid image of the track's storyline.[34]

In a warm review ofMidnightspublished inThe New York Times,Jon Caramanicaconsidered the song as the album's high point, describing Swift's self-characterization as "funny, wry, [and] slightly perturbing."[28]Paul Attard ofSlantpraised the song's extreme but reserved approach towards the theme of vengeance, particularly directing acclaim towards its production.[42]Justin Curto, writing forVulture,called "Vigilante Shit" Swift's "venomous best." Curto highlighted Swift's wordplay and confidence on the track as powerful and an improvement from the thematically similarReputation(2017).[38]In his ranking of the standard edition ofMidnights,Billboard's Jason Lipshultz named "Vigilante Shit" the album's second-best track, directing acclaim towards its "stripped-down [...] cutthroat approach" towards years of built-up anger.[26]

InPitchfork's review ofMidnights,Quinn Moreland was less positive, claiming Swift's "edginess" was less convincing than her previous work.[33]Carl Wilson,writing forSlate,felt "Vigilante Shit" was a disposable track but also was a more sophisticated take than similar vengeance songs in her previous albums.[35]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Globally, "Vigilante Shit" received over 11.8 million streams onSpotifyin its first 24 hours, becoming the seventh-most streamed song on that day, following six other songs fromMidnights.[45]It debuted and peaked at number nine on the Spotify Weekly Top Songs chart,[46]where it charted for six weeks.[47]

Upon the release ofMidnights,10 of its tracks debuted in the top 10 of the United States'BillboardHot 100, making Swift the first and only artist to occupy the entire top 10 of the Hot 100.[48]"Vigilante Shit" opened at number 10, accumulating 32.2 million streams, 6,400 digital downloads, and 424,000 airplay impressions.[49]"Vigilante Shit" spent six weeks on the Hot 100. It also charted at number seven on the international singles chart in Greece;[50]nine on the Billboard Global 200,[51]Canada,[52]and thePhilippines;[53]and number 10 inAustralia[54]and Malaysia.[55]It peaked within the top 25 of singles charts in Portugal,[56]Iceland,[57]Vietnam,[58]Luxembourg,[59]and South Africa;[60]and on theinternational singles chartin India.[61]The song receivedcertificationsfrom Australia (platinum),[62]Canada (gold),[63]and the United Kingdom (silver).[64]

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits are adapted from theliner notesofMidnights.[18]

Recording
Personnel

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Vigilante Shit"
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[54] 10
Belgium (Billboard)[65] 22
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[52] 9
France (SNEP)[66] 133
Global 200(Billboard)[51] 9
Greece International (IFPI)[50] 7
Hungary (Stream Top 40)[67] 40
Iceland (Tónlistinn)[57] 17
India International Singles(IMI)[61] 20
Ireland (Billboard)[68] 11
Luxembourg (Billboard)[59] 24
Malaysia (Billboard)[69] 18
Malaysia International (RIM)[55] 10
Philippines(Billboard)[53] 9
Portugal (AFP)[56] 12
South Africa (RISA)[60] 24
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[70] 63
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[71] 41
Swiss Streaming (Schweizer Hitparade)[72] 39
UK (Billboard)[73] 10
UK Audio Streaming(OCC)[74] 9
USBillboardHot 100[75] 10
Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100)[58] 18

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for "Vigilante Shit"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[62] Platinum 70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[76] Gold 20,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[63] Gold 40,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[64] Silver 200,000‡

‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^Attributed toBillboard'sJason Lipshutz,[26]Vulture'sJustin Curto,[38]Clash's,Matthew Neale,[39]PopMatters'Rick Quinn,[40]The Observer'sKitty Empire,[41]andSlate Magazine'sPaul Attard[42]

References

[edit]
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