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Snow On The Beach

Featuring Lana Del Rey | Midnights (2022)

“Snow On The Beach” is the fourth track on Taylor’s tenth studio album, Midnights (2022). It is about falling in love with someone at the same time as they’re falling in love with you. For the only collaboration on the album, Taylor is joined by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey under the production of Jack Antonoff, a mutual and frequent collaborator of the two.
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Background and Release

On August 28, 2022, Taylor announced her tenth studio album, Midnights, set for release on October 21, 2022; its track-list was not immediately revealed. Jack Antonoff, a longtime collaborator of hers, who had worked with her since her fifth studio album 1989 (2014), was confirmed as a producer on Midnights by a video posted to Taylor’s Instagram account on September 16, 2022, titled “The making of Midnights.” Antonoff had also collaborated with Lana Del Rey on two of her studio albums as well as a spoken word album, Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019), Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass (2020) and Chemtrails over the Country Club (2021).

On September 21, 2022, Taylor began unveiling the Midnights tracklist in a randomized order through a short video series on TikTok, titled “Midnights Mayhem with Me.” In the final episode, on October 7, 2022, she announced the fourth track, “Snow on the Beach”, and that it features Lana Del Rey.

Lyrical Theme

In “Snow on the Beach” Taylor and Lana Del Rey sing about the rare phenomenon of two lovers simultaneously falling in love with each other. In a video posted to her Instagram account, Taylor explained the meaning of the song:

«'Snow On The Beach' is about falling in love with someone at the same time as they’re falling in love with you, sort of in this cataclysmic, fated moment where you realize someone feels exactly the same way that you feel. And you're kind of looking around, going, 'Wait, is this real? Is this a dream?' Kind of like it would be if you were to see snow falling on a beach.»

Some lyrics in the bridge reference Janet Jackson’s “All for You” (2001). In that song, Janet expresses her commitment and devotion to a lover at the beginning of their relationship: “It’s all for you, if you really want it / It’s all for you, if you say you need it / It’s all for you, if you gotta have it / It’s all for you if you make a move”

Production

“Snow on the Beach” is a dream pop ballad and was produced by Jack and Taylor. The instrumental of the song contains strings that have been compared to “hazy holiday music.” Actor and friend Dylan O’Brien, who starred in Taylor’s All Too Well (The Short Film), is credited for playing the drums in this song.

Collaboration With Lana Del Rey

After Jack Antonoff won the award for “Producer of the Year” at the 64th Grammy Awards in early 2022, Lana congratulated him on Instagram and shared a photo of the producer next to her and Taylor that sparked rumors of the two singers working together, a much anticipated duet among fans.

Taylor had previously expressed her appreciation for Lana’s work, referring to her as one of her “favorite artists of the [2010’s]” as well as “one of the most influential artists in pop” during her “Woman of the Decade” acceptance speech at Billboard’s Women In Music 2019 event. When talking about “Snow On The Beach” on Instagram, Taylor once again praised Lana’s artistry, saying:

«Lana Del Rey, in my opinion, is one of the best musical artists ever. The fact that I get to exist at the same time as her in an honor and a privilege. And the fact that she would be so generous as to collaborate with us on this song is something I'm gonna be grateful for for life. Absolutely love her!»

"More Lana Del Rey" Version

Answering to many fans and their wish for Lana Del Rey to take on a more prominent role in “Snow On The Beach”, Taylor got back together in the studio with her to re-record a new version. On May 26, 2023, “Snow On The Beach (Feat. More Lana Del Rey)” was released. Taylor wrote:

«You asked for it, we listened: Lana and I went back into the studio specifically to record more Lana on 'Snow On The Beach'. Love u Lana!»

The “More Lana Del Rey” version of “Snow On The Beach” is included on the Til Dawn Edition of Taylor’s tenth studio album, issued seven months after Midnights‘ release, along with a remix of “Karma” and the arrival of “Hits Different” to streaming platforms.

Critical Reception

Upon “Snow On the Beach”’s release, the song received positive reviews from music critis. However, Taylor received some criticism from fans and the media for continuing to mostly relegate female artists featured in her songs, and not meeting the expectations of a duet with Lana Del Rey. Lana herself jokingly responded to the controversy when she posted a picture from Taylor’s Grammy after party on February 6, 2023:

I would've sung the entire second verse, if I had known I was the only feature. Buttttt my production skills were on point.»

Live Performances

Taylor first performed “Snow On The Beach” during her sixth headlining concert tour, “The Eras Tour” (2023-2024). It was the second surprise song during her show on March 24, 2023, in Las Vegas. She sang the song again on August 25, 2023, this time in Mexico City. On May 29, 2024, she sang “Snow On The Beach” as a mashup with “I Look in People’s Windows” (2024) in Lyon.

Commercial Performance

“Snow on the Beach” earned over 15 million plays in its first 24 hours on Spotify, logging the biggest opening day for a female collaboration in the platform’s history, surpassing Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s “Rain on Me”. In the United States, tracks from Midnights occupied the entire Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100; “Snow on the Beach” debuted at No. 4 on the chart with 37.2 million streams and 2,600 digital downloads sold. Taylor became the first artist to simultaneously occupy the Top 10 spots of the Billboard Hot 100 chart; the female artist with the most Top 10 songs (40); and the first artist to occupy the entire Top 10 of the Hot 100, Streaming Songs, and Digital Songs charts simultaneously. The song also marked Lana Del Rey’s first Top 5 entry on the Hot 100 and her second Top 10 song after “Summertime Sadness” (2012). After the release of the “More Lana Del Rey Version”, during the week dated June 5, 2023, the track re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 30.

Lyrics

General Information
ArtistTaylor Swift
AlbumMidnights
FeatureLana Del Rey
ReleasedOctober 21, 2022
Written2021-2022
StudiosRough Customer (Brooklyn)
Electric Lady (New York)
Henson (Los Angeles)
GenreIndie Pop
Length4:16 (Original)
3:49 (More Lana Version)
LabelRepublic Records
SongwritersTaylor Swift
Lana Del Rey
Jack Antonoff
ProducersJack Antonoff
Taylor Swift
MIDNIGHTS CHRONOLOGY
Anti-HeroSnow On The BeachYou’re On Your Own, Kid
Song Certification
"Platinum" certification by the Recording Industry Association of America. Signifying 1,000,000 units sold.
Taylor, Lana and Jack
Song Artwork
Taylor Talks About the Song
Announcement
Live Performance
Lyric Video
Official Audio
"More Lana Del Rey" Version