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Long Story Short (song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
|name = Long Story Short
|artist = Taylor Swift
|album = Evermore
|written =
|recorded = 2020
|studio = Long Pond (Hudson Valley)
|genre =
* Indie rock
* folk-pop
* synth-pop
|length =
|label = Republic
|writer =
* Taylor Swift
* Aaron Dessner
|producer = Aaron Dessner
| misc =
}}
"'Long Story Short'" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It is the twelfth track on her ninth studio album, 'Evermore', which was released on December 11, 2020, by Republic Records. Swift wrote the song with its producer Aaron Dessner. Distinct from the album's general softer pace, "Long Story Short" is an upbeat indie rock, folk-pop, and synth-pop song with elements of early 1980s pop, driven by energetic guitars, drums and strings. In the autographical song, Swift describes surviving a darker part of her life, alluding to the tumultuous events that inspired her 2017 album 'Reputation', which revamped her state of mind, followed by how she discovered her soulmate, healed emotionally, and reorganized her life to pursue contentment.
Upon 'Evermore'
Background and release
On July 24, 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Swift surprise-released her eighth studio album, 'Folklore', to widespread critical acclaim and commercial success. In September 2020, Swift and her co-producers and co-writers for the album, Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff, assembled at Long Pond Studio, located in a secluded cabin in upstate New York, to film the documentary 'Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions'. Released to Disney+ and accompanied by a live album released digitally, Swift performed the stripped-down renditions of all 17 tracks on 'Folklore' and recounted the creative process of developing the album. Following the release of 'Folklore', Swift and Dessner continued writing songs at Long Pond, with her penning lyrics to his instrumental tracks.
On December 10, 2020, Swift announced that her ninth studio album and 'Folklore'
Composition and lyrics
The song is a brisk, fast-paced, indie rock, folk-pop, and synth-pop composition, with a rousing post-chorus hook, explosive guitar chugs, strings, crisp beats of both programmed and live drums, the latter of which was played by Bryan Devendorf of the National. It also infuses elements of vintage pop. Musically, the song is set in the key of C major with a fast tempo of 158 beats per minute. Swift's vocals span from G3 to G4.
"Long Story Short" reexamines her sixth studio album, 'Reputation' (2017), which addressed intense media scrutiny of her and her widely publicized feuds with other celebrities; Swift described it as one of her life's lowest moments. The song narrates her personal redemption, while covering her four-year emotional journey between 2016 and 2020, specifically the turbulent events of Swift's professional life in 2016. Its lyrics see Swift announce her peaceful state of mind after spending years of limelight in "petty things" and "nemeses", while recalling her fall from grace after her feuds, and how she eventually sorted her priorities out and found true love. In the post-chorus, Swift states that her past relationships reshaped who she is, and in the bridge, she asserts her lack of interest in celebrity drama anymore, focusing only on her relationship outside of work. The song ends with the lyric "I survived."
Critical reception
'Slate' critic Carl Wilson wrote that "Long Story Short" is a "fairly slight song but an earned valedictory address", incorporating Swift's standard wordplay and the "pleasure" that "comes in hearing her look back at all that and shrugging". Jason Lipshutz of 'Billboard' chose the song as the best on 'Evermore' and stated that the song materializes Swift's ability to create "deceptively simple" music that "is bursting with layers and moving pieces". He admired the song's "dense but never overcrowded" instrumentation and its "kicky post-chorus vocal hook". Reviewers of 'Insider' concluded that "Long Story Short" is "the closest Swift gets to revisiting her pop star persona"; Callie Ahlgrim said that it is "glossier" compared to its fellow tracks, hybridizing the textures of '1989' (2014) and 'Folklore', and functions as a "refreshing change of pace" inside 'Evermore', whereas Courteney Larocca felt that it is a "'Lover' era message wrapped in '1989' production about overcoming her 'Reputation' mistakes".
Maura Johnston of 'Entertainment Weekly' opined that "Long Story Short" is a glimpse "down the darker alleys branching off memory lane". 'NME' Hannah Mylrea remarked that the song is layered with a "'1989'-style gloss", injecting Swift's "folklorian" sound with 1980s-inspired synth-pop. She felt that it "could explode into a banging, stadium-ready chorus if placed into the hands of pop master-producer Max Martin chorus, but instead pull it back at the last minute and favour subtlety". Expressing the same view, 'The Guardian' critic Alexis Petridis thought that "Long Story Short" would "obviously function as a pop banger" if it had been garnished with "EDM synths, Auto-Tune and programmed beats", but deemed the organic arrangement equally tasteful. 'Variety' writer Chris Willman said "Long Story Short" proves that Swift will fully delve into "fiction-writer mode" and will always include "diaristic" moments. He added that the song revives the themes of backlash depicted in 'Reputation' and 'Lover'.
Holly Gleason, reviewing for 'Hits', branded the song "percolating" and the "closest thing to an actual single" on 'Evermore'. 'Elle' Alyssa Bailey said that "Long Story Short" is Swift's "most personal, fact-based track on 'Evermore'." Steffanee Wang of Nylon commented that "Long Story Short" is "a sweet and retrospective track that shows just how much growth and distance Swift has achieved since the events that are referenced in the song", and reasoned it with the fact that "she's now 31, and Taylor Swift masters controversy|newer, recent battles that have popped up in [Swift's] life have proven that there are more important things to fight for than being on the 'right' side of a tabloid controversy." Craig Jenkins of 'Vulture' thought that the song is a "succinctly" retold "personal mythology" of Swift"the beloved starlet on the mend from a bad hit to her fame and self-esteem." Alek Nelson of 'The Utah Statesman' said that the song's outro encapsulates the "vibes" of 2020: "Long story short, it was a bad time. Long story short, I survived."
Writing for 'DIY', Ben Tipple remarked that the track "brilliantly" insinuates at a "reinvigorated full-production Taylor". 'The Quietus' critic Katherine Rodgers described "Long Story Short" as a spirited song that retreads Swift's "familiar" lyrical style"the trials of celebrity, romantic misadventure, falls from grace, all illustrated in quick-fire metaphor". She also admired the "playful, infectious" chorus. 'Redbrick' writer Sammy Andrews stated that the song is "a bundle of fun, and in itself a really great pop leaning song", but was concerned with its upbeat composition feeling "dissonant" with the "ease and softness" of the rest of the album. 'Consequence' Mary Siroky opined that the track "may not rise to the top" but compared it to smudges in a set of crystal wine glasses.
Commercial performance
Following the release of 'Evermore', "Long Story Short" entered the 'Billboard' Global 200 chart at number 55, alongside 'Evermore'
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes and 'Pitchfork.'
* Taylor Swift vocals, songwriter
* Aaron Dessner producer, songwriter, recording engineer, drum machine, synth bass, percussion, keyboards, synthesizers and bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
* Bryce Dessner orchestration, electric guitar
* Bryan Devendorf drum kit
* James McAlister drum machine, synthesizers
* Yuki Numata Resnick violin
* Kyle Resnick trumpet
* Clarice Jensen cello
* Jason Treuting crotales, metal lercussion
* Jonathan Low mixing, recording engineer
* Greg Calbi mastering
* Steve Fallone mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
Category:2020 songs
Category:American indie rock songs
Category:American pop songs
Category:American folk songs
Category:Song recordings produced by Aaron Dessner
Category:Songs written by Taylor Swift
Category:Songs written by Aaron Dessner
Category:Taylor Swift songs
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