Sweet Nothing (Taylor Swift Song)
In reviews of Midnights, music critics praised the intimate lyrics, vulnerable sentiments, and tender production of "Sweet Nothing"; some picked it as one of the album's best tracks. Esquire ranked it among the best songs of 2022. Commercially, "Sweet Nothing" peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Global 200 and in the top 40 on single charts in Australia, Canada, the Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam. Swift performed the song during the Dublin and Mexico City stops of her Eras Tour (2023–2024).
Background and release
At the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards held on August 28, the singer-songwriter Taylor Swift announced her tenth studio album, set for release on October 21, during her acceptance speech for Video of the Year. Soon after, she revealed the title, Midnights, and its album cover on her social media, but did not immediately reveal the tracklist. On September 21, a month before Midnights was released, she announced a thirteen-episode short series called Midnights Mayhem With Me, slated for release on the social media platform TikTok. Its purpose is to announce a song title through a telephone every episode by rolling a lottery cage containing thirteen ping pong balls numbered one to thirteen, each ball representing a track. In the twelfth episode, she revealed "Sweet Nothing" as the twelfth track of the album.
Midnights was released by Republic Records, and "Sweet Nothing" appears as track number 12. The English actor Joe Alwyn wrote and produced songs under the pseudonym William Bowery with Swift on her 2020 studio albums, Folklore and Evermore. He again wrote with Swift and is credited under the same pseudonym as co-writer on "Sweet Nothing". Jack Antonoff, a longtime collaborator who produced Swift's albums since her fifth, 1989 (2014), was confirmed as a producer on Midnights by a video posted to Swift's Instagram account on September 16, titled "The making of Midnights". The "Piano remix" of the song is included on the CD Deluxe edition of Midnights titled Lavender Edition. On August, 24, 2023, Swift performed "Sweet Nothing" live as a "surprise song" at the Mexico City stop of her Eras Tour. She sang the track again in a mashup with her song "Hoax" (2020) during the tour's Dublin stop on June 28, 2024.
Composition and lyrics
"Sweet Nothing" is three minutes and eight seconds long. Swift wrote the song with Alwyn (credited as William Bowery) and produced it with Antonoff, who also engineered and programmed it. On "Sweet Nothing", Antonoff is credited with instruments including drums, piano, and synthesizers (Moog, Juno 6, Prophet 5), and Evan Smith is credited with organ, saxophone, flute, and clarinet. "Sweet Nothing" was recorded by Antonoff and engineer Laura Sisk at Rough Customer Studio, Brooklyn and Electric Lady Studios, New York, and Smith recorded Swift's performance at Pleasure Hill Recording, Portland. The track was mixed by Serban Ghenea, assisted by Bryce Bordone, at Sterling Sound, Edgewater, and mastered by Randy Merrill at MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach.
"Sweet Nothing" is a tender ballad that is reminiscent of 1970s songs. Its acoustic arrangement sets it apart from a synth-heavy album. The song is driven by an electric piano and features accents of saxophone and clarinet that crescendo towards the end. Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen said the song had a bedroom pop "aesthetic".
The title references the expression "sweet nothings", which denotes insubstantial romantic gestures only meant to flatter or seduce. In the lyrics, a narrator appreciates her lover for not expecting anything from her and describes him as a calm and reliable presence amidst the chaotic world outside. She feels like home with him: "you're in the kitchen humming"; this lyric evokes imagery of a couple's intimacy within a kitchen setting on some of Swift's past songs such as "All Too Well" (2012) and "Cornelia Street" (2019). She recalls how he appreciates her: "On the way home / I wrote a poem / You say what a mind." The lyrics, "industry disruptors and soul deconstructors / And smooth-talking hucksters out glad-handing each other", allude to Swift's struggles with her fame and celebrity. The narrator expresses her vulnerability and admits to her lover, "I'm just too soft for all of it". Some critics commented the song is structured similar to a nursery rhyme.
Critical reception
"Sweet Nothing" received widespread acclaim from critics. Au-Nhien Nguyen picked it as an album highlight for a different side of Swift's songwriting. Alex Hopper of American Songwriter appreciated the song's romantic simplicity because it feels "buoyantly free and delightfully naive". Ranking every Midnights track, Billboard journalist Jason Lipshutz placed it as the album's eighth best song; he said Swift's subtle gestures are one of the album's most affecting. Entertainment Weekly's Marc Hirsh called the song "charming" for Swift's devotion and gratitude to someone who demands nothing for her. Rick Quinn from PopMatters picked "Sweet Nothing" as one of the songs that showcased Swift's ability to "enunciate and play with where the emphatic accent falls become rhythmic instruments." Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph hailed the "gossamer-light, flyaway ballad" as the album's best song. In the Financial Times, Ludovic Hunter-Tilney picked the track as a showcase of Swift's ability to "sound conversational and highly tuneful at the same time" and lauded her "wonderfully deft use of tone and phrasing". Esquire selected "Sweet Nothing" among the 45 best songs of 2022.
Commercial performance
After Midnights' release, "Sweet Nothing" entered the Billboard Global 200 at number 14 along with the standard edition's 12 other tracks, all of which debuted inside the top-15 of the Global 200. In Canada, it debuted and peaked at number 15 on the Canadian Hot 100 and was certified gold by Music Canada for selling over 40,000 units. Elsewhere, "Sweet Nothing" debuted on the charts in several countries and peaked within the top 40 in the Philippines (12), Australia (14), the United States (14), Singapore (15), Malaysia (16), Vietnam (27), and Portugal (34).
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Midnights.
- Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriting, production
- William Bowery – songwriting
- Jack Antonoff – production, engineering, programming, drums, percussion, Moog, Juno 6, modular synth, Prophet 5, piano, recording
- Evan Smith – engineering, organ, saxophone, flute, clarinet
- Megan Searl – engineering assistance
- John Sher – engineering assistance
- John Rooney – engineering assistance
- Serban Ghenea – mixing
- Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance
- Randy Merrill – mastering
- Laura Sisk – engineering, recording
Charts
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | 14 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100) | 15 |
| Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100) | 66 |
| Global 200 (Billboard) | 14 |
| Greece International (IFPI) | 30 |
| Ireland (Billboard) | 15 |
| Lithuania (AGATA) | 72 |
| Malaysia International (RIM) | 16 |
| Philippines (Billboard) | 12 |
| Portugal (AFP) | 34 |
| Singapore (RIAS) | 15 |
| Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100) | 78 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | 89 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) | 59 |
| Swiss Streaming (Schweizer Hitparade) | 70 |
| UK (Billboard) | 18 |
| UK Audio Streaming (OCC) | 18 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 15 |
| Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100) | 27 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | Platinum | 70,000 |
| Canada (Music Canada) | Gold | 40,000 |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 200,000 |
|
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||