Soon You'll Get Better
Feat. The Chicks | Lover (2019)
“Soon You’ll Get Better” is the twelfth track on Taylor’s seventh studio album, Lover (2019). Released on August 23, 2019, it was co-written and produced by Taylor and Jack Antonoff and features American country group The Chicks on backing vocals and instrumentation. The ballad explores the fear of watching someone you love battle a serious illness and the desperate hope that they will recover.
Taylor revealed in March 2019 that her mother, Andrea, was battling cancer again, a deeply personal experience that inspired “Soon You’ll Get Better.” Given how close the song was to her heart, Taylor explained that the decision to share it with the world was “a family decision,” making its inclusion on Lover a particularly intimate moment on the album.
Background and Release
Taylor began working on Lover during a week in New York in July 2018, while still on the “reputation Stadium Tour,” before the album’s main recording sessions began after the tour concluded that November.
While much of Lover celebrates romance and new beginnings, “Soon You’ll Get Better” grew out of a much more difficult chapter in Taylor’s life. In March 2019, she revealed in a piece for ELLE that her mother, Andrea, was battling cancer again, a deeply personal development that would inspire one of the album’s most intimate recordings:
While much of Lover celebrates romance and new beginnings, “Soon You’ll Get Better” grew out of a much more difficult chapter in Taylor’s life. In March 2019, she revealed in a piece for ELLE that her mother, Andrea, was battling cancer again, a deeply personal development that would inspire one of the album’s most intimate recordings:
«My mom’s cancer has taught me that there are real problems and then there’s everything else. My mom’s cancer is a real problem. I used to be so anxious about daily ups and downs. I give all of my worry, stress, and prayers to real problems now.»
Taylor had previously shared in 2015 that Andrea had been diagnosed with cancer, making the news of her illness returning particularly difficult for the family.
Written and produced by Taylor and Jack Antonoff, “Soon You’ll Get Better” features the American country group The Chicks, who contributed backing vocals, fiddle and banjo. A picture of the band was featured as an easter egg in the music video for the album’s lead single, “ME!“. Taylor explained that Jack was working with the group on their own music when she asked him to share the song with them. She hoped they might contribute to the recording because their music had been a formative influence on her as a young musician. As Taylor recalled during an iHeartRadio interview in August 2019, the group’s combination of strong female voices, instrumental musicianship and resilience had helped inspire her own artistic ambitions. The Chicks were moved by the song and agreed to take part.
“Soon You’ll Get Better” was released on August 23, 2019, as the twelfth track on Lover. Its deeply personal nature made it a particularly significant inclusion on an album otherwise celebrated for its varied explorations of love and relationships.
Written and produced by Taylor and Jack Antonoff, “Soon You’ll Get Better” features the American country group The Chicks, who contributed backing vocals, fiddle and banjo. A picture of the band was featured as an easter egg in the music video for the album’s lead single, “ME!“. Taylor explained that Jack was working with the group on their own music when she asked him to share the song with them. She hoped they might contribute to the recording because their music had been a formative influence on her as a young musician. As Taylor recalled during an iHeartRadio interview in August 2019, the group’s combination of strong female voices, instrumental musicianship and resilience had helped inspire her own artistic ambitions. The Chicks were moved by the song and agreed to take part.
“Soon You’ll Get Better” was released on August 23, 2019, as the twelfth track on Lover. Its deeply personal nature made it a particularly significant inclusion on an album otherwise celebrated for its varied explorations of love and relationships.
General Information
| Artist | Taylor Swift |
|---|---|
| Album | Lover |
| Feature | The Chicks |
| Written | November 2018-February 2019 |
| Released | August 23, 2019 |
| Studio | Electric Lady (New York City) |
| Genre | Country |
| Length | 3:20 |
| Label | Republic Records |
| Songwriters |
Taylor Swift Jack Antonoff |
| Producers |
Jack Antonoff Taylor Swift |
Official Audio
Song Artwork
Lyrical Theme
“Soon You’ll Get Better” is one of Taylor’s most personal songs, addressing the battles both of her parents have faced with cancer, particularly her mother Andrea’s recurring diagnosis. Rather than simply describing the illness, Taylor captures the fear of watching someone you love face an uncertain future, recalling medical appointments and the quiet moments when she struggled to admit how frightened she was. In a live YouTube broadcast on August 22, 2019, the day before Lover was released, Taylor described it as the hardest song on the album to write, explaining that including it had been a family decision because of how personal it was:
«There's a song called 'Soon You'll Get Better' that was really, really hard to write, and it was a family decision to even put it on the album. I think songs like that, that are really hard for you to write emotionally, maybe they're hard to write and hard to sing because they’re really true. We as a family decided to put this on the album. It's something I'm so proud of. I can't sing it. It's hard to emotionally deal with that song.»
The song explores the helplessness of wanting to make everything better for someone you love while knowing that you cannot control what happens. Taylor moves between trying to carry on as normal, wishing she could somehow make the world brighter for her mother, and confronting her own fear of losing her. References to medication and prayer reflect the desperation of searching for anything that might help, even when certainty feels impossible. The repeated reassurance of the title holds hope and fear together: Taylor wants to believe her mother will recover, but the promise also reveals how desperately she needs that outcome to be true.
The song’s deeply personal nature was evident even before its release. Fans who attended Taylor’s Lover Secret Sessions reported that she left the room while “Soon You’ll Get Better” played, underscoring how difficult it was for her to share the song with others. At its heart, it conveys not only the fear of a loved one’s illness but also the depth of Taylor’s bond with her mother and the prospect of a future without her. Her decision to include the song on Lover, after discussing it with her family, allowed listeners to hear a side of her life she had largely kept private.
The song’s deeply personal nature was evident even before its release. Fans who attended Taylor’s Lover Secret Sessions reported that she left the room while “Soon You’ll Get Better” played, underscoring how difficult it was for her to share the song with others. At its heart, it conveys not only the fear of a loved one’s illness but also the depth of Taylor’s bond with her mother and the prospect of a future without her. Her decision to include the song on Lover, after discussing it with her family, allowed listeners to hear a side of her life she had largely kept private.
Production
“Soon You’ll Get Better” stands out on Lover for its country-influenced sound, a noticeable shift from the album’s predominantly synth-pop production. Gentle acoustic guitar, soft piano and The Chicks’ close harmonies give the track a warm, understated arrangement, while fiddle and banjo add a distinctly country feel. The restrained production keeps the focus on Taylor’s vulnerable vocals, allowing the song’s emotional weight to come through without overwhelming it with elaborate instrumentation.
Live Performance
Taylor performed “Soon You’ll Get Better” live for the first and, so far, only time on April 18, 2020, as part of One World: Together at Home, a televised benefit concert organised to support the World Health Organization’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. She delivered a stripped-back rendition on solo piano, without The Chicks’ harmonies or the song’s country instrumentation, placing the focus entirely on her voice and the song’s deeply personal lyrics. The performance was particularly poignant given that Taylor had previously explained how difficult the song was for her to sing, making its inclusion in an event centred on people facing illness and uncertainty especially meaningful.
The performance stood out for its simplicity: rather than relying on elaborate staging, Taylor remained at the piano, letting the emotion of the song carry the moment. Critics praised the rendition, with Variety noting how closely its subject matter resonated with families hoping for the recovery of loved ones during the pandemic. “Soon You’ll Get Better” was never added to the setlist of “The Eras Tour” (2023-2024), and it remained one of the few songs from Taylor’s catalogue that she did not perform during the tour. Its absence reflects how some songs can be so personal that bringing them to the stage is a different challenge from sharing them on a record.
The performance stood out for its simplicity: rather than relying on elaborate staging, Taylor remained at the piano, letting the emotion of the song carry the moment. Critics praised the rendition, with Variety noting how closely its subject matter resonated with families hoping for the recovery of loved ones during the pandemic. “Soon You’ll Get Better” was never added to the setlist of “The Eras Tour” (2023-2024), and it remained one of the few songs from Taylor’s catalogue that she did not perform during the tour. Its absence reflects how some songs can be so personal that bringing them to the stage is a different challenge from sharing them on a record.
Music & More
Soon You'll Get Better
2 Videos
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3:23
Critical Reception and Commercial Performance
“Soon You’ll Get Better” received widespread critical acclaim for its emotional honesty, restrained production and vulnerable vocal performance. Critics frequently compared its gentle melody to a prayer or lullaby, highlighting the contrast between its soothing sound and the fear at the heart of its lyrics. The New York Times praised the song’s startlingly specific details, while Rolling Stone highlighted the vulnerability of its writing and The Chicks’ harmonies. Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times ranked it second among the album’s 18 tracks, behind “Cruel Summer,” and Entertainment Weekly later included it among the most emotionally devastating songs of the 2010s.
Despite being a deeply personal album track rather than a single, “Soon You’ll Get Better” made a notable chart debut when Lover was released on August 23, 2019. It entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at No. 63 and reached No. 10 on the Hot Country Songs chart. That country-chart debut was particularly notable for The Chicks, marking their first appearance on the chart in 13 years; for Taylor, it became her 21st top-ten entry on Hot Country Songs and her first since “Babe,” her 2018 collaboration with Sugarland.
The song also reached the charts in several other countries, peaking at No. 54 in Australia and No. 71 in Canada.
Despite being a deeply personal album track rather than a single, “Soon You’ll Get Better” made a notable chart debut when Lover was released on August 23, 2019. It entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at No. 63 and reached No. 10 on the Hot Country Songs chart. That country-chart debut was particularly notable for The Chicks, marking their first appearance on the chart in 13 years; for Taylor, it became her 21st top-ten entry on Hot Country Songs and her first since “Babe,” her 2018 collaboration with Sugarland.
The song also reached the charts in several other countries, peaking at No. 54 in Australia and No. 71 in Canada.
Lyrics
[Verse 1: Taylor Swift]
The buttons of my coat were tangled in my hair
In doctor’s office lighting
I didn’t tell you I was scared
That was the first time we were there
Holy orange bottles
Each night I pray to you
Desperate people find faith
So now I pray to Jesus too
And I say to you
[Chorus: Taylor Swift & The Chicks]
Ooh, soon you’ll get better
Ooh, soon you’ll get better
Ooh, you’ll get better soon
‘Cause you have to
[Verse 2: Taylor Swift]
I know delusion when I see it in the mirror
You like the nicer nurses
You make the best of a bad deal
I just pretend it isn’t real
I’ll paint the kitchen neon
I’ll brighten up the sky
I know I’ll never get it
There’s not a day that I won’t try
And I’ll say to you
[Chorus: Taylor Swift & The Chicks]
Ooh, soon you’ll get better
Ooh, soon you’ll get better
Ooh, you’ll get better soon
‘Cause you have to
[Bridge: Taylor Swift & Dixie Chicks]
And I hate to make this all about me
But who am I supposed to talk to?
What am I supposed to do
If there’s no you?
[Pre-Chorus: Taylor Swift]
This won’t go back to normal
If it ever was
It’s been years of hoping
And I keep saying it because
‘Cause I have to…
[Chorus Variation: Taylor Swift & The Chicks]
Ooh, you’ll get better
Ooh, soon you’ll get better
Ooh, you’ll get better soon
Ooh, soon you’ll get better
Ooh, soon you’ll get better
Ooh, you’ll get better soon
‘Cause you have to