Coney Island (Taylor Swift song)

"Coney Island" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, featuring American rock band the National. It is the ninth track on Swift's ninth studio album, Evermore (2020), released on December 11, 2020, through Republic Records. The song impacted US alternative radio on January 18, 2021.

"Coney Island"
Single by Taylor Swift featuring the National
from the album Evermore
ReleasedJanuary 18, 2021 (2021-01-18)
Recorded2020
Genre
Length4:35
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Aaron Dessner
  • Bryce Dessner
chronology = Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift featuring The National singles chronology
"No Body, No Crime"
(2021)		 "Coney Island"
(2021)
The National singles chronology
"Never Tear Us Apart"
(2020)		 "Coney Island"
(2021)
Lyric video
"Coney Island" on YouTube

"Coney Island" was written by Swift, Joe Alwyn (under the pseudonym William Bowery) and the National members Aaron and Bryce Dessner, with production being handled by the latter two. It is an alternative rock and indie folk duet that counterpoints Swift's melodious vocals against Matt Berninger's baritone, depicting a separated couple's memories in Coney Island, New York City.

Background

Taylor Swift had collaborated with the National's Aaron Dessner on her 2020 album Folklore, an indie folk album that departs from the upbeat pop production of her previous releases.[3] She and Dessner worked again on her follow-up album Evermore, a "sister record" to Folklore. This time, they also worked with Bryce Dessner, Aaron Dessner's twin brother.[4]

The Dessner brothers sent Swift some of the instrumentals they made for their band, the National. One of those was what would become "Coney Island". Swift and her boyfriend, English actor Joe Alwyn, wrote its lyrics, and recorded it with her vocals. After listening to the demo, the Dessner brothers observed that the song feels very related to the National, and envisioned Matt Berninger (lead vocalist of the National) singing it, and Bryan Devendorf (drummer of the National) playing its drums. Aaron Dessner informed Berninger, who was "excited" for the idea. The band assembled, Devendorf played the drums, while his brother Scott Devendorf played the bass and pocket piano; Bryce Dessner helped produce the song.[4]

Composition

"Coney Island" features the National, with frontman Matt Berninger on vocals. Berninger said that work experience with Swift was "like dancing with Gene Kelly. She made [him] look good and didn't drop [him] once". The lyrics are about the hollow feelings of losing oneself in a relationship that has gone.[5]

Critical reception

Spin critic Bobby Olivier described "Coney Island" as a "wonderfully dark duet" that feels like "a lonely waltz down a Brooklyn boardwalk", and praised the fusion of Swift's "wispy" head voice with Berninger's bass.[6] Chris Willman of Variety compared the song to "Exile" (2020), another similar duet on Swift's preceding album, where former lovers take turns in blaming each other, with the opposite happening in "Coney Island".[7] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph wrote that the song "offers an insight into where their aesthetics meet", counterpointing Swift's "lucid, melodious voice" aside "the mumbled intensity" of Berninger's baritone.[8]

Tom Breihan of Stereogum called "Coney Island" the "dourest" moment of Evermore, alike "The Last Time" in Swift's fourth studio album, Red (2012).[9] Craig Jenkins of Vulture, complimented Berninger's baritone and Swift's delicate vocals: "you hear [the song] and you start to wonder if the low end notes on these albums are another bout of trying out other singer-songwriters' wares".[10] In less favourable reviews, The Guardian's Alexis Petridis welcomed the guest appearance of Berninger, but found the lyrics to be "subpar" without "much substance".[11] Pitchfork's Sam Sodomsky opined that Berninger's vocals felt out of place on the song.[12]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[13]

  • Taylor Swift – lead vocals, songwriting
  • The National – featured artist
  • William Bowery – songwriting
  • Clarice Jensen – cello
  • Justin Treuting – drums, percussion
  • Greg Calbi – mastering engineer, studio personnel
  • Steve Fallone – mastering engineer, studio personnel
  • Jonathan Low – mixer, recording engineer, studio personnel, vocal engineer
  • Robin Baynton – studio personnel, vocal engineer
  • Sean O'Brien — studio personnel, vocal engineer
  • Yuki Numata Resnick – violin

Charts
Chart performance of "Coney Island"
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[14] 42
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[15] 15
Billboard Global 200[16] 45
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[17] 31
Portugal (AFP)[18] 150
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 63
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[20] 26
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[21] 12
US Rolling Stone Top 100[22] 32

Release history
Release dates and formats for "Coney Island"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States January 18, 2021 Triple A radio Republic [23]

References
  1. Petridis, Alexis (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift: Evermore – rich alt-rock and richer character studies". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  2. Olivier, Bobby (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift's 'Evermore' Is an Undeniable Folk-Pop Masterpiece". Spin. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  3. "Let's Talk About Taylor Swift's 'Folklore'". NPR. July 28, 2020. Archived from the original on July 30, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  4. Shaffer, Claire (December 18, 2020). "Aaron Dessner on How His Collaborative Chemistry With Taylor Swift Led to 'Evermore'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  5. Rao, Sonia (December 11, 2020). "How Taylor Swift and indie rock band the National became unlikely collaborators". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  6. Olivier, Bobby (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift's 'Evermore' Is an Undeniable Folk-Pop Masterpiece". Spin. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  7. Willman, Chris (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift Has Her Second Great Album of 2020 With 'Evermore': Album Review". Variety. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  8. McCormick, Neil (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift, Evermore review: a dramatic excursion down the musical roads". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  9. Breihan, Tom (December 12, 2020). "Premature Evaluation: Taylor Swift evermore". Stereogum. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  10. Jenkins, Craig (December 14, 2020). "Taylor Swift Is Done Self-Mythologizing". New York. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  11. Petridis, Alexis (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift: Evermore – rich alt-rock and richer character studies". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  12. Sodomsky, Sam (December 15, 2020). "Taylor Swift- Evermore". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  13. Swift, Taylor. "evermore". Tidal. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  14. "Australian-charts.com – Taylor Swift feat. The National – Coney Island". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  15. "Ultratop.be – Taylor Swift feat. The National – Coney Island" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  16. "Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  17. "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  18. "Portuguese Charts – Singles Top 20 – 51/2020". Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
  19. "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  20. "Taylor Swift Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  21. "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  22. "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  23. "Future Releases on Triple A (AAA) Radio Stations". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
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