Question...?

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This article is about the Taylor Swift song. For other uses, see Question (disambiguation).

"Question...?"
Cover artwork of "Question...?" featuring a photo of Swift staring into the void
Promotional single by Taylor Swift
from the album Midnights
ReleasedOctober 25, 2022 (2022-10-25)
Studio
GenreSynth-pop
Length3:30
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff
Lyric video
"Question...?" on YouTube

"Question...?" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her tenth original studio album, Midnights (2022). Swift wrote and produced the song with Jack Antonoff. A synth-pop track, "Question...?" has lyrics where a narrator ponders on a broken relationship and confronts the ex-lover with a series of rhetorical questions. It samples Swift's own 2016 single "Out of the Woods". The song was released as a limited-time digital download from Midnights on October 25, 2022, by Republic Records.

In reviews of Midnights, some critics picked "Question...?" as an album highlight, praising the lyrical details and production. The song peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 11 on the Billboard Global 200, and within the top 10 on charts of Canada, the Philippines, and Singapore. It also received certifications in Australia, Canada, and the UK.

Background and release[edit]

On August 28, 2022, during her acceptance speech for Video of the Year for All Too Well: The Short Film at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, the singer-songwriter Taylor Swift announced her tenth studio album and its release date for October 21.[1] Soon after, Swift revealed the name of the album, Midnights, and its album cover on social networks but the tracklist was not immediately revealed.[2] Jack Antonoff, a musician who has worked with Swift since 1989 (2014), was revealed as one of the producers of the album through a video she posted on her Instagram account on September 6, 2022, titled, "The making of Midnights".[3] On September 21, about a month before the album's release, Swift announced a thirteen-episode series called Midnights Mayhem with Me on the social media platform TikTok, and thereafter revealed the title of one album track each episode.[4] The title of "Question...?", track number seven, was revealed on the third episode on September 26.[5]

"Question...?" was released exclusively onto Swift's official website for a limited-time download offer on October 25, 2022.[6] The instrumental version was released two days later.[7][8] On the May 20, 2023, concert at Foxborough, Massachusetts as part of the Eras Tour, Swift performed an acoustic version of "Question...?" as a "surprise song" outside the regular set list.[9]

Composition[edit]

Production[edit]

Swift wrote and produced "Question...?" with Antonoff, who programmed the track and recorded it at Rough Customer Studio, Brooklyn, and Electric Lady Studios, New York. On the track, Antonoff played the Juno 6 synthesizer, the Mellotron, and provided background vocals. The track features various drum players: Dominik Rivinius, whose performance was recorded by Ken Lewis at Neon Wave Studio, Pirmasens, Germany; Evan Smith, who recorded at Pleasure Hill Recording, Portland, Maine; and Sean Hutchinson, who recorded at Hutchinson Sound, Brooklyn. Serban Ghenea, assisted by Bryce Bordone, mixed "Question...?" at MixStar Studio, Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Randy Merrill mastered it at Sterling Sound, Edgewater, New Jersey.[10]

"Question...?" has a duration of three minutes and 30 seconds.[11] It is a synth-pop song[12] with sharp percussion beats.[13] The track's beginning contains a sample of Swift's 2016 single "Out of the Woods", from the album 1989 (2014).[14] It starts with subdued synths in the mix and the percussions become prominent from the second chorus.[15] At one point, the production incorporates sounds of a crowd cheering, which are credited to Antonoff, Antonoff's sister Rachel, Swift's brother Austin, and Dylan O'Brien.[16] Some critics compared the song's arrangement and production to Swift's 2014 single, "Blank Space";[17] Carl Wilson from Slate said Swift interpolates her "descending-scale cadence" from the bridge of "Blank Space".[14] In Billboard, Becky Kaminsky likened "Question...?" to Swift's 2017 album, Reputation.[18]

Lyrics[edit]

In the lyrics, the narrator ruminates on a broken relationship and how things could have turned out differently.[19] The song depicts the narrator as a "good girl" and the ex-lover as a "sad boy" in a big city.[17] In the refrain, she wants to confront the ex-lover with a series of questions ("Did you leave her house in the middle of the night?" "Did you wish you'd put up more of a fight when she said it was too much?" "Do you wish you could still touch her?"),[20] to which the answers she has already known.[21] She subtly mocks her ex-lover's new love: "And what's that that I heard, that you're still with her, that's nice/ I'm sure that's what's suitable/ And right."[19] Alejandra Gularte of Vulture described the song as suitable for an "anxious attached person that gets slightly comfortable with their partner".[22]

Teen Vogue identified probable lyrical references to Swift's previous songs, such as kissing someone in "a crowded room" to "Dress" (from Reputation) and multiple mentions of late-night encounters with a love interest to many 1989 tracks including "Style", "All You Had to Do Was Stay", and "How You Get the Girl".[23] NPR critic Ann Powers cited the lyrics, "Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room / And every single one of your friends was making fun of you / But 15 seconds later they were clapping too?", as a highlight portraying "a scene of romantic persuasion and betrayal".[24] For Powers, the said lyrics encapsulate women's feelings and anxiety towards how they can be concerned by uncertain love, social pressure, and others' desires for them.[24]

Critical reception[edit]

"Question...?" was met with positive reviews from critics. Wilson considered the track his counterproposal for Midnights's lead single; he praised the song for "acknowledging the mix of nostalgia and distance that often accompanies such more mature thoughts".[14] Powers was similarly positive, saying that the track "is the kind of story song only Swift can write" and that it captures the emotional sentiments to the details "so acutely that it stings".[24] Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic said he was impressed by the song's "twisty storytelling and last-dance wistfulness".[25] The A.V. Club's Saloni Gajjar wrote it contains "classic Swift charm and potent use of metaphors",[26] and The Guardian's Alexis Petridis selected it among the Midnights tracks that are "filled with subtle, brilliant touches", selecting it as a song that displays Swift's talents as a songwriter.[27][28]

For The New York Times's Jon Caramanica, "Question...?" is one of the better album songs lyrically.[29] Praising the production, Bobby Olivier from Spin found the track to have a radio hit potential.[12] In Paste, Ellen Johnson lauded the song as a meticulously produced track, with a more nuanced and restrained production compared to common pop music.[30] On a less complimentary side, Craig Jenkins from Vulture deemed the refrain "cloying".[31] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard placed "Question...?" last on his ranking of Midnights tracks, writing that even though it is not the strongest album song, it "boasts some fascinating tidbits to pore over".[32]

Commercial performance[edit]

Following the release of Midnights, tracks from the album occupied the entire top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100; "Question...?" opened at its peak of number seven on the chart with first-week figures of 31 million streams, 21,400 downloads, and 425,000 airplay impressions. The tracks made Swift the first artist to occupy the top 10 of the Hot 100 and the woman with the most top 10 entries (40), exceeding Madonna (38).[33][34] On the Digital Songs chart, it became Swift's record-extending 24th number-one song, propelled by the limited-time downloads offered via her website.[35][36] In Canada, the song peaked at number 10 on the Canadian Hot 100 and was certified gold by Music Canada for selling over 40,000 units.[37][38] Elsewhere, "Question...?" charted at number seven in the Philippines[39] and Singapore,[40] number eight in Malaysia,[41] number 11 in Australia,[42] number 15 in Vietnam,[43] number 20 in Iceland,[44] number 21 in Portugal,[45] and various positions in other countries. The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Global 200.[46]

Accolades[edit]

Awards and nominations for "Question...?"
Organization Year Category Result Ref.
iHeartRadio Music Awards 2023 Favorite Use of a Sample Won [47]

Personnel[edit]

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Midnights.[10]

  • Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriter, producer
  • Jack Antonoff – songwriter, producer, programming, percussion, Juno 6, Mellotron, background vocals, recording, crowd applause
  • Dominik Rivinius – drums
  • Evan Smith – drums
  • Sean Hutchinson – drums, percussion
  • Rachel Antonoff – crowd applause
  • Austin Swift – crowd applause
  • Dylan O'Brien – crowd applause
  • Megan Searl – assistant engineer
  • John Sher – assistant engineer
  • John Rooney – assistant engineer
  • Serban Ghenea – mix engineer
  • Bryce Bordone – assistant mix engineer
  • Randy Merrill – mastering engineer
  • Laura Sisk – recording
  • David Hart – recording
  • Ken Lewis – recording

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "Question...?"
Chart (2022–2023) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[42] 11
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[37] 10
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[48] 40
France (SNEP)[49] 139
Global 200 (Billboard)[46] 11
Greece International (IFPI)[50] 17
Iceland (Plötutíðindi)[44] 20
Ireland (Billboard)[51] 10
Lithuania (AGATA)[52] 36
Malaysia (Billboard)[53] 14
Malaysia International (RIM)[41] 8
Philippines (Billboard)[39] 7
Portugal (AFP)[45] 21
Singapore (RIAS)[40] 7
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[54] 46
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[55] 62
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[56] 42
Swiss Streaming (Schweizer Hitparade)[57] 44
UK (Billboard)[58] 12
UK Audio Streaming (OCC)[59] 12
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[60] 96
US Billboard Hot 100[34] 7
Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100)[43] 15

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for "Question...?"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[61] Platinum 70,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[38] Gold 40,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[62] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Release dates and formats for "Question…?"
Region Date Format Version Label(s) Ref.
United States October 25, 2022 Digital download Original Republic [6]
October 27, 2022 Instrumental [63]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Dailey, Hannah (October 20, 2022). "Everything We Know About Taylor Swift's Midnights So Far". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  2. ^ Martoccio, Angie (August 29, 2022). "Taylor Swift Announces New Album Midnights: 'A Journey Through Terrors and Sweet Dreams'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 29, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  3. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (September 16, 2022). "Taylor Swift Confirms Jack Antonoff as Producer on Midnights in New Behind-the-Scenes Look". Variety. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  4. ^ Jones, Damian (October 7, 2022). "Taylor Swift reveals all song titles on new album Midnights". NME. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  5. ^ Chan, Anna (September 26, 2022). "Taylor Swift Reveals Another Midnights Song Title ... and We Have a 'Question'". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Question...? Digital Single". Taylor Swift Official Store. October 25, 2022. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  7. ^ Robinson, Ellie (October 28, 2022). "Taylor Swift shares instrumental versions of 'Bejeweled' and 'Question…?'". NME. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  8. ^ Aniftos, Rania (October 28, 2022). "Here Are the Lyrics to Taylor Swift's 'Question…?'". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  9. ^ Richards, Will (May 21, 2023). "Watch Taylor Swift give 'Question...?' live debut as 'Eras' tour continues". NME. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
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  21. ^ Sheffield, Rob (October 26, 2022). "'Question...?' (2022)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 8, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
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  50. ^ "IFPI Charts". ifpi.gr. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
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  62. ^ "British single certifications – Taylor Swift – Question...?". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  63. ^ "Question…? (Instrumental Version) Digital Single". Taylor Swift Official Store. October 27, 2022. Archived from the original on October 27, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
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