Actually Romantic

“Actually Romantic” drew a sharply divided critical response, with much of the discussion focusing on its unusually pointed subject matter. Some critics found the song’s sarcastic premise entertaining and its guitar-led sound a welcome change of pace: Rolling Stone highlighted it among the album’s standout tracks, praising its “gritty Nineties-rock energy” and sharp lyrics, while AllMusic described its sound as quirky and noted its “smirking jabs.” The AV Club was similarly receptive to its “gleefully catty” approach, calling the song a new and unexpectedly fun mode for Taylor.

The biggest point of contention was the song’s apparent target and the way it responds to Charli XCX’s “Sympathy Is a Knife.” While neither artist confirmed that “Actually Romantic” is about Charli, critics widely discussed the parallels, including references to “Boring Barbie,” an ex and a song about being sick of seeing Taylor’s face. The Washington Post stressed that the connection remained unconfirmed and argued that Charli’s original song was more concerned with insecurity and self-doubt than with attacking Taylor, while Pitchfork interpreted Taylor’s response as a return to the more openly vindictive side of her songwriting.

Criticism consequently centered on whether the barbed humor feels clever or simply spiteful. Pitchfork called it one of the album’s low points and criticized both the lyrics and the “diet indie rock” production, while Rolling Stone questioned whether responding to another woman’s insecurities was necessary at all, arguing that the song could have explored the complicated pressures experienced by women at the top of pop instead. AllMusic made a similar comparison, noting that “Actually Romantic” lacks the vulnerability that made “Sympathy Is a Knife” compelling. At the same time, the more favorable responses suggest that its intentionally petty, tongue-in-cheek attitude was precisely what made it distinctive within The Life of a Showgirl.