The album was inspired by "13 sleepless nights" of Swift's life. She adopted a glamorous visual aesthetic for the album, drawing from the 1970s fashion and art. Eschewing the alternative folk sound of Folklore and Evermore, Swift experimented with electronica, synth-pop, dream pop and chill-out music styles in Midnights, employing subtle grooves, vintage synthesizers, drum machine and hip hop rhythms. Its subject matter contains confessional yet cryptic lyrics, discussing self-criticism, self-assurance, insecurity, anxiety, and insomnia.
After the limited promotion of her previous studio albums, Swift returned to her traditional album roll-out with Midnights. She unveiled the album's track list on a TikTok series called Midnights Mayhem with Me from September 21 to October 7, 2022, and revealed a Lana Del Rey feature on the fourth track, "Snow on the Beach". Seven bonus tracks were surprise released on October 21, followed by music videos for "Anti-Hero" and "Bejeweled".
Midnights was met with widespread acclaim from music critics, who praised its restrained production, candid songwriting, and vocal cadences. Breaking the Spotify record for the most single-day streams for an album, Midnights was also a major commercial success across all formats of music consumption. In the United States, it became 2022's fastest-selling and best-selling album, and logged the largest vinyl sales week of the 21st century. Elsewhere, it has so far topped the charts in Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
We lie awake in love and in fear, in turmoil and in tears. We stare at walls and drink until they speak back. We twist in our self-made cages and pray that we aren't—right this minute—about to make some fateful life-altering mistake. This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams. The floors we pace and the demons we face. For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching—hoping that just maybe, when the clock strikes twelve ... we'll meet ourselves.
— Swift, introducing Midnights on her social media[6]
Swift garnered five nominations for the short film at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2022,[7] and won three of them.[8] In her acceptance speech for the Video of the Year award, she announced a "brand-new" studio album scheduled for release on October 21, 2022.[6] Shortly after, Swift's official website was updated with a clock counting down to midnight and the phrase "Meet me at midnight".[6] The canvases of some of Swift's songs on Spotify were changed to a visual featuring the clock.[9] At midnight, Swift posted across her social media accounts that her tenth studio album would be titled Midnights, accompanied by a premise and a temporary version of the cover artwork. She described the album as "the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout [her] life".[6]
Writing and production
According to Swift, the subject matter of Midnights was inspired by five major topics: self-hatred, revenge fantasies, "wondering what might have been", falling in love, and "falling apart".[10] Swift enlisted her longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff, since 2013,[note 1] to produce Midnights. The duo wrote 11 of the album's 13 songs together; of the remaining two, Swift wrote the track "Vigilante Shit" alone and "Sweet Nothing" with her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, who is credited with his pseudonym William Bowery.[12] Some bonus tracks were co-produced by Aaron Dessner, who had collaborated with Swift on her 2020 albums Folklore and Evermore.[13] She conceived the bonus tracks on their "journey to find that magic 13 [tracks]".[14]
Jack Antonoff is Swift's main collaborator on Midnights.
Swift's love life inspired the lyrics of "Lavender Haze" and "Snow on the Beach", the former of which takes after the phrase "in the lavenderhaze" from the period drama series, Mad Men. Swift wrote "Lavender Haze" after she and Alwyn had to protect their relationship from unsolicited scrutiny online ("weird rumors" and "tabloid stuff"),[15][16] and "Snow on the Beach" is about "falling in love with someone at the same time as they’re falling in love with you",[17] co-written by American singer Lana Del Rey.[12] The composition of "Lavender Haze" was first conceived by Antonoff when he heard Sounwave, one of his collaborators, press a button accidentally, playing a "small little loop" produced by Jahaan Sweet. Sounwave edited the loop, adding "a bunch of effects". Sam Dew wrote some melodies to the loop with Zoë Kravitz, who had been working with Antonoff as well. Antonoff then pitched the song to Swift, who wrote its lyrics. "Glitch" was also born from these sessions. Sweet further reached out to Swift via Antonoff with "Karma", which had also been worked on by Keanu Beats. The next day, Antonoff returned with "Karma" finished with Swift's vocals on it.[18] In "Anti-Hero", Swift detailed her insecurities, such as struggling with "not feeling like a person".[19]
Music and lyrics
Lana Del Rey is the only guest featured on Midnights, on the fourth track "Snow on the Beach".
The standard edition of Midnights consists of thirteen tracks. The deluxe CD adds three bonus songs, of which two are remixes, while Midnights (3am Edition), available only on digital and streaming platforms, adds seven other bonus tracks. Six of the album's tracks are labelled explicit. Del Rey provides guest vocals on the fourth track, "Snow on the Beach".[20][21]
Journalists have described Midnights as a concept album,[20][40] about "after-hour agonies" and thoughts.[24]Midnight is a recurring lyrical motif in Swift's music, having been used in different contexts and viewpoints in her preceding albums.[note 2]The A.V. Club said Midnights expands the artistic motif "into a full-blown album".[42] The album marks Swift's return to a mostly autobiographical lyricism, after exploring fictitious storylines and characters in Folklore and Evermore.[27]The New Yorker said Midnights is a collage of various emotions during "the spontaneous, restless headspace of nighttime thought".[43] The main themes are self-assurance,[44] self-criticism, insecurity,[38] anxiety, public image,[45] and insomnia,[32] with a characteristic confessional but "cryptic" tone.[29][28][39] Several critics regard Midnights as Swift's most candid,[38][44] confident,[22] and frankest writing yet.[25]
Songs
The opening track, "Lavender Haze", is a disco-inflected,[46] rhythmic pop song driven by a murky groove,[47]falsetto chorus,[36]modular synths, and backing vocals from Kravitz.[47] It is an R&B-leaning, "emo-erotic" track[36] about the tabloid scrutiny and online rumors that Swift and Alwyn face,[45] and references the Madonna–whore complex.[27] "Maroon" is a dynamic dream pop song[47] with a buzzing drone.[27] It is about a "missed-chance romance", recalling several specific memories.[47] The title serves as a call back purposefully to Swift's fourth studio album, Red (2012), with maroon color serving as the more "melancholy and experienced version" of red.[27] "Anti-Hero" is a pop rock song about self-loathing.[47] "Snow on the Beach" is a hazy dream pop ballad, featuring backing vocals by Del Rey. It references "All for You" (2001) by Janet Jackson.[45] "You're on Your Own, Kid" is an alternative pop song[39] that begins with muted instrumentals and swells into a crescendo.[47] It discusses Swift's early stardom and her struggles during rise to fame,[48] such as her eating disorder.[27] "Midnight Rain" sees Swift remember an old relationship that was forestalled by her professional ambition and ambivalence about settling down.[48] It features a pitched-down hook, programmed drums and percussion.[47]
"Question...?" asks rhetorical questions about "blurry" memories.[47] Its short introinterpolates Swift's own 2016 single "Out of the Woods".[27] "Vigilante Shit" is built around bubbling beats, swirling synths,[47]industrial elements,[49] and snare drums. It is a "noirish"[28] vengeance declaration, taking aim at an enemy and encourages other women to do the same.[47] "Bejeweled" is a disco tune[23] driven by synth arpeggios,[27] with lyrics recognizing Swift's self-worth.[47] "Labyrinth" is a steady synth-pop song with skittering electronic elements,[47] about the anxiety over falling in love again.[46] "Karma" is a playful electroclash song with elements of new wave, alternative pop and techno,[47] and comical lyrics,[36] targeted at Swift's detractors.[27] Employing a double entendre, "Sweet Nothing" is a relaxed, love song driven by saxophone[45][47] and electric piano,[36] emulating 1970s ballads.[27] It is an ode to Swift's calm romantic relationship inside her house, as opposed to her hectic stardom outside.[47] The album closes with "Mastermind", which satirizes[27] Swift's alternate perspective on fate and happenstance.[31] She confesses that her "calculating approach to pop stardom seeped into her love life as well", as opposed to the lyrics about destiny in the Folklore track, "Invisible String".[47] It is also a nod to Swift's own “cryptic and Machiavellian” habit of leaving Easter eggs.[45]
Art direction
Upon the album's announcement, press outlets speculated that Swift's Moschino outfit for the VMAs afterparty—a navy blue micro mini romper embellished with silver stars—teased the album's aesthetic.[50][51][52] Analyzing the album's promotional pictures, The Ringer described the aesthetic as "glam, but a chill, interior kind of glamor as opposed to big popstar glamor", with midnight blue dominating the color palette and retro photographs featuring upholstery.[20]Clock faces and "60s/'70s family-room decor" are also a part of the Midnights era.[20][36]Vogue noted 1970s styles in Swift's fashion,[53] marking a departure from the rural, cottagecore attire she had adopted for Folklore and Evermore.[54][12] Fashion critic Jess Cartner-Morley found it reminiscent of the album cover of Country Life (1974) by English art rock band Roxy Music and the photographs by French artist Guy Bourdin for Vogue France.[55]
Cover artwork
The standard cover artwork of Midnights is minimalist.[56] It takes inspiration from old-fashioned LP jackets whose songs were listed on the front cover.[57] The photograph of Swift featured in the artwork depicts her in blue eye shadow, black eye liner, and her signature red lips,[56] observing a glimmering lighter held near her face.[58] The typeface used is Neue Haas Grotesk.[59] The album title and track listing are in a blue gradient.[56] The vinyl edition of the cover, posted by Swift across her social media, splits the track list into an A-side and B-side, indicating a two-sided LP.[60] Three limited-edition color variants of the physical album, featuring different cover artworks were also issued.[note 3]The Cut said the covers depict Swift in "various states of glamorous late-night stress."[62] The Dallas Observer noted similarities to the indie sleaze aesthetic.[63] Additionally, the reverse side of the standard and three alternate editions each portray a quarter sector of a dial; when assembled together and combined with a clock mechanism sold separately, they form a functioning clock.[64]
Release and promotion
Midnights was released on October 21, 2022.[6] The album was available to pre-save and pre-order on her website.[65] Swift engaged in a traditional roll-out for Midnights, following limited promotion of her albums during the COVID-19 pandemic.[66] Two music videos—for "Anti-Hero" and "Bejeweled"—were released on October 21 and 25, respectively.[67][68] On the Midnights Manifest, Swift also teased a "very chaotic surprise" occurring hours after the album's release. This materialized into a digital and streaming-exclusive extended version of the album titled Midnights (3am Edition), containing seven bonus tracks that Swift said were written for but ultimately excluded from the record to limit the standard track-list to 13 tracks, released at 03:00 EDT.[69][70]
"Anti-Hero" is the lead single of Midnights.[71] The track was released for digital download on Swift's website on October 21, 2022.[72]Republic Records released the song to the US hot adult contemporary radio on October 24, 2022, followed by contemporary hit radio on October 25.[73] "Bejeweled" and "Question...?" became promotional singles on October 25 as well, released for digital download on Swift's website.[74][75] Instrumental versions of both the songs followed on October 27, in the same format, for a limited time.[76]
Swift's United Kingdom website has indirectly confirmed a forthcoming concert tour. Pre-ordering Midnights on the UK store resulted in "special presale code access for forthcoming and yet to be announced Taylor Swift UK show dates."[77][78] On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Swift stated she "should [go on tour]. When it's time, [I will] do it".[79] She further said that "it's going to happen", during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show.[80]
Marketing
Title card of Midnights Mayhem with Me, a series of TikTok videos by Swift where she revealed the track titles one by one.
To "defy" her usual routine of incorporating Easter eggs to hint at information,[81] Swift released a video series on TikTok called Midnights Mayhem with Me, consisting of thirteen episodes between September 21 and October 7, 2022.[82] She unveiled the track-list in a randomized order in the series, one song per episode, in front of a curtain backdrop, accompanied by an elevator music tune.[81] A lottery cage containing 13 ping pong balls numbered from one to thirteen,[83] each representing a track of the album, was rolled, and when a ball drops out, Swift disclosed the title of the corresponding track on the album, through a telephone. The first episode revealed the thirteenth track "Mastermind",[84] and the final episode revealed "Snow on the Beach" and its Del Rey feature.[82]
Some lyrics from Midnights were displayed on Spotify's billboards across the world in the days leading up to the album's launch, starting with Times Square on October 17.[85] Swift also posted an itinerary, entitled Midnights Manifest, detailing the promotional events scheduled for the album.[86] She appeared on The Tonight Show on October 24,[87] followed by The Graham Norton Show on October 28.[88] An iHeartRadio program called Midnights with Taylor, featuring commentary from Swift, ran on its pop stations from October 21 to 26, during which the album received airplay.[89]
Swift wrote and directed the music videos. The "Anti-Hero" video premiered on October 21, 2022, eight hours after the release of Midnights.[94][95] She described it as a depiction of her "nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts."[96] The "Bejeweled" video premiered on October 25, at midnight, and depicts an alternate take of the Cinderella fairy tale.[97]
Media response
Pitchfork,[98]Time,[99] and the Recording Academy named Midnights as one of the most anticipated records of fall 2022;[100]USA Today Sports Weekly called it the most anticipated release of Swift's career.[91] The incorporation of Swift's lucky number 13 in the number of tracks, a tradition she had implemented in her career several times, was also highlighted.[101][102]Time found the track list's length a "concise lineup" for Swift, whose last album, Red (Taylor's Version), consisted of 30 tracks.[103]The New York Times called Swift a "restless creative force" for releasing her fifth album in three years and expected Midnights to become one of 2022's best-selling albums, despite its October release.[104]Los Angeles Times compared Swift's "prolific run of albums" to those of "the all-time greats".[note 4]Quartz projected Midnights to achieve record-setting vinyl sales.[106]
The lack of a pre-released single led to speculation over the album's sound on the internet.[55][107]Variety opined Midnights could either "continue in that more subdued, acoustic, Americana vein" of Folklore and Evermore, or return to the "pure pop" of Lover (2019) and its immediate predecessors.[57]The Washington Post commended the "excellent marketing strategy".[108]Fortune dubbed Swift an "unparalleled marketing genius", and praised the album's promotional roll-out, such as Midnights Mayhem with Me, for Swift's "ever-changing burlesque act of selectively revealing details while maintaining an aura of mystery and excitement."[109]ABC News described the album's release as a "dramatic" event.[110]
Midnights received widespread acclaim from music critics, most of whom praised its subdued production and vocals.[116][117] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from publications, the album received a weighted mean score of 85 based on 25 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[112] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[111]
Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos and Rob Sheffield dubbed Midnights a classic; Spanos praised Swift's "brilliant and fresh" songwriting style,[45] while Sheffield highlighted the production and mood.[23]Variety's Chris Willman praised Swift's vocals, Antonoff's production, and the artistic choice to abandon "bangers" for mid-tempo pop.[36]Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph admired Swift's "intimate" songcraft, melodies and lyrics.[118] Lucy Harbron of Gigwise appreciated Swift's reinvention and experimentation in Midnights.[30]American Songwriter critic Alex Hopper described the album as a "rich listening experience" and "1989'sgrungier sister",[114] whereas Kitty Empire of The Observer said it is "an album of fascinating small-hours contemplation" and "pure bliss".[26]Alex Bilmes, in Esquire, called it "the pop album of the year."[46]
Entertainment Weekly's Marc Hirsh complimented its sound, concept and themes.[31]The Guardian'sAlexis Petridis and Under the Radar's Andy Von Pip praised the "understated" production; Petridis found it sophisticated and "tastefully subdued",[34] while Pip called it elegant and "beautifully crafted".[25]Ann Powers, in her NPR review, felt the album is Swift's most "challenging", complimenting the "glamorous, gleaming" vocals,[24] while Matthew Neale of Clash wrote Swift's songwriting prowess and "swagger" were the "most exciting" parts of Midnights, calling the album a "near-perfect" body of work.[119] Helen Brown of The Independent wrote, Swift "unpacks her darkest dreams, deepest doubts and cruelest thoughts" using "feline vocal stealth" and "assured lyrical control".[28]NME's Hannah Mylrea said the album marks Swift's return to pop, offering "future-facing sounds" and candid lyrics.[44] Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times admired Swift's "strong" vocals emphasizing her grain and cadences.[120]
Elise Ryan of the Associated Press called the album a product of Swift's maturity and artistic evolution.[29]Billboard's Jason Lipshutz called it "a focused, legacy-extending" album with "razor-sharp" lyricism.[32]Paste critic Ellen Johnson said Midnights has Swift's "sleekest pop tunes yet"—"something much more muted, nuanced, calculated, cunning and pulsing" than mainstream pop music.[39] Paul Bridgewater, writing in The Line of Best Fit, felt Midnights tries to balance experimentation and commerciality, working as Swift's most cohesive work lyrically and thematically but "underwhelming" sonically.[121] Carl Wilson of Slate said it is her first album other than Folklore "that has nothing notably bad on it at all", with minor criticism towards some of its lyrics.[27] In a mixed review, The New York Times critic Jon Caramanica thought Swift played it safe with Midnights, returning to familiar sounds.[122]
Commercial performance
Global
Midnights broke the all-time Spotify record for the most streamed album in a single day,[123][124] garnering 186 million streams in its opening day on the platform,[125] surpassing the previous record of 155 million streams by Drake's Certified Lover Boy (2021).[126] Swift also became the most-streamed artist in a single day on Spotify, with 228 million streams across her entire catalog, the first artist to cross the 200-million mark.[127] The album further broke the Apple Music record for the most-streamed pop album in a single day,[128][129] the Amazon Music records for the most-streamed album in a single day and week,[130][131] the most single-day Amazon Alexa requests ever, and the most single-day streams in Spatial Audio on Apple Music.[132][133]
Individual markets
In the United States, Midnights sold over 800,000 pure albums in its first day, including 400,000 vinyl LPs, instantly becoming the best-selling album of 2022; it logged the biggest sales week for an album since Swift's own Reputation (2017) and the most vinyl records sold in a week since 1991.[134][125] The album surpassed 1.2 million units within the first three days, and reached 1.4 million units by the fifth day, consisting of 1.05 million album sales and 423 million streams; it marked the largest opening week of the last five years and Swift's career-best, surpassing 1989.[135]
In the United Kingdom, Midnights sold over 140,000 units in its first three days, surpassing the opening-week tally of Harry Styles' Harry's House (113,000 units) to become the fastest-selling album of 2022.[136] Ultimately, the album debuted atop the UK Albums Chart with 204,000 units—Swift's highest first-week tally in her career.[note 5] She broke Madonna's record for the shortest time for a female act to accumulate nine UK number-one albums, and became the first woman since Miley Cyrus in 2013 to simultaneously debut atop both the albums and singles chart, following the number-one debut of "Anti-Hero" as well.[137]
In Australia, Midnights became her record-extending tenth consecutive number-one album, with the biggest opening week since Reputation. Midnights also set the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) records for the biggest streaming and vinyl sales weeks for an album. All of the album's standard tracks entered the ARIA Singles Chart, occupying the entire top 14 region, except the seventh spot.[138][139][140] With the debut of "Anti-Hero" atop the singles chart, Swift earned a record-breaking third Australian "Chart Double" of her career.[141]
In China, Midnights sold over 200,000 digital albums in its first day on QQ Music.[142]
In Germany, Swift scored her first number-one album on the Top 100 Albums chart with Midnights, garnering the largest streaming week for an album in the country at 20 million.[143]
Billboard called Swift's unexpected announcement of the album at the Video Music Awards a "headline-grabbing" moment. Bruce Gillmer, producer of the award show, spoke to the magazine about their viewership gains and how Midnights gave a "massive lift" to the ratings.[146] Swift's official website also crashed due to heavy traffic following her first social media posts about the album.[147] The album's cover artwork became an internet trend, mimicked and parodied by social media users, including official accounts of brands, organizations and celebrities.[note 6]Apple Fitness+ released three new exercise programs designed around Swift's music, featuring tracks from Midnights, curated for yoga, treadmill and High-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts.[150] A five-star, boutique hotel in France—Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa—offers a special luxury package inspired by the album called "The Royal Sleep Experience"; a 13 percent discount will also go into effect for 13 days following the album's release.[151] Spotify's servers crashed for several minutes when Midnights was released.[152][153]
The commercial success of Midnights across all formats was unprecedented in the streaming era. Financial Times pondered whether Swift is "the last pop superstar", underscoring the album's 1.5 million opening week sales—a figure that has not been since the "1990s boy bands" era, which was regarded as the peak for US music business. Music publisher Matt Pincus said Swift is "basically an intellectual property franchise now. Like a DC movie".[154]Fortune compared her to Marvel.[109] Noting a 2021 article from The New York Times article that asked "if Adele couldn't sell more than a million albums in a single week, could any artist?" after her album 30 missed the mark, Rolling Stone responded that Swift "has once again moved the goalposts regarding what the music industry can see as possible from a major pop star".[155] Business journalist Greg Jericho lauded Swift's ability to remain culturally relevant and successful 18 years into a music career, highlighting how the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen were past their prime at that stage.[156]
^The standard, widely available artwork of Midnights is called "Moonstone Blue". The limited edition covers are namely "Jade Green", "Blood Moon", and "Mahogany". The CD with bonus tracks is titled "Lavender"and the vinyl lavender edition does not include these tracks.[61]
^Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Browne, David; Dolan, Jon; Ehrlich, Brenna; Gross, Joe; Grow, Kory; Hiatt, Brian; Johnston, Maura; Kim, Michelle Hyun (October 12, 2022). "The 50 Greatest Concept Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.