"Blank Space" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the second single from her fifth studio album, 1989. Swift wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin and Shellback. Inspired by the media scrutiny on Swift's love life that affected her girl-next-door reputation, "Blank Space" portrays a flirtatious woman with multiple romantic attachments. It is an electropop track with a minimal arrangement consisting of synthesizers, hip hop-influenced beats, and layered vocals.
Inspired by 1980s synth-pop with synthesizers, drum pads, and overlapped vocals, Taylor Swift abandoned the country stylings of her previous releases to incorporate a pop production for her fifth studio album, 1989, which was released in 2014.[1][2][3] Swift began writing songs for the album in mid-2013 concurrently with the start of Swift's headlining world tour in support of her fourth studio album Red.[4] On 1989, Swift and the Swedish producer Max Martin served as executive producers.[2] Martin and his frequent collaborator Shellback produced seven out of 13 songs on the album's standard edition.[5]
Having been known as "America's Sweetheart" thanks to her wholesome and down-to-earth girl next door image,[6][7] Swift saw her reputation blemished due to her history of romantic relationships with a series of high-profile celebrities. The New York Times asserted in 2013 that her "dating history [had] begun to stir what feels like the beginning of a backlash", questioning whether Swift was in the midst of a quarter-life crisis.[8] The Tampa Bay Times observed that until the release of 1989, Swift's love life had become a fixed tabloid interest and overshadowed her musicianship.[7] Swift disliked the media portrayal of her as a "serial-dater", feeling that it undermined her professional works, and became reticent to discuss her personal life in public.[9][10] The tabloid scrutiny on her image prompted her to write satirical songs about her perceived image, in addition to her traditional romantic themes.[11]
An electropop song set over minimal hip hop-influenced beats, "Blank Space" satirizes Swift's image as a seductive woman with a long history of relationships.
Talking to GQ in 2015, Swift said that she envisioned "Blank Space" to be a satirical self-referential nod to the media perception of her image as "a girl who's crazy but seductive but glamorous but nuts but manipulative".[12] She admitted that she had felt personally attacked for a long time before realizing "it was kind of hilarious".[12] She co-wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin and Shellback.[5]
"Blank Space" follows the verse–chorus song structure.[13] The lyrics in the verses are clipped, "Magic, madness, heaven, sin", which the musicologist Nate Sloan said to set a mysterious and dreadful tone.[13] At one point, Swift describes herself as a "nightmare dressed like a daydream".[14] The refrain alludes to Swift's songwriting practice taking inspiration from her love life: the lyrics, "Got a long list of ex-lovers They'll tell you I'm insane But I've got a blank space, baby", are followed by a brief silence and then a clicking retractable pen sound, and Swift concludes the refrain, "And I'll write your name."[15] After the song's release, the line "Got a long list of ex-lovers" was misheard by some audience as "All the lonely Starbucks lovers", which prompted internet discussions including a response from Starbucks themselves.[16][17]
Swift told NME in 2015 that when "Blank Space" was released, "[half] the people got the joke, half the people really think that [she]was like really owning the fact that [she was] a psychopath".[18] According to Sloan, the narrator of "Blank Space" is unreliable, and therefore it is open to interpretation whether the song is a true portrayal of Swift's character or not.[19] In contemporary publications, journalists commented that the track represented 1989's lighthearted view on failed relationships and departed from the idealized romance on Swift's past albums.[20][21][22] Others wrote that Swift made fun of her image and the media discourse surrounding her celebrity, which later served as the foundation for her sixth studio album Reputation (2017), an album exploring her public experiences and the media gossip.[23][24]
Martin and Shellback employed a sparse production for "Blank Space" as Swift wanted the song to emphasize the lyrics and vocals.[2] Musically, "Blank Space" is an electropop song[25] that is set over minimal hip hop-influenced beats.[26] The song incorporates synthesizers, percussioned guitarstrums, and layered backing vocals.[21][27] In the refrain, Swift sings in her higher register and the production crescendos with faster programmed drums.[13] Some contemporary critics compared the song's minimal production to the singer-songwriter Lorde's music, specifically her 2013 album Pure Heroine.[14][21][28]Spin's Andrew Unterberger wrote that as with the rest of 1989, "Blank Space" embraces 1980s pop music authenticity while incorporating a modern twist.[28] Baesley thought that the minimal production may "sound bright and easy, but it's anything but the latter to create", and he called it "weapons-grade, professional pop".[21]
"Blank Space" debuted at number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the chart dated November 15, 2014.[34] The single reached number one in its third week on the chart, supported by the release of its music video. It took the number-one position from 1989's lead single "Shake It Off", making Swift the first and to date, the only woman ever in Billboard Hot 100 chart history to succeed herself at the top spot.[35] "Blank Space" remained atop the Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks.[36] As of July 2019, "Blank Space" has sold 4.6 million copies in the United States.[37] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the single 8× Platinum, which denotes eight million units based on sales and track-equivalent on-demand streams.[38] On the Hot 100 chart dated August 19, 2023, "Blank Space" re-entered at number 49, after it gained in streams following the announcement of 1989 (Taylor's Version) and as Swift had been performing it on the Eras Tour.[39] It rose to number 46 the following week.[40]
The single also reached number one in Australia,[41] Canada,[42] South Africa,[43] and Scotland.[44] It peaked atop the Euro Digital Song Sales, a Billboard component chart,[45] and the Finnish Download Chart.[46] "Blank Space" charted within the top five of national record charts, at number two in New Zealand,[47] Poland,[48] Slovakia,[49] number three in Bulgaria,[50] number four in the Czech Republic,[51] Ireland,[52] Israel,[53] the United Kingdom,[54] and number five in Lebanon.[55] It received multi-platinum certifications in Australia (13× Platinum),[56] Canada (4× Platinum),[57] New Zealand (4× Platinum),[58] and the UK (2× Platinum).[59] According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the song was the eighth-best-selling song of 2015, with 9.2 million track-equivalent units.[60]
Critical reception
The song received widespread acclaim. Upon the release of 1989, Shane Kimberline of musicOMH called "Blank Space" one of the album's best songs.[61]PopMatters's Corey Baesley lauded it as "easily a candidate for the best pop song of 2014".[21] Sydney Gore from The 405 deemed "Blank Space" the album's highlight,[14] and Aimee Cliff from Fact labeled it one of Swift's "most enjoyable songs to date" for portraying Swift's love life in a larger-than-life manner.[62]Drowned in Sound's Robert Leedham wrote that Swift succeeded in experimenting with new musical styles on 1989, specifically choosing "Blank Space" as an example.[63]
The Observer critic Kitty Empire picked "Blank Space" as a song that showcased Swift's musical and lyrical maturity, calling it "an out-and-out pop song with an intriguingly skeletal undercarriage".[64] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Mikael Wood selected the track as one of the album's better songs because of Swift's songwriting craftsmanship.[26]The New York Times critic Jon Caramanica deemed the song "Swift at her peak" that "serves to assert both her power and her primness".[65]The Independent's Andy Gill was less enthusiastic, calling it a "corporate rebel clichéd [sic]" song.[25]
Retrospective reviews of "Blank Space" have been positive. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian in 2019 declared "Blank Space" the best single Swift had released, praising its success in transforming Swift's image from a country singer-songwriter to a pop star thanks to its "effortless" melody and witty lyrics.[27]Rolling Stone reviewer Rob Sheffield wrote: "Every second of 'Blank Space' is perfect."[66]Paste in 2020 described the song as "remarkably well-made, infectiously catchy, and legitimately funny", and named it the best song on 1989.[67] Selja Rankin from Entertainment Weekly also dubbed "Blank Space" the best track on the album, praising the over-the-top lyrics and its catchy 1980s pop sound.[68]The Recording Academy in 2023 picked "Blank Space" as one of Swift's 13 essential songs that represented her songwriting and musicianship.[69]
Accolades
Rolling Stone ranked "Blank Space" sixth on their list of the best songs of 2014,[70] 73rd on their list of the best songs of the 2010s decade,[71] 357th on their 2021 revision of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time,[72] and later at 320 in their 2024 revised list.[73]Time named it as the ninth best song in their year-end list.[74] The song placed at number three on The Village Voice's annual year-end Pazz & Jop critics' poll of 2014.[75]Stereogum[76] and Uproxx[77] ranked the song at numbers 49 and 72 on their lists of the best songs of the 2010s decade, respectively. Billboard named it one of the 100 "Songs That Defined the Decade". Katie Atkinson wrote that the single consolidated Swift's trademark autobiographical storytelling in music while "setting the standard for a new, self-aware pop star" in poking fun at her perceived image.[78] On Slant Magazine's list of the 100 best singles of the 2010s, "Blank Space" ranked 15th.[79]
Joseph Kahn directed the music video for "Blank Space". According to Kahn, Swift conceptualized the video to "[address] this concept of, if she has so many boys breaking up with her maybe the problem isn't the boy, maybe the problem is her".[84] Photography took place at two locations in Long Island: primary shooting took place at Oheka Castle, with a few additional scenes shot at Woolworth Estate. The video was shot over three days in September 2014.[85] The last day was dedicated to film American Express Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience, an interactive 360° mobile app in collaboration with American Express.[86] Kahn told Mashable that Swift was thorough in choosing the visual devices and imagery: "When you have an artist wanting to test her imaging, it's always great territory to be in."[84]
Kahn took inspirations from Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange for the video's symmetrical framing style.[86] The video begins as the male love interest (Sean O'Pry) drives an AC Cobra towards the mansion of Swift's character. They quickly become a loving couple: they dance together, paint a portrait for the boyfriend, walk along the estate grounds, and ride horses.[87] Halfway through the video, Swift's character notices him texting someone, and the couple begins to fall apart: they begin to fight and Swift's character shows erratic behaviors such as throwing vases, slashing the painted portrait, and burning her boyfriend's clothes, which drives him to end the relationship.[87] Before the boyfriend leaves the mansion, Swift's character smashes her boyfriend's car using a golf club, a reference to Tiger Woods's 2009 cheating scandal.[84] After he drives away, a new man (Andrea Denver) approaches, offering Swift a new hope for love.[87]
Swift planned to premiere the video on Good Morning America on November 11, 2014, but Yahoo! accidentally leaked it a day before; Swift posted the video onto her Vevo account quickly afterwards.[88] The interactive app American Express Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience, featuring the 360° video version of "Blank Space", was released for free onto mobile app stores. The user can choose to either follow Swift and her love interest throughout the linear storyline, or leave the storyline to explore other rooms in the mansion and find interactive easter eggs, such as Swift's childhood photos.[89][90] Kahn told Rolling Stone that the app was created with "superfans" who wanted to "feel even closer to Swift" in mind.[85]
Reception
Some media outlets compared the narrative of "Blank Space" to that of Gone Girl, citing that both Swift's character and Gone Girl's protagonist "[strip] away the romantic sheen she's given all her relationships in the past".[91] Randall Roberts from the Los Angeles Times wrote that Swift delivered an "Oscar-worthy" performance.[87]Billboard praised the video's cinematic quality and aesthetics and found Swift's self-referential portrayal amusing, which served as "icing on the blood-filled cake".[92]The Guardian's columnist Jessica Valenti complimented Swift's portrayal of her perceived image and dubbed the video "a feminist daydream", where "the narrow and sexist caricatures attached to women are acted out for our amusement, their full ridiculousness on display".[93]
USA Today and Spin in 2017 deemed "Blank Space" the greatest video Swift had done;[94] the latter praised the aesthetics as glamorous and lauded the hilarious depiction of Swift's reputation.[95]Entertainment Weekly in 2020 picked "Blank Space" as the best video among the 1989 singles, describing it as "the only music video that can be earnestly described as 'Kubrickian'".[96] It won Best Pop Video and Best Female Video at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards[97] and earned a nomination for Best International Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan.[98] The American Express Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience app won Original Interactive Program at the 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.[99]Rolling Stone placed "Blank Space" at number 67 on its list of the 100 Greatest Music Videos of All Time.[100]
Swift performed "Blank Space" during the "1989 Secret Session", live streamed by Yahoo! and iHeartRadio on October 27, 2014.[101] Swift premiered the song on television at the 2014 American Music Awards, where she recreated the narrative of the music video, acting as a psychopathic woman who acts erratically towards her boyfriend.[102] She again performed the song on The Voice on November 25,[103] at the 2014 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on December 2,[104] and during Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball 2014 in London, broadcast on December 5.[105]
On February 25, 2015, Swift opened the 2015 Brit Awards with a rendition of "Blank Space". At the beginning of the performance, Swift sang the song in front of a white background featuring silhouettes of backup dancers.[106] The song was part of the set lists for three of Swift's concert tours—the 1989 World Tour (2015),[107]Reputation Stadium Tour (2018),[108] and the Eras Tour (2023).[109] On September 9, 2019, Swift performed the song at the City of Lover one-off concert in Paris, France.[110] She performed the song again at the We Can Survive charity concert on October 19, 2019, in Los Angeles.[111] At the 2019 American Music Awards, where Swift was honored Artist of the Decade, she performed "Blank Space" as part of a medley of her hits.[112] She again performed the song at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball 2019 in London,[113] and at iHeartRadio Z100's Jingle Ball 2019 in New York City.[114]
Following the song's debut at the 2014 American Music Awards, the rapper Pitbull uploaded a remix featuring his rap verse to SoundCloud on December 15, 2014.[115] The retro music group Postmodern Jukebox transformed the song into a 1940s-inspired track in their cover,[116] and the rock band Imagine Dragons performed a slowed down rendition of the song sampling Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" at BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge in February 2015.[117]I Prevail, another rock band, released a post-hardcore cover of "Blank Space" as their debut single in December 2014.[118] The cover reached number nine on Billboard Hot Rock Songs[119] and number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100,[120] and received a platinum certification by the RIAA, which denotes one million track-equivalent units.[121]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
After signing a new contract with Republic Records in 2018, Swift began re-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020.[215] The decision followed a public 2019 dispute between Swift and the music executive Scooter Braun, who acquired Big Machine Records, including the masters of Swift's albums which the label had released.[216][217] By re-recording the albums, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, which enabled her to control the licensing of her songs for commercial use and therefore substituted the Big Machine–owned masters.[218]
The re-recording of "Blank Space", subtitled "Taylor's Version", was released as part of 1989's re-recording, 1989 (Taylor's Version), on October 27, 2023.[219] Swift produced "Blank Space (Taylor's Version)" with Christopher Rowe, who had produced her previous re-recordings.[220] The track was engineered by Derek Garten at Prime Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee; mixed by Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia; and mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey. Rowe and Sam Holland recorded Swift's vocals at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles and Kitty Committee Studio in New York.[221]
Reception
Music critics had different opinions on the re-recording's production. The Line of Best Fit journalist Kelsey Barnes commented that "Blank Space (Taylor's Version)" sounded like an "exact replica",[222] but The Independent's Adam White wrote that the re-recorded song features Swift's matured vocals that eroded the "raw mania" of the original song.[223] In NME, Hollie Geraghty praised the re-recording for showcasing one of the album's "deliciously polished belters that still feel brand new nearly a decade later".[224] "Blank Space (Taylor's Version)" peaked at number nine on the Billboard Global 200 chart.[225] On national singles charts, the re-recorded song peaked within the top 20 in Australia (9),[226] Canada (11),[42] New Zealand (12),[227] and the United States (12).[228]
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of 1989 (Taylor's Version).[221]
Taylor Swift – lead vocals, background vocals, songwriter, producer
Matt Billingslea – drums programming, membranophone, electric guitar, synthesizer
Bryce Bordone – engineer for mix
Dan Burns – synth bass programming, synth programming, additional engineer
^ abMompellio, Gabriel. "Taylor Swift 'Blank Space'". radiodate.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
^ ab"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201507 into search. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
Sloan, Nate; Harding, Charlie; Gottlieb, Iris (2019). "A Star's Melodic Signature: Melody: Taylor Swift—'You Belong with Me'". Switched On Pop: How Popular Music Works, and Why it Matters. Oxford University Press. pp. 21–35. ISBN978-0190056681.
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