Illicit Affairs

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"Illicit Affairs"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album Folklore
ReleasedJuly 24, 2020 (2020-07-24)
Studio
Genre
Length3:10
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Lyric video
"Illicit Affairs" on YouTube

"Illicit Affairs" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It is taken from her eighth studio album, Folklore, which was released on July 24, 2020. The track was written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, and Joe Alwyn was credited as co-producer.[a] "Illicit Affairs" is an acoustic guitar-led folk love song describing an infidelity of a narrator wanting to maintain her deceitful relationship.

In reviews of Folklore, critics praised the song for what they deemed a well-written narrative about infidelity. Commercially, "Illicit Affairs" peaked at number 44 on the United States's Billboard Hot 100 and entered on the charts of Australia, Canada, Portugal, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. It received certifications from Australia and the UK. The song was featured on Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020), and Swift included it on the regular set list of the Eras Tour (2023–2024).

Background and composition[edit]

The American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift conceived her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020), as figments of mythopoeic visuals in her mind, as a result of her imagination "running wild" while isolating herself during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1][2] She recruited Jack Antonoff, who had worked on her three previous studio albums, as a producer on the album.[2] Swift wrote and produced four songs with Antonoff, including "Illicit Affairs";[3] the English actor Joe Alwyn was credited as co-producer on the track.[a] It was recorded by Laura Sisk at Kitty Committee Studio in Los Angeles. The instruments were recorded at Hook and Fade and Rough Customer Studio both in Brooklyn, and Pleasure Hill Recording in Portland, Maine. The track was mixed by Serban Ghenea at Mixstar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and was mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound in New York City.[3] "Illicit Affairs" is a folk love song driven by an acoustic guitar.[5][6][7] At three minutes and ten seconds, it is the shortest track on Folklore.[8] The production incorporates electric guitars, live drums, bass, keyboards, accordion, saxophones,[3] pedal steel guitar,[9] finger-picked strings,[10] and soft horns.[11] Swift raises her voice an octave at the end of each line.[12] Allaire Nuss of Entertainment Weekly[13] and Ellen Johnson of Paste thought the song veers toward indie folk; the latter opined that it was similar to the American singer-songwriter Justin Vernon.[14]

"Illicit Affairs"
A sample of "Illicit Affairs", in which the narrator whispers the details of how to maintain her deceitful relationship over an acoustic guitar.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

As with multiple tracks on Folklore, "Illicit Affairs" is based on a fictional narrative with imagined story arcs and characters; some critics wrote that the song is about "clandestine romance".[2][10] The lyrics tell a story of infidelity about a disloyal narrator who wants to continue her deceitful relationship.[15][16] She describes the details of how to maintain the relationship and whispers them as if they were secrets: ("Tell your friends you're out for a run / You'll be flushed when you return").[17][18] It features themes of adultery: ("Take the road less travelled by / Tell yourself you can always stop / What started in beautiful rooms / Ends with meetings in parking lots").[19] In the climax, the narrator regrets the love and calls the relationship out: ("Don't call me kid / Don't call me baby [...] Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me"). She eventually calms herself in the final line: ("For you, I would ruin myself [...] A million little times").[20][9] The song ends abruptly after its build-up, without a final chorus.[21] In a Pitchfork review, Jill Mapes opined that the lyrics driven by perspectives "speak volumes" of Swift's evolution as a songwriter.[6] For Rolling Stone, Angie Martoccio likened the lyrical narrative to that of Phoebe Bridgers's "Savior Complex" (2020), and thought the song "[runs] a little deeper".[9]

Release and live performances[edit]

Folklore was released on July 24, 2020, via Republic Records. In the track-list, "Illicit Affairs" sits at number 10 out of the 16 tracks.[3] It entered on national charts in Singapore (16),[22] Canada (33),[23] Portugal (131).[24] In the United States, the track peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100[25] and number 13 on the Rolling Stone Top 100.[26] In Australia, it peaked at number 23 on the ARIA Singles Chart[27] and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[28] In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number 41 on the OCC's Audio Streaming Chart[29] and received a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[30]

After the album's release, Swift recorded a stripped-down rendition of "Illicit Affairs" for the Disney+ film Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions and its live album on November 25, 2020.[31] Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield named the recording the "definitive version" and thought it "goes so far beyond the studio original".[20][32] In March 2023, Swift embarked on her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour, as a tribute to her discography.[33] The tour consisted of ten acts, including the Folklore set, where she sang "Illicit Affairs".[34] Swift would chant a rock-tinged version of the song's bridge.[35] Journalists described the performance as "powerful",[20] "impassioned",[36] and "vocally astounding".[35]

Critical reception[edit]

In the reviews of Folklore, critics generally discussed "Illicit Affairs" in relation to its lyrics and Swift's songwriting. Some picked it as an album highlight.[b] Mapes wrote that the song has the "most tender, saccharine love story" on the album,[6] while both Martoccio[9] and Roisin O'Connor of The Independent lauded Swift's songwriting for how well she details a dishonest relationship.[39] Aaron Dessner, who co-wrote and produced some of Folklore's songs, labeled "Illicit Affairs" a "great" song and thought it was a demonstration of Swift's versatility and her power as a songwriter.[5] The Los Angeles Times author Jody Rosen deemed its lyrics about infidelity more sophisticated than Swift's other songs with the same subject matter.[40] Ilana Kaplan of British Vogue thought the song was a continuation of "Getaway Car" from her 2017 album Reputation,[10] and Chris Willman from Variety drew comparisons between the tracks and said that it had "less catharsis [...] but just as much "pungent wisdom".[17]

A few critics focused on other aspects of the track. Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen from The Sydney Morning Herald said that Folklore "brings together all the threads, as well as adding new ones", which she considered "Illicit Affairs" as an example.[11] The New York Times journalist Jon Caramanica wrote that the song's "experimentation with tonal approach succeeds".[18] John Wohlmacher of Beats Per Minute said Swift had an "unvarnished and vulnerable" vocal performance on "Illicit Affairs", and selected it as one of the tracks that makes Folklore for him her "best album to date".[38] Channing Freeman from Sputnikmusic was not as enthusiastic, thinking that the focus on the acoustic guitar was "encouraging", but criticized the song for ending at three minutes.[7] In retrospective reviews, Willman listed "Illicit Affairs" at number 24 in his ranking of Swift's top 50 songs and lauded it as a "brilliantly written" song with "a whole movie's worth of insight about cheating"[41] and American Songwriter's Alex Hopper viewed it as a fan-favorite and wrote how its lyrics about infidelity "managed to connect with a wide array of fans".[36]

Personnel[edit]

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes, except where noted.[42]

  • Taylor Swift – lead vocals, songwriting, production
  • Jack Antonoff – songwriting, production, engineering, instrument recording, bass, live drums, electric guitar, keyboard, percussion programming, background vocals
  • Joe Alwyn – production[a]
  • Evan Smith – instrument recording, accordion, electric guitar, keyboard, saxophone, background vocals
  • Mikey Freedom Hart – pedal steel
  • Laura Sisk – recording
  • John Hanes – audio engineering
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Randy Merrill – mastering

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "Illicit Affairs"
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[27] 23
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[23] 33
Portugal (AFP)[24] 131
Singapore (RIAS)[22] 16
UK Audio Streaming (OCC)[29] 41
US Billboard Hot 100[25] 44
US Rolling Stone Top 100[26] 13

Certifications[edit]

Certification for "Illicit Affairs"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[28] Platinum 70,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d In the liner notes of Folklore, only Swift and Antonoff are credited as producers. The Recording Academy recognized Alwyn as the track's co-producer after Folklore won Album of the Year at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[4]
  2. ^ Attributed to Variety's Chris Willman,[17] i's Sarah Carson,[37] and Beats Per Minute's John Wohlmacher[38]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "'It Started with Imagery': Read Taylor Swift's Primer for Folklore". Billboard. July 24, 2020. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Suskind, Alex (December 9, 2020). "Taylor Swift Broke All Her Rules with Folklore — And Gave Herself a Much-Needed Escape". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d Strauss, Matthew; Minsker, Evan (July 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift Releases New Album Folklore: Listen and Read the Full Credits". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  4. ^ Grein, Paul (April 26, 2021). "Taylor Swift's Boyfriend Joe Alwyn Is Officially a Grammy Winner". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 9, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Gerber, Brady (July 27, 2020). "The Story Behind Every Song on Taylor Swift's Folklore". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Mapes, Jill (July 27, 2020). "Taylor Swift: Folklore". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Freeman, Channing (July 25, 2020). "Review: Taylor Swift - Folklore". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on October 7, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  8. ^ Swift, Taylor (October 27, 2014). "Folklore". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d Martoccio, Angie (July 24, 2023). "The Godforsaken Mess of Taylor Swift's 'Illicit Affairs'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Kaplan, Ilana (July 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift Is at Her Most Emotionally Raw on Surprise New Album Folklore". British Vogue. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Nguyen, Giselle Au-Nhien (July 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift's New Album Is a Fever Dream You Won't Want to Wake Up From". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  12. ^ Willman, Chris (October 21, 2022). "Taylor Swift's Midnights Marks a Return to Electronic, Confessional Pop That's Worth Losing Sleep Over: Album Review". Variety. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  13. ^ Nuss, Allaire (November 7, 2022). "Taylor Swift's 10 Seminal Albums, Ranked". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  14. ^ Johnson, Ellen (July 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift Morphs Her Sound Yet Again on the Stunning Folklore". Paste. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  15. ^ Snapes, Laura (July 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift: Folklore Review – Bombastic Pop Makes Way for Emotional Acuity". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  16. ^ Gutowitz, Jill (July 24, 2020). "What Is Every Song on Taylor Swift's Folklore Actually About?". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 30, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  17. ^ a b c Willman, Chris (July 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift's Folklore: Album Review". Variety. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (July 26, 2020). "Taylor Swift, a Pop Star Done with Pop". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  19. ^ McCormick, Neil (July 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift, Folklore Review: An Exquisite, Empathetic Lockdown Triumph". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  20. ^ a b c Sheffield, Rob (October 28, 2023). "All 243 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  21. ^ Keefe, Jonathan (July 27, 2020). "Taylor Swift Folklore Review: The Album Mines Pathos from a Widening Worldview". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  22. ^ a b "RIAS International Top Charts Week 31". Recording Industry Association Singapore. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020.
  23. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  24. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – Illicit Affairs". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  25. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  26. ^ a b "Top 100 Songs, July 24, 2020 - July 30, 2020". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  27. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – Illicit Affairs". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  28. ^ a b "Jan 2024 Single Accreds" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  29. ^ a b "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  30. ^ a b "British single certifications – Taylor Swift – Illicit Affairs". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  31. ^ Monroe, Jazz (November 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift Releases New Folklore Film and Live Album". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  32. ^ Sheffield, Rob (November 25, 2020). "The Thanksgiving Miracle of Taylor Swift's Acoustic Folklore Session". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  33. ^ Barnes, Kelsey (March 20, 2023). "Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Is a Career-Defining Spectacle Full of Surprises – Review". The Independent. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  34. ^ Yahr, Emily (March 18, 2023). "Analysis | Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Opener: A Complete Recap of All 44 Songs". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  35. ^ a b Carroll, Rachel R. (March 18, 2023). "Taylor Swift's 'Eras' Tour Kick Off: Top Five Moments from the Star's Transcendent Performance". NME. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  36. ^ a b Hopper, Alex (December 7, 2023). "A Battle of Taylor Swift's Songs: The Big Hits vs. Fan Favorites". American Songwriter. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  37. ^ Carson, Sarah (July 24, 2023). "Taylor Swift's Folklore Is a Dazzling, Timeless Surprise Album, Her Most Sophisticated Yet". i. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  38. ^ a b Wohlmacher, John (July 27, 2020). "Album Review: Taylor Swift – Folklore". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  39. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (July 25, 2020). "Taylor Swift's Eighth Album Folklore Is Exquisite, Piano-Based Poetry – Review". The Independent. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  40. ^ Rosen, Jody (July 24, 2020). "Review: Taylor Swift's Radically Intimate Folklore Is the Perfect Quar Album". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  41. ^ Willman, Chris (December 13, 2022). "Taylor Swift's 50 Best Songs, Ranked". Variety. Archived from the original on January 8, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  42. ^ Taylor Swift (2020). Folklore (booklet). United States: Republic Records. B003271102.
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