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I Forgot That You Existed

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"I Forgot That You Existed"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album Lover
ReleasedAugust 23, 2019 (2019-08-23)
Studio
  • Electric Feel (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length2:50
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Audio video
"I Forgot That You Existed" on YouTube

"I Forgot That You Existed" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her seventh studio album, Lover (2019). She wrote and produced the track with Louis Bell and Frank Dukes. "I Forgot That You Existed" is a bubblegum pop, R&B, and post-tropical house song that features a pop rap beat, a minimalist production, and lyrics about moving on and feeling indifferent to past pain.

Some music critics praised the song for its sharp lyricism and refreshing nature, while others criticized its concept as confusing. Commercially, "I Forgot That You Existed" reached number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the top 40 on the national charts of Australia, Canada, and Singapore. It received certifications in Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Swift performed the track live twice on her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour (2023–2024).

Background and release

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Taylor Swift conceived her seventh studio album, Lover, as a "love letter to love" itself that delves into the various emotions stirred by love. It was influenced by the connections she experienced with her fans during her Reputation Stadium Tour (2018), which helped her recalibrate her personal life and artistic direction.[1][2] Republic Records released Lover on August 23, 2019; it was Swift's first album under Republic after she ended her previous contract with Big Machine. "I Forgot That You Existed" was released as the album's opening track.[3] A voice memo that contains an unfinished demo for the song, dubbed "piano/vocal", was released on Lover's physical deluxe edition.[4][5]

"I Forgot That You Existed" reached number three on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart and number five on the US Rolling Stone Top 100 chart.[6][7] On the week ending September 7, 2019, it debuted at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 29 on the Canadian Hot 100.[8][9] In the United Kingdom, the track reached number 39 on the Audio Streaming chart and number 82 on both the Singles Downloads and Singles Sales charts.[10][11][12] "I Forgot That You Existed" additionally charted in Singapore (17),[13] Australia (24),[14] Sweden (50),[15] and Scotland (71).[16] It was certified silver in the United Kingdom,[17] gold in New Zealand,[18] and platinum in Australia and Brazil.[19][20] Swift performed "I Forgot That You Existed" as a "surprise" song on acoustic guitar twice on her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour (2023–2024). She sang it for the first time at the first show in Mexico City on August 24, 2023.[21] She performed it as part of a mashup with her 2017 song "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" at the Cardiff show on June 18, 2024.[22]

Production and composition

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"I Forgot That You Existed" was the first track written for Lover, picked as the opening track to complete "the cycle of grieving" explored in Swift's previous album Reputation (2017) and signify a state of indifference after the end of any cycle that involves negative emotions.[23] She wrote and produced the track with Louis Bell and Frank Dukes, motivated by their work with Camila Cabello; she wanted the production to be as simple as the feeling of indifference itself.[24][23] Bell recorded "I Forgot That You Existed" at Electric Feel Studios in Los Angeles, assisted by Grant Strumwasser. It was mixed by Serban Ghenea at Mixstar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia; mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound Studios in New York; programmed by Bell and Dukes; and engineered for mix by John Hanes. Musicians who played instruments for the track include Bell (keyboards), Serafin Aguilar (trumpet), David Urquidi (saxophone), and Steve Hughes (trombone); Joe Harrison and Dukes played guitar.[24]

"I Forgot That You Existed" is 2 minutes and 50 seconds long.[25] Music journalists identified it as a bubblegum pop, R&B, and post-tropical house song with Auto-Tuned vocal performance.[26][27][28] It features a bouncy and minimalist production consisting of a light piano and finger snaps that form a pop rap beat.[29][30] The song incorporates themes of overcoming the past and finding peace, serving as a transition from the dark themes of Reputation.[31][32] It explores the idea of creating enough distance from difficult days so that they gradually fade from memory.[30] The lyrics feature a reference to Reputation ("I forgot that you got out some popcorn as soon as my rep starting going down, down, down") and Drake's 2018 single "In My Feelings" ("In my feelings more than Drake").[33][34][35] Swift makes use of spoken word deliveries and performs a sinister laugh in the final chorus.[36][37]

Critical reception

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Some music critics praised "I Forgot That You Existed" for its airy quality and sharp lyricism. Robert Christgau, in his Substack-published Consumer Guide column, described the track as "mean yet hopeful",[38] The Observer's Kitty Empire dubbed it a "breezy kiss-off",[39] and Time's Raisa Bruner referred to it as "bright, light, and bubbly".[40] Craig Jenkins of Vulture thought that it combined the sharp and biting lyricism of Swift's earlier songs, such as "Picture to Burn" (2008) and "Mean" (2011), with the modern production of her later works. He believed it was successful in the context of taking her music in a new direction while still maintaining a connection to her previous work.[30] Deborah Krieger of PopMatters similarly considered it a great transition from the bitterness of Reputation to the more accepting attitude towards life and relationships of Lover.[41] Annie Zaleski from The A.V. Club said that Swift was charmingly nonchalant as she casually sang the line "I forgot that you existed / It isn't love, it isn't hate, it's just indifference".[36]

Other critics criticized the concept as confusing and irrelevant. NME's Nick Levine believed that Swift undermined her message by writing a song about someone she is meant to forget,[42] and Slate's Carl Wilson found it a song "whose existence disproves its central claim".[43] Miranda Wollen from Paste described the track as disappointing and remarked that it failed to showcase Swift's lyrical and musical abilities.[44] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine considered it a diss track and a toned-down version of her songs "Bad Blood" (2015) and "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things",[45] and Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times dubbed it an "an unwelcome leftover from 2017's revenge-minded Reputation" and placed it at number sixteen in a ranking of Lover's eighteen tracks.[46] Vulture's Nate Jones placed "I Forgot That You Existed" at number 81 while ranking Swift's 245 songs,[47] and Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield named it her 221st best song in a 2024 ranking of her discography, finding it to be closer to "reminding" than forgetting.[31]

Personnel

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Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Lover.[24]

  • Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriter, producer
  • Louis Bell – songwriter, producer, recording engineer, programmer, keyboards
  • Frank Dukes – songwriter, producer, programmer, guitar
  • Grant Strumwasser – assistant recording engineer
  • Serban Ghenea – mixer
  • John Hanes – engineer for mix
  • Randy Merrill – mastering engineer
  • Joe Harrison – guitar
  • Serafin Aguilar – trumpet
  • David Urquidi – saxophone
  • Steve Hughes – trombone

Charts

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Chart performance for "I Forgot That You Existed"
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[14] 24
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[9] 29
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[6] 3
Scotland (OCC)[16] 71
Singapore (RIAS)[13] 17
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 50
UK Audio Streaming (OCC)[10] 39
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[11] 82
UK Singles Sales (OCC)[12] 82
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 28
US Rolling Stone Top 100[7] 5

Certifications

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Certifications for "I Forgot That You Existed"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[19] Platinum 70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[20] Platinum 40,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[18] Gold 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Suskind, Alex (May 9, 2019). "New Reputation: Taylor Swift Shares Intel on TS7, Fan Theories, and Her Next Era". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  2. ^ Aniftos, Rania (August 8, 2019). "Taylor Swift Calls Lover Album Her 'Love Letter to Love,' Details 2 Unreleased Tracks". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  3. ^ Coscarelli, Joe (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift Releases Lover the Old-Fashioned Way". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  4. ^ Swift, Taylor (2019). Lover (CD deluxe edition liner notes). Republic Records. UICU-9099.
  5. ^ ラヴァー - ジャパン・スペシャル・エディション [初回生産限定盤][7インチ紙ジャケ仕様] [Lover - Japan Special Edition [Limited Edition] [7-inch Sleeve Cover]] (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. August 29, 2019. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "I Forgot That You Existed – Taylor Swift". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "RIAS International Top Charts Week 35". Recording Industry Association Singapore. Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – I Forgot That You Existed". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – I Forgot That You Existed". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "British single certifications – Taylor Swift – I Forgot That You Existed". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "New Zealand single certifications – Taylor Swift – I Forgot That You Existed". Radioscope. Retrieved December 19, 2024. Type I Forgot That You Existed in the "Search:" field.
  19. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Brazilian single certifications – Taylor Swift – I Forgot That You Existed" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  21. ^ Wilkes, Emma (August 25, 2023). "Watch Taylor Swift Debut 'I Forgot That You Existed' and 'Sweet Nothing' Live". NME. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  22. ^ Iasimone, Ashley; Dailey, Hannah (December 11, 2024). "All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Performed on The Eras Tour". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Mastrogiannis, Nicole (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift Shares Intimate Details of Lover Songs During Secret Session". iHeartRadio. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  24. ^ a b c Swift, Taylor (2019). Lover (liner notes). Republic Records.
  25. ^ "Lover". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  26. ^ Zaleski 2024, p. 150.
  27. ^ Catucci, Nick (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift Reaches For New Heights of Personal and Musical Liberation on 'Lover'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  28. ^ Vanderhoff, Erin (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift's Lover Could Hold the Key to Pop Music's Survival". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  29. ^ Suskind, Alex; Snetiker, Marc (August 23, 2019). "EW's Friday Five: Missy Elliott Goes Vintage, Taylor Swift's Kiss-Off Anthem, and the 1975 Tear the Roof Off". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  30. ^ a b c Jenkins, Craig (August 23, 2019). "'I Forgot That You Existed' Is Taylor Swift in All Her Passive-Aggressive Glory". Vulture. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  31. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (April 25, 2024). "All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  32. ^ Caramanica, Jon (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift Emerges from the Darkness Unbroken on Lover". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  33. ^ Mamo, Heran (September 6, 2019). "Here Are the Lyrics to Taylor Swift's 'I Forgot That You Existed'". Billboard. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  34. ^ Locker, Melissa (August 23, 2019). "You Probably Missed This Subtle Clue Taylor Swift Dropped for the Fans With Her Pin". Time. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  35. ^ McDermott, Maeve (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift's Lover: The Juiciest Lyrical References, from Kanye West to Leonardo DiCaprio". USA Today. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  36. ^ a b Zaleski, Annie (August 26, 2019). "Taylor Swift Is Done Proving Herself on the Resonant Lover". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  37. ^ Jenkins, Craig (August 23, 2019). "Best New Music – August 23, 2019". Vulture. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  38. ^ Christgau, Robert (September 18, 2019). "Consumer Guide: September 2019". And It Don't Stop. Substack. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  39. ^ Empire, Kitty (August 24, 2019). "Taylor Swift: Lover Review – A Return to Past Glories". The Observer. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  40. ^ Bruner, Raisa (August 23, 2019). "Let's Discuss the Lyrics to Every Song on Taylor Swift's Lover". Time. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  41. ^ Krieger, Deborah (September 3, 2019). "Taylor Swift's Lover Finds Her at Peak Creativity in a State of Romantic Bliss". PopMatters. Archived from the original on December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  42. ^ Levine, Nick (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift – Lover Review". NME. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  43. ^ Wilson, Carl (August 23, 2019). "Taylor Swift's Lover Is a More Mature (Mostly) Successor to Red". Slate. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  44. ^ "Every Taylor Swift Album Ranked". Paste. April 21, 2024. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  45. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (August 23, 2019). "Review: Taylor Swift's Lover Course Corrects in Multiple Directions". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  46. ^ Wood, Mikael (August 25, 2019). "Taylor Swift's Lover: All 18 Songs, Ranked". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  47. ^ Jones, Nate (May 20, 2024). "All 245 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2024.

Source

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