"Mirrorball"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album Folklore
ReleasedJuly 24, 2020 (2020-07-24)
Studio
Genre
Length3:29
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff
Lyric video
"Mirrorball" on YouTube

"Mirrorball" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). She wrote the song as a tribute to her fans, after she cancelled a planned concert tour to support her seventh studio album Lover (2019) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Produced by Swift and co-writer Jack Antonoff, "Mirrorball" is a dream pop, jangle pop, and indie folk song with flavors of country music, accompanied by reverbed, gentle guitars, vocal harmonies, and live drums. Lyrically, the narrator likens herself to a fragile disco ball and sings about doing anything to keep her audience entertained.

In reviews of Folklore, critics interpreted the track as a metaphor for female musicians' struggles to reinvent themselves to stay relevant. They lauded the production and emotional sentiments. Many picked it as an album highlight and one of Swift's greatest tracks. "Mirrorball" was listed as one of the best songs of 2020 by Slant Magazine, Pitchfork, and Variety. It peaked at number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was a top 40 chart entry in Australia, Canada, Malaysia, and Singapore. Swift recorded the song for the concert documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020) and performed it for the Eras Tour (2023–2024).

Background and composition

The singer-songwriter Taylor Swift began work on her eighth studio album, Folklore, during the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. She recruited Jack Antonoff, who had worked on her three previous studio albums, as a producer on the album. Swift wrote and produced four songs with Antonoff, including "Mirrorball".[1] On the track, Antonoff served as co-writer, programmer, and engineer (with Laura Sisk), and played instruments including acoustic guitar, drums, electric guitar, and Hammond B-3. The track was recorded at Kitty Committee Studio (Swift's home studio) in Beverly Hills, California, and Rough Customer Studio in Brooklyn. Serban Ghenea mixed the song at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia.[2]

"Mirrorball" runs for 3 minutes and 29 seconds.[2] It is a dream pop[3][4] and jangle pop[5][6] song with a dense reverb.[7] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times remarked that the production borderlines shoegaze,[8] and Jason Lipshutz from Billboard deemed it an indie folk track.[9] The production incorporates reverbed guitars,[10] a pedal steel,[5][11] country flavors,[12] breathy vocals, harmonies, and live drums.[9] Swift's vocals are highlighted at the forefront, backed by soft, gentle snare strokes in the background.[13] Spencer Kornharber of The Atlantic wrote that the song features "warm" and "sparkling" guitar tones yet "snowy" tambourine.[14] Mikael Wood from the Los Angeles Times compared the song to the music by such 1990s acts as the Sundays and Sixpence None the Richer for displaying a more feminine side, a counterpart to the album's overarching "beardo indie rock" influence.[10] Willman agreed that "Mirrorball" is one of the album's "least folkloric-sounding tracks".[6]

Whereas much of Folklore explores fictional narratives and departs from Swift's previously well-known autobiographical songwriting, "Mirrorball" is a track that reflects her state of mind during the COVID-19 quarantine.[15] She wrote the track after her planned concert tour for Lover was cancelled on the outbreak of the pandemic.[16] On it, she channeled her realization of how her fans find "solace on the dance floor", and her struggles with celebrity and how to maintain relevance: "It's a metaphor for celebrity, but it’s also a metaphor for so many people who feel like they have to be different versions of themselves for different people."[15] In the lyrics, the narrator sings about how she would do anything to entertain her audience ("All I do is try, try, try I'm still on that trapeze/ I'm still trying everything, to keep you looking at me") and likens herself to a fragile disco ball.[6][17] Critics interpreted the track to be about Swift's self-awareness of her public image, and about female celebrities' efforts to remain relevant at large.[11][18]

Release and live performances

Folklore was released on July 24, 2020, via Republic Records. In the track-list, "Mirrorball" sits at number 6 out of the 16 tracks.[2] The track debuted and peaked at number 26 on the United States's Billboard Hot 100.[19] On Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, it entered at number six and stayed for 16 weeks.[20] Outside the US, the song reached the countries of Singapore (13),[21] Australia (14),[22] Malaysia (14),[23] Canada (22),[24] and Portugal (103).[25] In the United Kingdom, "Mirrorball" reached number 30 on the OCC's Audio Streaming Chart[26] and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[27]

After the album's release, Swift recorded a stripped-down rendition of "Mirrorball" for the Disney+ concert documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions and its live album on November 25, 2020.[28] On March 17, 2023, Swift embarked on her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour, which contained a segment of "surprise songs" where she perform random songs from her discography. On the tour's opening show in Glendale, Arizona, Swift sang "Mirrorball" as the tour's first "surprise song".[29]

Critical reception

In publications' reviews of Folklore, many critics lauded the production and emotional resonance of "Mirrorball". They picked it as an album highlight[lower-alpha 1] or even the best album track.[lower-alpha 2] Fin McRedmond of The Irish Times said the song was "destined to be an instant Swiftian classic".[33] Descriptions of Swift's songwriting include "dreamy",[31] "devastatingly pretty",[9] "ethereal",[33] and "authentic".[4] In Slant Magazine, Eric Mason admired how "Mirrorball" managed to convey both nostalgia and sarcasm with "breathless amazement".[30] Hannah Mylrea of NME was not as impressed; she deemed the track forgettable and said it dragged the album.[34] "Mirrorball" appeared on year-end lists of the best songs of 2020 by Variety's Chris Willman, who placed it at number nine on a list of 40 songs,[6] Pitchfork (71st),[35] and Slant Magazine (14th).[36]

Retrospectively, critics have considered "Mirrorball" as one of Swift's greatest tracks. In rankings of Swift's entire catalog, Willman[37] and Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone listed it among Swift's five best songs.[38] In 2022 reviews, Spencer Kornhaber from The Atlantic said that "Mirrorball" was one of the tracks that "both fit in and stood out" on Folklore and selected it as one of her finest, most distinct works,[39] and Katherine Flynn of Consequence insisted that "Mirrorball" should have been the lead single from the album and lauded its bridge as "undeniable".[40]

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Folklore.[2]

Charts

Certification

Certification for "Mirrorball"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ↑ Attributed to Giselle Au Nhien-Nguyen of The Sydney Morning Herald,[3] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard,[9] Eric Mason of Slant Magazine,[30] and Roisin O'Connor of The Independent[31]
  2. ↑ Attributed to Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times[10] and Rob Harvilla of The Ringer[32]

References

  1. ↑ Suskind, Alex (December 9, 2020). "Taylor Swift broke all her rules with Folklore — and gave herself a much-needed escape". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Folklore (booklet). Taylor Swift. United States: Republic Records. 2020. B003271102.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. 1 2 Nguyen, Giselle Au-Nhien (July 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift's new album is a fever dream you won't want to wake up from". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Johnson, Ellen (July 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift Morphs Her Sound Yet Again on the Stunning folklore". Paste. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Moulton, Katie (July 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift's folklore Dismantles Her Own Self-Mythologizing: Review". Consequence. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Willman, Chris (January 1, 2021). "Year in Review: The Best Songs of 2020". Variety. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  7. ↑ Jones, Nate (October 6, 2022). "All 193 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  8. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (July 26, 2020). "Taylor Swift, a Pop Star Done With Pop". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Lipshutz, Jason (July 24, 2020). "Every Song Ranked on Taylor Swift's Folklore: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 Wood, Mikael (July 26, 2020). "Taylor Swift's Folklore: All 16 songs, ranked". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Snapes, Laura (July 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift: Folklore review – bombastic pop makes way for emotional acuity". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  12. ↑ Wass, Mike (December 20, 2020). "Lost Hit: Taylor Swift's Exquisite 'mirrorball'". Idolator. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  13. ↑ Richards, Chris (July 24, 2020). "If a Taylor Swift album drops in a pandemic, does it make a sound?". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  14. ↑ Kornhaber, Spencer (July 28, 2020). "Taylor Swift Is No Longer Living in the Present". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  15. 1 2 Hess, Liam (November 27, 2020). "5 Things We Learned Watching Taylor Swift's Surprise New Folklore Documentary". British Vogue. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  16. ↑ Perez, Lexy (November 25, 2020). "Taylor Swift Reveals Boyfriend Joe Alwyn Was Folklore Collaborator". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  17. ↑ Mapes, Jillian (July 27, 2020). "Taylor Swift: folklore". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  18. ↑ Mylrea, Hannah (September 8, 2020). "Every Taylor Swift song ranked in order of greatness". NME. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  19. 1 2 "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  20. 1 2 "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  21. 1 2 "RIAS International Top Charts Week 31". Recording Industry Association Singapore. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020.
  22. 1 2 "Taylor Swift – Mirrorball". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  23. 1 2 "Top 20 Most Streamed International & Domestic Singles in Malaysia". Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  24. 1 2 "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  25. 1 2 "Taylor Swift – Mirrorball". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  26. 1 2 "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  27. 1 2 "British single certifications – Taylor Swift – Mirrorball". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  28. ↑ Jazz, Monroe (November 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift Releases New folklore Film and Live Album". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  29. ↑ Iasimone, Ashley (November 13, 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 November 17, 2023.
  30. 1 2 Mason, Eric (September 12, 2020). "Every Song on Taylor Swift's Folklore Ranked". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  31. 1 2 O'Connor, Roisin (July 25, 2020). "Taylor Swift's eighth album Folklore is exquisite, piano-based poetry – review". The Independent. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  32. ↑ Harvilla, Rob (July 27, 2020). "Taylor Swift Is Singing About More Than Taylor Swift—and Rediscovering Herself in the Process". The Ringer. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  33. 1 2 McRedmond, Finn (July 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift: Folklore review – A triumph of wistful, escapist melancholy". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  34. ↑ Mylrea, Hannah (July 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift – Folklore review: pop superstar undergoes an extraordinary indie-folk makeover". NME. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  35. ↑ "The 100 Best Songs of 2020". Pitchfork. December 7, 2020. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  36. ↑ "The 50 Best Songs of 2020". Slant Magazine. December 8, 2020. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  37. ↑ Willman, Chris (December 13, 2022). "Taylor Swift's 50 Best Songs, Ranked". Variety. Archived from the original on January 8, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  38. ↑ Sheffield, Rob. "'Mirrorball' (2020)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  39. ↑ Kornhaber, Spencer (October 27, 2022). "Don't Blame a Man for 'Midnights'". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  40. ↑ Siroky, Mary, ed. (October 26, 2022). "Every Taylor Swift Album Ranked from Worst to Best". Consequence. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  41. ↑ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 31" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  42. ↑ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
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