"Never Grow Up" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her third studio album, Speak Now (2010). She wrote the track inspired by her own feelings about childhood and growing up and handled the production with Nathan Chapman. An acoustic guitar-led ballad, "Never Grow Up" deals with Swift's reflection and contemplation on her childhood. Critics interpreted the lyrics as a message to younger fans and girls about childhood and growing up.
In reviews of Speak Now, many critics found the song emotional and praised Swift's songwriting. They have retrospectively remained positive of the track and listed it in their rankings of her discography. Commercially, "Never Grow Up" reached the US Billboard Hot 100 and Country Digital Song Sales charts, with respective peaks of number 84 and number 12. It received certifications in the United States and Australia. Swift performed the track outside the set lists on five of her concert tours. Following a 2019 dispute regarding the ownership of Swift's back catalog, she re-recorded the song as "Never Grow Up (Taylor's Version)" for the 2023 re-recorded album, Speak Now (Taylor's Version).
Background and composition
Taylor Swift wrote her third studio album Speak Now (2010) entirely by herself and co-produced it with Nathan Chapman.[1][2] She included all of the emotions she felt in the last two years on the album and conceived it as a collection of songs about the things she had wanted to but was unable to do with the people she had met in her life.[3][4] One such song is "Never Grow Up", which Swift wrote for her younger self inspired by the nostalgia of her own childhood and the uncertainty of growing up.[5][6][7] It is a ballad led by an acoustic guitar (played by Chapman),[8][2] lasting about four minutes and fifty seconds.[9] Swift's vocals on the song are breathy, and she is accompanied by a background male vocalist.[10] Critics deemed "Never Grow Up" one of Speak Now's most country-leaning tracks[11] and the closest to Swift's previous works,[8] with some believing that it could have been for her 2006 self-titled studio album.[10][12]Rolling Stone's writer Rob Sheffield viewed the song as a "folksy fingerpicking change of pace" on Speak Now.[12]
Based on confessional songwriting,[7] the lyrics of "Never Grow Up" address Swift's reflection on her childhood.[6][13][14] In the first verse, she takes on the perspective of a mother talking to a baby: "Your little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming / So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light". Swift asks the baby to "never grow up" to keep up with their bond in the future.[6][15] The next verse sees Swift observing a teenager convincing her mother to drop her off near a movie theater because she deems that it is not cool to see her at her age being dropped off by her parents.[15] In the last verse, the perspective shifts to Swift herself, contemplating her childhood ("Wish I'd never grown up")[16] and longingly looks back on it ("I could still be little").[17] She wants to remember all the memories ("Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room") but at the same time they are fading ("I just realized everything I have is someday gonna be gone").[18]
Critics analyzed the lyrics as a message to younger girls and fans. In NME, Hannah Mylrea deemed it "Swift dealing out her best life advice for younger fans in particular".[19] Sam Sodomsky of Pitchfork opined that she "[sounds] far older than her years as she urges girls younger than her to savor every moment" in their lives.[8] Kate Atkinson from Billboard said that the song has a "universal" message of "trying to hold on to your own innocence and/or shielding the innocent ones around you".[20] Matt Bjorke of Roughstock thought it was "written to a younger girl reminding her to cherish the moments" of her childhood as she grows fast and will "never [be] able to reclaim that carefree fantastic time of your life".[21] For American Songwriter, Jacob Uitti believed that Swift was reaching out to her audience, particularly girls: "Sometimes we want to stay the same age, sometimes we want to be older. But no matter what we want, life happens."[22]
After Speak Now's release, Swift performed "Never Grow Up" at selected locations of the album's associated world tour in 2011. These include Lexington,[27]Houston,[28] and Raleigh, all of which are where she performed an acoustic rendition of the song.[29] In 2013, Swift sang the track with a guitar during a Washington concert of her Red Tour.[30] On the August 15, 2015, show at Santa Clara of her 1989 World Tour, she performed "Never Grow Up" in dedication to her godson and the second child of the actress Jaime King.[31] On her Reputation Stadium Tour (2018) and Eras Tour (2023–24), Swift sang it as a "surprise song"—a label for the songs she randomly plays throughout the concerts—in Philadelphia[32] and Kansas City,[33] respectively. She also performed the track two times as part of mashups of her songs during the Eras Tour in 2024; the first one was with "Robin" (2024) at a Zurich show on July 10 and the second with "The Best Day" (2008) at a Vancouver show on December 6.[33]
Critical reception
Initial reviews of "Never Grow Up" found the song vulnerable and praised Swift's songwriting. Chris Willman of Our Country described it as a "sweet lullabye with an undercurrent of sadness or even wary adult bitterness".[34] Alex Macpherson from The Guardian believed that it was where Swift was at her most brave on the album and considered her singing to herself "devastating and genuinely uncomfortable".[35] Sam Gnerre of the Los Angeles Daily News viewed the song as an "excellent ballad" and "a surprisingly prescient lullaby".[36] Rick Moore from American Songwriter said that the "great opening lines and use of imagery" could see Swift start writing tracks without romance in them and become a "truly accomplished writer".[6] Melinda Newman of HitFix wrote that the song was spare and lovely.[11]
A few critics drew comparisons to other songs. The Los Angeles Times' writer Ann Powers likened it to Brad Paisley's "Letter to Me" (2007) conceptually but thought both songs had different takes on their theme. She also viewed the track as Swift's "most revealing" song to date.[17] John J. Moser of The Morning Call considered "Never Grow Up" to have the opposite concept of her song "The Best Day" (2008) and one of the best tracks on the album where "Swift actually changes it up".[37] Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly regarded the song as a "fragile lullaby" and the "soft-focus" reversal of Harry Chapin's track "Cat's in the Cradle" (1974).[38] Other critics focused on other aspects of the song. Dave Heaton from PopMatters said that "Never Grow Up" had country radio potential and thought it showcased Swift's potential capability of "taking common country-radio templates and perfecting them".[39] George Lang of The Oklahoman believed it was one of the tracks that prevented the album from becoming a "tabloid marathon".[40] Matthew Horton of BBC Music regarded it as a "sunburst pop [nugget] that would brighten any daytime radio playlist".[41]
Retrospective reviews of "Never Grow Up" remained positive. Atkinson[20] and Sodomsky thought it was wistful and tender.[8] The musicologist James E. Perone viewed "Never Grow Up" as a standout on the album and attributed it to the theme of childhood, which he lauded Swift's sentiments about it and how it complements with the composition. He also said that the song represented her growth as a songwriter, believing that she would explore more themes other than her autobiographical songwriting.[42] James Rettig from Stereogum considered it one of the "most heart-wrenching" tracks from Swift's discography.[18] Carena Liptak of Taste of Country[43] and Martin Chilton of UDiscoverMusic considered the song highly introspective and praised the emotionalism that was displayed.[44] Finley Liu from Young Post considered the song one of the album's underrated tracks.[45]
"Never Grow Up" was included in the rankings of Swift's discography by Jane Song and a staff of Paste (at 56),[46] Nate Jones of Vulture (92),[47] Mylrea (106),[19] and Sheffield (216).[12] For Jones, the song was an example of her better writing with childhood than with old age, and he believed that the concept of children was well-written to the point "you'd swear she was secretly a 39-year-old mom".[47] Song alongside Uitti[22] wrote that it would make you emotional.[46] The song was also featured in the rankings of 100 selected tracks from Swift by the editorial staff of Billboard and Roisin O'Connor of The Independent. Andrew Unterberger of the former considered the song a "sort of childhood trilogy closer" after "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)" (2006) and "The Best Day" and thought it was given "unexpected gravity" in the end,[16] while O'Connor believed that the "tender acoustic picking" complemented by the vocals made the song soothing.[10]
Swift departed from Big Machine and signed a new contract with Republic Records in 2018. She began re-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020.[48] The decision followed a 2019 dispute between Swift and the talent manager Scooter Braun, who acquired Big Machine Records, over the masters of Swift's albums that the label had released.[49][50] By re-recording the albums, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, which enabled her to encourage licensing of her re-recorded songs for commercial use in hopes of substituting the Big Machine-owned masters.[51] She denoted the re-recordings with a "Taylor's Version" subtitle.[52]
The re-recording of "Never Grow Up" is titled "Never Grow Up (Taylor's Version)" and was included on Speak Now (Taylor's Version), the re-recording of Speak Now, which was released on July 7, 2023.[53] It contains two more seconds than the original.[54] The re-recording peaked at number 71 on the Billboard Global 200[55] and reached the countries of the Philippines (15)[56] and Canada (59).[57] In the United States, it debuted and peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100[58] and number 27 on Hot Country Songs.[59]
Critical reception
Alex Hopper of American Songwriter,[60] Mike DeWald of Riff Magazine,[61] and Mark Sutherland of Rolling Stone UK found the song vulnerable and believed that it was further heightened by Swift being an adult.[62] Some discussed the production and her performance. DeWald said that the song sounds "like a track straight out" of Swift's album Folklore (2020), and where her vocal growth is particularly evident.[61] Poppie Platt of The Telegraph stated that although her singing may seem jarring at first, her "grasp on tone and melody has much improved since her [early] days" that it is still effective.[63] Kate Solomon from the i wrote that the song would only be "annoying and cliched" but she believed that it was still faithful to the original.[64]
Other critics interpreted the lyrics with the new context of Swift's growth. Chris Richards of The Washington Post viewed the re-recorded track as "reinhabiting her 20-year-old psyche as she sings to both her past and future selves" and believed that the "titular refrain" brought "a sort of nostalgic claustrophobia".[65] Vrinda Jagota from Pitchfork thought that towards the end the song "reveals itself as a means of mourning her past self" and promises that no one will ever leave or harm Swift.[66]
Credits
Adapted from Speak Now (Taylor's Version) digital album inline notes[67]
Studios
Swift's vocals recorded at Kitty Committee Studios (London)
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Česko Slovenská SuperStar season 7 – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Season of television series Season of television series Česko Slovenská SuperStarSeason 7Hosted byEwa F...
Dutch philosopher (1469–1569) For other uses, see Erasmus (disambiguation). ErasmusPortrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam (1523)by Hans Holbein the Youngerresting his hands on a Greek The Labours of Hercules,[1] arguably…the most important portrait in EnglandBornc. 28 October 1466Rotterdam or Gouda, Burgundian Netherlands, Holy Roman EmpireDied12 July 1536(1536-07-12) (aged 69)Basel, Old Swiss ConfederacyOther names Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus Erasmus of Rotterdam Kno...
فير بلاي الإحداثيات 37°38′00″N 93°34′30″W / 37.6333°N 93.575°W / 37.6333; -93.575 [1] تقسيم إداري البلد الولايات المتحدة[2] التقسيم الأعلى مقاطعة بولك خصائص جغرافية المساحة 1.061424 كيلومتر مربع1.061428 كيلومتر مربع (1 أبريل 2010) ارتفاع 299 متر عدد السكان ...
Những nhà lãnh đạo trong Chiến tranh Việt Nam là danh sách liệt kê các nhân vật chính trị và quân sự quan trọng của Chiến tranh Việt Nam từ năm 1954 đến năm 1975. Hồ Chí Minh Hồ Chí Minh Hồ Chí Minh (19/5/1890 - 2/9/1969) là một nhà lãnh đạo cách mạng Việt Nam theo con đường Chủ nghĩa Cộng sản. Hồ Chí Minh là Chủ tịch Đảng Lao động Việt Nam và là chủ tịch nước Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa ...
Constructions Industrielles Dijonaises Logo Rechtsform Gründung 1912 Auflösung 1914 Sitz Dijon Branche Automobilhersteller Vorzugsaktie über 100 Francs der Constructions Industrielles Dijonnaises S. A. vom 29. Mai 1911 CID Baby Cid von 1912 CID Baby Cid von 1912 Constructions Industrielles Dijonaises (CID) war ein französischer Hersteller von Automobilen.[1][2][3] Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Unternehmensgeschichte 2 Fahrzeuge 3 Literatur 4 Weblinks 5 Einzelnachweise Unter...
Flemish actor Thomas CammaertCammaert (left) in 2015OccupationActor Thomas Cammaert is a Flemish actor. He is known for playing roles in many musicals and theater productions. Cammaert appeared in the 17th season of the television show Wie is de Mol?.[1] He was the Mole of this season of the show.[1][2] In 2019, he was a contestant in the Dutch television show Dance Dance Dance.[3] In 2022, he played the role of Peter in The Passion, a Dutch Passion Play held e...
Konkani WikipediaLogo of the Konkani WikipediaType of siteInternet encyclopediaAvailable inKonkaniHeadquartersMiami, Florida, U.S.OwnerWikimedia FoundationURLgom.wikipedia.orgCommercialNoRegistrationOpen read access.No registration needed for general editing, but necessary for certain tasks including • protected page edit • page creation • file upload LaunchedJuly 2015Content licenseCreative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike 3.0 (most text also dua...
1996 film by K. Balachander KalkiPosterDirected byK. BalachanderWritten byK. BalachanderProduced byRajam BalachanderPushpa KandaswamyStarringShruti Prakash Raj Geetha Rahman Renuka Fathima BabuCinematographyR. Raghunatha ReddyEdited bySuresh UrsMusic byDevaProductioncompanyKavithalayaa ProductionsRelease date 10 November 1996 (1996-11-10) Running time161 minutesCountryIndiaLanguageTamil Kalki is a 1996 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by K. Balachander, sta...
Municipality in Barda, AzerbaijanKələntərliMunicipalityKələntərliCoordinates: 40°20′26″N 47°05′33″E / 40.34056°N 47.09250°E / 40.34056; 47.09250Country AzerbaijanRayonBardaPopulation[citation needed] • Total1,757Time zoneUTC+4 (AZT) • Summer (DST)UTC+5 (AZT) Kələntərli (also, Kalantarli, Kalantarly, and Kalentarly) is a village and municipality in the Barda Rayon of Azerbaijan. Population It has a population of ...
Municipality of Slovakia Košice-okolie District in the Košice Region Belfry and park in Ďurďošík Ďurďošík (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈɟurɟɔʂiːk]; Hungarian: Györgyi) is a village and municipality in Košice-okolie District in the Košice Region of eastern Slovakia. History In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1330. Geography The village lies at an altitude of 233 metres and covers an area of 4.590 km². It has a population of 350 people. Ethnicit...
Questa voce o sezione sull'argomento metrologia non cita le fonti necessarie o quelle presenti sono insufficienti. Puoi migliorare questa voce aggiungendo citazioni da fonti attendibili secondo le linee guida sull'uso delle fonti. Disco goniometrico Il goniometro è uno strumento per la misurazione di angoli.[1] Indice 1 Goniometro rapportatore 2 Goniometro universale 3 Scale 4 Note 5 Voci correlate 6 Altri progetti 7 Collegamenti esterni Goniometro rapportatore Un goniometroI go...
You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Hungarian. (July 2021) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the Hungarian article. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wik...
Marlín del Mediterráneo Estado de conservaciónPreocupación menor (UICN 3.1)[1]TaxonomíaReino: AnimaliaFilo: ChordataClase: ActinopterygiiOrden: PerciformesFamilia: IstiophoridaeGénero: TetrapturusEspecie: T. belone(Rafinesque, 1810)[editar datos en Wikidata] El marlín del Mediterráneo o aguja de pico corto (Tetrapturus belone) es una especie de pez perciforme de la familia Istiophoridae.[2] Descripción Su tamaño máximo registrado supera los 240 c...
Something Corporate Datos generalesOrigen Orange County, California, Estados UnidosInformación artísticaGénero(s) Rock AlternativoPiano rockPeríodo de actividad 1998 – actualidadDiscográfica(s) GeffenMCA RecordsDrive-Thru RecordsCoach House RecordsWebSitio web www.somethingcorporate.comMiembros Andrew McMahonJosh PartingtonKevin Clutch PageBrian IrelandExmiembros William TellReuben Hernandez[editar datos en Wikidata] Something Corporate es una banda de Piano ro...
حصل ألبرت أينشتاين على جائزة نوبل عام 1921 في الفيزياء،[1] «لخدماته في الفيزياء النظرية، وخاصة لاكتشافه قانون التأثير الكهروضوئي». يشير هذا إلى ورقة 1905 الخاصة به حول التأثير الكهروضوئي، «على وجهة نظر الكشف فيما يتعلق بالإنتاج والتحول للضوء»،[2] والذي كان مدعومًا جيد...
Line-Up for Yesterday: An ABC of Baseball Immortals is a poem written by Ogden Nash for the January 1949 issue of SPORT Magazine. In the poem, Nash dedicates each letter of the alphabet to a legendary Major League Baseball player. The poem pays tribute to 24 players altogether, plus one winking reference to himself (under I) as a fan of the game, and concludes with a final stanza in homage to the players collectively. Baseball players referred to in the poem Grover Cleveland Alexander Grover ...
This article is part of a series onBanking in theUnited States Regulation Monetary policy Banking charters Credit union Federal savings bank Federal savings association National bank State bank Lending Credit card Deposit accounts Checking Money-market Savings Certificate of deposit Account insurance Federal Deposit InsuranceCorporation (FDIC) National Credit Union ShareInsurance Fund (NCUA) Payment and transfer Check clearing Check 21 Act Electronic funds transfer (EFT) ATM card Debit card ...
هذه المقالة يتيمة إذ تصل إليها مقالات أخرى قليلة جدًا. فضلًا، ساعد بإضافة وصلة إليها في مقالات متعلقة بها. (أكتوبر 2022) سرقة القرنEl robo del siglo (بالإسبانية) معلومات عامةالصنف الفني فيلم إثارة — فيلم جريمة — فيلم كوميدي — فيلم سرقة تاريخ الصدور 16 يناير 2020[1] (الأرجنتين)16 يناير...