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The Alchemy

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"The Alchemy"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album The Tortured Poets Department
ReleasedApril 19, 2024 (2024-04-19)
Studio
Genre
Length3:16
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff
Lyric video
"The Alchemy" on YouTube

"The Alchemy" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (2024). Swift wrote and produced the track with Jack Antonoff. A pop rock and electropop track with R&B influences, "The Alchemy" is a love song about a burgeoning romance where two people cannot resist their chemistry. The lyrics use extensive football imagery to depict victory.

In reviews of The Tortured Poets Department, critics considered "The Alchemy" the only song with a happy ending on the album. Some reviews deemed the football imagery and metaphors in the lyrics weak, but some others praised the production elements. "The Alchemy" peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Global 200 and reached the top 25 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. It received a gold certification in Australia. Swift performed the track live twice on the Eras Tour in 2024.

Background and release

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Swift started working on The Tortured Poets Department immediately after she submitted her tenth studio album, Midnights, to Republic Records for release in 2022. She continued working on it in secrecy throughout the US leg of the Eras Tour in 2023.[1] The album's conception took place when Swift's personal life continued to be a widely covered topic in the press.[2] She described The Tortured Poets Department as her "lifeline" album which she "really needed" to make.[3] Republic Records released it on April 19, 2024; "The Alchemy" is 15th on the track list.[4][5]

Swift performed "The Alchemy" live twice on the Eras Tour in 2024. On May 12, Swift performed an acoustic guitar version of "The Alchemy", in a mashup with her track "Treacherous" (2012), at the fourth Paris show.[6][7] On August 15, she sang a piano version, this time in a mashup with her track "King of My Heart" (2017), at the first London show.[8] Swift released the Paris performance as part of a limited-time digital variant of The Tortured Poets Department on May 23, 2024.[9]

Music and lyrics

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"The Alchemy" is an electropop[10] and pop rock song[11] with R&B influences in its instrumentation,[12] composed of echoing drums and layered vocals.[13] Will Hodgkinson of The Times wrote that it has a dreamy and romantic production that evokes the styles of the American singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks,[11] while Annie Zaleski described the sound as hazy.[10] The lyrics use extensive football imagery to describe the burgeoning days of a new romantic relationship.[14][15][16] Swift's character tells her new lover that she is willing to be all in ("So when I touch down/ Call the amateurs and cut 'em from the team") and admits that she does not have another choice ("Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?").[17] The song also features details of the lover winning a football match ("Shirts off, and your friends lift you up, over their heads").[18] In the bridge, Swift's character asserts: "Where's the trophy? He just comes, running over to me."[17]

Critics consider "The Alchemy" the only happy love song on an album primarily dealing with heartbreak.[10][11] Time's Shannon Carlin wrote that the track's placement near the end of the standard album shows that Swift's character is willing to "fight again with this new one-of-a-kind guy" after detailing ex-lovers on the preceding tracks ("These blokes warm the benches/ We've been on a winning streak").[17] Lauren Huff of Entertainment Weekly agreed, saying that "The Alchemy", placed after "songs about heartache so bad that Swift compares it to 'cardiac arrest' in her epilogue", signaled a "good kind" of "madness".[19] Vogue Australia's Nina Miyashita thought that the lyrics appear to draw a parallel between the chemicals released by the brain when playing a sport and those released when one is in love.[20]

Reception

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Criticisms of the song mostly took issue with its lyrics. Some critics, such as The Atlantic's Spencer Kornharber,[21] Slate's Carl Wilson,[22] and Beats Per Minute's John Wohlmacher, considered the football imagery in the lyrics weak, "terrible", and "tossed-off".[12] The Daily Telegraph's Neil McCormick said the track contains "cheesy sports puns".[23] Writing for the Financial Times, Ludovic Hunter-Tilney said that the song was one of the "repetitive" tracks and opined that the title was used incorrectly.[24] Lindsay Zoladz of The New York Times described the song as "weightless".[25]

Reviews that were somewhat more positive focused on the production. Sputnikmusic's Hugh G. Paddles argued that "The Alchemy" is an "otherwise effervescent and personally charged" track but criticized the "faux-narcotic slurred delivery" mentioning a drug reference near the ending lines.[26] Wohlmacher praised the sound as "[laid] back and elegant" and said that the "mood of the composition" makes up for the lyrics.[12] Hodgkinson gave the song a five-star rating, praising how it is "epic but intimate, like the final scene in a blockbuster".[11] Ranking all 31 tracks on The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Jason Lipshutz of Billboard placed "The Alchemy" at 21, calling it a "glittering love song".[27] Alex Hopper of American Songwriter described the track as "sauntering, sexy".[28]

Following its release, "The Alchemy" debuted and peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100, where the song and tracks from the album made Swift the first artist to occupy the top 14 of the chart.[29][30] In Australia, it opened at its peak of number 18 on the ARIA Singles Chart and made her the artist with the most top-50 entries in a single week with 29.[31][32] Elsewhere, "The Alchemy" reached number 19 on the Billboard Global 200[33] and charted within the countries of New Zealand (19),[34] Canada (21),[35] Portugal (41),[36] Switzerland (46),[37] Sweden (65),[38] and France (157).[39] It also peaked at number 23 on the United Kingdom's Audio Streaming Chart[40] and number 39 on Greece's International Top 100 Digital Singles.[41]

Personnel

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Adapted from the liner notes of The Tortured Poets Department[5]

Charts

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Chart performance for "The Alchemy"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[31] 18
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[35] 21
France (SNEP)[39] 157
Global 200 (Billboard)[33] 19
Greece International (IFPI)[41] 39
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[34] 19
Philippines (Billboard)[42] 25
Portugal (AFP)[36] 41
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[38] 65
Swiss Streaming (Schweizer Hitparade)[37] 46
UK Streaming (OCC)[40] 23
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 13

Certification

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Certification for "The Alchemy"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[43] Gold 35,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Blistein, Jon (February 7, 2024). "Taylor Swift Reveals Tortured Poets Department Back Up Plan In Case She Didn't Win a Grammy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Sisario, Ben (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Arrives With a Promotional Blitz". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  3. ^ Bonner, Mehera (February 16, 2024). "Taylor Swift Reveals Bonus Track Title and New Album Cover for The Tortured Poets Department". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  4. ^ "As The Tortured Poets Department drops, here's all Taylor Swift's albums ranked by sales". Music Week. April 19, 2024. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Swift, Taylor (2024). The Tortured Poets Department (liner notes). Republic Records.
  6. ^ Dye, Natasha; Hernandez, Brian Anthony (May 12, 2024). "Travis Kelce Attends Taylor Swift's 4th Eras Tour Show in Paris". People. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  7. ^ Gomez, Dessi (November 4, 2024). "All The Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Played On Her Eras Tour So Far". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 20, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  8. ^ Dailey, Hannah (August 15, 2024). "Taylor Swift Brings Ed Sheeran Out for 'Everything Has Changed' Mash-Up at Wembley Eras Tour Show". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  9. ^ Hernandez, Brian Anthony (May 24, 2024). "Taylor Swift Is Selling Live Versions of 3 Tortured Poets Department Surprise Songs for a Very Limited Time". People. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Zaleski 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d Hodgkinson, Will (April 19, 2024). "Love, Men and the Story Behind Each Song on Taylor Swift's New Album". The Times. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Wohlmacher, John (April 23, 2024). "Album Review: Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  13. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department: All 31 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  14. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's New Album, The Tortured Poets Department, Could Use an Editor: Review". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  15. ^ Chiu, Melody (April 19, 2024). "Is Taylor Swift's 'The Alchemy' About Travis Kelce? See the Lyrical Football References". People. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  16. ^ Bowenbank, Starr (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift Gushes Over Her and Travis Kelce's Relationship on 'The Alchemy' and 'So High School'". InStyle. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c Carlin, Shannon (April 19, 2024). "Why Swifties Are Convinced 'The Alchemy' Is About Travis Kelce". Time. Archived from the original on May 12, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  18. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift appears to share first song about boyfriend Travis Kelce". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 12, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  19. ^ Huff, Lauren (April 19, 2024). "Is Taylor Swift's new song 'The Alchemy' about Travis Kelce?". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 12, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  20. ^ Miyashita, Nina; Waterhouse, Jonah (April 24, 2024). "All the hidden meanings in Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department album". Vogue Australia. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  21. ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift Is Having Quality-Control Issues". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  22. ^ Wilson, Carl (April 19, 2024). "The Problem With Taylor Swift's New Album". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  23. ^ McCormick, Neil (April 22, 2024). "Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department: a sharp, savage attack on her British exes". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  24. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poets Department review—heartbreak inspires anguish, anger and a career highlight". Financial Times. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  25. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (April 23, 2024). "On 'The Tortured Poets Department,' Taylor Swift Could Use an Editor". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  26. ^ Puddles, Hugh G. (April 22, 2024). "Review: Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  27. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department: All 31 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 12, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  28. ^ Hopper, Alex (April 19, 2024). "The Gloves are off on Taylor Swift's Double Album, The Tortured Poets Department". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  29. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  30. ^ Trust, Gary (April 29, 2024). "Taylor Swift Claims Record Top 14 Spots on Billboard Hot 100, Led by 'Fortnight' with Post Malone". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  31. ^ a b "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 29, 2024. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  32. ^ "Taylor takes the top 10". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 26, 2024. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  33. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  34. ^ a b "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 29, 2024. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  35. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  36. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – The Alchemy". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  37. ^ a b "Streaming Top 100". Schweizer Hitparade. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  38. ^ a b "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 17". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  39. ^ a b "Top Singles (Week 16, 2024)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  40. ^ a b "Official Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  41. ^ a b "IFPI Charts". www.ifpi.gr. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  42. ^ "Philippines Songs - Week of May 4, 2024". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 2, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  43. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 27, 2024.

Source

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