Wildest Dreams (Taylor Swift song)

"Wildest Dreams"
Single by Taylor Swift
from the album 1989
Released August 31, 2015 (2015-08-31)
Format Digital download
Recorded 2013-2014;
MXM Studios
(Stockholm)
Genre Dream pop
Length 3:40
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Max Martin
  • Shellback
  • Jasmine
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 love 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 charted 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 the song to the works of Lana Del Rey.[5][6] Written in the key of A♭ major and set in a common time signature, it has a relatively slow 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."[5] 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."[8] 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."[6] 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."[9] 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."[10]

On the other hand, Craig Manning of AbsolutePunk dismissed the song as "a bit disposable".[11] 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."[12]

Chart performance

"Wildest Dreams" first entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 76 on the week ending November 15, 2014 as a cut 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, and peaked at number 5 on November 7, 2015. 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).[13] 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%).[14] It climbed to the top position of the Radio Songs chart on the week ending November 14, 2015.[15] On Billboard's Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, the single became Swift's first number one.[16]

Music video

Development and synopsis

Parts of the video were shot in the Serengeti, Tanzania.[17]

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"). The music video was filmed in Africa and California.[18] The video was first aired on television during the pre-show of the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards on August 30, 2015.[19] Scott Eastwood appeared in the video.[20] 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.[21] 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.[22]

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.[23] 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[24] however for the green screen and ground scenes an 80% scale replica, a Fisher R-80 Tiger Moth[25] was used instead. Swift is donating all of her proceeds from the video to wild animal conservation efforts through the African Parks Foundation of America.[26]

Reception

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."[18] 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] Joseph Kahn, who directed the video, responded to accusations that the video glorified colonialism, saying: “We collectively decided it would have been historically inaccurate to load the crew with more black actors as the video would have been accused of rewriting history. This video is set in the past by a crew set in the present. This is not a video about colonialism but a love story on the set of a period film crew in Africa, 1950.”

Cover versions and performances

Swift performing "Wildest Dreams / Enchanted" mashup on The 1989 World Tour.

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]

As part of the 1989 World Tour, Swift performed a mashup of "Wildest Dreams" along with "Enchanted" from her third studio album, Speak Now.

Track listings

Digital download – single (R3hab Remix)[35]

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

Credits and personnel

Recording and management
Personnel
  • Sam Holland – recording
  • Cory Bice – assistant recording
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • John Hanes – engineered for mix
  • Tom Coyne – mastering

Credits adapted from liner notes of 1989.[36]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2015–16) 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] 2
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[43] 1
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[44] 1
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[45] 67
Finland Download (Suomen virallinen latauslista)[46] 15
France (SNEP)[47] 122
Hungary (Single Top 40)[48] 35
Ireland (IRMA)[49] 39
Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20)[50] 14
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[51] 8
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[52] 3
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[53] 9
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[54] 8
South Africa (EMA)[55] 5
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[56] 40
US Billboard Hot 100[57] 5
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[58] 2
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[59] 1
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard)[60] 1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[61] 1
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[62] 25

Year-end charts

Chart (2015) Position
Australia (ARIA)[63] 41
US Billboard Hot 100[64] 57

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[65] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[66] Platinum 80,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[67] Gold 15,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[68] Silver 200,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[69] 3× Platinum 3,000,000double-dagger

*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 [70]
Worldwide October 15, 2015 Digital download (R3hab Remix) Big Machine [35][71]
Italy October 30, 2015 Contemporary hit radio Universal [72]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on August 24, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  2. ↑ "The Weeknd at No. 1 on Hot 100, Shawn Mendes earns first Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  3. ↑ Taylor Swift - Chart history | Billboard
  4. ↑ "Review: Taylor Swift channels Lana Del Rey in new single 'Wildest Dreams'". Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Review: Taylor Swift - 1989". Sputnikmusic. October 28, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Eakin, Marah (October 28, 2014). "With 1989, Taylor Swift finally grows up". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Wildest Dreams By Taylor Swift". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  8. ↑ Bealsey, Corey (October 31, 2014). "Taylor Swift: 1989". PopMatters. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  9. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (October 24, 2014). "Taylor Swift: 1989 review – leagues ahead of the teen-pop competition". The Guardian. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  10. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (October 23, 2014). "A Farewell to Twang". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  11. ↑ Manning, Craig (October 31, 2014). "Taylor Swift - 1989 - Album Review". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  12. ↑ Aswad, Jem (October 24, 2014). "Album Review: Taylor Swift's Pop Curveball Pays Off With '1989'". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Taylor Swift - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  14. ↑ Trust, Gary (September 8, 2015). "The Weeknd Doubles Up in Hot 100's Top Three". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  15. ↑ Radio Music: Top Radio Songs Chart | Billboard
  16. ↑ Trust, Gary (November 24, 2015). "Taylor Swift Tallies First Dance/Mix Show Airplay No. 1 With 'Wildest Dreams'". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  17. ↑ Weiner, Natalie (August 31, 2015). "VMAs: Taylor Swift Debuts 'Wildest Dreams' Video Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  18. 1 2 Rutabingwa, Viviane; Kassaga Arinaitwe, James (September 1, 2015). "Taylor Swift Is Dreaming of a Very White Africa". NPR. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' Will Premiere During the VMA Pre-Show". MTV News. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  20. ↑ Christopher Rosen (August 29, 2015). "Taylor Swift teases 'Wildest Dreams' video with pic of Scott Eastwood". Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  21. ↑ Klosterman, Chuck (October 15, 2015). "Taylor Swift on 'Bad Blood', Kanye West, and How People Interpret Her Lyrics". GQ. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Director of Taylor Swift's New Video Defends His Work". NPR. September 2, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  23. ↑ Emilee Linder (August 30, 2015). "Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' Video Is Here To Make You Cry". MTV. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  24. ↑ Aircraft Data ZS-BUA, De Havilland Australia DH-82A Tiger Moth C/N DHA752
  25. ↑ "Fisher R-80 Tiger Moth in Latest Taylor Swift Video". September 14, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  26. ↑ Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' to benefit conservation efforts in Africa | MNN - Mother Nature Network
  27. ↑ Whickman, Forrest (August 30, 2015). "Watch Taylor Swift Go Classical Hollywood With the Video for 'Wildest Dreams'". Slate. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  28. ↑ Wass, Mike (August 30, 2015). "Taylor Swift And Scott Eastwood Pay Tribute To Cinema's Greatest Love Stories In "Wildest Dreams": Watch". Idolator. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  29. ↑ Spanos, Brittany (August 30, 2015). "Watch Taylor Swift's Glamorous, Retro 'Wildest Dreams' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  30. ↑ Ayers, Mike (August 30, 2015). "Taylor Swift Heads to the Desert in 'Wildest Dreams' Video". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  31. ↑ Harp, Justin (August 31, 2015). "The Longest Ride's Scott Eastwood romances Taylor Swift in the spellbinding video for 'Wildest Dreams'". Digital Spy. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  32. ↑ Duca, Lauren (August 30, 2015). "Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' Channels White Colonialism". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  33. ↑ Charlton, Lauretta (September 4, 2015). "Take a Breath – the 'Wildest Dreams' Video Isn't Racist – Now Exhale". Vulture.com. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  34. ↑ Gracey, Oscar (September 21, 2015). "Ryan Adams' '1989': Track By Track". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  35. 1 2 "Wildest Dreams (R3hab Remix) - Single by Taylor Swift". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  36. ↑ 1989 (Compact disc liner notes). Taylor Swift. Big Machine Records. 2014. BMRBD0500A.
  37. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  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 August 25, 2016.
  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. ↑ "Taylor Swift: Wildest Dreams" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  47. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  48. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  49. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 41, 2015". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  50. ↑ The Official Lebanese Top 20 - Taylor Swift
  51. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  52. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  53. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2015-09-24". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  54. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 20161 into search. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  55. ↑ "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2015-10-06". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  56. ↑ "Taylor Swift: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  57. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Taylor Swift. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  58. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Taylor Swift. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  59. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Taylor Swift. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  60. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay for Taylor Swift. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  61. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Taylor Swift. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  62. ↑ "Taylor Swift – Chart history" Billboard Rhythmic Songs for Taylor Swift. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  63. ↑ "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2015". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  64. ↑ "Hot 100: Year End 2015". Billboard. billboard.com. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  65. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. November 30, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  66. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams". Music Canada. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  67. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  68. ↑ "British single certifications – Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams". British Phonographic Industry. Enter 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
  69. ↑ "American single certifications – Taylor Swift – Wildest Dreams". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 26, 2016. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  70. ↑ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on August 24, 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  71. ↑ "Wildest Dreams (R3hab Remix) - Single by Taylor Swift". iTunes Store (Canada). Apple Inc. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  72. ↑ "Taylor Swift - Wildest Dreams Radiodate". radioairplay.fm. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2015.

External links

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