Clean (song)

Swift wrote and produced "Clean" with British musician Imogen Heap (pictured).

American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift had identified as a country artist until she released her fourth studio album, Red, in October 2012.[1] While being promoted as a country album, a number of tracks feature styles of pop and rock, as a result of Swift's desire of experimenting with other styles.[2][3] This sparked a media debate over her status as a country artist.[4] To support Red, Swift embarked on the Red Tour in March 2013, where she began writing songs for her next studio album, titled 1989 (2014).[5]

For the album, Swift decided to make it her first "official pop" record that would transform her image to a pop artist and move away from the country styles of her previous releases.[6][7] To this end, Swift recruited new producers including British musician Imogen Heap, who she called "one of the most interesting and unique artists".[8][9] Swift finished writing "Clean" before meeting Heap in London; it was one of the last tracks written for 1989.[10][8] Heap helped to complete the track by playing instruments and they finished recording it after two takes in one day at The Hideaway Studio. The song was mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and was mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound Studio in New York City.[8][11]

1989 was released on October 27, 2014, via Big Machine Records. In the track-list, "Clean" is placed at number 13 as the closing track.[12] After the album's release, Swift included the song on the set list of the 1989 World Tour in 2015.[13] Before performing it, she would share lessons she had learned in her personal life to the audience.[14] In 2023, she performed the track as a "surprise song" on select dates of the Eras Tour, including Arlington, Texas (April 1) and East Rutherford, New Jersey (May 28).[15] On April 8, "Clean" received a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling over 200,000 sales.[16]

"Clean" is a soft rock and synth-folk ballad.[17][18] At four minutes and thirty seconds long,[11] the song stays at a steady tempo throughout its duration.[19] The electronic production was seen as an influence from Heap's musical style.[20] It incorporates piano, keyboard, drums, mbira, vibraphone,[11] bass,[21] layered vocals,[22] and a groove that is build around percussion.[23] The Telegraph author Neil McCormick described "Clean" as "understated" and "atmospheric".[24] Hannah Mylrea from NME said the song has "chiming soft rock instrumentals",[22] while The Guardian's Alex Petridis wrote that it features "alternately pulsing and drifting electronics".[25]

A number of critics picked "Clean" as a highlight from 1989.[19][26][27] Forrest Wickman of Slate called the song "sad but ultimately hopeful" and thought it had similar themes to Swift's other closing tracks, such as "Begin Again" from Red.[28] Sam Lansky from Time picked the song as one of the tracks that demonstrates Swift's songwriting in "tight, evocative images".[29] Aswad from Billboard said "Clean" was an "aching, bittersweet" song and opined that Swift "surrenders to" Heap more than other collaborators on 1989.[20] Amy Pettifer of The Quietus deemed the lyrics "sparkling–sad and clever".[30] Sasha Geffen of Consequence called "Clean" a "bell-accounted number" and commended Swift's sentiment of finding strength through friendship.[26] In a less positive review, Matthew Horton of NME thought the song was "weepy" and considered it "a late collapse" on the album.[17]

In retrospective rankings, Billboard,[31] Paste,[32] Chris Willman of Variety,[33] Mylrea,[22] and Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone listed "Clean" among Swift's top 20 songs, and Sheffield called it an "intense finale" for 1989.[18] Clash picked the track as one of Swift's 15 best songs—editor Sahar Ghadirian labeled the song as a "masterclass in songwriting" and lauded its emotional sentiment as "empowering and validating".[34] In a 2022 review for The A.V. Club, Mary Kate Carr wrote that while there are "occasions when Swift's whimsical metaphors can become overwrought, but the fantastical imagery of the lyrics and the zen chime sounds" work on "Clean", which makes it "a perfect ode to set oneself free" that is aware enough to admit that "just because you're clean, don't mean you don't miss it".[35]

On September 21, 2015, American rock singer Ryan Adams recorded "Clean" for his track-by-track cover of Swift's 1989.[36] Like the rest of the album, the cover has a sleeker production according to Annie Zaleski of The A.V. Club.[37] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly opined that it "sounds like a polished evolution" of his alternative country band Whiskeytown.[38] On April 12, 2023, American singer Kelly Clarkson sang a cover of "Clean" in The Kelly Clarkson Show.[39] Critics dubbed the performance as "emotional"[40] and "stunning"—Larisha Paul of Rolling Stone said that she maintains the song's "sense of rebirth and new beginnings."[41]

Credits are adapted from 1989 album liner notes.[11]

• Taylor Swift – vocals, background vocals, producer
• Imogen Heap – producer, programmer, background vocals, percussion, drums, mbira, vibraphone, keyboard
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• John Hanes – mixing
• Tom Coyne — mastering