New Romantics
Single | Bonus Track | 1989 (2014) | 1989 (Taylor's Version) [2023]
Table of Contents
Background and Release
“New Romantics” was initially one of the three bonus tracks on the deluxe edition of 1989, which was available exclusively at Target in the United States. On February 17, 2015, Taylor announced that she would release the three bonus tracks to iTunes Stores in the United States as promotional singles one at a time. “New Romantics” was released on March 3, 2015. Following this release, the song entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated March 21, 2015, at No. 71. Almost a year later, on February 19, 2016, Taylor announced that “New Romantics” would be the seventh and final single from 1989.
Lyrical Theme
«People will say, 'Let me set you up with someone', and I’m just sitting there saying, ‘That’s not what I’m doing. I’m not lonely. I’m not looking.’ They just don’t get it. I’ve learned that just because someone is cute and wants to date you, that’s not a reason to sacrifice your independence and allow everyone to say whatever they want about you. I’m not doing that anymore. It’d take someone really special for me to undergo the circumstances I have to go through to experience a date. I don’t know how I would ever have another person in my world trying to have a relationship with me, or a family.»
Taylor Swift
Music Video
Live Performances
Critical Reception
Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone ranked “New Romantics” as the second best song of 2014, writing: “I have no idea why she left a song this urgent and glittery and perfect off her album…but geniuses are weird.” In his 2019 ranking of Taylor’s songs, Sheffield ranked it the second best song of her career, labeling it as a “work of genius, exceeding even the wildest hopes any fan could have dreamed”. Rolling Stone also placed “New Romantics” at No. 58 among “The 100 Best Songs of the 2010s”. Critic Brittany Spanos described it as “the type of relieving dance floor soul purge that the best pop can be”. Retrospective reviews from The Guardian‘s Alexis Petridis, NME‘s Hannah Mylrae and Paste‘s Jane Song commented that the song should have made the final cut of 1989‘s standard edition.
Commercial Performance
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
We’re all bored
We’re all so tired of everything
We wait for trains that just aren’t coming
We show off our different scarlet letters – trust me, mine is better
We’re so young
But we’re on the road to ruin
We play dumb but we know exactly what we’re doin’
We cry tears of mascara in the bathroom
Honey, life is just a classroom…
[Chorus]
‘Cause baby, I could build a castle
Out of all the bricks they threw at me
And every day is like a battle
But every night with us is like a dream
Baby, we’re the new romantics
Come on, come along with me
Heart break is the national anthem
We sing it proudly
We are too busy dancing
To get knocked off our feet
Baby, we’re the new romantics
The best people in life are free…
[Verse 2]
We’re all here
The lights and noise are blinding
We hang back, it’s all in the timing
It’s poker, he can’t see it in my face
But I’m about to play my Ace (Ah)
We need love
But all we want is danger
We team up, then switch sides like a record changer
The rumors are terrible and cruel
But, honey, most of them are true…
[Chorus]
‘Cause baby, I could build a castle
Out of all the bricks they threw at me
And every day is like a battle
But every night with us is like a dream
Baby, we’re the new romantics
Come on, come along with me
Heart break is the national anthem
We sing it proudly
We are too busy dancing
To get knocked off our feet
Baby, we’re the new romantics
The best people in life are free…
[Post-Chorus]
So come on, come along with me…
The best people in life are free…
[Bridge]
Please take my hand and…
Please take me dancing and…
Please leave me stranded…
It’s so romantic…
[Final Chorus]
‘Cause baby, I could build a castle
Out of all the bricks they threw at me
And every day is like a battle
But every night with us is like a dream
‘Cause baby, I could build a castle (Castle)
Out of all the bricks they threw at me
And every day is like a battle (Oh)
But every night with us is like a dream
Baby, we’re the new romantics
Come on, come along with me
Heart break is the national anthem
We sing it proudly
We are too busy dancing
To get knocked off our feet
Baby, we’re the new romantics
The best people in life are free…
Artist | Taylor Swift | ||
---|---|---|---|
Albums | 1989 1989 (Taylor’s Version) | ||
Released | October 27, 2014 | ||
Re-Released | October 27, 2023 | ||
Recorded | 2014 | ||
Studio | Conway (Los Angeles) MXM (Stockholm) | ||
Genre | Synth Pop | ||
Length | 3:50 | ||
Labels | Big Machine Records Republic Records | ||
Songwriters | Taylor Swift Max Martin Shellback | ||
Producers | Max Martin Shellback | ||
1989 CHRONOLOGY | |||
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