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The Alchemy

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For other uses, seeAlchemy (disambiguation).
"The Alchemy"
SongbyTaylor Swift
from the albumThe Tortured Poets Department
ReleasedApril 19, 2024(2024-04-19)
Studio
Genre
Length3:16
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff
Lyric video
"The Alchemy"onYouTube

"The Alchemy"is a song by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swiftfrom her eleventh studio album,The Tortured Poets Department(2024). Swift wrote and produced the track withJack Antonoff.Apop rocktrack withR&Binfluences, "The Alchemy" uses extensivefootballimagery to describe a burgeoning romance after going through heartbreak.

Some critics deemed the football imagery and metaphors weak, but some others praised the production elements. "The Alchemy" peaked at number 18 on theBillboardGlobal 200and reached the top 25 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.

Background and release[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; "The Alchemy" is 15th on the track list.[4]On May 12, 2024, Swift performed an acoustic guitar version of "The Alchemy" at the fourthParisshow of her Eras Tour.[5]

Music and lyrics[edit]

"The Alchemy" is apop rocksong[6]withR&Binfluences in its instrumentation,[7]composed of echoing drums and layered vocals.[8]Will HodgkinsonofThe Timeswrote that it has a "dreamy, romantic" production.[6]The lyrics use extensivefootballimagery to describe starting a new relationship.[9][10][11]Time's Shannon Carlin wrote that the track's placement near the end of the standard album shows that Swift's character is willing to "fight again with this new one-of-a-kind guy" after detailing ex-lovers on the preceding tracks ( "These blokes warm the benches/ We've been on a winning streak" ).[12]Lauren Huff ofEntertainment Weeklyagreed, saying that "The Alchemy", placed after "songs about heartache so bad that Swift compares it to 'cardiac arrest' in her epilogue", signaled a "good kind" of madness, of falling in love.[13]Vogue Australia'snina Miyashita thought that the lyrics appear to draw a parallel between the chemicals released by the brain when playing a sport and those released when one is in love.[14]

Swift's character tells her new lover that she is willing to be all in ( "So when I touch down/ Call the amateurs and cut 'em from the team" ) and admits that she does not have another choice ( "Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?" ).[12]The song also features details of the lover winning a football match ( "Shirts off, and your friends lift you up, over their heads" ).[15]In thebridge,Swift's character asserts: "Where's the trophy? He just comes, running over to me."[12]

Reception[edit]

Criticisms of the song mostly took issue with its lyrics. Some critics, such asThe Atlantic's Spencer Kornharber,[16]Slate'sCarl Wilson,[17]andBeats Per Minute's John Wohlmacher, considered the football imagery in the lyrics weak, "terrible", and "tossed-off".[7]The Daily Telegraph'sNeil McCormicksaid the track contains "cheesy sports puns".[18]Writing for theFinancial Times,Ludovic Hunter-Tilney said that the song was one of the "repetitive" tracks and opined that the title was used incorrectly.[19]Lindsay Zoladz ofThe New York Timesdescribed the song as "weightless".[20]

Reviews that were somewhat more positive focused on the production.Sputnikmusic's Hugh G. Paddles argued that "The Alchemy" is an "otherwise effervescent and personally charged" track but criticized the "faux-narcotic slurred delivery" mentioning a drug reference near the ending lines.[21]Wohlmacher praised the sound as "[laid] back and elegant" and said that the "mood of the composition" makes up for the lyrics.[7]Hodgkinson gave the song a five-star rating: "It's excellent—epic but intimate, like the final scene in a blockbuster."[6]Ranking all 31 tracks onThe Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology,Jason Lipshutz ofBillboardplaced "The Alchemy" at 21, calling it a "glittering love song".[22]Alex Hopper ofAmerican Songwriterdescribed the track as "sauntering, sexy".[23]

Following its release, "The Alchemy" debuted and peaked at number 13 on the USBillboardHot 100,where the song and tracks from the album made Swift the first artist to occupy the top 14 of the chart.[24][25]In Australia, it opened at its peak of number 18 on theARIA Singles Chartand made her the artist with the most entries in a single week with 29.[26][27]Elsewhere, "The Alchemy" reached number 19 on theBillboardGlobal 200[28]and charted within the countries of New Zealand (19),[29]Canada (21),[30]Portugal (41),[31]Switzerland (46),[32]Sweden (65),[33]and France (157).[34]It also peaked at number 23 on the United Kingdom'sAudio Streaming Chart[35]and number 39 on Greece'sInternational Top 100 Digital Singles.[36]

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "The Alchemy"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[26] 18
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[30] 21
France (SNEP)[34] 157
Global 200(Billboard)[28] 19
Greece International (IFPI)[36] 39
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[29] 19
Philippines(Billboard)[37] 25
Portugal (AFP)[31] 41
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[33] 65
Swiss Streaming (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 46
UK Streaming(OCC)[35] 23
USBillboardHot 100[24] 13

References[edit]

  1. ^Blistein, Jon (February 7, 2024)."Taylor Swift RevealsTortured Poets DepartmentBack Up Plan In Case She Didn't Win a Grammy ".Rolling Stone.Archivedfrom the original on February 7, 2024.RetrievedApril 19,2024.
  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.
  4. ^"AsThe Tortured Poets Departmentdrops, here's all Taylor Swift's albums ranked by sales ".Music Week.April 19, 2024.Archivedfrom the original on April 19, 2024.RetrievedApril 19,2024.
  5. ^"Travis Kelce Attends Taylor Swift's 4th Eras Tour Show in Paris".People.May 12, 2024.Archivedfrom the original on May 17, 2024.RetrievedMay 12,2024.
  6. ^abcHodgkinson, Will(April 19, 2024)."Love, Men and the Story Behind Each Song on Taylor Swift's New Album".The Times.Archivedfrom the original on April 19, 2024.RetrievedMay 12,2024.
  7. ^abcWohlmacher, John (April 23, 2024)."Album Review: Taylor Swift –The Tortured Poets Department".Beats Per Minute.Archivedfrom the original on April 23, 2024.RetrievedMay 1,2024.
  8. ^Lipshutz, 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.
  9. ^Zoladz, 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.RetrievedMay 12,2024.
  10. ^Chiu, Melody (April 19, 2024)."Is Taylor Swift's 'The Alchemy' About Travis Kelce? See the Lyrical Football References".People.Archivedfrom the original on May 17, 2024.RetrievedMay 12,2024.
  11. ^Bowenbank, Starr (April 19, 2024)."Taylor Swift Gushes Over Her and Travis Kelce's Relationship on 'The Alchemy' and 'So High School'".InStyle.Archivedfrom the original on April 19, 2024.RetrievedMay 12,2024.
  12. ^abcCarlin, Shannon (April 19, 2024)."Why Swifties Are Convinced 'The Alchemy' Is About Travis Kelce".Time.Archivedfrom the original on May 12, 2024.RetrievedMay 12,2024.
  13. ^Huff, Lauren (April 19, 2024)."Is Taylor Swift's new song 'The Alchemy' about Travis Kelce?".Entertainment Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on May 12, 2024.RetrievedMay 12,2024.
  14. ^Miyashita, Nina; Waterhouse, Jonah (April 24, 2024)."All the hidden meanings in Taylor Swift'sThe Tortured Poets Departmentalbum ".Vogue Australia.Archivedfrom the original on April 23, 2024.RetrievedMay 13,2024.
  15. ^O'Connor, Roisin (April 19, 2024)."Taylor Swift appears to share first song about boyfriend Travis Kelce".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on May 12, 2024.RetrievedMay 12,2024.
  16. ^Kornhaber, Spencer (April 19, 2024)."Taylor Swift Is Having Quality-Control Issues".The Atlantic.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2024.RetrievedApril 23,2024.
  17. ^Wilson, Carl(April 19, 2024)."The Problem With Taylor Swift's New Album".Slate.ISSN1091-2339.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2024.RetrievedMay 12,2024.
  18. ^McCormick, Neil(April 22, 2024)."Taylor Swift,The Tortured Poets Department:a sharp, savage attack on her British exes ".The Daily Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on May 13, 2024.RetrievedMay 13,2024.
  19. ^Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (April 19, 2024)."Taylor Swift:The Tortured Poets Departmentreview — heartbreak inspires anguish, anger and a career highlight ".Financial Times.Archivedfrom the original on April 20, 2024.RetrievedMay 12,2024.
  20. ^Zoladz, Lindsay (April 23, 2024)."On 'The Tortured Poets Department,' Taylor Swift Could Use an Editor".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on April 20, 2024.RetrievedMay 13,2024.
  21. ^Puddles, Hugh G. (April 22, 2024)."Review: Taylor Swift -The Tortured Poets Department".Sputnikmusic.Archivedfrom the original on April 25, 2024.RetrievedMay 13,2024.
  22. ^Lipshutz, Jason (April 19, 2024)."Taylor Swift'sThe Tortured Poets Department:All 31 Tracks Ranked ".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on May 12, 2024.RetrievedMay 12,2024.
  23. ^Hopper, Alex (April 19, 2024)."The Gloves are off on Taylor Swift's Double Album,The Tortured Poets Department".American Songwriter.Archivedfrom the original on April 21, 2024.RetrievedMay 13,2024.
  24. ^ab"Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)".Billboard.Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  25. ^Trust, Gary (April 29, 2024)."Taylor Swift Claims Record Top 14 Spots onBillboardHot 100, Led by 'Fortnight' with Post Malone ".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on April 29, 2024.RetrievedMay 9,2024.
  26. ^ab"ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart".Australian Recording Industry Association.April 29, 2024.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2024.RetrievedApril 26,2024.
  27. ^Gbogbo, Mawunyo (April 29, 2024)."Taylor Swift's New AlbumThe Tortured Poets DepartmentSmashes Chart Records in the US, UK and Australia ".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on May 10, 2024.RetrievedMay 10,2024.
  28. ^ab"Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)".Billboard.Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  29. ^ab"NZ Top 40 Singles Chart".Recorded Music NZ.April 29, 2024.Archivedfrom the original on April 26, 2024.RetrievedApril 26,2024.
  30. ^ab"Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)".Billboard.Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  31. ^ab"Taylor Swift – The Alchemy ".AFP Top 100 Singles.Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  32. ^ab"Streaming Top 100".Schweizer Hitparade.Archivedfrom the original on May 15, 2024.RetrievedMay 15,2024.
  33. ^ab"Veckolista Singlar, vecka 17".Sverigetopplistan.Archivedfrom the original on April 26, 2024.RetrievedApril 26,2024.
  34. ^ab"Top Singles (Week 16, 2024)"(in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.Archivedfrom the original on May 31, 2021.RetrievedApril 29,2024.
  35. ^ab"Official Streaming Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2024.RetrievedApril 26,2024.
  36. ^ab"IFPI Charts".ifpi.gr.Archivedfrom the original on May 1, 2024.RetrievedMay 1,2024.
  37. ^"Philippines Songs - Week of May 4, 2024".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon May 2, 2024.RetrievedJuly 5,2024.
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