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Don't Blame Me (Taylor Swift song)

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"Don't Blame Me"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album Reputation
ReleasedNovember 10, 2017 (2017-11-10)
StudioMXM (Stockholm and Los Angeles)
Genre
Length3:56
LabelBig Machine
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Max Martin
  • Shellback
Audio
"Don't Blame Me" on YouTube

"Don't Blame Me" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her sixth studio album, Reputation (2017). Written by Swift and the song's producers, Max Martin and Shellback, "Don't Blame Me" combines electropop, EDM, and gospel pop. Its production is driven by heavy bass, pulsing synthesizers, and manipulated vocals. The lyrics are about Swift's declaration of an unapologetic love, using imagery of drug addiction and religion.

In Reputation album reviews, critics described the production as dark and moody; some deemed "Don't Blame Me" a highlight and praised the dense production, while a few others deemed it generic. In 2022, "Don't Blame Me" gained traction on TikTok and debuted on various national charts and has since earned sales certifications in several countries. Swift included the song on the set list of her Reputation Stadium Tour (2018) and the Eras Tour (2023–2024).

Background

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Taylor Swift released her fifth studio album, 1989, in October 2014 to commercial success. The album sold over six million copies in the U.S. and spawned three Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles: "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", and "Bad Blood".[1][2] Swift continued to be a major target of tabloid gossip during the promotion of 1989. She had short-lived romantic relationships with Scottish producer Calvin Harris and English actor Tom Hiddleston. Her reputation was blemished from publicized disputes with other celebrities, including rapper Kanye West, media personality Kim Kardashian, and singer Katy Perry.[3] Swift became increasingly reticent on social media, having maintained an active presence with a large following, and avoided interactions with the press amidst the tumultuous affairs.[4]

She conceived her sixth studio album, Reputation, as an answer to the media commotion surrounding her celebrity.[5] Describing the album as "cathartic", Swift followed the songwriting for her 2014 single "Blank Space", on which she satirized her perceived image. She said: "I took that template of, OK, this is what you're all saying about me. Let me just write from this character for a second."[5] The final cut of Reputation consists of 15 tracks, all of which Swift co-wrote.[6]

Composition

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"Don't Blame Me" was written by Swift and its producers, Max Martin, and Shellback.[6][7] Both Martin and Shellback played keyboards, and the latter played guitar. Swift and Martin provided background vocals. Sam Holland and Michael Ilbert, with engineering assistants Cory Bice and Jeremy Lertola, engineered the track at MXM Studios in Los Angeles and Stockholm. 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 City.[6]

"Don't Blame Me"
"Don't Blame Me" combines electropop, EDM, and gospel, with a soundscape drenched in synthesizers and vocal harmonies.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

In publications' reviews, critics described "Don't Blame Me" as electropop,[8] EDM,[9] and "gospel pop".[10] Rolling Stone critic Rob Sheffield characterized it as "moody 'bad girl goes to church'", a sound that recalls Madonna's "Like a Prayer" (1989).[11] Hannah Mylrae from NME described the production as "thundering, foot-stomping, fist-pumping".[12] The song is accompanied by a dark, moody electronic production and a "church-y sound" for the refrain.[8][13][14] Its instrumentation includes pulsing drums, surging synthesizers, a heavy bass, and distorted, multitracked vocals.[10][15] Spin's Monique Mendelez compared its "thunderous gothic church soundscape" to the sound of Hozier's "Take Me to Church" (2013).[16] Alexis Petridis from The Guardian found the track's chord progression to be similar to that on Britney Spears's "...Baby One More Time" (1998).[9]

For the lyrics, media publications interpreted "Don't Blame Me" as Swift's unapologetic attitude reflecting her reputation as a songwriter who mostly wrote about love and past relationships.[8][17] Swift hints at "how crazy her newest lover made her".[13] In the song, she also replies to the criticism she endured for singing about her relationships.[8] She understands the concept of consequence as she declares her love.[16] She uses religious imagery, "I would fall from grace / Just to touch your face" and makes references to addiction ("Oh, lord save me, my drug is baby").[16] Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph interpreted the song as a contemplation on whether love can survive in the presence of media scrutiny.[18] In the South African edition of GQ, Bernd Fischer thought the song shows a more vulnerable side of Swift despite its title suggesting otherwise.[14] The track also contains a reference to The Great Gatsby where Swift refers to herself as "your Daisy".[19]

Release and commercial performance

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Swift singing onstage wearing a black bodysuit embroiled with snake motifs
Swift performing "Don't Blame Me" on the Eras Tour (2023)

"Don't Blame Me" is track number four on Reputation, which was released in various countries on November 10, 2017, by Big Machine Records.[20] Swift included the song on the set list of her Reputation Stadium Tour (2018).[21] She again featured the song in the set list of her 2023 headlining tour, the Eras Tour.[22]

In May–June 2022, "Don't Blame Me" gained traction on the video-sharing app TikTok and entered several record charts.[23] It appeared on the charts across various European countries, peaking within the top 50 in Norway (18),[24] the Czech Republic (33),[25] and Austria (49).[26] In the wider English-speaking world, "Don't Blame Me" peaked at number 16 in Australia[27] and at number 77 in the United Kingdom.[28] On the Billboard Global 200 chart, the track peaked at number 118.[29] The track was certified gold in several European countries including Norway, Greece, Poland, and Portugal. In New Zealand and the United Kingdom, it was certified platinum,[30] while in Australia, it was certified four-times platinum.[31]

Critical reception

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"Don't Blame Me" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Melendez opined that "Don't Blame Me" was the song that represented Reputation, praising the production and lyrics.[16] Pitchfork's Jamieson Cox called the song a "glittering [monster] held together by Swift's presence at their center".[15] Writing for PopMatters, Evan Sawdy deemed the track a highlight on the album.[13] In other reviews, Petridis, McCormick, and Ellen Peirson-Hagger from Under the Radar picked it as an album highlight.[9][32][18] Peirson-Hagger noticed its "warming, singalong, confessional style intriguingly dark", while McCormick highlighted its "pithy observations, insidious melodies and intimately conversational vocals".[32][18]

On a less positive note, Eleanor Graham from The Line of Best Fit and Uppy Chatterjee from The Music found the EDM/electronic-influenced production ineffective partly because the sound had already been hugely popular on the charts, although the latter acknowledged that the track had some "deeply personal" lyrics.[33][34] Rudy K. from Sputnikmusic commented that the track "begs for a more nimble voice than Swift can give".[35] In a review for Atwood Magazine, Nicole Almeida found the drug metaphor in the lyrics clichéd.[36]

Personnel

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Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Reputation.[6]

  • Taylor Swift – lead vocals, backing vocals, songwriting
  • Max Martin – production, songwriting, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Shellback – production, songwriting, guitars, keyboards
  • Sam Holland – engineering
  • Michael Ilbert – engineering
  • Cory Bice – assistant engineering
  • Jeremy Lertola – assistant engineering
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • John Hanes – mix engineering
  • Randy Merrill – mastering

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for "Don't Blame Me"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[31] 4× Platinum 280,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria)[48] Platinum 30,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[49] Platinum 40,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[50] Platinum 90,000‡
France (SNEP)[51] Gold 100,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[52] Gold 300,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[53] Gold 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[54] 2× Platinum 60,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)[55] Gold 30,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[56] Platinum 50,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[57] Platinum 10,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[58] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Platinum 600,000‡
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece)[59] Platinum 2,000,000†

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Trust, Gary (July 14, 2019). "Ask Billboard: Taylor Swift's Career Sales & Streaming Totals, From 'Tim McGraw' to 'You Need to Calm Down'". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  2. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History: Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  3. ^ Ryan, Patrick (November 9, 2017). "5 things Taylor Swift's past USA Today interviews tell us about her Reputation era". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  4. ^ Yahr, Emily (November 15, 2017). "Taylor Swift avoided – and mocked – the media with Reputation. And it worked". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Hiatt, Brian (September 30, 2019). "9 Taylor Swift Moments That Didn't Fit in Our Cover Story". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d Swift, Taylor (2017). Reputation (CD liner notes). Big Machine Records. 00843930033102.
  7. ^ D'Souza, Shaad (January 29, 2018). "How Max Martin Built a Pop Sound Then Lost His Grip on the Charts". Vice. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d Bruner, Raisa (November 10, 2017). "Analyzing Every Song on Taylor Swift's Reputation". Time. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c Petridis, Alexis (November 10, 2017). "Taylor Swift: Reputation review – superb songcraft meets extreme drama". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Tucker, Ken (November 13, 2017). "Taylor Swift Pushes Further Into Electro-Pop with Reputation". NPR. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
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  42. ^ "Taylor Swift – Don't Blame Me". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  43. ^ "RIAS Top Charts Week 10 (1 - 7 Mar 2024)". RIAS. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  44. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 22. týden 2022 in the date selector. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  45. ^ "Taylor Swift – Don't Blame Me". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  46. ^ "Taylor Swift – Don't Blame Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
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  49. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Taylor Swift – Don't Blame Me" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  50. ^ "Danish single certifications – Taylor Swift – Don't Blame Me". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved November 14, 2023. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2023 to obtain certification.
  51. ^ "French single certifications – Taylor Swift – Don't Blame Me" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  52. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Taylor Swift; 'Don't Blame Me')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  53. ^ "Italian single certifications – Taylor Swift – Don't Blame Me" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved January 3, 2024. Select "2024" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Don't Blame Me" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  54. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Taylor Swift – Don't Blame Me". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  55. ^ "Norwegian single certifications – Taylor Swift – Don't Blame Me" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  56. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 6, 2023. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Don't Blame Me in the search box.
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  59. ^ "IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International)" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
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