"But Daddy I Love Him"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album The Tortured Poets Department
ReleasedApril 19, 2024 (2024-04-19)
Genre
Length5:40
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Lyric video
"But Daddy I Love Him" on YouTube

"But Daddy I Love Him" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on April 19, 2024, through Republic Records as the sixth track on Swift's eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. The song was written by Swift and Aaron Dessner, who co-produced the track alongside Jack Antonoff.

Background

Swift announced The Tortured Poets Department on February 4, 2024 at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards during her acceptance speech for Best Pop Vocal Album award. Shortly after the announcement, the album's artwork was shared on her Instagram profile. Swift's website also enabled the album to be pre-ordered in vinyl, CD, cassette and digital format.[1]

Media outlets speculated the song discusses Swift's fans' disapproval of her relationship with English singer-songwriter Matty Healy.[2] The pair were reported to have been dating in May 2023, while Swift was performing the U.S. leg of her sixth concert tour The Eras Tour.[3] Healy has elicited controversy from remarks he made about black women, American rapper Ice Spice, and Swift herself, which were interpreted by some news sources as misogynistic and racist.[4][5]

Music and lyrics

"But Daddy I Love Him" appears as track six on all formats of The Tortured Poets Department. It is the longest song on the album, with a runtime of 5 minutes and 40 seconds. It is an electronica[6] and folk rock track[7] with a country inclination.[8] Lyrically, the song discusses detractors who criticize Swift's love life. Fans presumed the song's title is a direct quote from the 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid. The film's protagonist Ariel says the line in response to her merman father's disapproval of her human crush Prince Eric.[9]

The lyrics may be interpreted as Swift's response to criticism received for her previous romance, where she rejects the idea of seeking approval from the public and following one's inner feelings.[10] The track is viewed as the mature sister of "Love Story" from Fearless (2009) which Swift sings about her father objecting a relationship. In "But Daddy I Love Him", the critics involves many denigrators who were disappointed with her love interest.[11]

The opening verse containing the line "I just learned these people only raise you just to cage you." establishes the tension between Swift and others. The line also echoes of Swift's previous track "This Is Me Trying" where she sings: "They told me all of my cages were mental." The song's bridge reiterates the central theme of how others believe their intentions are in the interest of Swift's.[10]

Reception

In a review for the parent album, Helen Brown of The Independent wrote "the force [Swift] brings to 'But Daddy I Love Him' is thrilling, as she lassos a few country tropes to charge her horses at online trolls."[12] Samantha Olson of Cosmopolitan ranked the song fifth in her ranking of the top five best songs from the album.[13]

References

  1. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (April 18, 2024). "Taylor Swift Announces New Album 'The Tortured Poets Department' During Grammys Acceptance Speech". Variety. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  2. ^ Bailey, Alyssa. "Taylor Swift's 'But Daddy, I Love Him' Lyrics Are a Scathing Response to Fans Against Her Dating Matty Healy". Elle. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  3. ^ Murray, Conor. "What To Know About Matty Healy—Taylor Swift's Rumored Boyfriend— And His History Of Controversial Comments". Forbes. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Cohen, Rebecca. "A podcast where Matty Healy talked about masturbating to women being 'brutalized' resurfaces online as Taylor Swift's fans beg for her to dump him". Business Insider. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  5. ^ Soteriou, Stephanie. "Taylor Swift Has Been Branded Another "Complicit White Woman" After Matty Healy Admitted To Masturbating To Hardcore Pornography That Degrades And Humiliates Black Women Just Three Months Ago". BuzzFeed. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  6. ^ "Taylor Swift Strikes Out Looking on The Tortured Poets Department". Paste. April 19, 2024. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  7. ^ Wood, Mikael (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift turns heel, owning her chaos and messiness on The Tortured Poets Department". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  8. ^ "Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department". Clash. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  9. ^ Siwak, Miranda. "Does Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' Song 'But Daddy I Love Him' Shade Her Fans?". Us Weekly.
  10. ^ a b Nicolaou, Elena (April 19, 2024). "'But Daddy I Love Him' lyrics: Does Taylor Swift's song reference 'The Little Mermaid'?". Today. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  11. ^ Thorp, Clare (April 20, 2024). "But Daddy I Love Him: Taylor Swift takes aim at critics with new track". BBC. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  12. ^ Brown, Helen (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department review: Irresistible, country-hued tales of relationships past and present". The Independent. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  13. ^ Olson, Samantha (April 20, 2024). "The 5 Best Songs From Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department, Ranked". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
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