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Down Bad (Taylor Swift song)

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"Down Bad"
SongbyTaylor Swift
from the albumThe Tortured Poets Department
ReleasedApril 19, 2024(2024-04-19)
Studio
GenreSynth-pop
Length4:21
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff
Lyric video
"Down Bad"onYouTube

"Down Bad"is a song by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swiftfrom her eleventh studio album,The Tortured Poets Department(2024). She wrote and produced the track withJack Antonoff,who played the song's instruments with members of his bandBleachers.Asynth-popsong withR&Binflections, "Down Bad" is about a momentary infatuation, comparing falling in love with being abducted by aliens.

In publications' reviews, some critics favorably deemed "Down Bad" a catchy song with simple lyrics. The track charted within the top 10 in Australia, Canada, Luxembourg, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It received a goldcertificationin Australia. Swift included the song in the revamped set list ofthe Eras Tourstarting from May 2024.

Background and composition[edit]

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; "Down Bad" is fourth on the track list.[4]

"Down Bad"
"Down Bad" is asynth-popsong with a percolating synthbassline.It featuresR&Binfluences demonstrated through itscadencesand dynamic shifts.
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"Down Bad" is about a newfound infatuation.[5]In a track-by-track commentary forAmazon Music,Swift said that she wrote the song comparing "the idea of being love bombed, where someone rocks your world and dazzles you and then just kind of abandons you as an alien abduction where you were abducted by aliens".[6]In the lyrics, Swift's character encounters a fleeting sensation that she describes as "cosmic love" and deeming her love interest "my twin",[6]longing to be abducted by aliens.[7]Mary Siroky ofConsequencefound the lyrics to contain an "air of death": "Fuck it, if I can't have him/ I might just die/ It would make no difference."[8]

Musically, "Down Bad" is asynth-popsong[9]withR&Binflections, showcased via its dynamic shifts andcadences.[10][11]Swift sings using syllabicsyncopation[12]over a subduedelectronicproduction with a synthbassline.[13][14]Chris Willman ofVarietycompared the production of "Down Bad" to Swift's 2022 albumMidnights,pointing out the "sinuous groove, topped by a kind of distorted-electronic voice effect as its own instrumental track".[15]Mark Savage of theBBCalso compared the track toMidnights,highlighting the "delicately percolating" production with "pillowy synths and muted drums".[16]

The song is written in the key ofB majorincommon timewith atempoof 80 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression ofB – F♯– B/D♯– E,and Swift's vocals span from E3to C♯5.[17]Additionally, it is notable for containing the most usages of swearing in any song by Taylor Swift, due to the repeated use of the word "fuck" in its chorus.[18]

Critical reception[edit]

Jason Lipshutz ofBillboardranked "Down Bad" as the sixth-best song out of 31 tracks onThe Tortured Poets Department,describing the song as "one of the album's purest pop pleasures".[19]Pitchfork'sOlivia Horn thought that the song worked "because of the juxtaposition between its banal hook and its description of 'cosmic love'".[20]Finn McRedmond fromThe Irish Timeshighlighted the song's blunt lyrics, drawing comparisons to some of her previous work from both1989andFolklore.[21]Bobby Olivier ofNJpicked the track as the album's catchiest.[22]

InThe New Yorker,Amanda Petrusichappreciated the simple lyricism of "Down Bad" and summed it up as "a woozy song about feeling like shit".[23]Willman ranked "Down Bad" 16th on his April 2024 updated list of the best 75 songs by Swift, saying that while it is not one of the most poetic tracks from the album, it has "one of the best grooves, perfect for any workout queen's most depressed cooldown".[24]SLUG Magazine's Palak Jayswal dubbed "Down Bad" an "anthem that Swifties always crave", adding that it captures the essence oflove bombingand falling for another person.[25]Josh Kurp fromUproxxfelt that the track was a representation of the album's verbose and genre-less quality but opined that it was "extremely personal [...] to the point of discomfort".[26]

In less enthusiastic reviews, John Wohlmacher ofBeats Per Minutecriticized Swift's excessive use of "metaphor-chains" in her lyricism which dilutes the emotional sentiment she wants to communicate,[27]and Laura Molloy ofNMEsaid that the track contains some "cringe-inducing lines".[28]Maria Sherman of theAssociated Pressdescribed the song as "mawkish" that blemished the album's otherwise "meditative" mood.[29]

Commercial performance[edit]

When the album was released, nine of its tracks occupied the top 10 of theBillboardGlobal 200;"Down Bad" opened and peaked at number two on the chart, behind Swift's own "Fortnight".It extended her top-10 entries to 33 on the chart.[30][31]In the United States, the track debuted at its peak of number two on theBillboardHot 100,behind "Fortnight". The song alongside 13 tracks from the album made Swift the first artist to monopolize the top 14 of the Hot 100.[32][33]In Australia, "Down Bad" reached number two on theARIA Singles Chartand made her the artist with the most entries in a single week with 29.[34][35]In the United Kingdom, it reached number four on theUK Singles Chartand extended her top 10 chart entries to 28.[36][37]

Elsewhere, "Down Bad" charted within the top 10 in Canada (2),[38]New Zealand (2),[39]the Philippines (3),[40]Singapore (3),[41]Malaysia (8),[42]and Luxembourg (9).[43]The song also reached the top 20 in several territories: number 11 in Hong Kong,[44]Ireland,[45]and Portugal,[46]number 13 in Latvia,[47]number 14 in South Africa,[48]number 16 in Denmark,[49]number 17 in Indonesia,[50]number 18 in Belgium,[51]and number 19 in Sweden.[52]It received a goldcertificationfrom theAustralian Recording Industry Association(ARIA).[53]

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes ofThe Tortured Poets Department.[54]

  • Taylor Swift– lead vocals, songwriter, producer
  • Jack Antonoff– producer, songwriter,Juno,M1,Mellotron,piano, drums, percussion, programming, backing vocals
  • Mikey Freedom Hart– M1, Mellotron
  • Sean Hutchinson– percussion
  • Evan Smith– saxophone
  • Zem Audu– saxophone
  • Laura Sisk – engineering, recording
  • Oli Jacobs – engineering, recording
  • Jack Manning – engineering assistance, recording
  • Jon Sher – engineering assistance
  • Michael Riddleberger – recording
  • Serban Ghenea– mi xing
  • Bryce Bordone – mix engineering
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Ryan Smith – vinyl mastering

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "Down Bad"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Argentina (Argentina Hot 100)[55] 56
Australia (ARIA)[34] 2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[56] 39
Belgium (Billboard)[51] 18
Brazil (Brasil Hot 100)[57] 45
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[38] 2
Croatia(Billboard)[58] 22
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[59] 27
Denmark (Tracklisten)[49] 16
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[60] 46
France (SNEP)[61] 53
Global 200(Billboard)[30] 2
Greece International (IFPI)[62] 12
Hong Kong(Billboard)[44] 11
India(IMI)[63] 4
Indonesia (Billboard)[50] 17
Ireland (IRMA)[45] 11
Italy (FIMI)[64] 79
Latvia (LAIPA)[47] 13
Luxembourg (Billboard)[43] 9
Malaysia(Billboard)[42] 8
MENA(IFPI)[65] 6
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[66] 88
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[39] 2
Norway (VG-lista)[67] 26
Philippines(Billboard)[40] 3
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[68] 75
Portugal (AFP)[46] 11
Singapore (RIAS)[41] 3
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[69] 31
South Africa (TOSAC)[48] 14
South Korea Download (Circle)[70] 152
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[52] 19
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[71] 43
UAE (IFPI)[72] 4
UK Singles(OCC)[36] 4
USBillboardHot 100[32] 2

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for "Down Bad"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[53] Gold 35,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[73] Silver 200,000‡

‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

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