You Are in Love explained

You Are in Love should not be confused with You're in Love (disambiguation).

You Are in Love
Type:promotional single
Artist:Taylor Swift
Album:1989
Studio:Jungle City (New York)
Label:Big Machine
Producer:
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff
You Are in Love (Taylor's Version)
Type:song
Artist:Taylor Swift
Album:1989 (Taylor's Version)
Released:October 27, 2023
Studio:
Label:Republic
Producer:
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff

"You Are in Love" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from the deluxe edition of her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). Big Machine Records released the track as an iTunes Store-exclusive download on February 24, 2015. Swift wrote and produced the song with Jack Antonoff, whose relationship with the writer-actress Lena Dunham influenced its lyrical content. Some critics applauded the song's portrayal of love with simple lyrics and production, although a few others deemed the track insubstantial.

The song was the inspiration for the music video of Swift's 2019 single "Lover". Following a dispute over her masters with her former label, Big Machine Records, Swift re-recorded the song as "You Are in Love (Taylor's Version)", as part of her fourth re-recorded album, 1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023).

Background and writing

Taylor Swift had identified as a country musician until her fourth studio album, Red, which was released on October 22, 2012.[1] [2] Red incorporates eclectic pop and rock styles beyond the country stylings of Swift's past albums, which led to critics questioning her country-music identity.[3] Swift finalized her fifth studio album in mid-2014, during the Asian leg of the Red Tour.[4] Inspired by 1980s synth-pop, she named the album 1989 after her birth year to signify an artistic reinvention: she described it as her first "official pop album".[5] On 1989, Swift worked with new producers including Jack Antonoff, who produced three tracks with Swift, including "You Are in Love".[6] Antonoff first sent Swift the instrumental track of "You Are in Love", with Swift later writing the lyrics to it.[7]

Music and lyrics

"You Are in Love" is a ballad instrumented by a recurring synth riff[8] that critics thought to evoke the music of Bruce Springsteen; David Greenwalt of The Oregonian thought that it "[echoes] the synth tones" of "Streets of Philadelphia" (1993),[9] while Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine picked "Secret Garden" (1995) as a possible influence. The lyrics, narrated from an outside woman's perspective, present imagery of various phases and experiences in a fruitful relationship ("small talk", "coffee at midnight", "kisses on sidewalk"), with the words being set to a four-note motif that forms the melody of the verses. According to Swift, the inspiration was the relationship of Antonoff and the writer-actress Lena Dunham, both of whom were close friends of hers.[10] Dunham dubbed it as her "someday wedding song".[11]

When interviewed about writing "You Are in Love", Swift said she found it difficult and boring at times. The song also describes love as something that does not need to be perfect. Swift also said that she wrote it as a commentary of Antonoff and Dunham's relationship, saying that she's actually going through everything that happened in it. The song is also the inspiration for the music video of the title track of her seventh studio album, "Lover".[12]

Release and commercial performance

"You Are in Love" was originally included as one of the three bonus cuts on the deluxe package of 1989, which was released exclusively at Target in the United States. On February 17, 2015, Swift announced that she would make all the bonus tracks available to US iTunes Stores as promotional singles one at a time.[13] The song was released on February 24, 2015, by Big Machine Records.[14]

"You Are in Love" debuted on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Hot 100, with peaks of number 83 and number 99, respectively. The track was featured in the setlist of the 1989 World Tour (2015), where Swift would sing it on acoustic guitar.[15] On August 4, 2023, she sang the song with a piano during the Los Angeles stop as part of her Eras Tour (2023–2024) and included it on the extended cut of the tour's associated concert film.[16] [17] [18] Swift later performs "You Are in Love" as a surprise number in mashup with "Cowboy Like Me" (2020) on piano and "Fresh Out the Slammer" (2024) on guitar during the Amsterdam and Munich stops respectively. In January 2024, the song received a gold certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for selling over 35,000 units.

After signing a new contract with Republic Records, Swift began re-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020.[19] The decision came after a 2019 public dispute between Swift and the talent manager Scooter Braun, who acquired Big Machine Records, including the masters of Swift's albums the label had released.[20] [21] By re-recording them, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, including the copyright licensing of her songs, devaluing the Big Machine-owned masters.[22] The re-recording of "You Are in Love", subtitled "Taylor's Version", was released as part of Swift's fourth re-recorded album, 1989 (Taylor's Version), on October 27, 2023.[23] It debuted and peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Global 200 and reached the countries of New Zealand (38), Canada (42), and the US (43).

Critical reception

Hannah Yasharoff and David Oliver, writing for USA Today, commended two lines from "You Are in Love": "You understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars / And why I've spent my whole life trying to put it in words", further elaborating that it "[puts] specific and universal feelings into words", something Swift "does best".[24] Billboard's Ashley Iasimone compared the song to "The Lakes", elaborating that both songs portray "love that's as pretty as a picture, the kind that has no place for the noise from the outside world".[25] Alex Berry of Clash applauded the song for being an "ethereal, delicate [ballad]",[26] while Grace Wehniainen of Bustle commended it for being a "hidden gem among gems", further elaborating that it "isn't just a gorgeous song, but a handy time capsule for Swift's personal and professional life".[27] Vulture's Nate Jones complimented its simplicity demonstrated by the "appropriately restrained" vocals and production,[28] and Variety's Chris Willman deemed the track "a sweet testament to being aspirational about love through the proxy passions of friends".[29] Amara Sorosiak of American Songwriter ranked it eighth in a 2024 list of "Taylor Swift's Top 10 Love Songs", praising "her stripped-back, atmospheric pop prowess".[30]

On a less positive side, Jane Song of Paste ranked "You Are in Love" 66th out of 158 in a 2020 ranking of Swift's songs, considering it "sweet", but also noting that the romantic rumors of Antonoff blemished its message.[31] Courteney Larocca of Business Insider regarded the song as one of the 17 worst Taylor Swift songs, criticizing it for being "boring" and commenting that "It's just disappointing that a song about realizing you're fully in love is about a relationship that ultimately didn't work out—and wasn't even one from Swift's own life". Reviewing the re-recording, "You Are in Love (Taylor's Version)", Hugh G. Puddles argued that it declines in quality due to Antonoff's "overstating his ascending synth arpeggios in the chorus, walking headlong into the '80s kitsch" that overshadows Swift's understated vocals as in the original.[32]

Credits and personnel

"You Are in Love" (2014)[33]

"You Are in Love (Taylor's Version)" (2023)[34]

Charts

"You Are in Love" (2014)

Chart performance for "You Are in Love"!Chart (2014)!Peak
position

"You Are in Love (Taylor's Version)" (2023)

References

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Caulfield . Keith . October 30, 2012 . Taylor Swift's Red Sells 1.21 Million; Biggest Sales Week for an Album Since 2002 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20130201140727/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/474400/taylor-swifts-red-sells-121-million-biggest-sales-week-for-an-album-since-2002 . February 1, 2013 . May 8, 2024 . Billboard.
  2. Web site: Lewis . Randy . October 30, 2012 . Taylor Swift raises the bar with a savvy Red marketing campaign . limited . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201228034534/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-xpm-2012-oct-30-la-et-ms-taylor-swift-20121031-story.html . December 28, 2020 . December 28, 2020 . Los Angeles Times.
  3. Light . Alan . Alan Light . December 5, 2014 . Billboard Woman of the Year Taylor Swift on Writing Her Own Rules, Not Becoming a Cliche and the Hurdle of Going Pop . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20141226012450/https://www.billboard.com/articles/events/women-in-music-2014/6363514/billboard-woman-of-the-year-taylor-swift-on-writing-her . December 26, 2014 . May 8, 2024 . Billboard.
  4. Web site: Garibaldi . Christina . May 30, 2014 . Taylor Swift Finally Reveals Details About Her Next Album . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140602005154/http://www.mtv.com/news/1835178/taylor-swift-new-album-2/ . June 2, 2014 . May 8, 2024 . MTV.
  5. Eells . Josh . September 16, 2014 . Taylor Swift Reveals Five Things to Expect on 1989 . limited . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20181116173655/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-reveals-five-things-to-expect-on-1989-65750/ . November 16, 2018 . May 8, 2024 . Rolling Stone.
  6. Web site: Zollo . Paul . Paul Zollo . February 12, 2015 . The Oral History of Taylor Swift's 1989 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160404113417/https://medium.com/cuepoint/the-oral-history-of-taylor-swift-s-1989-d9869cc13adc?sf22314340=1 . April 4, 2016 . May 8, 2024 . . Cuepoint.
  7. Web site: Hopper . Alex . 2024-02-07 . Behind the Meaning of 'You Are In Love' by Taylor Swift . https://web.archive.org/web/20240419074853/https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-meaning-of-you-are-in-love-by-taylor-swift/ . April 19, 2024 . May 1, 2024 . American Songwriter.
  8. 2024-04-29 . Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff's 20 Best Collaborations . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240506180418/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/taylor-swift-and-jack-antonoff-best-collaborations/ . May 6, 2024 . 2024-05-07 . Slant Magazine.
  9. News: Greenwald . David . 2014-10-27 . Review: Taylor Swift's 1989 loses more than country . https://web.archive.org/web/20230120150944/https://www.oregonlive.com/music/2014/10/review_taylor_swift_1989_country.html . January 20, 2023 . 2024-03-29 . .
  10. Monroe . Jazz . 2015-05-08 . Taylor Swift reveals that Lena Dunham and Jack Antonoff inspired 1989 song . https://web.archive.org/web/20240329035745/https://www.nme.com/news/music/taylor-swift-147-1221420 . March 29, 2024 . 2024-03-29 . NME.
  11. Web site: White . Caitlin . October 25, 2014 . Taylor Swift Finally Wrote The Happiest Love Song—But It's Not About Her . https://web.archive.org/web/20240329035427/https://www.mtv.com/news/msd0zm/taylor-swift-love-song-jack-antonoff-lena-dunham . March 29, 2024 . 2024-03-29 . .
  12. Web site: Larocca . Courteney . October 30, 2019 . 17 of the best and 17 of the worst Taylor Swift songs of all time . https://web.archive.org/web/20240401054301/https://www.businessinsider.com/best-worst-taylor-swift-songs . April 1, 2024 . 2024-04-01 . Business Insider.
  13. Lipshutz . Jason . February 17, 2015 . Taylor Swift Releasing 1989 Bonus Songs to iTunes . https://web.archive.org/web/20230121135759/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-1989-bonus-songs-itunes-6473113/ . January 21, 2023 . April 27, 2024 . Billboard.
  14. Web site: February 24, 2015 . You Are In Love – Single by Taylor Swift . https://web.archive.org/web/20150603123109/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/you-are-in-love/id966734216?i=966734221 . June 3, 2015 . April 27, 2024 . iTunes Store (United States).
  15. Web site: Landsbaum . Claire . June 9, 2015 . We Re-created Taylor Swift's 1989 World Tour for You . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230411053537/https://www.vulture.com/2015/06/we-re-created-taylor-swifts-1989-world-tour.html . April 11, 2023 . April 27, 2024 . Vulture.
  16. Web site: Shafer . Ellise . 2024-07-22 . Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour: Every Surprise Song She’s Played So Far . 2024-07-29 . Variety . en-US . July 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240722150906/https://variety.com/2024/music/news/taylor-swift-eras-tour-surprise-songs-list-1235578714/ . live .
  17. Georgi . Maya . March 14, 2024 . Taylor Swift Reveals 'You Are in Love' As Third Surprise Song for 'Eras Tour' Disney+ Version . https://web.archive.org/web/20240401061118/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-you-are-in-love-surprise-song-eras-tour-disney-1234987508/ . April 1, 2024 . April 1, 2024 . Rolling Stone.
  18. Dailey . Hannah . March 14, 2024 . Taylor Swift Confirms This 1989 Fan Favorite Is the Third Acoustic Song in Disney+ 'Eras Tour': Watch . https://web.archive.org/web/20240401061120/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-you-are-in-love-eras-tour-film-disney-sneak-peek-1235632866/ . April 1, 2024 . April 1, 2024 . . en-US.
  19. Web site: Melas . Chloe . November 16, 2020 . Taylor Swift Speaks Out about Sale of Her Masters . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201118064935/https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/taylor-swift-speaks-out-about-sale-of-her-masters-1.5191925 . November 18, 2020 . November 19, 2020 . CNN.
  20. News: August 22, 2019 . Taylor Swift Wants to Re-record Her Old Hits . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190822202321/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49432817 . August 22, 2019 . August 22, 2019 . BBC News.
  21. Web site: Finnis . Alex . November 17, 2020 . Taylor Swift Masters: The Controversy around Scooter Braun Selling the Rights to Her Old Music Explained . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210212170953/https://inews.co.uk/culture/music/taylor-swift-masters-scooter-braun-selling-rights-music-rerecording-row-explained-762411 . February 12, 2021 . February 13, 2021 . i.
  22. News: Shah . Neil . April 9, 2021 . Taylor Swift Releases New Fearless Album, Reclaiming Her Back Catalog . subscription . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211008111731/https://www.wsj.com/articles/taylor-swift-releases-new-fearless-album-reclaiming-her-back-catalog-11617945524 . October 8, 2021 . September 25, 2022 . .
  23. Web site: Vassell . Nicole . October 27, 2023 . Taylor Swift Fans Celebrate As Pop Star Releases 1989 (Taylor's Version) . limited . https://web.archive.org/web/20240406124702/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/taylor-swift-1989-track-list-b2436950.html . April 6, 2024 . October 30, 2023 . The Independent.
  24. Yasharoff . Hannah . Oliver . David . December 13, 2019 . Taylor Swift's 85 best lyrics definitively ranked . https://web.archive.org/web/20240206181740/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/12/13/taylor-swift-songs-30-best-lyrics-all-her-albums/4179419002/ . February 6, 2024 . 2024-04-01 . . en-US.
  25. Iasimone . Ashley . 2020-08-30 . If Folklore Turned You On to Taylor Swift, These Are the Deep Cuts You'll Like . https://web.archive.org/web/20240401131008/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/songs-like-taylor-swift-folklore-9438687/ . April 1, 2024 . 2024-04-02 . Billboard.
  26. Berry . Alex . 2023-10-27 . Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor's Version) . https://web.archive.org/web/20231031175033/https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version/ . October 31, 2023 . 2024-04-04 . .
  27. Wehniainen . Grace . 2023-10-23 . Taylor Swift Wrote 'You Are In Love' About Lena Dunham & Jack Antonoff . https://web.archive.org/web/20240404003522/https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-you-are-in-love-song-lena-dunham-jack-antonoff . April 4, 2024 . 2024-04-04 . Bustle.
  28. Jones . Nate . 2023-11-08 . All 214 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked . limited . https://web.archive.org/web/20240421090058/https://www.vulture.com/article/all-taylor-swift-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html . April 21, 2024 . 2024-05-07 . Vulture.
  29. Willman . Chris . 2023-08-09 . Taylor Swift's 25 Best Bonus Tracks, Ranked . https://web.archive.org/web/20231106132939/https://variety.com/lists/taylor-swift-best-bonus-tracks-ranked-deluxe-vault/ . November 6, 2023 . 2024-05-07 . Variety.
  30. Web site: Sorosiak . Amara . September 12, 2023 . Taylor Swift's Top 10 Love Songs . May 17, 2024 . . May 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240522201202/https://americansongwriter.com/taylor-swifts-top-10-love-songs/ . live .
  31. Web site: Song . Jane . February 11, 2020 . All 158 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked . https://web.archive.org/web/20240227115308/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/taylor-swift/best-taylor-swift-songs . February 27, 2024 . 2024-04-10 . Paste.
  32. Web site: Puddles . Hugh G. . October 31, 2023 . Review: Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor's Version) . May 14, 2024 . . May 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240520061203/https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/87846/Taylor-Swift-1989-Taylor%E2%80%99s-Version/ . live .
  33. [1989 (album)|''1989'']
  34. Taylor Swift . . 2023 . . 0245597656 . Compact disc liner notes.

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