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I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)

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"I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album The Tortured Poets Department
ReleasedApril 19, 2024 (2024-04-19)
Studio
Genre
Length2:36
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff
Lyric video
"I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" on YouTube

"I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (2024). Written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, it is a Western, Americana, and country pop song with a sparse arrangement featuring twangy tremolo guitars backed by drum machine and keyboards. Its lyrics use outlaw imagery and sexual innuendos to describe the narrator's intentions to "fix" her problematic romantic partner before realizing she cannot.

Some critics praised the song's production and sultry vibe, deeming it a sonic highlight of the album. One critic felt that its concept fell flat. "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Global 200 chart and peaked within the top 40 in Australia, Canada, Greece, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, and the United States. Swift performed the song live twice during the Eras Tour in 2024, during the stops in Madrid and Warsaw.

Background and release

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At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024, Taylor Swift won the award for Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights (2022). During her acceptance speech, she announced that her eleventh studio album The Tortured Poets Department would be released on April 19.[1] She had developed the album over the previous two years, since she finished Midnights, and continued working on it through the US leg of the Eras Tour amidst publicized reports on her breakup with English actor Joe Alwyn and a brief romance with English musician Matty Healy.[2][3] She described the album as a "lifeline" and something she "really needed" to make.[4] Swift posted the album's tracklist on February 5, with "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" revealed as the eleventh track on the album.[5]

"I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" was released as part of The Tortured Poets Department on April 19, 2024 via Republic Records.[6] The song peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Global 200.[7] It reached the top 40 on charts in Portugal (40),[8] Canada (22),[9] New Zealand (21),[10] the United States (20),[11] Singapore (19),[12] and Australia (19), where it was certified gold.[13][14] Swift performed "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" live twice during the Eras Tour; the first time on guitar as a mashup with "Sparks Fly" during the May 29 show in Madrid, then again on guitar as a mashup with "I Can See You" during the August 2 show in Warsaw.[15]

Composition and lyrics

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"I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" is a Western,[16] Americana,[17] and country pop[18] track that experiments with Southern Gothic[19] and country elements.[20] In it, Swift sings in the lower register of her vocals.[21] The track's arrangement is minimal[22] and features sparse, tremolo twangy guitars,[23][24] a backdrop of drum machines and keyboards,[25] and reverbed percussion slaps to accentuate the lyrics.[26] Swift's vocal harmonies are backed by synths.[27] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone described the arrangement as "moody coffee-house",[28] while Nate Jones of Vulture wrote that the production sounds "like it comes straight out of an Old West saloon".[23]

The lyrics depict a narrator being confident in her abilities to "fix" her problematic man, until she realizes at the end that she cannot do so.[29][30][31] Although other people in the bar wonder why the couple is together, the narrator is determined to bring out the sweet nature of her lover.[17] The song contains sexual innuendos and outlaw imagery.[22][32] It also uses imagery of God and heaven to describe the narrator falling for a bad boy ("They shake their heads sayin', 'God, help her'/ When I tell 'em he's my man").[33][34]

Critical reception

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The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Slant Magazine selected "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" as one of the 20 best collaborations of Swift and Antonoff.[26] Annie Zaleski regarded the song as a sonic highlight on The Tortured Poets Department and wrote that it is best listened to using "very good headphones",[17] and Jones described it as a "fun little genre pastiche".[23] In The New York Times, Jon Pareles thought that the track contained some of the best musical moments on the album, and Lindsay Zoladz picked the ending line ("Woah, maybe I can't") as one of her favorite moments.[27] Mary Kate Carr of The A.V. Club wrote that "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" is one of the album's more interesting tracks sonically with its "sultry" vibe.[35] Consequence's Mary Siroky praised its "lonesome, moody instrumentals" that made it one of "a few wonderful moments of personality".[36]

Sheffield considered the title of "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" a "quintessential Taylor song title" and highlighted her vocals: "she always takes a bit of sadistic pleasure singing those words to a man."[28] In a ranking of the album's tracks, Jason Lipshutz of Billboard ranked the song 18th out of 31, saying that Swift "nicely operates in her lower register" and conveys the "half-convinced feeling" through lilted syllables.[21] However, Paste provided a negative review, saying that while the track showed Swift venturing to musical directions that evoked the "country renegades" before her like Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn, it fell flat due to her "self-aggrandizing inflation of importance, glinting through via a seismically-bland bridge".[25]

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Tortured Poets Department[37]

  • Taylor Swift – lead vocals, songwriter, producer
  • Jack Antonoff – producer, songwriter, programming, percussion, Moog Voyager, piano, Juno, Mellotron, bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
  • Laura Sisk – engineering, recording
  • Oli Jacobs – engineering, recording
  • Christopher Rowe – engineering, recording
  • Jack Manning – engineering assistance
  • Jon Sher – engineering assistance
  • Rémy Dumelz – engineering assistance
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Bryce Bordone – mix engineering
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Ryan Smith – vinyl mastering

Charts

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Chart performance for "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[13] 19
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[9] 22
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[38] 91
France (SNEP)[39] 151
Global 200 (Billboard)[40] 20
Greece International (IFPI)[41] 40
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] 21
Portugal (AFP)[8] 40
Singapore (RIAS)[12] 19
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[42] 62
Swiss Streaming (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] 44
UK Streaming (OCC)[44] 22
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 20

Certification

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Certification for "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[14] Gold 35,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (April 18, 2024). "Taylor Swift Announces New Album The Tortured Poets Department During Grammys Acceptance Speech". Variety. Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  2. ^ Sisario, Ben (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Arrives With a Promotional Blitz". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  3. ^ Dailey, Hannah (April 16, 2024). "Everything We Know About Taylor Swift's New Album The Tortured Poets Department So Far". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  4. ^ Bonner, Mehera (February 16, 2024). "Taylor Swift Reveals Bonus Track Title and New Album Cover for The Tortured Poets Department". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Dresdale, Andrea (February 6, 2024). "Taylor Swift reveals 'The Tortured Poets Department' track list, collaborators". ABC News. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  6. ^ Monroe, Jazz; Strauss, Matthew (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift Releases New Album The Tortured Poets Department, Plus 15 More Songs: Listen and Read the Full Credits". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Global was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 30, 2024. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "RIAS Top Charts Week 17 (19 - 25 Apr 2024)". RIAS. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 29, 2024. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  15. ^ Smith, Katie Louise (December 9, 2024). "Every Surprise Song Performed On Taylor Swift's Eras Tour So Far". Capital. Archived from the original on December 9, 2024. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  16. ^ Molloy, Laura (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift The Tortured Poets Department review: a rare misstep". NME. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c Zaleski 2024.
  18. ^ McCormick, Neil (April 22, 2024). "Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department: a sharp, savage attack on her British exes". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  19. ^ Snapes, Laura (April 19, 2024). "Breakups, fantasies and her most cutting lyrics: inside Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  20. ^ Fish, Ryan (April 22, 2024). "Every Song on Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department, Ranked". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 30, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Lipshutz, Jason (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department: All 31 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 30, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Wohlmacher, John (April 23, 2024). "Album Review: Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  23. ^ a b c Jones, Nate (May 20, 2024). "All 245 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  24. ^ Savage, Mark (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift Tortured Poets Department review: Album finds star vulnerable but vicious". BBC. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  25. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Strikes Out Looking on The Tortured Poets Department". Paste. April 19, 2024. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  26. ^ a b "Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff's 20 Best Collaborations". Slant Magazine. April 29, 2024. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  27. ^ a b Pareles, Jon; Sisario, Ben; Zoladz, Lindsay; Ganz, Caryn (April 23, 2024). "Tortured Poets Has Shifted the Taylor Swift Debate. Let's Discuss". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  28. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (April 25, 2024). "'I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)' (2024)". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  29. ^ Hopper, Alex (May 1, 2024). "Behind the Meaning of Taylor Swift's 'I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)'". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  30. ^ Puckett-Pope, Lauren (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift Tells Herself 'I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)' In Another Nod To Matty Healy". Elle. Archived from the original on January 30, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  31. ^ Walters, Meg (April 22, 2024). "Taylor Swift's 'I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)' lyrics and Matty Healy references explained". Glamour UK. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  32. ^ Horn, Olivia (April 22, 2024). "Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poets Department / The Anthology". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  33. ^ West, Bryan (April 19, 2024). "Filing Tortured Poets into Taylor Swift's card catalog, track by track". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  34. ^ Miyashita, Nina; Waterhouse, Jonah (April 24, 2024). "All the hidden meanings in Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department album". Vogue Australia. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  35. ^ Carr, Mary Kate (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department is stuck in the past". The AV Club. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  36. ^ Siroky, Mary (April 19, 2024). "On The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift Gets Lost in the Shadow of Taylor Swift". Consequence. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  37. ^ Swift, Taylor (2024). The Tortured Poets Department (The Manuscript edition vinyl liner notes). Republic Records. 602458933314.
  38. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 17. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  39. ^ "Top Singles (Week 16, 2024)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  40. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  41. ^ "IFPI Charts". www.ifpi.gr. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  42. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 17". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  43. ^ "Streaming Top 100". Schweizer Hitparade. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  44. ^ "Official Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2025.

Source

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