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"If This Was a Movie"
Promotional single by Taylor Swift
from the album Speak Now
ReleasedNovember 8, 2011
Genre
Length3:58
LabelBig Machine
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Official audio
"If This Was a Movie" on YouTube

"If This Was a Movie" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, originally released in the physical deluxe edition of her third studio album, Speak Now, in 2010. She wrote the track with Martin Johnson and produced it with Nathan Chapman. A fast-paced pop rock ballad, "If This Was a Movie" includes both acoustic and electric string instruments, drums, key notes, and full orchestration. In the lyrics, Swift's character begs an ex-lover to return to her and expects him to do so like it was a movie.

Big Machine Records released "If This Was a Movie" digitally through the iTunes Store on November 8, 2011. The song reached charts in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, where it debuted within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. Two publication reviews of the track were published in late 2011; one found it engaging, and the other deemed that it showcased newfound maturity within Swift's lyrics. Retrospective rankings of Swift's songs have included the track within the lower-tier positions.

On March 17, 2023, Swift released a re-recording of the song, titled "If This Was a Movie (Taylor's Version)", alongside three other songs to streaming services in celebration of the start of her Eras Tour, where she debuted it live on piano during a Minneapolis show on June 23. The re-recording was also part of an effort to re-record her early catalog after a dispute over the ownership of the master recordings.

Background and release

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Martin Johnson wearing a black outfit with an electric guitar smiling
Martin Johnson co-wrote "If This Was a Movie".

Taylor Swift conceived her third studio album, Speak Now (2010), as a collection of tracks about the things she had wanted to say but was unable to do with the people she had met.[1] There were as many as 25 songs Swift wrote for the album,[1] which she co-produced with Nathan Chapman,[2] who had worked on her previous releases.[3] By around mid-2010, she had secured the final track list,[4] where all the tracks were written by her.[2] One exception, however, was "If This Was a Movie", which Swift wrote with Martin Johnson alongside other songs.[5]

"If This Was a Movie" was included as a bonus track in Speak Now's deluxe edition,[6] which was released as a Target-exclusive alongside the standard edition on October 25, 2010.[7] Big Machine Records made the song digitally available, along with the other bonus tracks, through the iTunes Store on November 8, 2011.[8][9] On June 23, 2023, Swift debuted the track live on piano during a show in Minneapolis, as part of her Eras Tour (2023–2024).[10]

Music and lyrics

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Produced by Swift and Chapman,[11] "If This Was a Movie" is a pop rock ballad that critics described as "somber" and "sparkling".[5][12] Set on a fast pace,[11] it has a length of 5 minutes and 48 seconds.[13] According to the Seattle Weekly's Erin Thompson, the song has a basic arrangement and structure, which he regarded as "Swiftian".[14] It features acoustic string instruments from country and folk music, an electric guitar amplified by distortion, and full orchestration.[15] The musicologist James E. Perone said that this arrangement could give "mixed-genre messages" to listeners.[15] A recurring guitar riff is also played throughout,[11] while drums and key notes lead Swift.[14] The verse's melody is performed at a low register and built on short motive figures.[15] Accompanied by harmonies, Swift sings with a twang in the chorus,[11] which is dramatic and contrasts the verse by being more melodious and performed at a higher register.[5][15]

In the lyrics, Swift's character pleads an ex-lover, who had left for six months, to come back to her, expecting him to do as such like it was a movie.[5][16] She imagines that through this perspective, he would be sorry to her for what mistake he made, and she would accept his apology and reconcile with him.[15] A staff from Billboard said that she was in a state of coming of age in the lyrics, believing that she departs from the "fantasy world of high school" and examines "more mature content".[11] Swift on the song often recalls the important memories when they were together.[5] It also includes a lyric about being in the rain ("Stand in the rain/'Til I came out"), which Thompson felt was used extensively in her songs.[a][14] By the conclusion, the ideal ending does not happen like Swift had hoped for.[5]

Critical reception

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In late 2011, two publication reviews of "If This Was a Movie" were issued. Thompson included it in the Seattle Weekly's "Nice Hits!"—a column that explores the best tracks out of the top 40 songs in a given time. He believed that while not "lyrically perfect", the track had the features that made Swift's songs engaging, including for what he considered vulnerable, relatable songwriting and a simple composition.[14] Billboard's staff stated that it showcased "a more age-appropriate track" from her.[11]

Over the years, retrospective rankings of Swift's songs have included "If This Was a Movie" within the lower-tier positions. Paste's ranking, published in February 2020, listed the track as 115th among her 158 songs—one of its writers Jane Song took issue with the line, "Come back to me like", which she heard as "Come back to me, daylight".[17] In her September 2020 ranking of Swift's 161 tracks for NME, Hannah Mylrea placed the song at 150th, writing that "it stutters towards the finish line" and that it was "frustratingly repetitive" overall.[18] Rob Sheffield listed the track as 254th in his April 2024 ranking of her 274 songs for Rolling Stone.[19] The next month, Nate Jones of Vulture updated his ranking of Swift's 245 tracks, where the song was placed at 170th; he viewed it as "the mirror image" of her track "White Horse" (2008) that, to him, made it "oddly superfluous".[20]

Carena Liptak of Taste of Country included the song as 16th in her 2023 ranking of all 17 original tracks from Speak Now's deluxe edition, saying that the song, while not among the album's most memorable, displayed "Swift's heartbreak songwriting at its wistful, earworm-y best" and that its emotional impact was skillfully handled. She attributed the placement to how stronger other tracks are in showcasing Swift's "ability to wax poetic on heartbreak and nostalgia".[21]

Chart performance

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After its digital release in November 2011, "If This Was a Movie" debuted at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, where the track also reached number three on Digital Songs with 163,000 downloads.[22] The top-ten entry on the Hot 100 made the song become the fourth track from Speak Now to do so, in addition to extending Swift's record of most top-ten debuts for any act with ten.[22] It peaked atop on Country Digital Song Sales as well.[23] Elsewhere, the song reached number 191 in the United Kingdom[24] and number 17 in Canada,[25] where it also peaked at number 10 on Canada Digital Song Sales.[26]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "If This Was a Movie"
Chart (2011) Peak
position
Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[26] 10
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[25] 17
UK Singles (OCC)[24] 191
US Billboard Hot 100[27] 10
US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[28] 3
US Country Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[23] 1

"If This Was a Movie (Taylor's Version)"

[edit]
"If This Was a Movie (Taylor's Version)"
Promotional single by Taylor Swift
ReleasedMarch 17, 2023
Length3:57
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
  • Taylor Swift
  • Martin Johnson
Producer(s)
Official audio
"If This Was a Movie (Taylor's Version)" on YouTube

Release and production

[edit]

To celebrate the start of the Eras Tour on March 17, 2023, Swift released a re-recording of the song, titled "If This Was a Movie" (Taylor's Version)", on that day alongside three other songs to streaming services.[29][30] The re-recording was also part of an attempt to re-record her early catalog after a dispute over the ownership of the master recordings.[31] It has the same cover art as that of Swift's re-recorded album, Fearless (Taylor's Version) (2021), and was included on the compilation, The More Fearless (Taylor's Version) Chapter,[30] which was also released on that day.[32] Speculation ensued amongst fans regarding the song's release, according to some journalists, who questioned whether it would be featured on Speak Now's re-recording, Speak Now (Taylor's Version) (2023).[b][30][12] By the time the album's track list was unveiled on June 5, 2023, the song was nowhere to be found on it.[33]

"If This Was a Movie (Taylor's Version)" has a length of 3 minutes and 57 seconds.[34] The Times' Will Hodgkinson described it as "straightforward, innocent, slightly breathy balladry with an orchestral backing".[16] The song was produced by Swift and its vocal engineer Christopher Rowe. Musicians on the track were Amos Heller (who played bass), David Cook (piano), Matt Billingslea (drums and percussion), Max Bernstein (electric guitar), Mike Meadows (acoustic guitar), and Paul Sidoti (electric guitar); Bernstein also provided synthesizer programming, while Meadows was the background vocalist. The engineers were Bryce Bordone and Derek Garten, who was also the editor alongside Lowell Reynolds. David Payne was the recording engineer, assisted by Reynolds. The mixer was Serban Ghenea, while the mastering engineer was Randy Merrill.[32]

Critical reception and chart performance

[edit]

In two reviews of the four songs that were released right before the start of Swift's Eras Tour, "If This Was a Movie" (Taylor's Version)" received favorable comments. Writing for The Freeman, Januar Junior Aguja said that the track could have new fans because of Swift's vocals on the re-recording, claiming that they had improved.[30] Hodgkinson wrote that the song was "corny but smart" and, to him, had Swift's early brilliance of "capturing an entire romantic drama in three minutes", considering that it had both an "ingenue spirit" and professionally-written ruthlessness.[16]

Commercially, "If This Was a Movie (Taylor's Version)" reached number two on the Bubbling Under Hot 100[35] and number four on Digital Songs in the US with 11,300 downloads.[36] On Country Digital Song Sales, it became her record-extending 19th number-one entry and made "If This Was a Movie" the first song to have two versions peak atop the chart.[36] On sales-component charts in other countries, the song reached number seven on Canada Digital Song Sales[26] and number thirteen on both UK Singles Downloads and UK Singles Sales.[37][38] It also entered at number twelve on Hot 40 Singles in New Zealand.[39]

Personnel

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Adapted from Tidal[32]

  • Taylor Swift – vocals, composer, lyricist, producer
  • Martin Johnson – composer, lyricist
  • Christopher Rowe – producer, vocal engineer
  • Amos Heller – bass
  • David Cook – piano
  • Matt Billingslea – drums, percussion
  • Max Bernstein – electric guitar, synthesizer programming
  • Mike Meadows – acoustic guitar, mandolin, background vocalist
  • Paul Sidoti – electric guitar
  • Bryce Bordone – engineer
  • David Payne – recording engineer
  • Derek Garten – editor, engineer
  • Lowell Reynolds – assistant recording engineer, editor
  • Randy Merrill – mastering engineer
  • Serban Ghenea – mixer

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "If This Was a Movie (Taylor's Version)"
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[26] 7
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[39] 12
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[37] 13
UK Singles Sales (OCC)[38] 13
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[35] 2
US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[40] 4
US Country Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[23] 1

Notes

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  1. ^ Thompson highlighted lyrics with the same imagery from "Hey Stephen", "Fearless", "Forever & Always", and "Sparks Fly" to support his claim.[14]
  2. ^ Speak Now (Taylor's Version) was not yet announced at the time,[12] until May 5, 2023.[33]

References

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  1. ^ a b Conger, Bill (October 11, 2010). "Taylor Swift Talks About Her Album Speak Now, Her Hits 'Mine' and 'Speak Now,' and Writing Her Songs". Songwriter Universe. Archived from the original on October 17, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Pastorek, Whitney (July 20, 2010). "Taylor Swift Announces New Album, 'Speak Now,' Will Drop Oct. 25". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  3. ^ Tingen, Paul (February 2011). "Taylor Swift Speak Now". Sound on Sound. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  4. ^ Stransky, Tanner (December 20, 2019) [August 27, 2010]. "Taylor Swift Tells EW About New Album 'Speak Now': 'I've Covered Every Emotion That I've Felt in the Last Two Years.'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Zaleski 2024, p. 71.
  6. ^ Dinh, James (September 30, 2010). "Taylor Swift's Speak Now Bonus Tracks Revealed". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 1, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  7. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (September 15, 2010). "Taylor Swift Announces Deluxe Version Of Speak Now". MTV News. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  8. ^ Spencer 2013, p. 106.
  9. ^ Swift, Taylor (November 8, 2011). "If This Was a Movie - Single". Big Machine Records. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2025 – via iTunes Store.
  10. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (June 24, 2023). "Taylor Swift Debuts Songs from Lover, Red in Minneapolis". Spin. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d e f "Track Review: Taylor Swift, 'If This Was a Movie'". Billboard. December 11, 2011. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c Lane, Lexi (March 16, 2023). "Is Taylor Swift's 'If This Was A Movie' From 'Speak Now?'". Uproxx. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  13. ^ Swift, Taylor (October 25, 2010). "Speak Now (Deluxe Editon)". Big Machine Records. Archived from the original on May 13, 2025. Retrieved May 20, 2025 – via Apple Music (US).
  14. ^ a b c d e Thompson, Erin (November 25, 2011). "Taylor Swift's Speak Now Track 'If This Was a Movie' Is Better than Her Upcoming New Single". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on November 30, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c d e Perone 2017, p. 41.
  16. ^ a b c Hodgkinson, Will (March 17, 2023). "Taylor Swift: Four New Songs Review — What the Queen of Pop Does Best". The Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2025. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  17. ^ Johnson, Ellen; Song, Jane (February 11, 2020). "All 158 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked". Paste. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  18. ^ Mylrea, Hannah (September 8, 2020). "Every Taylor Swift Song Ranked in Order of Greatness". NME. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  19. ^ Sheffield, Rob (April 25, 2024) [December 12, 2019]. "All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked: 'If This Was a Movie' (2010)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 4, 2025. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  20. ^ Jones, Nate (May 20, 2024) [November 2017]. "All 245 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on September 20, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  21. ^ Liptak, Carena (May 6, 2023). "All 17 Songs on Taylor Swift's Historic 'Speak Now' Album, Ranked". Taste of Country. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  22. ^ a b Trust, Gary (November 16, 2011). "Rihanna Still atop Hot 100, Taylor Swift's 'Movie' Premieres in Top 10". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  23. ^ a b c "Taylor Swift Chart History (Country Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  24. ^ a b "Chart Log UK: New Entries Update". zobbel.de. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  25. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  26. ^ a b c d "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  27. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  28. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  29. ^ Aniftos, Rania (March 17, 2023). "Taylor Swift Drops Four New Songs Ahead of 'The Eras Tour' Launch: Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  30. ^ a b c d Aguja, Januar Junior (March 30, 2023). "Reviewing Taylor Swift's Latest Four Singles". The Freeman. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  31. ^ Faguy, Ana (March 17, 2023). "Where Are Taylor Swift's 4 New Songs? Fans Struggle to Find New Tracks on Streaming Platforms". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 28, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  32. ^ a b c Swift, Taylor (March 17, 2023). "The More Fearless (Taylor's Version) Chapter: Credits". Tidal. Archived from the original on May 27, 2025. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
  33. ^ a b Sager, Jessica (July 7, 2023) [May 6, 2023]. "Taylor Swift 'Speak Now (Taylor's Version)' Lyrics Decoded—Find Out Who She's Singing About". Parade. Archived from the original on January 14, 2025. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  34. ^ Swift, Taylor (March 17, 2023). "If This Was A Movie (Taylor's Version) - Single". Taylor Swift. Archived from the original on March 21, 2025. Retrieved May 20, 2025 – via Apple Music (US).
  35. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  36. ^ a b Trust, Gary (March 29, 2023). "Taylor Swift Scores 189th Hot 100 Hit with 'All of the Girls You Loved Before'". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  37. ^ a b "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  38. ^ a b "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  39. ^ a b "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 27, 2023. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  40. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2025.

Sources

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Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=If_This_Was_a_Movie&oldid=1300595922#"If_This_Was_a_Movie_(Taylor's_Version)""