Guilty as Sin? explained

Guilty as Sin?
Artist:Taylor Swift
Album:The Tortured Poets Department
Studio:
Genre:
Length:4:14
Label:Republic
Producer:
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff

"Guilty as Sin?" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (2024). She wrote and produced the song with Jack Antonoff. It is a 1990s-tinged pop rock and soft rock track combining rock, country, and folk styles, accentuated by guitars and live drums. The lyrics see Swift's character sexually fantasizing about a man while being in a relationship.

In reviews of The Tortured Poets Department, the song received highly positive reviews, with critics generally praising the lyrics, production, and vocals of "Guilty as Sin?", with some picking it as an album highlight. The track peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Global 200 and charted within the top 10 in Australia, Singapore, and the United States and the top 20 in several other countries.

Background and release

Swift started working on The Tortured Poets Department immediately after she submitted her tenth studio album, Midnights, to Republic Records for release in 2022. She continued working on it in secrecy throughout the US leg of the Eras Tour in 2023.[1] The album's conception took place when Swift's personal life continued to be a widely covered topic in the press.[2] She described The Tortured Poets Department as her "lifeline" album which she "really needed" to make.[3] Republic Records released it on April 19, 2024; "Guilty as Sin?" is ninth on the track list.[4] [5] On May 18, Swift performed the song on guitar on the Stockholm stop of the Eras Tour.[6]

Music and lyrics

Swift wrote and produced "Guilty as Sin?" with Jack Antonoff, who programmed the song and played drums, bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and Juno. The track was recorded by Oli Jacobs and Laura Sisk at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles and Electric Lady Studios in New York, while Swift's vocals were recorded by Sisk and Christopher Rowe at Electric Lady Studios in New York and Prime Recording in Nashville. The track's mixing was engineered by Bryce Bordone and conducted by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach.[7]

"Guilty as Sin?" is 4 minutes and 14 seconds long. It is a 1990s-tinged soft rock[8] [9] and pop rock track[10] [11] combining stylings of rock, country, and folk,[12] accentuated by guitar[13] and live drums.[14] In the chorus, Swift sings using melisma. Lyrically, the song is about desire where Swift's character, while still in a relationship, longs for intimacy with another man.[15] The relationship in question has her feeling trapped ("My boredom's bone deep/ This cage was once just fine/ Am I allowed to cry?/ I dream of crackin' locks").[16] She questions whether she should be guilty about her sexual thoughts ("What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh / Only in my mind?")[17] and rationalizes them ("Without ever touching his skin, how can I be guilty as sin?").

The track features extensive religious imagery,[18] with Swift singing, "What if I roll the stone away?/ They're gonna crucify me anyway",[19] showing that the narrator is aware of others' perception of her. The lyrics, "These fatal fantasies/ Giving way to labored breath/ Taking all of me/ We've already done it in my head", were interpreted as an allusion to masturbation by journalists including The Guardian's Laura Snapes[20] and the BBC's Clare Thorp.[21] Mehera Bonner of Cosmopolitan commented that "Guilty as Sin?" is lyrically connected with Swift's 2022 song "Carolina", a track that features the phrase "guilty as sin" to describe "[sleeping] in a liar's bed".[22] Meanwhile, The Tennessean's Bryan West compared the theme of infidelity to "Gorgeous", a track from Swift's 2017 album Reputation.[23]

The song features a reference to the Scottish band the Blue Nile and their 1989 single "The Downtown Lights" in the lyrics ("Drowning in the Blue Nile/ He sent me 'Downtown Lights'/ I hadn't heard it in a while").[24] This led to an increase of 1,400% in streams of "The Downtown Lights" within four days of the release of The Tortured Poets Department,[25] and increase of vinyl sales for the band's albums.[26]

Critical reception

"Guilty as Sin?" received highly positive reviews by music critics. Ken Tucker of NPR appreciated the song for showcasing Swift's vulnerable and weak sides compared to contemporary pop culture's saturation of "kick-butt, tough, perfect, independent women" and found the track to have "a cleverly retrograde image".[27] Reviewing the album for Vanity Fair, Erin Vanderhoff described the song as "charming and beguiling" and considered it the album's "emotional apex".[28] In a staff review of the album for The Spinoff, Alex Casey and Isaiah Tour picked the track as one of their favorites.[29] Similarly, Ross Horton off MusicOMH attributed its success to the ambivalent lyrical sentiments and saying that the track "would be a highlight on any of her records".[30]

The production and Swift's vocals also received praise. West described the song as a "catchy song with elongated, ethereal harmonies". In the Irish Independent, John Meagher complimented the lyrics and Swift's singing for featuring "one of the loveliest vocals Swift has ever committed to tape".[31] John Wohlmacher from Beats Per Minute said that the track was one of the album's better songs, highlighting the "sensual" guitar alongside "seductive" and "lush" vocals. In The Atlantic, Spencer Kornhaber opined that "Guilty as Sin?" is one of the album's best moments for its "perfect" combination of live drums, rock/country elements, and Swift's "keening" voice. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard ranked "Guilty as Sin?" ninth out of the 31 tracks on the double album edition of The Tortured Poets Department, writing: "the real fireworks come from Swift’s vocal nuances."

Mary Siroky in Consequence selected "Guilty as Sin?" as one of the album's "essential tracks" for showcasing a "personality",[32] and Anna Leszkiewicz from the New Statesman similarly picked it as one of the album's "bright pop tracks [that] shine through the fog".[33] Lindsay Zoladz of The New York Times appreciated the track for its 1990s soft rock production and Swift's vocals. Giving the track four stars out of five, Will Hodgkinson of The Times wrote, "The earnest, thoroughly American delivery mars the eroticism somewhat, but it comes straight from the Fleetwood Mac school of pop-rock inspired by disastrous romance." Maria Sherman from the Associated Press gave a negative review, saying that "Guilty as Sin?" is one of the album's "missteps" for its "mawkish" lyrics.[34]

Commercial performance

When The Tortured Poets Department was released, tracks from the album occupied the top 14 of the US Billboard Hot 100, making Swift the first artist to monopolize the top 14; "Guilty as Sin?" opened at its peak of number 10 on the chart.[35] In Australia, the song reached number 10 on the ARIA Singles Chart and made her the artist with the most entries in a single week with 29.[36] Elsewhere, "Guilty as Sin?" peaked at number eight in Singapore and charted within the top 20 on the Billboard Global 200 (11), New Zealand (11), the Philippines (12), Canada (13), Malaysia (17), and Ireland (18).

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2024)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[37] 10
Brazil (Brasil Hot 100)[38] 75
France (SNEP)[39] 103
Greece International (IFPI)[40] 24
Ireland (Billboard)[41] 18
Lithuania (AGATA)[42] 66
Malaysia (Billboard)[43] 23
Malaysia International (RIM)[44] 17
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[45] 11
Philippines (Billboard)[46] 12
Singapore (RIAS)[47] 8
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[48] 49
Swiss Streaming (Schweizer Hitparade)[49] 32
UAE (IFPI)[50] 20
UK Streaming (OCC)[51] 16

Notes and References

  1. Blistein . Jon . February 7, 2024 . Taylor Swift Reveals Tortured Poets Department Back Up Plan In Case She Didn't Win a Grammy . limited . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240207163624/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-backup-plan-tokyo-1234963303/ . February 7, 2024 . April 19, 2024 . Rolling Stone.
  2. News: Sisario . Ben . Ben Sisario . 2024-04-19 . Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Arrives With a Promotional Blitz . limited . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240422193932/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/19/arts/music/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department.html . April 22, 2024 . 2024-04-19 . .
  3. Bonner . Mehera . February 16, 2024 . Taylor Swift Reveals Bonus Track Title and New Album Cover for The Tortured Poets Department . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240216224610/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a46813336/taylor-swift-the-bolter/ . February 16, 2024 . April 19, 2024 . Cosmopolitan.
  4. Web site: April 19, 2024 . As The Tortured Poets Department drops, here's all Taylor Swift's albums ranked by sales . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419095336/https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/as-the-tortured-poets-department-drops-here-s-all-taylor-swift-s-albums-ranked-by-sales/089645 . April 19, 2024 . 2024-04-19 . Music Week.
  5. Web site: Corcoron . Nina . 2024-02-06 . Taylor Swift Unveils Tracklist for The Tortured Poets Department . 2024-05-14 . . February 29, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240229223153/https://pitchfork.com/news/taylor-swift-unveils-tracklist-for-the-tortured-poets-department/ . live .
  6. Iasimone . Ashley . May 19, 2024 . All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed on The Eras Tour (So Far) . May 20, 2024 . . May 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240520055410/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-eras-tour-surprise-songs/guilty-as-sin-3/ . live .
  7. . 2024 . Taylor . Swift . . CD liner notes.
  8. Web site: Zoladz . Lindsay . April 19, 2024 . Taylor Swift's New Album, The Tortured Poets Department, Could Use an Editor: Review . limited . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240420000556/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/19/arts/music/taylor-swift-album-tortured-poets-department-review.html . April 20, 2024 . April 29, 2024 . The New York Times.
  9. June 12, 2024 . The Best Songs of 2024 So Far . June 20, 2024 . Rolling Stone.
  10. Lipshutz . Jason . 2024-04-19 . Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department: All 31 Tracks Ranked . 2024-04-29 . . April 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240420200628/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-tracks-ranked/ . live .
  11. News: Hodgkinson . Will . Will Hodgkinson . 2024-04-19 . Love, Men and the Story Behind Each Song on Taylor Swift's New Album . subscription . live . https://archive.today/20240419043009/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-track-by-track-guide-zp7qjwszr . April 19, 2024 . April 29, 2024 . . 0140-0460.
  12. Web site: Fish . Ryan . 2024-04-22 . Every Song on Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department, Ranked . 2024-04-29 . . April 23, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240423002656/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-songs-ranked/ . live .
  13. Web site: Wohlmacher . John . 2024-04-23 . Album Review: Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department . 2024-05-01 . . April 23, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240423190310/https://beatsperminute.com/album-review-taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department/ . live .
  14. Kornhaber . Spencer . April 19, 2024 . Taylor Swift Is Having Quality-Control Issues . limited . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240422202226/https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/04/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-review/678121/ . April 22, 2024 . April 23, 2024 . The Atlantic.
  15. Web site: Ahlgrim . Callie . April 19, 2024 . Taylor Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department is packed with references and Easter eggs. Here are the key details you may have missed. . 2024-04-29 . . April 29, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240429074534/https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-easter-eggs-lyrics-explained-2024-4 . live .
  16. Web site: Gonzales . Erica . 2024-04-19 . Taylor Swift's 'Guilty as Sin?' Is Full of Matty Healy References . 2024-04-29 . . May 1, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240501023834/https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a60547161/taylor-swift-guilty-as-sin-lyrics-meaning/ . live .
  17. Web site: April 28, 2024 . Taylor Swift Fans Left Shocked Over Meaning Behind Spicy 'Guilty As Sin?' Lyrics . 2024-04-29 . . April 28, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240428232408/https://www.capitalfm.com/news/music/taylor-swift-guilty-as-sin-lyrics-meaning/ . live .
  18. Web site: Sager . Jessica . 2024-04-20 . Taylor Swift 'Guilty as Sin' Lyrics . 2024-04-29 . . April 29, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240429075219/https://parade.com/entertainment/guilty-as-sin-lyrics-taylor-swift . live .
  19. Web site: Jenkins . Craig . April 23, 2024 . The Performative Poets Department . limited . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240423211931/https://www.vulture.com/article/the-tortured-poets-department-taylor-swift-album-review.html . April 23, 2024 . April 24, 2024 . Vulture.
  20. News: Snapes . Laura . 2024-04-19 . Breakups, fantasies and her most cutting lyrics: inside Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department . 2024-04-29 . . April 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240422092026/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/apr/19/taylor-swift-album-the-tortured-poets-department-lyrics . live .
  21. Web site: Thorp . Clare . April 20, 2024 . But Daddy I Love Him: Taylor Swift takes aim at critics with new track . April 29, 2024 . . April 21, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240421015127/https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240419-taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-but-daddy-i-love-him . live .
  22. Web site: Bonner . Mehera . 2024-04-11 . Wait, Whoa, Fans Think Taylor Swift's 'Guilty as Sin?' Lyrics Are About Sleeping With a 'Liar' . 2024-04-29 . . April 29, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240429075219/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a60464222/taylor-swift-guilty-as-sin-carolina-sleeping-with-a-liar/ . live .
  23. Web site: West . Bryan . April 19, 2024 . Filing Tortured Poets into Taylor Swift's card catalog, track by track . 2024-04-29 . . May 9, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240509104246/https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/04/18/tortured-poets-department-taylor-swifts-track-by-track-review/73379713007/ . live .
  24. Web site: Pilley . Max . 19 April 2024 . Taylor Swift namedrops The Blue Nile on Tortured Poets Department track 'Guilty As Sin?' . 2 May 2024 . . May 2, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240502021528/https://www.nme.com/news/music/taylor-swift-namedrops-the-blue-nile-on-tortured-poets-department-track-guilty-as-sin-3620183 . live .
  25. Lipshutz . Jason . 24 April 2024 . New Taylor Swift Album Boosts Streams for The Starting Line, The Blue Nile & Other Honorary Tortured Poets . 28 April 2024 . . May 3, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240503075647/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-charlie-puth-starting-line-blue-nile-1235665301/ . live .
  26. Web site: Franklin . Beth . 29 April 2024 . The Blue Nile sell out of vinyl records after Taylor Swift name-drop . 2 May 2024 . . May 2, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240502022705/https://news.stv.tv/entertainment/the-blue-nile-website-sells-out-of-vinyl-records-after-release-of-taylor-swifts-the-tortured-poets-department . live .
  27. News: Tucker . Ken . Ken Tucker . April 24, 2024 . Taylor Swift's confessional Tortured Poets would have benefitted from an edit . April 29, 2024 . . April 29, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240429080051/https://www.npr.org/2024/04/24/1246723559/taylor-swifts-confessional-tortured-poets-would-have-benefitted-from-an-edit . live .
  28. Web site: Vanderhoff . Erin . 2024-04-19 . On The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift Is Still Rejecting Your Judgment . 2024-04-29 . . April 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419203234/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/tortured-poets-department-taylor-swift-review . live .
  29. Web site: 2024-04-22 . What do we make of The Tortured Poets Department? . 2024-04-29 . . April 29, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240429080051/https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/22-04-2024/what-do-we-make-of-the-tortured-poets-department . live .
  30. Web site: Horton . Ross . 2024-04-19 . Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department . subscription . 2024-04-29 . . April 23, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240423124745/https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department . live .
  31. Web site: Meagher . John . 2024-04-19 . Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department review: fans going to Dublin gigs have a new wealth of riches to look forward to . 2024-04-29 . . April 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419110755/https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/music-reviews/taylor-swifts-the-tortured-poets-department-review-fans-going-to-dublin-gigs-have-a-new-wealth-of-riches-to-look-forward-to/a628314177.html . live .
  32. Web site: Siroky . Mary . 2024-04-19 . Taylor Swift Gets Lost in Her Own Shadow on The Tortured Poets Department . 2024-04-29 . . April 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240420032541/https://consequence.net/2024/04/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-review/ . live .
  33. Leszkiewicz . Anna . April 19, 2024 . The Tortured Taylor Swift . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240422085518/https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music/2024/04/taylor-swift-new-album-tortured-poets-lyrics-review . April 22, 2024 . April 29, 2024 . New Statesman.
  34. Web site: Sherman . Maria . 2024-04-19 . Music Review: Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department is great sad pop, meditative theater . 2024-05-14 . . April 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240422093825/https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-review-b24d2275df5cf78ffa9069c61b9825ec . live .
  35. Trust . Gary . April 29, 2024 . Taylor Swift Claims Record Top 14 Spots on Billboard Hot 100, Led by 'Fortnight' with Post Malone . May 9, 2024 . . April 29, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240429170523/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-hot-100-top-14-fortnight-post-malone-record/ . live .
  36. News: Gbogbo . Mawunyo . April 29, 2024 . Taylor Swift's New Album The Tortured Poets Department Smashes Chart Records in the US, UK and Australia . 2024-05-10 . . en-AU . May 10, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240510010807/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-29/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-charts-uk-billboard-aria/103779382 . live .
  37. Web site: ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart. Australian Recording Industry Association. April 29, 2024. April 26, 2024. May 9, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509103914/https://www.aria.com.au/charts/singles-chart/2024-04-29. live.
  38. Taylor Swift Chart History (Brasil Hot 100). Billboard. May 2, 2024. November 3, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231103232956/https://www.billboard.com/artist/taylor-swift/chart-history/bzl/. live.
  39. Web site: Top Singles (Week 16, 2024). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. French. April 29, 2024. May 31, 2021. https://archive.today/20210531082745/https://snepmusique.com/les-tops/le-top-de-la-semaine/top-albums/?categorie=Top%20Singles. live.
  40. Web site: IFPI Charts . May 1, 2024 . www.ifpi.gr . May 1, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240501120745/https://www.ifpi.gr/digital_ien.html . live .
  41. Taylor Swift Chart History (Ireland Songs). Billboard. May 6, 2024. November 7, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231107051337/https://www.billboard.com/artist/taylor-swift/chart-history/i15/. live.
  42. Web site: 2024 16-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100). lt. AGATA. April 26, 2024. April 26, 2024. April 19, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240419091240/https://www.agata.lt/lt/naujienos/s16-3/. live.
  43. Taylor Swift Chart History (Malaysia Songs). Billboard. April 30, 2024. May 17, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220517081849/https://www.billboard.com/artist/taylor-swift/chart-history/i34/. live.
  44. Web site: TOP 20 Most Streamed International Singles In Malaysia Week 17 (19/04/2024-25/04/2024). Facebook. RIM. May 4, 2024. May 4, 2024. May 9, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509095644/https://www.facebook.com/RecordingIndustryMalaysia/posts/pfbid07MpsN3EHDTrU89db4ALMPcx7uWa8HKw7fYev57wykq4aVGty59B2BmVLgxR6v558l. live.
  45. Web site: NZ Top 40 Singles Chart. Recorded Music NZ. April 29, 2024. April 26, 2024. April 26, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240426045359/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/singles?chart=5799. live.
  46. Philippines Songs - Week of May 4, 2024 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20240502213709/https://www.billboard.com/charts/philippines-songs-hotw/ . May 2, 2024 . July 5, 2024 . Billboard.
  47. Web site: RIAS Top Charts Week 18 (26 Apr - 2 May 2024). RIAS. May 7, 2024. May 7, 2024. https://archive.today/20240507071010/https://www.rias.org.sg/rias-top-charts/.
  48. Web site: Veckolista Singlar, vecka 17. Sverigetopplistan. April 26, 2024. April 26, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240426122136/https://sverigetopplistan.se/chart/41/?dspy=2024&dspp=17. live.
  49. Web site: Streaming Top 100. Schweizer Hitparade. May 15, 2024. May 15, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240515150223/http://swisscharts.com/charts/streaming/28-04-2024. live.
  50. Web site: UAE: 2024 - W17 - 04/19 to 04/25. The Official MENA Chart. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. June 8, 2024.
  51. Web site: Official Streaming Chart Top 100. Official Charts Company. April 29, 2024. May 9, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240509095655/https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/streaming-chart/20240426/7510/. live.

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