Taylor Swift Tells Us How She Wrote 'Lover' | Diary of a Song

Summary

In this insightful video script, a musician candidly discusses the creative process behind their song 'Lover.' From the late-night inspiration in Nashville to the collaborative studio sessions, the artist shares the emotional depth and personal significance of the track. The narrative highlights the importance of the bridge, the use of real reverbs for a nostalgic feel, and the meticulous attention to lyrics. The song's development, from a simple piano melody to a full production, showcases the passion and intuition that drive the artist's work.

Takeaways

• 🎶 The artist describes songwriting as capturing a 'glittery cloud' that floats before you, emphasizing the spontaneous and inspired nature of the process.
• 🎵 The song 'Lover' was conceived in bed late at night in Nashville, showcasing how inspiration can strike at any moment.
• 🎧 The artist had a clear vision for 'Lover' as a song people in love would want to slow dance to, reflecting a desire to create an intimate and romantic atmosphere.
• 🎼 The chorus of 'Lover' consists of simple, existential questions that people in love might ask, highlighting the emotional depth and vulnerability in the song's lyrics.
• 🎹 The word 'lover' was chosen for its poetic connotations, despite it being a polarizing term, indicating the artist's willingness to embrace controversy for artistic expression.
• 🎵 The artist completed the entire song in one night at the piano in Nashville, demonstrating a burst of creative productivity.
• 👥 Collaboration with Jack and Taylor involved a fast-paced exchange of ideas, requiring the artist to keep up and not hinder the creative flow.
• 🎚️ The recording process involved using real reverbs and tape echoes to give the song a nostalgic and unique character.
• 🎸 The bass line, played on a special bass referred to as the 'Paul bass,' is central to the song's structure and is considered the hook.
• 🏡 The lyrics touch on the profound nature of young adults combining their lives and making a home together, adding a layer of relatable storytelling to the song.
• 🎶 The bridge of 'Lover' introduces the concept of vows and is designed to elevate the song, using common wedding phrases in a twisted, creative way.

Q & A

What is the significance of the word 'Lover' in the context of the song?

The word 'Lover' is significant as it is a term the songwriter has always loved in the context of poetry or songs, despite not using it in everyday life. It was chosen for the song to evoke a sense of intimacy and love.

How does the songwriter describe the process of songwriting?

The songwriter describes songwriting as a process where a 'little glittery cloud' of inspiration floats in front of your face, and you grab it at the right time, then fill in the gaps using your knowledge of song structure.

Where was the songwriter when the idea for 'Lover' struck them?

The songwriter was in bed in Nashville when the idea for 'Lover' struck them.

What was the initial idea that the songwriter had for the song 'Lover'?

The initial idea for 'Lover' was a simple, beautiful chorus that people in love would want to slow dance to, envisioning the last two people on a dance floor at 3 a.m., swaying.

What was the first thing the songwriter did when they got the idea for 'Lover'?

The first thing the songwriter did was to get out of bed, stumble over to the piano, and record a voice memo with the chorus idea.

What kind of questions does the songwriter want the chorus of 'Lover' to pose?

The songwriter wanted the chorus to pose simple, existential questions that people ask when they are in love, such as 'Can I go where you go?' and 'Can we always be this close?'

How did the songwriter and their team approach the production of 'Lover'?

The songwriter and their team approached the production of 'Lover' by using real reverbs and tape echoes, playing with different instruments like a special bass and snare drums with brushes, and focusing on creating a nostalgic and dreamy sound.

What was the inspiration behind the bass line in 'Lover'?

The inspiration behind the bass line in 'Lover' was a desire to emulate a 'Paul thump,' referencing Paul McCartney's style, using a bass that belonged to the studio.

How does the songwriter view the role of a bridge in a song?

The songwriter views the bridge as a crucial element that takes the song to a higher level, introducing new ideas and providing a contrast to the rest of the song, similar to the experience of driving through beautiful scenery and then going through a tunnel.

What was the songwriter's approach to the lyrics during the recording process?

The songwriter was obsessively going over every lyric during the recording process to ensure they were the final desired versions, making sure the words accurately conveyed the intended emotions and messages.

How did the songwriter and the team feel after completing the song 'Lover'?

After completing the song 'Lover,' the songwriter and the team felt excited and satisfied, with the songwriter expressing a strong personal attachment to the song, even ready to reject negative feedback due to their love for it.

Outlines

00:00

🎵 Songwriting Inspiration and 'Lover' Creation

The first paragraph delves into the creative process behind the song 'Lover'. It starts with a series of dialogues that reveal the spontaneous nature of songwriting, where the artist is inspired to compose at odd hours, as evidenced by the late-night piano session in Nashville. The artist discusses the song's genesis, the significance of the word 'lover', and the intention behind the chorus, which is to pose existential questions about love. The narrative also touches on the collaborative effort with other musicians, the use of real reverbs and tape echoes for a nostalgic feel, and the artist's meticulous attention to lyrics. The paragraph concludes with the artist's satisfaction with the song's completion in a single day, highlighting the excitement and the creative energy that fueled the process.

05:03

🎶 Crafting 'Lover' with Studio Magic and Personal Touches

The second paragraph continues the discussion on the making of 'Lover', focusing on the use of specific instruments and the studio's influence on the song's sound. It mentions the 'Paul bass', associated with Paul McCartney, and how it contributes to the song's hook. The artist's attention to detail is evident as they refine lyrics and experiment with different musical elements, including the introduction of a bridge that elevates the song. The bridge is described as a 'little wedding', introducing the concept of vows and using common wedding phrases in a unique way. The paragraph also reflects on the significance of moving in together as a couple and the profound nature of this life change. The artist's love for bridges in songs is highlighted, comparing their importance to the variety in a scenic drive. The paragraph ends with a personal touch, discussing the physical manifestations of the artist's musical journey, such as guitar-string scars and calluses.

Keywords

💡Songwriting

Songwriting is the process of creating and composing lyrics and melodies for a song. In the video, Taylor Swift describes songwriting as an intuitive process, comparing it to a 'glittery cloud' that appears and needs to be captured at the right moment. This concept is central to the video, as it explores the creative process behind her song 'Lover.'

💡Inspiration

Inspiration refers to the sudden burst of creativity or ideas that drives artistic creation. Swift recalls how inspiration struck her in the middle of the night while in bed in Nashville, prompting her to get up and compose 'Lover' at the piano. This highlights the spontaneity and unpredictability of the creative process.

💡Lover

'Lover' is both the title of the song and a key thematic word in the video. Taylor Swift discusses her fascination with the word, noting how it's rarely used in everyday language but holds significant weight in poetry and songs. The word also encapsulates the theme of romantic devotion in the song, which aims to capture the feeling of being deeply in love.

💡Chorus

The chorus is a repeating section of a song, often the emotional and melodic centerpiece. In 'Lover,' the chorus poses existential questions like 'Can I go where you go?' and 'Can we always be this close?' which reflect the deep emotions and fears associated with love. Swift explains how the chorus came together naturally during her songwriting process.

💡Bridge

A bridge is a contrasting section of a song that introduces a new element or elevates the song emotionally. Swift expresses her love for writing bridges, and in 'Lover,' she uses the bridge to evoke the feeling of a wedding, with lines like 'Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand?' This section shifts the song's emotional depth and adds a sense of vows and commitment.

💡Slow Dance

A slow dance is a romantic dance typically done to a slow tempo song. Taylor Swift wanted 'Lover' to be the kind of song that people in love would want to slow dance to, specifically imagining the last two people on a dance floor at 3 a.m., swaying together. This imagery reflects the song’s intimate, nostalgic vibe.

💡Vows

Vows are promises made, especially in the context of marriage. Swift introduces the concept of vows in the bridge of 'Lover,' where she references wedding traditions and phrases but adds a personal twist, making the song feel like a celebration of love and commitment.

💡Paul Bass

The 'Paul Bass' refers to a bass guitar that mimics the sound of the famous Hofner bass played by Paul McCartney of The Beatles. In the studio, Swift and her collaborators reference Paul McCartney's influence on the bass line, aiming to capture a nostalgic yet unique sound for 'Lover.' This detail highlights the meticulous attention to musical texture.

💡Calluses

Calluses are hardened patches of skin that develop due to repeated friction or pressure. Swift mentions the calluses on her hands from playing guitar, which symbolizes the physical dedication required for her craft. These calluses, along with 'guitar-string scars,' are referenced in the song as part of the imagery of love and perseverance.

💡Nostalgia

Nostalgia refers to a sentimental longing for the past. The production of 'Lover' evokes a sense of nostalgia through the use of real reverbs, tape echoes, and vintage instruments, giving the song a dreamy, timeless quality. Swift’s desire for the song to feel like a classic love story is central to the theme of the video.

Highlights

The artist always keeps instruments near their bed for spontaneous inspiration.

The songwriting process is described as capturing a glittery cloud that floats in front of your face.

Inspiration for the song 'Lover' struck while the artist was in bed in Nashville.

The artist envisioned a song that people in love would want to slow dance to, picturing the last couple on a dance floor at 3 a.m.

The chorus of 'Lover' consists of simple, existential questions about love.

The word 'lover' was chosen for its poetic connotations and despite its polarizing nature.

The entire song was composed in one night at the piano in Nashville.

The song's production involved a sense of urgency and excitement, with the artist wanting to get on a plane to work on it.

The song's arrangement was influenced by a dreamy, guitar-driven throwback sound.

Real reverbs and tape echoes were used to give the song a nostalgic character.

The bass used in the song, nicknamed the 'Paul bass,' belongs to the studio and was used for its unique 'Paul thump' sound.

The song's bridge introduces the idea of vows and is designed to feel like a little wedding.

The bridge of 'Lover' uses common wedding phrases but twists them to add a unique touch.

The artist compares the bridge of a song to a tunnel in a landscape, providing a necessary break before returning to the scenery.

The song 'Lover' was completed in a single day, with the artist feeling a strong attachment and satisfaction with the final product.

The artist's hands bear scars from guitar strings, symbolizing the physical effort and dedication to their craft.

Transcripts

“Hello.”

“O.K., it’s happened.

We’re in business.”

“How’s this?”

“I like it, Alex.”

“Do you always keep instruments near your bed

in case inspiration strikes?”

“Well, I have a piano near me all the time,

and I always have a good — yeah, the answer is yes.”

Singing: “Take me out and take me home.

You’re my, my, my, my lover.”

“I’ve never really been able to fully explain

songwriting other than it’s like this little glittery

cloud floats in front of your face,

and you grab it at the right time.

And then you revert back to what

you know about the structure of a song

in order to fill in the gaps.”

“Where were you the moment inspiration struck?”

“It was, I was in bed.

I was in Nashville.

I got out of bed.

I think it was really late at night,

and stumbled over to the piano.”

Voice memo: “O.K., so I had this idea that’s like —

obviously I don’t know the verse, whatever yet,

but I have a pretty cool, really simple,

beautiful chorus idea called ‘Lover.’”

“I’ve been thinking for years, God,

it would just be so great to have a song that people

who are in love would want to dance to, like slow dance to.

In my head, I had just the last two people on a dance floor

at 3 a.m., swaying.”

“What did you have in your mind?

Was it the title?

Was it a lyric?

Was it a melody?”

“It was not — it was, can I go where you go?

Can we always be this close?”

Singing: “Can I go where you go?

Can we always be this close forever and ever?”

“I wanted the chorus to be these really simple

existential questions that we ask ourselves

when we’re in love.

‘Can I go where you go’

is such a heavy thing to ask somebody.

‘Can we always be this close’ has so much fear in it,

but so does love.”

“When did you hit upon the word ‘lover’?”

“Oh, I’ve always liked that word,

but I’ve never used it in everyday life.

When people are like, that’s my lover over there

or calling each other lover, I’ve never done that,

but I’ve always loved it in the context

of poetry or songs.”

“It’s a polarizing word.

Some people are like, ‘Ugh, that word gives me

the creeps.’”

“Well, anything I do is polarizing.

So, you know, I’m used to that.”

“Fair enough.

So how much of the song did you get done that night

at the piano in Nashville?”

“The whole thing.”

“She sent me that voice note.

Whether it’s a whole song or just a little thing from her,

I sort of get this big jolt, and I listen and I block out

the whole world for a minute.

Every lyric and melody was right there.

And I was like …”

[ding]

“… get on a plane.

She came in the next day.

She sat right there.

She played it.”

“It’s basically, I don’t see it as piano.

I think it’s that kind of dreamy,

guitary, throwback, but not like camp throwback.”

“I know what you mean.”

“So —”

[piano]

“I thought it was the perfect song, which

is really interesting because it’s

almost like even more of a duty to do it right.”

Singing: “You’re my, my, my, my lover.”

“That seems so much better.”

“Yeah, I love the walk down.”

“That really fixes that part.”

“I love the walk down.”

“That was the only thing that —”

“I was trying to figure out, what the hell is

going to happen there?

So the —”

“That makes it so much better.”

Singing: “My, my, my, my.”

“When I’m working with Jack and Taylor,

I’m working with two extremely creative people

who are bouncing ideas back and forth so fast.

So my job is to basically not slow them down in any way.”

“Laura’s been by my side for every record

I’ve made pretty much since people started listening

to any of my records.

We’re all — three of us are in that process together.”

“We’re just like ugh, like it’s just fun.

We’re fully, fully acting on impulse.

And we’re acting on intuition, and we’re

acting on excitement and oat-milk lattes.”

“I remember the first thing I did

was I went into the live room, which is right there.

And at that time I had listened

to a lot of Violent Femmes recently,

and I was excited about how much feeling you

could get out of a snare drum if it was a brush.”

[drums]

“And I just remember going in and going ‘psh,’ one brush.

I wasn’t even really playing drums.

I just kind of had one brush.

I just —”

“We were using real reverbs and real tape echoes.

It gives a really special character to it

where it does feel nostalgic.”

“The bass, which is a very, very, very special bass,

belongs to the studio.”

“He was calling that the ‘Paul bass.’

Is that Paul McCartney?”

“Yeah.”

“My old Hofner bass, my little baby.

Come on, baby.”

“We were just referencing like what would Paul do —

W.W.P.D.?

Humming: Brum, brum, brum, brum, brum, brum, brum.

The bass line is actually the hook.”

“It’s not a true ‘Paul bass’ though.”

“It’s not a true ‘Paul bass’ at all,

but it’s better at that ‘Paul thump’

than I’ve ever gotten out of the violin bass.”

Humming: “Brum, brum, brum, brum, brum, brum, brum,

brum, brum.”

“The bass and the drum is sort of like —

if you just hear those two tracks,

like the entire space is so, I think, beautifully filled.”

“In the studio, I’m obsessively

going over every lyric and making sure

that’s what I want the final lyric to be.

So I’ll be over, in my notes, just sharpen that,

hone in on that.”

“Were there lines that changed in that process?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I had toyed with the idea of being like,

we could leave the Christmas lights up till April.”

Singing: “We could leave the Christmas lights up

till January.”

“Doesn’t everyone leave their Christmas lights up

till January?”

“But it’s not about that being a crazy thing.

It’s about how mundane it is.

It’s about we could put a rug over there.

We could do wallpaper, or we could do paint.”

Singing: “This is our place.

We made the rules.”

“When young adults go from living in their family

to then combining their life with someone else,

that’s actually like the most profound thing.”

“To be just telling this story —

I don’t know.

It almost feels like an old story I’ve heard many times.

I mean, I guess it is, people falling in love.”

“Tell me about the importance of the bridge to you.

I feel like you love a bridge.

This is a special bridge.

Talk to me about it.”

“I love a bridge.

I love a bridge so much.

I love trying to take the song to a higher

level with the bridge.”

“There’s these, sort of, hand-plucking strings

and these kind of flutes that are popping out.”

“I wanted it to be the first time we

introduced the idea of vows.”

“Make it feel like a little wedding.”

Singing: “Ladies and gentlemen,

will you please stand?”

“I love to take a common phrase and twist it.

So the bridge, I took all these common phrases

that we say about weddings …”

Singing: “With every guitar-string scar on my hand.”

“I like to add something that changes the phrase.”

Singing: “I take this magnetic force

of a man to be my lover.”

“Without a bridge, a song

can sort of feel almost like a jingle.

You know when you’re driving through beautiful scenery,

and you’re like mountains, trees.

Oh my God, right?

And all of a sudden you go through a tunnel

and you're like, what the [expletive]?

And then it’s back.

Mountains and trees, so beautiful.

It’s like you need that third element to take you

away from where you’ve been so you’re

so excited to get it back.

Specifically in ‘Lover’ when you come out of the bridge

and you go back into the chorus, you’re just ‘phew.’”

Singing: “Can I go where you go?

Can we always be this close, forever and ever?”

“And it was all done in that one day.”

“Oh yeah.”

“I mean, I think we were all really excited when

we left the studio that day.”

“Even if anybody had been like,

I don’t think this one is great,

I would have been like, ‘Well, I reject your feedback

because I love this one.’”

“It’s the perfect song, and tells that story perfectly

and pulls me right into where she wants

me, as the listener, to be.

You’re my, you’re my, you’re my, you’re my,

you’re my what?

And then —”

[thump]

Singing: “Lover.”

“Do you have guitar-string scars on your hands?”

“Well, I mean, I have extreme calluses.

You can’t see them, probably, but they’re all —

and I have some from just changing strings

and not being very good at it.

Do you know what I mean?

Like some where you’re like tuning, tuning, tuning.

Pop.

Ow.”