Sweeter than Fiction

"Sweeter than Fiction" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for the British film One Chance (2013). The song was written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, best known as the guitarist for indie pop band Fun, and was released through Big Machine Records as a promotional single from the soundtrack album on October 21, 2013. A re-recorded version of the song will appear as a bonus track on some editions of Swift's 2023 release 1989 (Taylor's Version).

"Sweeter than Fiction"
Promotional single by Taylor Swift
from the album One Chance: The Incredible True Story of Paul Potts: Motion Picture Soundtrack
ReleasedOctober 21, 2013 (2013-10-21)
Genre
Length3:54
LabelBig Machine
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff
Audio
"Sweeter than Fiction" on YouTube

Background and release

The song was written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff.[1] Swift revealed in an interview with country music blog Taste of Country that she viewed the film as a love story in addition to a chronicling of a man's road to success, and approached the songwriting process from that perspective: "I’m very inspired by the concept of love. And this movie is, in a lot of ways, ... a story of the love his wife … has for him," Swift explained. "That was the story that hit me and really affected me. I wanted to tell a story musically from that perspective."[2]

The song was released to digital retailers as a promotional single from the One Chance soundtrack on October 21, 2013.[3] After its release, Swift admitted she had to fight her label to be allowed to release "Sweeter than Fiction", as she tries to maintain a dormant period between album releases. Big Machine reportedly told Swift "no new music until the next album comes out", but Swift explained that after seeing the film, she insisted "I have to be a part of this."[4][5]

A re-recording of the song, titled "Sweeter than Fiction (Taylor's Version)", is set to be a bonus track of the Tangerine edition of 1989 (Taylor's Version).[6]

Composition

"Sweeter than Fiction" is a "rock-tinged"[7] bubblegum pop song that also contains influences of synthpop and new wave music.[8][9][10] Critics have deemed the song reminiscent of 80's pop.[8][10] The song is musically and lyrically upbeat, with Swift singing from the point of view of a longtime friend or fan who has always believed in a performer's talents. "There you'll stand, ten feet tall", Swift sings in the chorus, "and I will say, 'I knew it all along.'" It was written by Swift along with Jack Antonoff and is in the key of B major for its verses, switching to D-flat major for its choruses and the bridge. With Swift's vocal range between the octaves of F♯3 and D♭5. has a tempo of 135 beats per minute[11] and lasts three minutes and fifty-four seconds.[3]

Critical reception

The song was well received by critics. Entertainment Weekly praised Swift's approach to the subject matter - "The track ... is uplifting without being hokey and sweet without being cloying." - and described the song as "addictive".[8] Rachel Mcrady of US Weekly felt "Sweeter than Fiction" possessed "all the makings of another hit" in Swift's career.[12] MTV blogger Jenna Hally Rubenstein summarised "Sweeter than Fiction" as "a masterfully crafted pop song that should do a killer job of soundtracking any and all uplifting moments in One Chance."[13] Carl Williott of Idolator called the song "pretty great", saying "it's a ... sweet song, but the confident synth-pop/New Wave stylings keep it from being an overly saccharine affair, resultingly in a surprisingly bold offering from Swift."[10] Spin editor Larry Busacca gave a more mixed review. Though deriding the song for being "[not] the least bit groundbreaking", Busacca did admit the song was "too catchy and effortless-sounding to resist."[14] In a retrospective review, music journalist Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone called it a "warm-up for the synth-pop of 1989".[15] In June 2022, Insider ranked "Sweeter than Fiction" as Swift's sixth best soundtrack song, calling it a "pivotal moment in Swiftian history" due to it being the first collaboration between Swift and Antonoff.[16]

Awards and nominations

"Sweeter than Fiction" was nominated for Best Original Song at the 71st Golden Globe Awards.[17][18] This was Swift's second consecutive nomination in the category, after "Safe & Sound" the previous year.

List of awards and nominations received by "Sweeter than Fiction"
Ceremony Year Category Result Ref.
Golden Globe Awards 2014 Best Original Song Nominated [17]

Commercial performance

"Sweeter than Fiction" debuted at number 34 on Billboard Hot 100, her forty-third top forty hit, thus tying with Aretha Franklin for the second-most Top Forty entries among women in the chart's history. It also Swift's fifth movie song to crack the Top Forty, following "Crazier" from Hannah Montana: The Movie which reached number 17 in 2009, "Today Was a Fairytale" from Valentine's Day which reached number 2 in 2010 and two songs from The Hunger Games: "Safe & Sound" with The Civil Wars which reached number 30 in 2012, and "Eyes Open" which reached number 19 in 2012.[19] On Hot Digital Songs, "Sweeter than Fiction" entered at number 6 with 114,000 downloads sold. It is Swift's twenty-eighth song to reach the Top Ten of the Digital Songs chart, thus tying with Rihanna for the most Top Ten hits among all acts.[20]

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart performance for "Sweeter than Fiction"
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[21] 44
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[22] 17
Ireland (IRMA)[23] 38
Italy (FIMI)[24] 83
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[25] 26
Scotland (OCC)[26] 39
South Korea International (Gaon)[27] 3
UK Singles (OCC)[28] 45
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 34

"Sweeter than Fiction (Taylor's Version)"
"Sweeter than Fiction (Taylor's Version)"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album 1989 (Taylor's Version) (Tangerine Edition)
ReleasedOctober 27, 2023 (2023-10-27)
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)

Background and release

Following the dispute with Big Machine Records in 2019 over the rights to the masters of her first six albums, including 1989, Swift announced her goal to re-record each of these albums. In the hand-picked trailers for her concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour”, a trailer featuring a snippet of the re-recorded version of the song was teased[30], confirming it as being a bonus track on the Target Edition of “1989 Taylor’s Version”, which is to be released on October 27, 2023. It was also confirmed as the bonus track through Targets website, which listed it as the 22nd and final track for the limited target edition[31].

Notes

    References
    1. Jacobson, Ivy. "Taylor Swift Releases New Song 'Sweeter than Fiction' - Listen". Hollywood Life. PMC. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
    2. Vinson, Christina. "Taylor Swift Dishes on Inspiration for 'Sweeter than Fiction' at 'One Chance' Premiere". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
    3. iTunes and Amazon references:
    4. McGeorge, Alistair (October 23, 2013). "Watch Taylor Swift's Sweeter than Fiction video as she reveals she had to fight for One Chance song". The Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
    5. "Taylor Swift 'Fought' For New Song Sweeter than Fiction". MTV UK. Viacom. Archived from the original on October 24, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
    6. "Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor's Version) Tangerine Edition (Target Exclusive, Vinyl)". www.target.com. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
    7. Payne, Chris (October 21, 2013). "Taylor Swift Releases New Song 'Sweeter than Fiction': Listen". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
    8. Smith, Grady. "Taylor Swift goes 80s bubblegum on new single 'Sweeter than Fiction' -- LISTEN". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
    9. Grow, Kory (October 21, 2013). "New Taylor Swift Song 'Sweeter than Fiction' Surfaces". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
    10. Williott, Carl (October 21, 2013). "Taylor Swift's "Sweeter than Fiction": Hear The Shimmery, Jack Antonoff-Assisted Tune". Idolator. Spin Media. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
    11. "Digital sheet music – Taylor Swift – Sweeter than Fiction". Musicnotes.com. Alfred Publishing. October 21, 2013. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
    12. Mcrady, Rachel (October 21, 2013). "Taylor Swift Releases New Love Song "Sweeter than Fiction": Listen Here!". Us Weekly. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
    13. Rubenstein, Jenna Hally. "Taylor Swift's 'Sweeter than Fiction' Is So Sweet, It Actually May Have Come Out Of Her Easy-Bake Oven". MTV Buzzworthy. Viacom. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
    14. Busacca, Larry (October 21, 2013). "Taylor Swift's '80s-Tinged 'Sweeter than Fiction' Is Lighter than Air". Spin. Spin Media. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
    15. Sheffield, Rob (October 26, 2021). "All 199 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked by Rob Sheffield". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
    16. Ahlgrim, Callie; Larocca, Courteney (June 26, 2022). "All 8 of Taylor Swift's soundtrack songs, ranked". Insider. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
    17. "Golden Globes nominations 2014: The complete list of nominees". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
    18. "Golden Globes 2014: The complete list of nominees and winners". Los Angeles Times. December 12, 2013. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
    19. Grein, Paul (October 30, 2013). "Week Ending Oct. 27, 2013. Songs: Women Roar, Twerk & Crush The Competition | Chart Watch - Yahoo Music". Music.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
    20. Trust, Gary. "Chart Moves: Taylor Swift Makes 'Sweet' Start, Tyga Teams With Justin Bieber on Hot 100". Billboard. Billboard. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
    21. "Taylor Swift – Sweeter than Fiction". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
    22. "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
    23. "Chart Track: Week 43, 2013". Irish Singles Chart.
    24. "Tutti i successi del 2013" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Archived from the original on December 19, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
    25. "Taylor Swift – Sweeter than Fiction". Top 40 Singles.
    26. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
    27. "International Digital Chart – Week 44 of 2013". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 9, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
    28. "Taylor Swift: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
    29. "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 09, 2013.
    30. "https://twitter.com/rryscience/status/1712951098439287136?s=46&t=5_NVAvbkGec_LhM2kIrAFA". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved October 21, 2023. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
    31. "What is Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) secret bonus track?". TAG24. September 26, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
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