Wildest Dreams (Taylor Swift song)

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"Wildest Dreams"
File:Taylor Swift - Wildest Dreams (Official Single Cover).png
Single by Taylor Swift
from the album 1989
Released August 31, 2015 (2015-08-31)
Format
Recorded 2014;
MXM Studios
(Stockholm)
Genre Dream pop
Length 3:40
Label Big Machine
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Max Martin
  • Shellback
Taylor Swift singles chronology
"Bad Blood"
(2015)		 "Wildest Dreams"
(2015)		 "Out of the Woods"
(2016)
Music video
"Wildest Dreams" on YouTube

"Wildest Dreams" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her fifth studio album, 1989. The song was released to radio by Big Machine Records on August 31, 2015,[1] as the album's fifth single. Swift co-wrote the song with its producers Max Martin and Shellback. Musically, "Wildest Dreams" is a ballad with a prominent dream pop influence, with the lyrics describing Swift's plea for her lover to remember her.

Following the release of 1989, it was met with moderate commercial successes, charting in the United States, Canada, and Australia on the strength of digital downloads. After its release as a single, it reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the fifth consecutive top-10 song from 1989 and Swift's 19th top-10 single on the chart.[2] It also became her sixth chart topper on the Radio Songs chart.[3] Later a remix by Dutch DJ R3hab was released digitally in October 11, 2015.

Writing and composition

Swift wrote the track with the song's producers, Max Martin and Shellback. [4] Reviewers compared it to the works of Lana Del Rey.[5][6] Written in the key of A♭ major and set in a 2/2 time signature, it has moderate tempo of 69 beats per minute. Swift's vocal range spans from E♭3 to E♭5.[7]

Critical reception

Sputnikmusic called the song an "impassioned piece" and thought that, "all it really proves is that Swift is capable of taking the contemporary influences around her and molding them into something impressively original."[8] Corey Bealsey of PopMatters described it as "Swift doing more or less a literal Lana Del Rey impression and managing it with a ventriloquist's mastery to conjure Del Rey's moody, sultry atmospherics."[9] Marah Eakin of The A.V. Club said that "Swift even takes her voice down a few notches, sounding a bit more like the brusque Del Rey than her chipper self."[10] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian praised the wit of the lyrics: "there's something hugely cheering about the way Swift turns the [Lana del Rey-style] persona of the pathetic female appendage snivelling over her bad-boy boyfriend on its head. Ramping up the melodrama by way of Be My Babyish drums, Wildest Dreams paints the man as the victim, doomed to spend the rest of his life haunted by what he's carelessly lost."[11] In a review by The New York Times, noted that this song contained the "most pronounced vocal tweak" on the album and how "at the bridge, she skips up an octave, sputtering out bleats of ecstasy, before retreating back under the covers."[12]

On the other hand, Craig Manning of AbsolutePunk dismissed the song as "a bit disposable".[13] Jem Aswad of Billboard had a mixed reception about the Lana Del Rey similarities, saying that "it's hard to tell if the song is homage or parody."[14]

Chart performance

"Wildest Dreams" first entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 76 on the week ending November 15, 2014 as a cut off from 1989. Following its release as an official single and the release of an accompanying music video at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards pre-show, the song re-entered the Hot 100 at number 15 on the chart dated September 19, 2015. It reached number 12 the following week, later peaking at number 5. The song's peak position made Swift only the fourth artist to have at least one single peak at each position of Billboard's top 10 as the lead performer (after Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and Madonna), as "Change","Jump Then Fall" and "If This Was a Movie" peaked at number 10, "Fearless" debuted and peaked at number nine, "Speak Now" debuted and peaked at number eight, "Begin Again" peaked at number seven, "Back to December", "Red" and "Style" peaked at number six, "Love Story" peaked at number four, "Mine" debuted and peaked at number three, "You Belong With Me","Today Was a Fairytale" and "I Knew You Were Trouble" peaked at number two, while "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", "Shake It Off", "Blank Space" and "Bad Blood" each peaked at number one. It re-entered the Billboard Digital Songs chart at number 7 selling 83,000 copies (up 981% from its previous week sales). At the Billboard Radio Songs chart it debuted at number 26 with 43 million audience impression (up 114%).[15] It climbed to the top position of the Radio Songs chart on the week ending November 14, 2015.[16] On Billboard's Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, the single became Swift's first number one.[17]

Music video

Development and synopsis

File:Western Serengeti 2012 06 02 4139 (7557734884).jpg
Parts of the video were shot in the Serengeti, Tanzania.[18]

The accompanying music video was directed by Joseph Kahn, who previously directed the music videos for the second and fourth singles from 1989, "Blank Space" and "Bad Blood" and filmed in Africa and California.[19] The video was first aired on television during the pre-show of the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards on August 30, 2015.[20] Scott Eastwood appeared in the video.[21] In the video, Swift plays a fictional actress named Majorie Finn which is a reference to her grandmother's name, Majorie Finlay, and Scott Eastwood plays a fictional character named Robert Kingsley. Swift's grandfather's name was Robert and her dad's middle name is Kingsley. Swift came up with the concept after reading a book by Ava Gardner and Peter Evans, The Secret Conversations. Her premise for the video is that—since social media did not exist in the '50s—it would be impossible for actors not to fall in love if they were isolated together in Africa, since there would be no one else to talk to.[22] According to Kahn the video is based on classic Hollywood romances like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, as well as classic movies like The African Queen, Out of Africa and The English Patient.[23]

The video, set in an African Savannah in the 1950s during the golden age of cinema, follows the story of fictional brunette actress Marjorie Finn (Swift) shooting a romantic adventure film, Wildest Dreams, in the savannah with co-actor, Robert Kingsley (Eastwood) which is a reference to the 1985 film Out of Africa.[24] The video is interspersed with shots of African wildlife and natural scenery including shots of a cascading waterfall and others such as Swift lounging with a lion. After a fight on set, the romance ends and the video cuts to a Hollywood premiere, where Swift sees her co-star, Eastwood, with his wife. She is visibly upset but tries to act nonchalant, and the video ends with her fleeing the premiere and seeing her co-star run out onto the road in the side mirror of the limousine.

Two different biplanes were used in the video. For the flight scenes a de Havilland Tiger Moth was used[25] however for the green screen and ground scenes an 80% scale replica, a Fisher R-80 Tiger Moth[26] was used instead.

Reception

File:Wildest Dreams music video.jpg
In the video, Swift portrays an actress akin to Elizabeth Taylor, while Eastwood portrays an actor akin to Richard Burton.

The video received mixed reviews. Slate's Forrest Whickman found that the video was "a lot more engaging" and that "it does a good job matching the song's theme of lingering on with someone 'even if it's just pretend'."[27] Mike Wass of Idolator called the video "a much stronger effort" than Swift's previous videos and likened it to romance films Out of Africa, The English Patient and The Notebook. While saying "it all hangs together rather nicely", he highlighted the scenery, which "raises this above your average video".[28] Rolling Stone writer Brittany Spanos felt that the video's visuals emulated "retro Hollywood glamour" and Brittany Spanos of The Wall Street Journal opined they were "lush".[29][30] Writing for Digital Spy, Justin Harp deemed the video "spellbinding" and as "streamy" as the music video for "Bad Blood".[31]

Writing for NPR, Viviane Rutabingwa and James Kassaga Arinaitwe criticized the video for "present[ing] a glamorous version of the white colonial fantasy of Africa" and ignoring the brutality of colonialism. "[...] We don't totally blame Taylor Swift, but the people behind the video should have done a little more research. They should have wondered how Africans would react. This nostalgia that privileged white people have for colonial Africa is awkwardly confusing to say the least and offensive to say the most."[19] Lauren Duca of The Huffington Post criticized the video for bringing back "white colonialism" despite the fact that both its producer and its editor are African-American. Duca opined that "Instead of the cultural appropriation that has become almost status quo in today's pop music, Swift has opted for the bolder option of actually just embodying the political exploitation of a region and its people. It's brave, really. Almost as brave as moving sensuously in the vicintiy [sic] of a real-life lion."[32] Lauretta Charlton of Vulture.com responded to these criticisms, writing "I am a black woman, and this week the internet says I should be angry because Taylor Swift's "Wildest Dreams" video is set in an Africa full of white people....Racists are very real. Colonialism is very real. But Taylor Swift is not a racist, and her "Wildest Dreams" video is not a boon for colonialism. Take a deep breath, exhale, and direct our rage toward something that matters."[33]

Cover versions

Ryan Adams covered "Wildest Dreams" for his album 1989. Yahoo! writer Oscar Gracey said that Adams' cover is "best heard when driving through Big Sur with the top down."[34]

Track listings

Digital download – single (R3hab Remix)[35]

  1. "Wildest Dreams (R3hab Remix)" – 3:17

Credits and personnel

Recording and management
Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes of 1989.[36]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2014–16) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[37] 3
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[38] 21
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[39] 33
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[40] 24
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[41] 4
Canada AC (Billboard)[42] 4
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[43] 1
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[44] 1
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[45] 67
France (SNEP)[46] 122
Hungary (Single Top 40)[47] 35
Ireland (IRMA)[48] 39
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[49] 8
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[50] 3
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[51] 9
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[52] 23
South Africa (EMA)[53] 5
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[54] 40
US Billboard Hot 100[55] 5
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[56] 2
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[57] 1
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard)[58] 1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[59] 1
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[60] 25

Year-end charts

Chart (2015) Position
Australia (ARIA)[61] 41
US Billboard Hot 100[62] 57

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[63] 2× Platinum 140,000
Canada (Music Canada)[64] Platinum 80,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[65] Gold 7,500
United Kingdom (BPI)[66] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[67] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Country Date Format Label Ref.
United States August 31, 2015 Hot/Modern/AC radio
[1]
September 1, 2015 Contemporary hit radio [68]
Worldwide October 15, 2015 Digital download (R3hab Remix) Big Machine [35][69]
Italy October 30, 2015 Contemporary hit radio Universal [70]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/371422/taylor-swift/chart?sort=position&f=350
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Template:Citeeweb
  16. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/charts/radio-songs/2015-11-14
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/ZS-BUA.html
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  39. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  40. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  41. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Taylor Swift. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  42. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Billboard Canada AC for Taylor Swift. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  43. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Billboard Canada CHR/Top 40 for Taylor Swift. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  44. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Billboard Canada Hot AC for Taylor Swift. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  45. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201538 into search. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  46. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  47. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  48. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 41, 2015". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  49. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  50. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  51. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2015-09-24". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  52. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 20161 into search. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  53. ↑ "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2015-10-06". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  54. ↑ "Taylor Swift: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  55. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Taylor Swift. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  56. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Taylor Swift. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  57. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Taylor Swift. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  58. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay for Taylor Swift. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  59. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Taylor Swift. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  60. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Billboard Rhythmic Songs for Taylor Swift. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
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  66. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter title=Wildest Dreams in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
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  70. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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