Content
Background
reputation is the sixth studio album by American singer and songwriter, Taylor Swift. Released on November 10, 2017 by Big Machine Record it was the last contractual album Swift released under the label before signing on with Republic Records.
Released over three years after her last album, 1989, Swift had went into seclusion during 2016 after falling scrutiny to rampant tabloids over her personal life and public disputes with celebrities and created the album as an effort to revamp her state of mind.
Swift recruited Jack Antonoff, Max Martin and Shellback to help produce the album with a stark shift from the synth-pop style of its predecessor, reputation is built around dark electropop and R&B, inspired by urban genres such as EDM, hip hop, trap, and Miami bass, resulting in a heavy electronic production consisting of surging synthesizers, pulsing drum machines, and manipulated vocals. In retrospect, Swift has described reputation as a “defense mechanism” and an alter ego.
The album’s motif, “There will be no explanation, just reputation.”, became the album’s centerfold and unlike previously Swift did not promote the album through press interviews.
Prior to the album’s release Swift released two promotional singles, “Getaway Car” on October 20, 2017. The second promotional single, “Call It What You Want” was released on November 3, 2017.
Upon the album’s release, two magazines were released exclusively to US Target stores. The magazines contain photos, handwritten lyrics, poetry and paintings by Swift. The Reputation Vol. 1 magazine cover was shot by Mert and Marcus. Vol. 2 was shot by Benny Horne and features Swift in a camouflage jacket.
Commercially the album did well, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and becoming her fourth consecutive album to do so with first-week sales of over 1.2 million copies.
A karaoke edition was released digitally on March 9, 2018 and later in CD+G and DVD format on May 18, 2018.
Singles
Six singles were released to promote the album. The lead single, “Look What You Made Me Do”, was released August 24, 2017 and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming Swift’s fifth number one single. “…Ready for It?” was originally released as a promotional single on September 3, 2017 and later impacted radio stations on September 17, 2017 and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. “End Game” featuring Ed Sheeran and Future was released November 14, 2017 as the third single and only got as high as number eighteen on the Billboard Hot 100. “New Years Day” was released to US country radio on November 27, 2017 as the fourth single from the album. On March 12, 2018, “Delicate” was released as the fifth single from the album and was a sleeper hit. The song peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number one on the Mainstream Top 40 chart, and was reputation‘s first number-one single on the Billboard Adult Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts. It became the biggest radio hit from reputation. “Getaway Car” was released as the album’s final single on September 7, 2018 exclusively to Australia and New Zealand.
Track listing
Track Title | Writers | Producers | Length |
1. “…Ready for It?” | Ali Payani, Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Ali Payani, Max Martin, Shellback | 3:27 |
2. “End Game” (featuring Ed Sheeran and Future) | Ed Sheeran, Future, Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Ilya, Max Martin, Shellback | 4:04 |
3. “I Did Something Bad” | Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Max Martin, Shellback | 3:57 |
4. “Don’t Blame Me” | Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Max Martin, Shellback | 3:55 |
5. “Delicate” | Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Max Martin, Shellback | 3:51 |
6. “Look What You Made Me Do” | Fred Fairbrass, Jack Antonoff, Richard Fairbrass, Rob Manzoli, Taylor Swift | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | 3:31 |
7. “So It Goes…” | Max Martin, Oscar Görres, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Max Martin, Oscar Görres, Shellback | 3:47 |
8. “Gorgeous” | Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Max Martin, Shellback | 3:29 |
9. “Getaway Car” | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | 3:53 |
10. “King of My Heart” | Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Max Martin, Shellback | 3:33 |
11. “Dancing with Our Hands Tied” | Max Martin, Oscar Holter, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Max Martin, Oscar Holter, Shellback | 3:30 |
12. “Dress” | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | 3:49 |
13. “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | 3:26 |
14. “Call It What You Want” | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | 3:22 |
15. “New Year’s Day” | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | 3:54 |
Notes
- “Look What You Made Me Do” contains an interpolation of the 1991 song “I’m Too Sexy” by the band Right Said Fred.