"Getaway Car"
Single by Taylor Swift
from the album Reputation
ReleasedSeptember 7, 2018 (2018-09-07)
StudioRough Customer (Brooklyn Heights)
Genre
Length3:53
LabelBig Machine
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff
Taylor Swift singles chronology
"Babe"
(2018)		 "Getaway Car"
(2018)		 "Me!"
(2019)
Audio
"Getaway Car" on YouTube

"Getaway Car" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her sixth studio album, Reputation (2017). It served as a single in Australia and New Zealand on September 7, 2018, to support the Australian shows of Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour (2018). Written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, it is a synth-pop song with pulsing synthesizers, programmed drums, and distorted vocals. Lyrically, the song describes Swift's efforts to exit a relationship using romance with someone else, knowing the new relationship will also end briefly because its purpose was only to "get away" from the first one.

Contemporary critics lauded the song's production and intricate lyrics filled with imagery and references to popular culture staples, such as the Bonnie and Clyde criminal couple. Some critics identified the track as a highlight of Reputation, and has been a common fan favorite in Swift's discography. "Getaway Car" received a platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Writing and composition

"Getaway Car" was written and produced by Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff.[1] It was recorded by Swift for her sixth studio album, Reputation (2017).[1] The song was engineered by Laura Sisk at Rough Customer Studio (Brooklyn Heights). It was mixed by Serban Ghenea at Mixstar Studios (Virginia Beach, Virginia) and mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound Studios (New York).[2] "Getaway Car" is a synth-pop song that critics—including Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone—felt reminiscent of the production of Swift's 2014 studio album 1989.[3][4][5] Pitchfork's Jamieson Cox said that the song specifically resembles "Out of the Woods", a song on 1989 that was also produced by Swift and Antonoff.[6] The song features pulsing synthesizers, programmed drums, and manipulated vocals.[7] The beginning of the song uses a vocoder for Swift's vocals.[8] The song's lyrics are about Swift's efforts to run away from a relationship to be with someone else, only to realize that this new relationship will also end.[4][9]

"Getaway Car" references the criminal couple Bonnie and Clyde in its lyrics.

In the first verse, she admits: "The ties were black, the lies were white / In shades of gray in candlelight / I wanted to leave him, I needed a reason."[10][11] The production builds up for the refrain, in which Swift reflects on her treachery: "Should've known I'd be the first to leave / Think about the place where you first met me / Nothing good starts in a getaway car."[12][3] The lyrics, "He was running after us / I was screaming 'Go, go, go!' / But with three of us, honey, it's a sideshow," implies a love triangle that stems from Swift's affairs.[13] Swift recalls that the couple were "jet-set, Bonnie and Clyde," until she abandons him for a new man, referencing the criminal couple Bonnie and Clyde.[14] She ponders on how she had left her lover abruptly: "I'm in a getaway car / I left you in a motel bar / Put the money in the bag and I stole the keys / That was the last time you ever saw me."[14] Uppy Chatterjee from the Australian magazine The Music also pointed out the song's references to rock band Bon Jovi's song "You Give Love a Bad Name" (1986).[15] NME's Hannah Mylrea also noticed references to writer Charles Dickens and the epic war film The Great Escape (1963).[16]

A clip from Swift's 2020 documentary Miss Americana showing Antonoff and Swift writing the bridge became very popular after the release on multiple social media platforms. The clip became a template for a popular TikTok trend in 2023. The clip shows the two artists working humming along to the song and screaming out lyrics as they thought of them, which ultimately made it into the final cut of the song.

Release and chart performance

Taylor Swift singing on a mic, dressed in a sparkling blazer
Swift performing "Getaway Car" on her Reputation Stadium Tour (2018)

On September 7, 2018, Universal Music Australia announced that "Getaway Car" would serve as a single exclusively in Australia and New Zealand.[17] The song was released to Australian and New Zealand contemporary hit radio stations by Universal and Big Machine Records.[18] This release was a means of support for the then-upcoming Australian shows of Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour (2018), which she launched in support of the album Reputation.[18] "Getaway Car" was included on the regular set list of the Reputation Stadium Tour, as part of the encore.[19] Swift and Antonoff performed the song at the May 26, 2023, show in East Rutherford, as part of the Eras Tour (2023).[20] "Getaway Car" has been described as a fan favorite among Swift's fans.[21][22][23][24]

"Getaway Car" did not chart on the official singles chart of Australia and New Zealand.[25] It peaked at number 26 on the Australian Digital Tracks, a songs chart based on digital sales,[26] and number six on the TMN Hot 100, an airplay-focused chart powered by Australian magazine The Music Network.[27] The song was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for exeeding 70,000 units.[28] In New Zealand, it peaked at number nine on the New Zealand Hot Singles, a chart compiled by the Recorded Music NZ.[29]

Critical reception

Zack Schonfeld of Newsweek called "Getaway Car" as an "excellent, radiant song" and claimed that the hook is "massive, in both catchiness and energy".[30] In a review of Reputation, Louis Bruton from The Irish Times praised the song for its showcase of "clever and insightful songwriting, finding tenderness and beauty in tiny details".[31] Consequence of Sound was not impressed with the album's production, but considered "Getaway Car" one of its strongest moments, and wrote that "the song's hook hits but doesn't punish".[5] Eleanor Graham from The Line of Best Fit,[32] Sarah Murphy from Exclaim![33] and John Murphy from musicOMH similarly lauded the track as one of Reputation's strongest moments, and highlighted the song's intriguing lyrics.[34]

The Atlantic's Spencer Kornharber described "Getaway Car" as Reputation's "savior: the one true tune to hum misty-eyed after the movies".[10] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic lauded the song as a high mark on the "monochromatic production" of Reputation for its combination of "vulnerability, melody, and confidence, but they are deeply felt and complex", which signified Swift's maturity as a singer-songwriter.[1] Retrospectively, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone compared Swift's songwriting on "Getaway Car" to Paul McCartney because of "the way she goes overboard with her latest enthusiasm and starts Tay-splaining it as her personal discovery", and lauded the cinematic quality of the lyrics.[35]

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the booklet of Reputation.[2]

  • Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriter, producer
  • Jack Antonoff – producer, songwriter, programming, instruments, background vocals
  • Laura Sisk – audio engineering
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • John Hanes – mix engineer
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • John Hutchinson – drums
  • Victoria Parker – violins
  • Phillip A. Peterson – cellos

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australian Digital Tracks (ARIA)[26] 33
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[29] 9

Certifications

Certifications for "Getaway Car"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[28] Platinum 70,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Getaway Car"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
 September 7, 2018 Radio airplay [37][18]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Reputation – Taylor Swift". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Big Machine Records (2017). Reputation (CD booklet). Taylor Swift.
  3. 1 2 Sheffield, Rob (November 10, 2017). "Taylor Swift Reputation Is the Most Intimate LP of Taylor Swift's Career". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  4. 1 2 Schrodt, Paul (November 11, 2017). "Taylor Swift's Lyrical Obsession With Cars, From 'Tim McGraw' to Reputation". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Nelson, Geoff (November 11, 2017). "Taylor Swift – Reputation". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  6. ↑ Cox, Jamieson (November 13, 2017). "Taylor Swift: Reputation". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  7. ↑ Tucker, Ken (November 13, 2017). "Taylor Swift Pushes Further Into Electro-Pop With Reputation". NPR. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  8. ↑ Jones, Nate (August 13, 2020). "All 162 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked". New York. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  9. ↑ Purdom, Clayton (November 10, 2017). "Taylor Swift has a big, drunken night out on Reputation". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 11, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  10. 1 2 Kornhaber, Spencer (November 10, 2017). "The Old Taylor Swift Is Hiding Within Reputation". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  11. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (November 9, 2017). "Taylor Swift Is a 2017 Pop Machine on Reputation, but at What Cost?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  12. ↑ Willman, Chris (November 9, 2017). "Album Review: Taylor Swift's Reputation". Variety. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  13. ↑ Truffaut-Wong, Olivia (November 10, 2017). "Why Hiddleswift Fans Should Listen To Taylor Swift's 'Getaway Car' ASAP". Bustle. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  14. 1 2 "Taylor Swift appears to confirm she dumped Tom Hiddleston on new track 'Getaway Car'". The Daily Telegraph. November 10, 2017. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  15. ↑ Chatterjee, Uppy (November 11, 2017). "Review: Taylor Swift Takes A New Direction With Reputation – But Is It The Right One?". The Music. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  16. ↑ Mylrea, Hannah (September 8, 2020). "Every Taylor Swift song ranked in order of greatness". NME. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  17. ↑ "New Single Alert! Taylor Swift's 'Getaway Car' out today in Australia and New Zealand only. Reputation Stadium Tour coming to OZ on October 19th". Universal Music Australia. September 6, 2018. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2018 – via Twitter.
  18. 1 2 3 "Uncharted: Taylor Swift Prepares for Aus Tour with Next Radio Single". The Music Network. September 10, 2018. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Here Are All the Songs Taylor Swift Played on the Opening Night of the Reputation Tour". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  20. ↑ Iasimone, Ashley (May 27, 2023). "All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed on The Eras Tour (So Far)". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  21. ↑ Stevens, Matt (May 27, 2023). "Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Touches Down in New Jersey". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  22. ↑ "The 25 Best Moments From Taylor Swift's Eras Tour". Rolling Stone. August 18, 2023. Archived from the original on August 22, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  23. ↑ Ahlgrim, Callie. "Every detail and Easter egg you may have missed on Taylor Swift's new album 'Evermore'". Insider. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  24. ↑ Edel, Victoria (March 27, 2023). "All the Surprise Appearances at Taylor Swift's Eras Tour So Far". PopSugar. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Discography Taylor Swift". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  26. 1 2 "ARIA Australian Top 40 Digital Tracks" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. October 22, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  27. ↑ Tuskan, Peter (June 19, 2019). "Will Taylor Swift's second single sink or swim?". The Music Network. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  28. 1 2 "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2018 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  29. 1 2 "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 24, 2018. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  30. ↑ Schonfeld, Zack (November 14, 2017). "Taylor Swift's Reputation Album Review". Newsweek. Archived from the original on January 7, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  31. ↑ Bruton, Louis (November 10, 2017). "Taylor Swift: Reputation – clever songwriting, beauty in tiny details". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  32. ↑ Graham, Eleanor (November 10, 2017). "Taylor Swift's Reputation is a microcosm of America's explosive political landscape". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  33. ↑ Murphy, Sarah (November 10, 2017). "Taylor Swift – Reputation". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  34. ↑ Murphy, John (November 19, 2017). "Taylor Swift – Reputation". musicOMH. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  35. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (December 12, 2019). "All 153 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  36. ↑ "British single certifications – Taylor Swift – Getaway Car". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  37. ↑ "Singles To Radio". The Music Network. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
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