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The Black Dog (song)

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This article is about the Taylor Swift song. For other songs, see Black dog (disambiguation) § Music.
"The Black Dog"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album The Tortured Poets Department
ReleasedApril 19, 2024 (2024-04-19)
GenrePost-industrial
Length3:58
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
  • Taylor Swift
Producer(s)
Lyric video
"The Black Dog" on YouTube

"The Black Dog" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (2024). It was first included as a bonus track for a physical edition of the album and then released digitally as part of a double album edition subtitled The Anthology. Produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, "The Black Dog" is a slow-building post-industrial ballad containing a sparse, piano-led production and a momentary shift in dynamics in the chorus. Its lyrics portray Swift's character tracking an ex-partner at a bar and experiencing heartbreak and resentment after finding him.

In reviews of The Anthology, "The Black Dog" was praised for the well-executed concept, the production, and vocal performance. It was included in rankings of Swift's discography and named one of the album's best songs and amongst her best. Commercially, "The Black Dog" charted at number 26 on the Billboard Global 200 and reached Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, and United States. Swift performed it at the London and Warsaw shows of her Eras Tour in mid–2024.

Background and composition

[edit]

Taylor Swift began work on her eleventh original studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, shortly after finishing her previous album, Midnights (2022), and continued developing it during the U.S. leg of her Eras Tour in 2023.[1] She wrote "The Black Dog"—initially called "Old Habits Die Screaming" when first recording it—and handled the production with Jack Antonoff.[2][3]

"The Black Dog"
The production slowly builds up in the first chorus (sampled) and briefly crescendos with thumping synth beats and multitracked vocal harmonies when Swift sings "Old habits die screaming".
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"The Black Dog" is a post-industrial ballad that runs for 3 minutes and 58 seconds.[4][5][6] It features a piano instrumentation and a sparse arrangement,[7][8] beginning in a slow pace and building up for the rest of the length.[9][10] Josh Kurp of Uproxx said that there was influences from Phoebe Bridgers because of how the song builds up in the end.[10] The chorus briefly shifts in dynamics—the instruments build up into a crescendo and incorporate multitracked vocal harmonies and thumping synth beats when Swift sings the final words of the chorus, "Old habits die screaming", a twist on the popular idiom, "Old habits die hard".[8][11][12] Mary Sirosky of Consequence described the moment as a combination of "energy, guitar, and drums [bursting] through at full volume before peeling back",[13] while Bustle's Jake Viswanath nearly thought of it as if Swift's album Folklore (2020) included pop rock.[14]

Critics and fans noted that the title references the term for depression[a] or a pub in Vauxhall, London.[b] Beats Per Minute's John Wohlmacher said that the narrative evoked the titular black dog in Harry Potter.[4] The song depicts Swift pursuing her ex-partner after realizing that she can still track his phone.[16] She observes him at a bar called "The Black Dog", obsessing over what he could be doing there.[16] Swift sees him trying to seduce a girl who is too young to recognize a song by the Starting Line playing on the jukebox.[5] Heartbroken and deceived to the point of hiring a priest to get rid of her demons, she confesses that she has an inability to understand how he got over her.[21][15] In the climax, Swift wishes her ex-partner the worst time possible.[17] On an Instagram post, Swift said that the song is about a "fleeting and fatalistic moment in time—one that was both sensational and sorrowful in equal measure".[22] Rolling Stone's journalist Rob Sheffield believed that the song was about revenge led by a "quasi-stalker [...] whose friends really need to confiscate her phone for the night".[7] Jonathan Keefe from Slant Magazine thought the "Old habits die screaming" line alluded to the album's themes of "torture".[8] For Kaitlyn Huamani of the Los Angeles Times, the line implied that Swift is having a tough time moving on from the relationship.[23]

Release and commercial performance

[edit]

On February 4, 2024, Swift announced The Tortured Poets Department at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards and its release date on April 19.[24] During the lead-up, she released four limited-time physical editions of the album—each named after a corresponding bonus track—for pre-order, with the last one featuring "The Black Dog".[25] Two hours after The Tortured Poets Department was released, a double album edition subtitled The Anthology was surprise-released; "The Black Dog" is taken from The Anthology and is track number 17 from the album.[26][2] The first demo recording of the song also became available on May 28 as part of a limited-time digital edition of the album.[27] On June 21, 2024, Swift performed the track as part of a mashup with her songs "Come Back... Be Here" (2012) and "Maroon" (2022) on the London stop of the Eras Tour. She sang it again in a mashup with her song "Exile" (2020) at the tour's Warsaw stop on August 3.[28]

Upon the release of The Anthology, "The Black Dog" opened at its peak of number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[29] In Australia, it also reached number 25 on the ARIA Singles Chart and made her the artist with the most entries in a single week with 29.[30][31] Elsewhere, "The Black Dog" debuted and peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Global 200[32] and charted within the national charts of Canada (26),[33] New Zealand (26),[34] Portugal (67),[35] and Switzerland (95).[36] The song also reached number 58 on Greece's International Top 100 Digital Singles chart,[37] number 1 on Sweden's Heatseeker chart,[38] and number 31 and number 60 on the United Kingdom's respective audio streaming[39] and sales charts.[40]

Reception

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In reviews of The Anthology, "The Black Dog" received positive comments from critics. Some selected it as one of the highlights from the double album. Kurp picked "The Black Dog" as one of the album's best tracks and highlighted how it leads into a cathartic and rewarding conclusion and how Swift intentionally excludes the best songs from the standard editions.[10] Slate's writer Carl Wilson considered the song one of the worthwhile cuts of The Anthology.[16] Mary Kate Carr from The A.V. Club viewed "The Black Dog" as one of the best songs from the double album and one of the instances on it where Swift expresses genuine emotion, jokingly lamenting on why she included the song only as a bonus track.[41] Huamani also picked the song among the double album's best tracks, describing it as a "soft ballad" that contained a "startlingly relatable breakup experience".[23]

Several critics praised the song's concept and its execution. Sheffield regarded the song as a "crucial bonus ballad" with a "classic Nashville-worthy premise".[5] Callie Ahlgrim of Business Insider considered the story "moving, propulsive, and wholly distinct" and the details clever and compelling, and she recommended it for listening.[42] Tyler Foggatt from The New Yorker stated that the song could make someone mad over how simple the premise is and that it best exemplified Swift's pettiness and egotism.[15] Lauren Webb of Clash found the song comforting of how she envisions herself a stalker who run after toxic and previous lovers.[18] In a ranking of the double album, Jason Lipshutz from Billboard listed it at thirteen, believing that its premise, although having "distinct lyrical details", was universal: "who hasn't wondered if they can trust their own memories, once someone else breaks that trust?"[21] Lynn Sharpe of Screen Rant placed the song at ninth on his ranking of the double album and said that the small details "leave enough of a mark" to put it within the top spots of her ranking.[11]

A few commended the production and Swift's vocal performance. Ryan Fish of The Hollywood Reporter listed "The Black Dog" at sixth on his ranking of the double album, believing that the song featured an "epic, screeching" chorus and that it would make fans "go wild when they hear it live".[9] Tom Breihan from Stereogum said that the song's musical style complemented well with Swift's "Nashville-honed storytelling chops".[43] Keefe wrote that the song showcased one of her most effective tricks of how she controls her vocal register and wording to emphasize emotion which he deemed elevated some of its writing.[44]

"The Black Dog" was featured in rankings of Swift's repertoire. Chris Willman of Variety placed it at number 10 in his ranking of Swift's 75 best songs, where he believed that the concept is immediately engaging and that the build-up was the best part of the song, saying it was continually "threatening" and lead into an "emo climax".[17] Ahlgrim ranked it as seventh on her list of Swift's best breakup songs, where she said that the storytelling was "so exquisitely Swiftian" and described it as "modern yet classic, aching yet righteous, existential yet specific".[45] She has named it one of the double album's "God-tier songs".[46] Allaire Nuss from Entertainment Weekly called the song "understated, intimate funeral march for a love long gone" and picked it as one of the tracks that she thought belong within the higher ranks of Swift's discography.[47] Sheffield listed the track at number 96 on his ranking of her catalog and described it as a "cleverly crafted ballad" in which Swift mocks her own "post-breakup phone-stalker tendencies".[48]

Slant Magazine's editorial staff picked "The Black Dog" as one of Swift and Antonoff's 20 best collaborations; Keefe commented that both Swift and Antonoff effectively "[subverted] expectations": the former by twisting a popular idiom and the latter by applying production techniques that highlighted the contrast between the verses and the choruses.[8] Viswanath listed the track at 50th on his ranking of the duo's selected 80 collaborations and commended it as "great" where "Antonoff helps Swift pour out her post-breakup frustrations over epic guitar stabs".[14] In a ranking of Antonoff-produced tracks, Consequence placed the song at 245th—Sirosky considered it a welcome addition to Swift's piano ballads, the chorus an earworm, and the momentary moments of change in volume excellent.[13]

Impact

[edit]

The American band, The Starting Line, which was mentioned in the song's lyrics responded with a written note on Instagram praising Swift for memorialising the band's name.[49]

The song's title is also the name of a pub in Vauxhall, south London, which is heavily referenced in its lyrics.[22] According to its marketing manager, Amy Cowley, there was a sharp increase in its business following the song's release. She added that international customers have flocked to the place from countries including the United States, Spain, Germany, and Australia. The pub experienced such a high capacity of guests that some had to be turned away.[50]

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "The Black Dog"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[30] 25
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[33] 26
Global 200 (Billboard)[32] 26
Greece International (IFPI)[37] 58
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[34] 26
Portugal (AFP)[35] 67
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[38] 1
Swiss Streaming (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] 95
UK Singles Sales (OCC)[40] 60
UK Streaming (OCC)[39] 31
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 25

Notes

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  1. ^ Attributed to The New Yorker's Tyler Foggatt,[15] Slate's Carl Wilson,[16] and Variety's Chris Willman[17]
  2. ^ Attributed to Bustle's Jake Viswanath,[14] Clash's Lauren Webb,[18] CNN's Alli Rosenbloom,[19] and Vogue Australia's Jonah Waterhouse and Nina Miyashita[20]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Blistein, Jon (February 7, 2024). "Taylor Swift Reveals Tortured Poets Department Back Up Plan in Case She Didn't Win a Grammy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Rossingol, Derrick (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology: Here Are The Full Album Credits With Songwriters". Uproxx. Archived from the original on April 27, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  3. ^ Reynolds, Abbie (June 3, 2024). "Inside Taylor Swift's Bonus Song 'The Black Dog' Lyrics, Meaning & More". Capital FM. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Wohlmacher, John (April 23, 2024). "Album Review: Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Sheffield, Rob (April 19, 2024). "Come for the Torture, Stay for the Poetry: This Might Be Taylor Swift's Most Personal Album Yet". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  6. ^ Swift, Taylor (April 19, 2024). "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology". AllMusic. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift Busts Out the Quill Pen and Delivers an Epic Double Album with TTPD: The Anthology". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff's 20 Best Collaborations". Slant Magazine. April 29, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Fish, Ryan (April 22, 2024). "Every Song on Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department,' Ranked". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Kurp, Josh (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department Is Another Classic". Uproxx. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Sharpe, Lynn (April 20, 2024). "Taylor Swift: All 31 The Tortured Poets Department Songs, Ranked Worst to Best". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  12. ^ Mylrea, Hannah (April 24, 2024). "Taylor Swift: Every Single Album Ranked and Rated". NME. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Staff, Consequence; Sirosky, Mary (May 6, 2024). "Jack Antonoff: Songs He Produced, Ranked from Worst to Best". Consequence. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Viswanath, Jake (April 26, 2024). "80 Taylor Swift & Jack Antonoff Song Collaborations, Ranked". Bustle. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c Foggatt, Tyler (April 19, 2024). "It's Taylor Swift Day, Again". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c d Wilson, Carl (April 19, 2024). "The Problem with Taylor Swift's New Album". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c Willman, Chris (April 29, 2024). "Taylor Swift's 75 Best Songs, Ranked". Variety. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  18. ^ a b Webb, Lauren (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department". Clash. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  19. ^ Rosenbloom, Alli (April 20, 2024). "The Tortured Poets Department: A Track-by-Track Listener's Guide to Taylor Swift's 31-Song Double Album". CNN. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  20. ^ Miyashita, Nina; Waterhouse, Jonah (April 24, 2024). "All the Hidden Meanings in Taylor Swift's "The Tortured Poets Department" Album". Vogue Australia. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Lipshutz, Jason (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department: All 31 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Street, Francesca (April 24, 2024). "What It's like Inside the Black Dog, the London Pub Made Famous by Taylor Swift". CNN. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Huamani, Kaitlyn (April 20, 2024). "The Best Songs from Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets Department' Double Album". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  24. ^ West, Bryan (April 21, 2024). "Taylor Swift Makes Grammys History with Fourth Album of the Year Win for Midnights". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  25. ^ Hughes, Amy (March 4, 2024). "'The Black Dog': Taylor Swift Announces Final Variant of Upcoming Tortured Poets Department". Q. Archived from the original on May 12, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  26. ^ Longeretta, Emily; Jackson, Angelique; Woerner, Meredith (April 18, 2024). "Taylor Swift Drops 15 Surprise Songs, Announces The Tortured Poets Department Is a Double Album". Variety. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  27. ^ Paul, Larisha (May 17, 2024). "Taylor Swift Expands Tortured Poets Department (Again) with Limited Edition First Draft Phone Memos". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  28. ^ Smith, Katie Louise (August 3, 2024). "Here's Every Surprise Song Performed on Taylor Swift's Eras Tour". Capital FM. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  29. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  30. ^ a b "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 29, 2024. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  31. ^ Gbogbo, Mawunyo (April 29, 2024). "Taylor Swift's New Album The Tortured Poets Department Smashes Chart Records in the US, UK and Australia". ABC News. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  32. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  33. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  34. ^ a b "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 29, 2024. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  35. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – Thank You Aimee". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  36. ^ a b "Streaming Top 100". Schweizer Hitparade. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  37. ^ a b "IFPI Charts". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  38. ^ a b "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 17". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  39. ^ a b "Official Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  40. ^ a b "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  41. ^ Kate Carr, Mary (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department Is Stuck in the Past". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  42. ^ Ahlgrim, Callie (April 26, 2024). "The 15 Bonus Tracks from Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department Could Be Their Own Near-Perfect Album". Business Insider. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  43. ^ Breihan, Tom (April 19, 2024). "Premature Evaluation: Taylor Swift The Tortured Poets Department". Stereogum. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  44. ^ Keefe, Jonathan (April 22, 2024). "Taylor Swift The Tortured Poets Department Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  45. ^ Ahlgrim, Callie (April 28, 2024). "Taylor Swift's 15 Best Breakup Songs, Ranked". Business Insider. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  46. ^ Ahlgrim, Callie (April 27, 2024). "Every Taylor Swift Album, Ranked from Worst to Best". Business Insider. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  47. ^ Nuss, Allaire (May 3, 2024). "Every Taylor Swift Album, Ranked". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  48. ^ Sheffield, Rob (April 25, 2024). "All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked: 'The Black Dog' (2024)". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  49. ^ Iasimon, Ashley (April 21, 2024). "The Starting Line Reacts to Taylor Swift's 'The Black Dog' Lyric About the Band's Song Being 'Intertwined' in Her Relationship". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  50. ^ Calfee, Joel (April 25, 2024). "Taylor Swift's Song "The Black Dog" Has Made the Actual London Pub Reach Capacity". Harpers Bazaar. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
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