Coney Island (Taylor Swift song)
"Coney Island" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift featuring American band the National. It is the ninth track on Swift's ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). She wrote the song with Joe Alwyn, who is credited under the pseudonym William Bowery, and producers Aaron and Bryce Dessner. Republic Records sent the song to US triple-A radio on January 18, 2021, as the album's third and final single.
| "Coney Island" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Taylor Swift featuring the National | ||||
| from the album Evermore | ||||
| Released | January 18, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | 2020 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 4:35 | |||
| Label | Republic | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Taylor Swift singles chronology | ||||
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| The National singles chronology | ||||
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| Lyric video | ||||
| "Coney Island" on YouTube | ||||
"Coney Island" is an alternative rock duet that counterpoints Swift's melodious vocals against Matt Berninger's baritone. Lyrically, it depicts a separated couple's memories in Coney Island, New York City. The song peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Global 200 and entered on the charts in Australia, Canada, and the United States. In April 2023, Swift performed "Coney Island" as a "surprise song" for her sixth headlining concert tour, the Eras Tour.[1]
Background Edit
Taylor Swift had collaborated with The National's Aaron Dessner on her 2020 album Folklore, an indie folk album that departs from the upbeat pop production of her previous releases.[2] She and Dessner worked again on her follow-up album Evermore, a "sister record" to Folklore. This time, they also worked with Bryce Dessner, Aaron Dessner's twin brother.[3]
The Dessner brothers sent Swift some of the instrumentals they made for their band, The National. One of those was what would become "Coney Island". Swift and her ex-boyfriend, English actor Joe Alwyn, wrote its lyrics, and recorded it with her vocals. After listening to the demo, the Dessner brothers observed that the song feels very related to The National, and envisioned Matt Berninger (lead vocalist of The National) singing it, and Bryan Devendorf (drummer of The National) playing its drums. Aaron Dessner informed Berninger, who was "excited" for the idea. The band assembled, Devendorf played the drums, while his brother Scott Devendorf played the bass and pocket piano; Bryce Dessner helped produce the song.[3]
Composition and lyrics Edit
"Coney Island" is an alternative rock song written in the waltz tempo.[4][5] The song features The National, with frontman Matt Berninger on vocals. Berninger said that work experience with Swift was "like dancing with Gene Kelly. She made [him] look good and didn't drop [him] once". The lyrics are about the hollow feelings of losing oneself in a relationship that has gone.[6]
Critical reception Edit
Spin critic Bobby Olivier described "Coney Island" as a "wonderfully dark duet" that feels like "a lonely waltz down a Brooklyn boardwalk", and praised the fusion of Swift's "wispy" head voice with Berninger's bass.[7] Chris Willman of Variety compared the song to "Exile" (2020), another similar duet on Swift's preceding album, where former lovers take turns in blaming each other, with the opposite happening in "Coney Island".[8] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph wrote that the song "offers an insight into where their aesthetics meet", counterpointing Swift's "lucid, melodious voice" aside "the mumbled intensity" of Berninger's baritone.[9]
Tom Breihan of Stereogum called "Coney Island" the "dourest" moment of evermore, alike "The Last Time" in Swift's fourth studio album, Red (2012).[10] Craig Jenkins of Vulture complimented Berninger's baritone and Swift's delicate vocals: "you hear [the song] and you start to wonder if the low end notes on these albums are another bout of trying out other singer-songwriters' wares".[11] In less favourable reviews, The Guardian's Alexis Petridis welcomed the guest appearance of Berninger, but found the lyrics to be "subpar" without "much substance".[12] Pitchfork's Sam Sodomsky opined that Berninger's vocals felt out of place on the song.[13]
Commercial performance Edit
All of the tracks on Evermore debuted inside the top-75 of the Billboard Global 200 chart simultaneously; "Coney Island" was at number 45. In the US, the song opened at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.[14] The song reached number 31 on the Canadian Hot 100.[15] It further reached number 15 on the Flemish Ultratop 100, and number 43 in Australia. Upon service to US alternative radio, "Coney Island" reached number 18 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart.
Credits and personnel Edit
Credits adapted from Tidal.[16]
- Taylor Swift – lead vocals, songwriting
- The National – featured artist
- Aaron Dessner – production, songwriting, acoustic guitar, bass, drum machine programmer, electric guitar, percussion, recording engineer, studio personnel, synthesizer
- Bryce Dessner – production, songwriting, piano, synthesizer
- Bryan Devendorf – drum machine programmer, drums
- Scott Devendorf – bass guitar, piano
- Matt Berninger – vocals
- William Bowery – songwriting
- Clarice Jensen – cello
- Justin Treuting – drums, percussion
- Greg Calbi – mastering engineer
- Steve Fallone – mastering engineer
- Jonathan Low – mixer, recording engineer, vocal engineer
- Robin Baynton – vocal engineer
- Sean O'Brien – vocal engineer
- Yuki Numata Resnick – violin
Charts Edit
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[17] | 42 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[18] | 8 |
| Global 200 (Billboard)[19] | 45 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[20] | 31 |
| Portugal (AFP)[21] | 150 |
| UK Audio Streaming (OCC)[22] | 75 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[23] | 63 |
| US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[24] | 18 |
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[25] | 12 |
| US Rolling Stone Top 100[26] | 32 |
Release history Edit
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | January 18, 2021 | Triple A radio | Republic | [27] |
References Edit
- ^ Iasimone, Ashley (April 24, 2023). "All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed on The Eras Tour (So Far)". Billboard. from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ "Let's Talk About Taylor Swift's 'Folklore'". NPR. July 28, 2020. from the original on July 30, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Shaffer, Claire (December 18, 2020). "Aaron Dessner on How His Collaborative Chemistry With Taylor Swift Led to 'Evermore'". Rolling Stone. from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift: Evermore – rich alt-rock and richer character studies". The Guardian. from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ Olivier, Bobby (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift's 'Evermore' Is an Undeniable Folk-Pop Masterpiece". Spin. from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ Rao, Sonia (December 11, 2020). "How Taylor Swift and indie rock band the National became unlikely collaborators". The Washington Post. from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Olivier, Bobby (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift's 'Evermore' Is an Undeniable Folk-Pop Masterpiece". Spin. from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ Willman, Chris (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift Has Her Second Great Album of 2020 With 'Evermore': Album Review". Variety. from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ McCormick, Neil (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift, Evermore review: a dramatic excursion down the musical roads". The Daily Telegraph. from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (December 12, 2020). "Premature Evaluation: Taylor Swift evermore". Stereogum. from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Jenkins, Craig (December 14, 2020). "Taylor Swift Is Done Self-Mythologizing". New York. from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift: Evermore – rich alt-rock and richer character studies". The Guardian. from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Sodomsky, Sam (December 15, 2020). "Taylor Swift- Evermore". Pitchfork. from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ "Taylor Swift – Hot Rock & Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ "Taylor Swift – Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ Swift, Taylor. "evermore". Tidal. from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ "Taylor Swift feat. The National – Coney Island". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "Taylor Swift feat. The National – Coney Island" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
- ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "Portuguese Charts – Singles Top 20 – 51/2020". Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. from the original on January 7, 2021.
- ^ "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
- ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
- ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. December 17, 2020. from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ . All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2021.