Call It What You Want (Taylor Swift song)

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"Call It What You Want"
Promotional graphic for the song
Promotional single by Taylor Swift
from the album Reputation
ReleasedNovember 3, 2017 (2017-11-03)
StudioRough Customer (Brooklyn Heights)
Genre
Length3:24
LabelBig Machine
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff
Lyric video
"Call It What You Want" on YouTube

"Call It What You Want" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her sixth studio album, Reputation (2017). Big Machine Records released the song for download and streaming on November 3, 2017. Swift wrote and produced "Call It What You Want" with Jack Antonoff, and the track is a mid-tempo electropop and synth-pop song with R&B-trap crossover elements. Its lyrics are about the transformative power of a romantic relationship that helps Swift cope with the tumultuous outer world.

Music critics received "Call It What You Want" with positive reviews; they praised its vulnerability and intimacy in its songwriting and production. The song peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 50 on singles charts in Austria, Hungary, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, and the Philippines. Swift included the track in the set list of her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018.

Background

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The American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift released her fifth studio album, 1989, in October 2014. It was a synth-pop record that transformed her image from a country artist to a pop star.[1][2] The album received wide commercial success, reaching one million copies within one year and producing three Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles.[3] During its promotion, Swift was targeted by the tabloid media; her image as "America's Sweetheart", a result of her being wholesome and innocent, disappeared from publicized short-lived relationships and disputes with other celebrities.[4][5][6] Swift therefore became increasingly silent on social media and avoided the press during tumultuous affairs.[7] Her sixth studio album, Reputation (2017), was conceived as a message to the media commotion surrounding her as a celebrity.[8]

Composition

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"Call It What You Want" was engineered by Laura Sisk at Rough Customer Studio in Brooklyn Heights. It was mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound Studios in New York.[9] "Call It What You Want" is an atmospheric, mid-tempo electropop[10] and synth-pop song[11] with a crossover R&B-trap inclination.[12] Jack Antonoff revealed on Twitter that "Call It What You Want" was "made with an MPC, live kick, dx7 strings and samples of Taylor's voice as the intro and throughout. Making her voice into an instrument." He also added that he was "honored to have 'Call It What You Want' out in the world. That song means a great deal to me", and recommend fans to "listen on headphones at night on a walk".[13] "Call It What You Want" also features Swift rapping.[14] It follows a chord progression of D – A – E – D/F♯ – F♯m7, and Swift's vocals span from E3 to C♯5.[15]

Release and commercial performance

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"Call It What You Want" was released on November 3, 2017.[16] The song debuted at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart with 68,000 digital copies. Swift became the first artist to have 15 entries reach the latter's summit and extended her record with most debuts at number one on the chart with 14. It is also the fourth Reputation track to top the chart after "Look What You Made Me Do", "...Ready for It?", and "Gorgeous".[17] In March 2018, the song received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[18]

"Call It What You Want" peaked at number 16 in Australia and was certified gold.[19][20] It reached number 29 in the United Kingdom and received a silver certification.[21][22] Elsewhere, "Call It What You Want" debuted on the charts of several countries: it peaked within the top 50 of Hungary (5),[23] Malaysia (13),[24] the Philippines (27),[25] New Zealand (34),[26] Austria (43),[27] and Ireland (44),[28] and further reached Portugal, France, Switzerland, and Germany.[note 1]

Critical reception

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The song received critical acclaim. The song was named the 20th best song of 2017 by Rolling Stone.[11] According to Entertainment Weekly, the song, in which Swift says she is "doing better than [she] ever was" and details her romantic life, was well received by her fan base.[29] Frank Guan of Vulture stated that the song "deals in gossamer and light; its spare, airy production evokes, or attempts to evoke, a sense of radiant, protective romance in the wake of a devastating social debacle; listeners ready to view that loss as the one she suffered last year at the hands of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West will meet no resistance."[30] USA Today gave it a positive review, saying it was more subdued than her other recent singles, and "the most perceptive and unabashedly romantic song of the singer's new era", and "surprisingly effective and grown-up".[31] Complex Magazine had the opinion that the song was the first single pre-released from her album that was not "distressing", as "Call It What You Want" is "actually good," and also dropped the "revenge narrative to great effect." [32] Spin Magazine gave it a similar review, saying it was much better than her other recent material.[33]

Live performances

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Swift performed an acoustic version of "Call It What You Want" during a SiriusXM Fishbowl session on November 10, 2017.[34] A day later, Swift performed an acoustic version of the song again during an episode of the 43rd season of Saturday Night Live, alongside "...Ready for It?".[35] The song was part on the regular set list of her fifth concert tour, the Reputation Stadium Tour (2018).[36] Swift performed "Call It What You Want" as a "surprise song" as part of the Eras Tour (2023–2024) during multiple occasions.[37]

Credits and personnel

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Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Reputation.[9]

Charts

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Chart performance for "Call It What You Want"
Chart (2017–2018) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[19] 16
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[27] 43
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[38] 24
France (SNEP)[39] 76
Germany (GfK)[40] 99
Hungary (Single Top 40)[23] 5
Ireland (IRMA)[28] 44
Malaysia (RIM)[24] 13
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[26] 34
Philippines (Philippine Hot 100)[25] 27
Portugal (AFP)[41] 65
South Korean International Singles (Gaon)[42] 80
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] 96
UK Singles (OCC)[21] 29
US Billboard Hot 100[44] 27

Certifications

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Certifications for "Call It What You Want"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[20] Platinum 70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[45] Gold 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[18] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ See the charts section for the exact peaks.

References

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  1. ^ McNutt, Myles (2020). "From 'Mine' to 'Ours': Gendered Hierarchies of Authorship and the Limits of Taylor Swift's Paratextual Feminism". Communication, Culture and Critique. 13 (1): 79. doi:10.1093/ccc/tcz042.
  2. ^ Levine, Nick (August 21, 2019). "Taylor Swift's Lover: The Struggle to Maintain Superstardom". BBC. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  3. ^ Anderson, Trevor (October 27, 2015). "Taylor Swift's 1989 One-Year Anniversary: 13 Impressive Chart Facts for the Blockbuster Album". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  4. ^ Ryan, Patrick (November 9, 2017). "5 Things Taylor Swift's Past USA Today Interviews Tell Us About Her Reputation Era". USA Today. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  5. ^ Puente, Maria (July 18, 2016). "Is Taylor's Good-Girl Rep Frayed by Kanye/Kardashian Feud?". USA Today. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  6. ^ Berman, Judy (January 28, 2020). "Taylor Swift: Miss Americana Is an Intriguing but Incomplete Sketch of an Icon in Transition". Time. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  7. ^ Yahr, Emily (November 15, 2017). "Taylor Swift Avoided – and Mocked – the Media with Reputation. And It Worked". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  8. ^ Hiatt, Brian (September 30, 2019). "9 Taylor Swift Moments That Didn't Fit in Our Cover Story". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Reputation (CD booklet). Taylor Swift. Big Machine Records. 2017.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Spanos, Brittany (November 3, 2017). "Hear Taylor Swift's New Song 'Call It What You Want'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "50 Best Songs of 2017". Rolling Stone. November 29, 2017. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  12. ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (November 21, 2017). "Taylor Swift – Reputation". Clash. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  13. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (November 5, 2017). "Jack Antonoff Shares Some Insight Into the Making of Taylor Swift's 'Call It What You Want'". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  14. ^ Gordon, Jeremy (November 3, 2017). "Okay, Sure, Taylor Swift's "Call It What You Want" Isn't So Bad". Spin. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  15. ^ Swift, Taylor (November 9, 2017). "Taylor Swift "Call It What You Want" Sheet Music in A Major (transposable) - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  16. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (November 3, 2017). "Taylor Swift Debuts 'Call It What You Want': Watch Lyric Video". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  17. ^ Trust, Gary (November 13, 2017). "Taylor Swift Notches Fourth Digital Song Sales No. 1 From 'Reputation' With 'Call It What You Want'". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  18. ^ a b "American single certifications – Taylor Swift – Call It What You Want". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – Call It What You Want". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  20. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  22. ^ a b "British single certifications – Taylor Swift – Call It What You Want". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  23. ^ a b "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  24. ^ a b "Top 20 Most Streamed International & Domestic Singles in Malaysia : Week 45 (3/11/2017 – 9/11/2017)" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  25. ^ a b "BillboardPH Hot 100". Billboard Philippines. Archived from the original on November 28, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  26. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – Call It What You Want". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  27. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – Call It What You Want" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  28. ^ a b "Chart Track: Week 45, 2017". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  29. ^ "Taylor Swift fans have intense reactions to new love song: 'I'm crying'", Entertainment Weekly, November 3, 2017, archived from the original on February 3, 2018, retrieved February 2, 2018
  30. ^ Guan, Frank (November 3, 2017). "The Anesthetic Lift of Taylor Swift's 'Call It What You Want'". Vulture. Archived from the original on November 12, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  31. ^ "Taylor Swift's new song 'Call It What You Want' is the musical equivalent of the heart-eyes emoji", USA Today, November 3, 2017, archived from the original on November 13, 2017, retrieved February 2, 2018
  32. ^ "Taylor Swift Finally Made a Great 'Reputation' Song", Complex, November 7, 2017, archived from the original on February 3, 2018, retrieved February 2, 2018
  33. ^ "Okay, Sure, Taylor Swift's "Call It What You Want" Isn't So Bad", Spin Magazine, November 3, 2017, archived from the original on January 3, 2018, retrieved February 2, 2018
  34. ^ Stubblebine, Allison (November 10, 2017). "Taylor Swift Treats Lucky Fans to Intimate Acoustic Set at SiriusXM". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  35. ^ Moore, Sam (November 12, 2017). "Watch Taylor Swift perform two tracks from 'Reputation' on 'Saturday Night Live'". NME. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  36. ^ Sheffield, Rob (May 9, 2018). "Rob Sheffield Reviews Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' Tour Kickoff". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  37. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (July 2, 2023). "All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed on The Eras Tour (So Far)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  38. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  39. ^ "Taylor Swift – Call It What You Want" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  40. ^ "Taylor Swift – Call It What You Want" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  41. ^ "Taylor Swift – Call It What You Want". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  42. ^ "Chart search: Taylor Swift" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  43. ^ "Taylor Swift – Call It What You Want". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  44. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  45. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Taylor Swift – Call It What You Want" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved March 21, 2024.


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