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No Body, No Crime

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Wikipedia article




{{Infobox song

| name = No Body, No Crime

| type = single

| artist = Taylor Swift featuring Haim

| album = Evermore

| released =

| recorded =

| studio =

| length = 3:35

| genre =

* Country

* pop rock

* country rock

| label = Republic

| writer = Taylor Swift

| producer =

* Taylor Swift

* Aaron Dessner

| chronology = Taylor Swift

| prev_title = Willow

| prev_year = 2020

| next_title = Coney Island

| next_year = 2021

| misc =

}}

"'No Body, No Crime'" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, featuring guest vocals from American rock band Haim. It was released to US country radio by Republic and MCA Nashville on January 11, 2021, as a single from Swift's ninth studio album 'Evermore' (2020).

Produced by Swift and Aaron Dessner, "No Body, No Crime" combines country rock and pop rock. A murder ballad, it has noir-inspired lyrics about a fictional character Este, who is killed by her husband after she discovers his infidelity. Unable to prove the husband guilty, the song's narrator, a dear friend of Este, avenges her friend's death by murdering the husband, erases key evidences, and frames the mistress. The central character is named after Este Haim, the band's bass player.

Music critics lauded "No Body, No Crime" for its cinematic storytelling and country production, but a few deemed it dispassionate. The single reached the top 20 on charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, the track peaked at number two on the Hot Country Songs chart and number 34 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100, marking Haim's first Hot 100 entry. After its release to US country radio, "No Body, No Crime" peaked at number 54 on the Country Airplay chart.

Background and release



provide backing vocals on "No Body, No Crime". Danielle Haim also has a minor vocal part in the second half of the song.|260x260px

"No Body, No Crime" marks the first collaboration between Swift and Haim. The song was written by Swift on a rubber-bridge guitar. She forwarded her voice memo of the song to Aaron Dessner, her 'Evermore' producer, who developed the song's instrumentation. Swift had specific ideas on how she wanted the song to feel, including Haim's vocals on the song. The Haim sisters recorded at engineer Ariel Rechtshaid's Los Angeles home studio, and sent it to Swift, who was at Dessner's Long Pond studio, filming 'Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions' (2020). The harmonica and guitar riffs on the song were provided by Josh Kaufman, who also played the harmonica on "Betty" (2020), the fourteenth track on 'Folklore.' JT Bates played the drums on "No Body, No Crime", who also contributed the drums on "Dorothea", eighth track on 'Evermore'.

On December 10, 2020, Swift revealed the track listing of 'Evermore', where "No Body, No Crime" placed sixth; the album was released on December 11, 2020. MCA Nashville released "No Body, No Crime" to United States country radio stations on January 11, 2021. In an interview to 'Entertainment Weekly', Swift said working with Haim "was pretty hilarious because it came about after I wrote a pretty dark murder mystery song and had named the character Este, because she's the friend I have who would be stoked to be in a song like that" and added that she "had finished the song and was nailing down some lyric details and texted [Este Haim], 'You're not going to understand this text for a few days but... which chain restaurant do you like best?' and I named a few." Swift revealed that Este Haim chose Olive Garden, and that she, a few days later, sent Haim the song and asked if they would sing on it; the answer was an "immediate YES".

Composition and lyrics



Opening with police sirens, "No Body, No Crime" is a twangy and cinematic, country, pop rock, and country rock song, with heavy harmonica in the key of G minor, incorporating elements of Americana. It tells a macabre story of a woman named Este, who confronts her cheating husband. She goes missing and the song's narrator suspects she was murdered by him in favor of his mistress. Without the body of the victim, the husband cannot be tried for homicide. Este's friend takes justice into her own hands and kills the husband, dumping his body in a lake. Este's sister becomes an alibi who testifies they were together ("she was with me, dude") and frames the mistress who took out a large life insurance policy. Este is named after Este Haim. The song drew comparisons to the Chicks' "Goodbye Earl" (2000) and Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" (2006) among others.

Critical reception



Brodie Lancaster of 'The Sydney Morning Herald' opined that "No Body, No Crime" sees Swift and the Haim sisters "stomp through a saloon-style remake of 'Chicago''s "He Had it Comin'" as they tell of a mad woman who covers up the murder of her cheating husband". Bobby Olivier of 'Spin' thought the song follows Carrie Underwood's model of taking "down a cheater with a catchy refrain and a sprinkle of what's that? murder?!". Chris Willman of 'Variety' found the song to be the album's "pure spirit of fun" moment, away from the ruminating themes of other tracks. He characterized "No Body, No Crime" as a dark "spirited double-murder ballad" inspired by The Chicks' 2000 single "Goodbye, Earl".

'Stereogum' critic Tom Breihan defined the song as the "willfully silly murder narrative" that works as a take on "Goodbye Earl", and commended it as "the most country thing that Swift has done in years". 'USA Today' writer Patrick Ryan dubbed the song a "scorching" track that makes Swift's "mischievous return" to her country roots. Describing the placement "No Body, No Crime" in 'Evermore', Jason Lipshutz of Billboard stated that the "delicious" song provides "hope and levity" amidst of the album's emotional "wreckage". 'NME' critic Hannah Mylrea noted the song's sonic direction, and described it as a "full-blown country revenge song that ends in the murder of a philandering husband", condensing a David Fincher film in a matter of few minutes.

On a less positive side, Robert Christgau said although "No Body, No Crime" was the first track he paid attention to on 'Evermore' thanks to a strong hook, it became his least favorite after repeated listens; Christgau described it as "super-hooky but pat police procedural". In 'Vulture', Justin Curto complimented Haim's backing vocals for livening up 'Evermore' "static pacing", but found the narrative rather dull and Swift's songwriting not as strong as on her past songs about revenge: "It's better suited to soundtrack an episode of a soapy TV show than any heartbreak." Nate Jones, also from 'Vulture', found the track "more like a musical costume party than a genuine attempt at embodying darkness".

Impact



Gene Lee, the CEO of American casual dining restaurant chain Olive Garden credited Swift for gathering social interactions with the brand after she mentioned the name of the brand on one of her lyrics on the song, said that "Just think about what happened last week when Taylor Swift dropped the song with Olive Garden in it, and how we were able to capture that socially and create buzz around that. When Taylor Swift drops our name in a song, our brand becomes very, very relevant".

Commercial performance



"No Body, No Crime" debuted at number 34 in the United States, marking Haim's first entry on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 chart. It also debuted at number two on the 'Billboard' Hot Country Songs chart, marking Swift's second top 10 of 2020, following "Betty", and Haim's first appearance on the chart. It was Swift's 23rd top-10 entry on the chart in her career. In the UK, "No Body, No Crime" debuted at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart, shifting 22,875 units in its first week. The track also debuted within the top 20 in Canada, Ireland and Australia peaking at numbers 11, 11 and 16, respectively.

Credits and personnel



Credits adapted from 'Pitchfork'.

* Taylor Swift lead vocals, songwriting, production

* Haim featured artist

** Danielle Haim backing vocals

** Este Haim backing vocals

* Aaron Dessner production, recording, mandolin, synthesizers, piano, field recording and bass, acoustic and electric guitars

* Josh Kaufman lap steel, electric guitar, organ and harmonica

* J.T. Bates drum kit, instrumental recording

* Jonathan Low vocal recording, mixing

* Ariel Rechtshaid vocal recording

* Matt DiMona vocal recording

* Greg Calbi mastering

* Steve Fallone mastering

Charts



Release history



References



Category:2020s ballads

Category:2020 songs

Category:2021 singles

Category:Country ballads

Category:American country music songs

Category:American pop rock songs

Category:Country rock songs

Category:Haim (band) songs

Category:Murder ballads

Category:Songs written by Taylor Swift

Category:Song recordings produced by Taylor Swift

Category:Song recordings produced by Aaron Dessner

Category:Songs about infidelity

Category:Songs about revenge

Category:Taylor Swift songs

Category:Republic Records singles

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