"No Body, No Crime"
Single by Taylor Swift featuring Haim
from the album Evermore
ReleasedJanuary 11, 2021 (2021-01-11)
Genre
Length3:35
Label
Songwriter(s)Taylor Swift
Producer(s)
Taylor Swift singles chronology
"Willow"
(2020)		 "No Body, No Crime"
(2021)		 "Coney Island"
(2021)
Haim singles chronology
"Don't Wanna"
(2020)		 "No Body, No Crime"
(2021)		 "Gasoline"
(2021)
Lyric video
"No Body, No Crime" on YouTube

"No Body, No Crime" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her ninth studio album, Evermore (2020), featuring the American band Haim. Swift wrote the track as a result of her fixation with crime documentaries and podcasts. "No Body, No Crime" is a murder ballad with lyrics about the murder of a woman named Este, narrated by her friend who avenges her. Produced by Swift and Aaron Dessner, it contains styles of country, country rock, and Americana. Republic Records in partnership with MCA Nashville sent the song to US country radio on January 11, 2021, as a single from Evermore.

Critics praised "No Body, No Crime" for Swift's storytelling, the lyrics, and production, but some deemed it underwhelming. Commercially, the song peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Global 200 and reached the top 20 on charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Swift and Haim performed the song live on shows where Haim served as an opening act on Swift's Eras Tour in 2023.

Background and production

On July 24, 2020, the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift released her eighth studio album, Folklore, to critical and commercial success.[1] On November 25, she and the album's co-writers and co-producers, including the first-time collaborator Aaron Dessner, assembled at Long Pond Studio in Hudson Valley to film a concert documentary titled Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, which was released on Disney+.[2][3] The two continued writing songs at Long Pond, and their sessions would result in an album that was a natural extension of Folklore, which became Evermore.[4][5]

Swift wrote "No Body, No Crime" on a rubber-bridge guitar, inspired by her fixation on crime documentaries and podcasts. She sent the song through a voice memo to Dessner, who would produce it with her.[3][4][6] After that, Swift had specific ideas on how the song should feel and wanted the American band Haim to contribute vocals to it.[4] To that end, Swift sent the track to one of the members, Este Haim, and asked if they would be willing to sing on it; she received an "immediate YES".[7] "No Body, No Crime" was recorded by Dessner and Jonathan Low at Long Pond, where Low also mixed it and recorded Swift's vocals. Este Haim and Danielle Haim provided backing vocals and were recorded by Ariel Rechtshaid and Matt DiMona at Rechshaid's house in Los Angeles. The instruments were recorded at Long Pond and Salon Studio in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The track was mastered by Greg Calbi and Steve Fallone at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey.[3]

Music and lyrics

"No Body, No Crime" is a murder ballad[4] that runs for 3 minutes and 35 seconds.[8] The production features styles of country, which was a sound that Dessner had never done before,[4] and Americana.[9] It incorporates acoustic, bass, and electric guitars, drums, harmonica, mandolin, organ, piano, synthesizers,[3] and lap steel guitar.[9] In the song, Swift, Este Haim, and Danielle Haim sing with subdued vocals.[10][3] It also features twang in Swift's voice on some of the lyrics[11] and on the guitars[12]—Justin Curto of Vulture opined that the song is the "twangiest [she] has sounded" since her 2012 album Red.[13] The song starts with police sirens and whispers of "He did it".[9]

The Guardian music journalist Alexis Petridis categorized "No Body, No Crime" a country rock tune[14] while the Slate writer Carl Wilson described it as a "straight-up contemporary country song".[15] Madeline Crone of American Songwriter thought Haim brought elements of pop rock to the track.[16] Jon Pareles of The New York Times described the harmonica as "yowling".[17] Sam Sodmomsky of Pitchfork believed that the song has the "closest things to country music she has written in years"[18] while Chris Willman of Variety wrote that the song has the only "country-sounding" production on Evermore.[19]

"No Body, No Crime" tells a macabre story[20] of a woman named Este, who confronts her cheating husband. She goes missing and the song's narrator suspects she was murdered by him in favor of his mistress. Without the body of the victim, the husband cannot be tried for homicide. Este's friend takes justice into her own hands and kills the husband, dumping his body in a lake. Este's sister becomes an alibi who testifies they were together ("she was with me, dude") and frames the mistress who took out a large life insurance policy.[21] Este is named after Este Haim.[22][23] The song drew comparisons to the Chicks' "Goodbye Earl" (2000) and Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" (2006) among others.[13]

Release and promotion

"No Body, No Crime" was released as the sixth track on Evermore on December 11, 2020, by Republic Records.[24] The label partnered with MCA Nashville and sent the song to US country radio stations on January 11, 2021, as a single from the album.[25][26] The song reached number 16 on the Billboard Global 200[27] and the top 30 of countries including Canada (11),[28] Ireland (11),[29] Australia (16),[30] Singapore (28),[31] and New Zealand (29).[32] In the United States, "No Body, No Crime" debuted and peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Country Songs.[33][34] It entered Billboard's Country Airplay chart at number 60 and peaked at number 54.[25][35] In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart[36] and received a silver certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) which denotes 200,000 track-equivalent units.[36][37]

Swift after performing "No Body, No Crime" with Haim at the Eras Tour on August 9, 2023

After the album's release, Swift embarked on the Eras Tour in March 2023, as a tribute to her discography and featured different opening acts at selected concerts, and Haim was one of them.[38][39] At shows opened by the band, "No Body, No Crime" replaced "'Tis the Damn Season" on the set list as the opening track of the Evermore act.[40][41] Compared to the studio version, it contains an alternative-country edge to it.[42] Each Haim member would perform with an acoustic guitar, a bass guitar, and an electric guitar and sing with Swift.[41][42] Daniel Kreps from Rolling Stone said its placement "deviated from her usual, ironclad setlist".[43]

Critical reception

Brodie Lancaster of The Sydney Morning Herald opined that "No Body, No Crime" sees Swift and the Haim sisters "stomp through a saloon-style remake of Chicago's "He Had it Comin'" as they tell of a mad woman who covers up the murder of her cheating husband".[44] Bobby Olivier of Spin thought the song follows Carrie Underwood's model of taking "down a cheater with a catchy refrain and a sprinkle of … what's that? … murder?!".[45] Chris Willman of Variety found the song to be the album's "pure spirit of fun" moment, away from the ruminating themes of other tracks. He characterized "No Body, No Crime" as a dark "spirited double-murder ballad" inspired by The Chicks' 2000 single "Goodbye, Earl".[19]

Stereogum critic Tom Breihan defined the song as the "willfully silly murder narrative" that works as a take on "Goodbye Earl", and commended it as "the most country thing that Swift has done in years".[46] USA Today writer Patrick Ryan dubbed the song a "scorching" track that makes Swift's "mischievous return" to her country roots.[47] Describing the placement "No Body, No Crime" in Evermore, Jason Lipshutz of Billboard stated that the "delicious" song provides "hope and levity" amidst of the album's emotional "wreckage".[48] NME critic Hannah Mylrea noted the song's sonic direction, and described it as a "full-blown country revenge song that ends in the murder of a philandering husband", condensing a David Fincher film in a matter of few minutes.[49]

On a less positive side, Robert Christgau said although "No Body, No Crime" was the first track he paid attention to on Evermore thanks to a strong hook, it became his least favorite after repeated listens; Christgau described it as "super-hooky but pat police procedural".[50] In Vulture, Justin Curto complimented Haim's backing vocals for livening up Evermore's "static pacing", but found the narrative rather dull and Swift's songwriting not as strong as on her past songs about revenge: "It's better suited to soundtrack an episode of a soapy TV show than any heartbreak."[13] Nate Jones, also from Vulture, found the track "more like a musical costume party than a genuine attempt at embodying darkness".[51]

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Evermore.[24]

Charts

Chart performance for "No Body, No Crime"
Chart (2020–2021) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[30] 16
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[28] 11
Global 200 (Billboard)[27] 16
Ireland (IRMA)[29] 11
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[32] 29
Portugal (AFP)[52] 83
Singapore (RIAS)[31] 28
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[53] 70
UK Singles (OCC)[36] 19
US Billboard Hot 100[33] 34
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[35] 54
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[34] 2
US Rolling Stone Top 100[54] 12

Certification

Certification for "No Body, No Crime"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "No Body, No Crime"
Region Date Format Label(s) Ref.
United States January 11, 2021 Country radio [26]

References

  1. ↑ Light, Alan (December 11, 2020). "Evermore Isn't About Taylor Swift. It's About Storytelling". Esquire. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  2. ↑ Aswad, Jem (December 10, 2020). "Taylor Swift to Release New Album, Evermore, Tonight". Variety. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Minsker, Evan (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift Releases New Album Evermore: Listen and Read the Full Credits". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Shaffer, Claire (December 18, 2020). "Aaron Dessner on How His Collaborative Chemistry With Taylor Swift Led to Evermore". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  5. ↑ Havens, Lyndsey (December 18, 2020). "Aaron Dessner on the 'Weird Avalanche' That Resulted in Taylor Swift's Evermore". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  6. ↑ Andriotis, Mary Elizabeth (December 11, 2020). "All the Hidden References in Taylor Swift's Evermore". Teen Vogue. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Taylor Swift explains the story behind 'murder mystery song' 'No Body, No Crime'". EW.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  8. ↑ Swift, Taylor (December 11, 2020). "Evermore". Apple Music (US). Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 Peirson-Hagger, Ellen (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift's Evermore Is Folklore's Darker, Colder Sister Record". New Statesman. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  10. ↑ Algar, Emily; Vettorino, Madison Zoey; Rose, Francesca; Weiner, Josh; Commander, Lowndes; Schaarschmidt, Nina; Lane, Lexi (December 21, 2020). "Roundtable Discussion: A Review of Taylor Swift's Evermore". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  11. ↑ Harvilla, Rob (December 14, 2020). "There's Nothing Shocking About Taylor Swift's New Surprise Album". The Ringer. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  12. ↑ Kwan, Candace (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift's Evermore Review". South China Morning Post. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 Curto, Justin (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift's Long-Overdue Haim Collab Tries to Be Cold-Blooded But Is Mostly Just Cold". Vulture. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  14. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift: Evermore – rich alt-rock and richer character studies". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  15. ↑ Wilson, Carl (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift's Evermore: A Track-by-Track Review". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  16. ↑ Crone, Madeline (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift 'evermore' Is Ready For Your Record Player, Radio Play Be Damned". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  17. ↑ Pareles, Jon (December 11, 2020). "Evermore, Taylor Swift's Folklore Sequel, Is a Journey Deeper Inward". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  18. ↑ Sodomsky, Sam (December 15, 2020). "Taylor Swift: Evermore". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  19. 1 2 Willman, Chris (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift Has Her Second Great Album of 2020 With 'Evermore': Album Review". Variety. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  20. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (December 14, 2020). "Every Song Ranked on Taylor Swift's 'Evermore': Critic's Picks". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  21. ↑ Brodie, Lancaster (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift is back, stronger than ever before". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  22. ↑ Salem, Meryanna (December 13, 2020). "The Story Behind Taylor Swift's Murder Mystery Song 'no body no crime' Is Actually Friendship". Junkee. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  23. ↑ Huff, Lauren (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift explains the story behind 'murder mystery song' 'No Body, No Crime'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  24. 1 2 Evermore (booklet). Taylor Swift. Republic Records. 2020.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. 1 2 Trust, Gary (January 28, 2021). "Taylor Swift's 'Coney Island' and 'No Body, No Crime' Debut on Airplay Charts, Joining 'Willow'". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  26. 1 2 "Future Releases for Country Radio Stations". All Access. Archived from the original on December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  27. 1 2 "Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  28. 1 2 "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  29. 1 2 "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  30. 1 2 "Taylor Swift feat. Haim – No Body, No Crime". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  31. 1 2 "RIAS Top Charts". Recording Industry Association Singapore. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  32. 1 2 "Taylor Swift feat. Haim – No Body, No Crime". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  33. 1 2 "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  34. 1 2 "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  35. 1 2 "Taylor Swift Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  36. 1 2 3 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  37. 1 2 "British single certifications – Taylor Swift Ft Haim – No Body No Crime". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  38. ↑ Barnes, Kelsey (March 20, 2023). "Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Is a Career-Defining Spectacle Full of Surprises – Review". The Independent. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  39. ↑ Willman, Chris (November 1, 2022). "Taylor Swift Announces 2023 'Eras Tour' of U.S. Stadiums". Variety. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  40. ↑ Richards, Will (July 23, 2023). "Watch Taylor Swift Debut 'No Body, No Crime' Live with Haim in Seattle". NME. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  41. 1 2 Hopper, Alex (July 24, 2023). "Taylor Swift and Haim Surprise Seattle Crowd with 'No Body, No Crime'". American Songwriter. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  42. 1 2 Gohkman, Roman (July 29, 2023). "Review: Taylor Swift Makes Levi's Stadium Shimmer on First of Two Eras Tour Nights". Riff Magazine. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  43. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (July 23, 2023). "See Taylor Swift Debut 'No Body, No Crime' Live with Haim in Seattle". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  44. ↑ Brodie, Lancaster (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift is back, stronger than ever before". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  45. ↑ Olivier, Bobby (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift's 'Evermore' Is an Undeniable Folk-Pop Masterpiece". Spin. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  46. ↑ Breihan, Tom (December 12, 2020). "Premature Evaluation: Taylor Swift evermore". Stereogum. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  47. ↑ Ryan, Patrick (December 12, 2020). "Taylor Swift's 'Evermore' review: Pop star returns to the woods for a spellbinding 'Folklore' companion". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  48. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (December 12, 2020). "Taylor Swift's 'Evermore' is a Rewarding Journey Deeper Into the Woods". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  49. ↑ Mylrae, Hannah (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift – 'Evermore' review: the freewheeling younger sibling to 'Folklore'". NME. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  50. ↑ Christgau, Robert (January 13, 2021). "Consumer Guide: January, 2021". And It Don't Stop. Substack. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  51. ↑ Jones, Nate (January 11, 2021). "Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked from Worst to Best". Vulture. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  52. ↑ "Taylor Swift feat. Haim – No Body, No Crime". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  53. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 20219 into search. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  54. ↑ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. December 17, 2020. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
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