You're Losing Me

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"You're Losing Me"
Promotional single by Taylor Swift
from the album Midnights (The Late Night Edition)
WrittenDecember 5, 2021
ReleasedNovember 29, 2023
RecordedDecember 5, 2021
GenreDowntempo
Length4:38
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff
Audio video
"You're Losing Me" on YouTube

"You're Losing Me"[note 1] is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. She wrote and produced it with Jack Antonoff. The song first appeared as a bonus track on The Late Night Edition of Swift's 2022 studio album Midnights, released by Republic Records, in May 2023. The edition was only on CD and available for in-person purchase at certain venues of the Eras Tour for a limited time, following which the song was widely shared and available on social media. It was released for streaming on November 29, 2023.

A downtempo ballad, "You're Losing Me" has an atmospheric production featuring synthesizers and beats which samples Swift's heart pulse. Its lyrics describe the imminent dissolution of a long-term romantic relationship due to a misunderstanding between the partners. Music critics praised the track for the emotional nuance they perceived in its composition and storytelling. Critics and fans alike connected the lyrics to the end of Swift's six-year romance with the English actor Joe Alwyn in early 2023.

Commercially, "You're Losing Me" reached number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaked atop the Digital Songs chart. Elsewhere, it topped the Philippines Songs chart and peaked within the top 20 on the Billboard Global 200 and in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Singapore. Swift performed the song during a Melbourne show as part of her Eras Tour (2023–2024).

Background and release[edit]

Taylor Swift released her tenth studio album, Midnights, on October 21, 2022, to wide critical and commercial success.[2][3][4] Upon release, the album was available as a standard edition of 13 songs, a CD-exclusive deluxe edition that contained the bonus track "Hits Different", and a digital-exclusive 3am Edition with seven additional songs.[5] On May 24, 2023, Swift announced two more editions of Midnights during her Eras Tour (2023–2024): the digital-exclusive Til Dawn Edition and the CD-exclusive Late Night Edition containing the bonus track "You're Losing Me". The Late Night Edition was only purchasable in-person at merchandise stands of the Eras Tour in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on May 26–28, 2023.[6][7]

"You're Losing Me" became a "ravenously anticipated" track according to Variety, which reported that "fans were so eager to get their hands" on the CD, causing lines at the stadium a day before the opening of the merchandise store at 12:30 PM EDT on May 26. Some concert attendees, after purchasing the CD, went back to their cars and uploaded the track online, which was widely shared on social media.[8] The Late Night Edition including "You're Losing Me" was subsequently sold as a digital album for limited-time download on Swift's webstore.[9][10] Unofficial releases of the song uploaded by fans on the internet were striked with takedown notices by Universal Music.[8]

Swift's fans, Swifties, had requested that she grant "You're Losing Me" a wide release, including making it available on streaming platforms. After Midnights (The Late Night Edition), Swift went on to release Speak Now (Taylor's Version) in July 2023 and 1989 (Taylor's Version) in October 2023.[11][12] On November 29, Swift released the song to streaming services as a token of gratitude to her fans, after Spotify revealed her as the "Global Top Artist"—the most streamed artist on Spotify in a year—of 2023.[11] On February 16, 2024, Swift sang "You're Losing Me" at the Melbourne stop of her Eras Tour (2023–2024).[13][14]

Composition and lyrics[edit]

Swift wrote "You're Losing Me" with Jack Antonoff, on December 5, 2021, and recorded it on the same day.[15][16] It was conceived for Midnights, but did not make the album's standard or deluxe track list, and was hence subtitled "From the Vault".[8] The track was produced by Swift and Antonoff,[15] who handled its programming. He played cello, drums, percussion, piano, and synthesizers including Mellotron and Wurlitzer, and Bobby Hawk played violin. It was mixed by Serban Ghenea with the assistance of Bryce Bordone and mastered by Randy Merrill.[15] "You're Losing Me" is a downtempo[17] ballad[18] incorporating twinkling synthesizers and sparse and steady beats[17] that samples Swift's heartbeat.[19] Writing for Business Insider, Callie Ahlgrim described the song's production as "airy".[18]

The lyrics are autobiographical in nature,[8] describing the despair and tragic dissolution of a relationship.[20] The overarching message of the song is that the narrator "has put her everything into fighting for the relationship, but she doesn't feel that effort is returned."[21] The main lyrical motif is a word play on the phrase "we're losing him/her", generally used in emergency departments depicted in medical drama shows.[8] Swift makes various references to injury and ailment throughout the song to convey the heartache. A deep sigh begins the song.[18] The first verse portrays two people who have grown apart in their romantic relationship due to their growing lack of mutual understanding. In the chorus, the narrator cautions their partner about the imminent end of their relationship, over beats mimicking "a quietly pulsing heartbeat". The second verse reveals how the couple grew apart; the pre-chorus depicts indecision, while the bridge examines the issues within the fading romance,[20] such as how the subject—who insists on pretending that the relationship is healthy—"will not make the tough decisions" to stay with the narrator, who feels coerced into deciding "against continuing in the relationship" as there is a difference of opinions within the couple over the state of the relationship.[21]

Critics as well as fans have interpreted the lyrics to be about the end of Swift's six-year romantic relationship with the English actor Joe Alwyn, which was a subject of widespread media coverage in April 2023.[8][20] In the song's bridge, Swift suggests that the relationship could have led to marriage, possibly referencing "Lavender Haze" (2022), the opening track of Midnights, whose lyrics mention avoiding discussion of marriage in order to enjoy "the honeymoon phase". Swift also describes herself as a "pathological people pleaser", which is considered a reference to "Anti-Hero" (2022), a song that discusses Swift's insecurities.[21] Parallels and contrasts have been noted between the music and lyrics of "You're Losing Me" and those of Swift's 2019 track "Cornelia Street".[18][22]

Critical reception[edit]

The song received widespread acclaim from critics, who lauded the vulnerability that was displayed on the track. In a rave review, Steffanee Wang of Nylon praised the portrayal of heartbreak and sorrow without involving "mic drop moments" or "accusations", the frank tone of its confessional lyrics, the song structure, and Swift's "palpable" restraint in details. Wang commented that "You're Losing Me" could be her "most devastating" song, eclipsing her 2012 track "All Too Well".[20] Writing for Bustle, Stephanie Topacio Long opined that the song is "about a relationship going from critically wounded to fatally damaged."[23] The Billboard journalist Ashley Iasimone called "You're Losing Me" an "emotionally-charged" ballad that illustrates the "painful, slow ending of a longterm relationship."[24] The Variety critic Chris Willman appreciated Swift's decision to release the song as a bonus track, arguing it would have barely fit with the upbeat, sensual production of the standard Midnights.[8] Callie Ahlgrim of Business Insider christened "You're Losing Me" as the true closing track of Midnights, recontextualizing the album as a body of work "about agonizing and dissociating, not just reminiscing."[18] In a list by Rolling Stone ranking the best songs of 2023, "You're Losing Me" placed at number 86.[19]

Commercial performance[edit]

In the United States, within two days of tracking, "You're Losing Me" debuted at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it marked Swift's 54th entry on the chart in 2023. Collecting 8.7 million streams and sold 19,000 downloads in those two days, the song debuted at number one on the Billboard Digital Songs chart—Swift's 28th song to top the chart.[25] Following its first full tracking week, the song ascended to number 27 on the Hot 100 and became her 138th top-40 entry, which extended her record of the most top-40 entries for a female artist.[26] It also peaked atop the Philippines Songs chart[27] and reached number 15 on the Billboard Global 200.[28] Elsewhere, "You're Losing Me" peaked within the top 20 in Singapore (7),[29] Australia (13),[30] Ireland (14),[31] Malaysia (14),[32] New Zealand (15),[33] Canada (18),[34] and the United Kingdom (20).[35]

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from Tidal[15]

  • Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriting, production
  • Jack Antonoff – songwriting, production, engineering, recording, programming, drums, percussion, piano, synthesizer, Wurlitzer, Mellotron, cello
  • Bobby Hawk – violin
  • Laura Sisk – engineering, recording
  • Oli Jacobs – engineering, recording
  • Megan Searl – assistant engineering
  • John Sher – assistant engineering
  • Daniel Cayotte – assistant engineering
  • Jack Manning – assistant engineering
  • Joey Miller – assistant engineering
  • Jozeph Caldwell – assistant engineering
  • Rémy Dumelz – assistant engineering
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Bryce Bordone – assistant mixing
  • Randy Merrill – mastering

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "You're Losing Me"
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[30] 13
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[34] 18
Global 200 (Billboard)[28] 15
Greece International (IFPI)[36] 43
Ireland (IRMA)[31] 14
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)[37] 20
Malaysia (Billboard)[32] 14
Malaysia International (RIM)[38] 12
Netherlands (Single Tip)[39] 1
Netherlands (Tipparade)[40] 17
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[33] 15
Philippines (Billboard)[27] 1
Portugal (AFP)[41] 98
Singapore (RIAS)[29] 7
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[42] 90
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] 82
UK Singles (OCC)[35] 20
US Billboard Hot 100[44] 27
Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100)[45] 36

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Subtitled "(From the Vault)"[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Midnights (The Late Night Edition) (CD liner notes). Taylor Swift. Republic Records. 2023. 2455761781.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ Sisario, Ben (October 21, 2022). "The Clock Strikes: Time for Taylor Swift's New LP, Midnights". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  3. ^ McIntosh, Steven (October 21, 2022). "Taylor Swift: Midnights Praised by Critics Despite Lack of Radio Hits". BBC News. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  4. ^ Balasaygun, Kaitlin (November 1, 2022). "How Taylor Swift Went Back to the Past and Turned Midnights into Her Biggest Album Success Yet". CNBC. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  5. ^ Knopper, Steve (October 21, 2022). "Taylor Swift Is Selling over 20 Versions of Midnights in Different Styles and Formats". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  6. ^ Willman, Chris (May 24, 2023). "Taylor Swift Announces Midnights Deluxe Album with Ice Spice and More Lana Del Rey". Variety. Archived from the original on May 25, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  7. ^ Lonsdale, John (May 26, 2023). "From Til Dawn to 3am, Here's Where to Buy Every Edition of Taylor Swift's Midnights Online". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Willman, Chris (May 26, 2023). "Taylor Swift Has Fans Losing It with the Revealing Lyrics of New Song 'You're Losing Me'". Variety. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  9. ^ "Midnights (The Late Night Edition) Digital Album". Taylor Swift Official Store. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  10. ^ Ellis, Maddie (October 27, 2023). "Taylor Swift Frees 5 Songs 'From the Vault'—But What Does That Mean?". Today. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Shafer, Ellise (November 29, 2023). "Taylor Swift Finally Releases 'You're Losing Me' on Streaming Services". Variety. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  12. ^ Irvin, Jack (November 29, 2023). "Taylor Swift Makes Vault Track 'You're Losing Me' Available to Stream As She's Named Spotify's Global Top Artist". People. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  13. ^ Bell, Sadie (February 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift Sings 'You're Losing Me' for First Time in Moving Performance at Eras Tour in Melbourne, Australia". People. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  14. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (March 9, 2023). "All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed on the Eras Tour (So Far)". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d "You're Losing Me". Tidal. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  16. ^ Weinberg, Lindsay (November 30, 2023). "Why Swifties Think Taylor Swift and Ex Joe Alwyn's Relationship Issues Trace Back to 2021". E! Online. Archived from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Irvin, Jack (November 29, 2023). "Taylor Swift Drops 'You're Losing Me' As She's Named Spotify's Global Top Artist". People. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  18. ^ a b c d e Ahlgrim, Callie (June 1, 2023). "Unpacking Taylor Swift's New Breakup Song 'You're Losing Me'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on September 18, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  19. ^ a b "The 100 Best Songs of 2023: 'You're Losing Me'". Rolling Stone. December 1, 2023. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  20. ^ a b c d Wang, Steffanee (May 30, 2023). "Taylor Swift's 'You're Losing Me' Lyrics Might Explain Her Split with Joe Alwyn". Nylon. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  21. ^ a b c "Taylor Swift's New Song 'You're Losing Me' Seemingly Reveals Reason for Joe Alwyn Break Up". Elle. May 29, 2023. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  22. ^ Ellis, Maddie (May 27, 2023). "Taylor Swift Releases Breakup Song 'You're Losing Me'". Today. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  23. ^ Long, Stephanie Topacio (May 27, 2023). "Taylor Swift's 'You're Losing Me' Lyrics May Shed Light on Her Joe Alwyn Split". Bustle. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  24. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (May 27, 2023). "Taylor Swift Fans Are in Shambles over 'You're Losing Me'". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  25. ^ Zellner, Xander (December 4, 2023). "Taylor Swift's 'You're Losing Me (From the Vault)' Debuts on Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  26. ^ Zellner, Xander (December 12, 2023). "Taylor Swift Scores 89th Week at No. 1 on Billboard Artist 100 Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  27. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Philippines Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  28. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  29. ^ a b "RIAS Top Charts Week 49 (1 - 7 Dec 2023)". RIAS. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  30. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – You're Losing Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  31. ^ a b "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  32. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Malaysia Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  33. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – You're Losing Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  34. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  35. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  36. ^ "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) - Week 49/2023". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  37. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of December 13, 2023". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  38. ^ "TOP 20 Most Streamed International Singles In Malaysia Week 49 (01/12/2023- 7/12/2023)". RIM. December 16, 2023. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023 – via Facebook.
  39. ^ "Dutch Single Tip 09/12/2023". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  40. ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 50, 2023" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  41. ^ "Taylor Swift – You're Losing Me". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  42. ^ "Taylor Swift – You're Losing Me". Singles Top 100. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  43. ^ "Taylor Swift – You're Losing Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  44. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  45. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Billboard Vietnam Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
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