22 (Taylor Swift song)

Writing and production[edit]

Swift released her third studio album, the self-written Speak Now, in October 2010.^[1] Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, Speak Now expands on the country-pop production style of its predecessor, Fearless (2008).^[2][3] On her fourth studio album, Red (2012), Swift wanted to experiment with other musical styles.^[4] To this end, she worked with producers outside of her career base in Nashville, Tennessee, and went to Los Angeles to collaborate with Swedish producer Max Martin.^[2][5] Swift cited Martin's ability to "just land a chorus" as an inspiration.^[6]


Martin and Shellback, another Swedish producer, co-wrote and co-produced three songs with Swift on Red—"22", "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", and "I Knew You Were Trouble"—all of which feature a pop production and programmed keyboards.^[7][8] Michael Ilbert and Sam Holland recorded "22" at MXM Studios in Stockholm and Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, with engineers John Hanes, Eric Eylands, and Tim Roberts. Şerban Ghenea mixed "22" at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach. The instruments used on the track include acoustic guitar (Swift, Shellback), bass (Shellback), electric guitar (Shellback), and keyboards (Martin, Shellback).^[9]


Talking about the theme of "22", Swift told Billboard that the song captures how she felt about being 22 years old and the "possibilities of how you're still learning, but you know enough. [...] That brings about a carefree feeling that is sort of based on indecision and fear and at the same time letting loose".^[6] She said during a February 2013 interview with Ryan Seacrest that the song's inspiration was a group of female friends with whom she often hung out; despite the uncertainty of adulthood, "the one thing that you have is that you have each other".^[10][11] On March 12, 2013, Big Machine in partnership with Republic Records released "22" to US contemporary hit radio as the fourth Red single.^[12] A day later, it was released exclusively to Swift's official website as a limited-edition CD single, which was sold by itself or via an exclusive package with the Red Tour merchandise.^[13][14] "22" was released in the United Kingdom on March 31, 2013.^[15]

Composition and lyrics[edit]

Music critics described "22" as a pop song^[16][17] incorporating styles such as bubblegum^[18][19] and dance-pop.^[20] Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone described the genre as disco,^[21] and Annie Zaleski in the Cleveland Scene called the track a "spunky '90s-rock gem".^[22] "22" begins with an acoustic guitar riff and incorporates an acoustic guitar-based arrangement in the verses.^[23][24] The upbeat refrain infuses elements of dance and electronic music; it incorporates pulsing 1980s-pop-influenced synthesizers and syncopated bass drums that evoke influences from hip hop and alternative rock.^[24][25][26] Billboard said "22" was Swift's "most blatantly 'pop' song" up to that point,^[17] and Perone commented that her vocals, processed by Martin's and Shellback's electronic production, make the track sound radically different compared to her previous songs.^[27] According to The Boot's Riane Konc, despite the pop production, "22" remains "[an] essential part of [Swift's] country years".^[28] Musically it is written in key of G major and has a tempo of 104 beats per minute.^[29][30] Swift’s vocals span from G₃ and D₅.^[29]


In the lyrics, the narrator celebrates the experience of being 22 years old, inviting friends to dress up, hang out, and "make fun of [their] exes" after having gone through a heartbreak.^[24][31] When she and the friends are at the party, she realizes the place has "too many cool kids" (who murmur, "‘Who's Taylor Swift anyway, ew?").^[20][32] The group then decides to "ditch the whole scene". Towards the song's conclusion, the narrator dances with a man who "looks like bad news", but whom she "has to have".^[24]


Critics observed the conflicting emotions of early adulthood. Jordan Sargent of Spin said the refrain's bass has a "fleeting upward sweep" that reflects the lyrical sentiment of "feeling young and invincible" while facing the impending "doom of growing up".^[33] For Billboard, although the production is upbeat with "the most sugary hooks available", the lyrics are rather contemplative.^[17] NPR Music's J. English wrote that the contradictory feelings ("We're happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time / It's miserable and magical") serve as a mission statement for Red's depiction of a wide array of emotions, from the wide-eyed optimism on "Begin Again" to the cautionary tale of celebrity on "The Lucky One".^[34] Perone otherwise found the track to be escapist and carefree; whereas the narrators of Swift's previous songs ponder about lost love in her own headspace, the narrator of "22" hangs out at parties and gets along with a man she just met.^[24]

Critical reception[edit]

Billboard's review of Red appreciated Swift's songwriting on "22" for "succinctly communicating conflicting emotion" despite the upbeat production.^[17] Digital Spy's Lewis Corner deemed the single another "pop smash" for Swift's career.^[35] Reviewers that highlighted "22" as one of the album's best tracks included Idolator's Sam Lansky,^[36] USA Today's Jerry Shriver,^[37] and the Tampa Bay Times' Max Asayesh-Brown, all of whom complimented the production.^[38] Mesfin Fekadu of the Associated Press found it better than the lead single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" but deemed the lyrics weak.^[39] Some viewed the song as derivative of the chart hits by Swift's contemporaries such as Katy Perry and Kesha, including The Boston Globe's James Reed,^[40] Telegram & Gazette's Craig S. Semon,^[41] and Slant Magazine's Jonathan Keefe, who labelled it as a "shrill, deliberately vapid Ke$ha [sic] knockoff".^[42] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine dubbed it a "cheerfully ludicrous club-filler".^[43]


At the 2015 Pop Awards held by Broadcast Music, Inc., "22" was one of the three songs (with "Everything Has Changed" and "Shake It Off") that helped Swift earn recognition as one of the "Songwriters of the Year".^[44] Retrospective reviews have been generally positive, with welcoming comments from Lansky, who highlighted the "millennial pink fizz" and "neutered naughtiness",^[45] and Sheffield, who said the song is "[approximately] 22,000 times more fun than actually being 22".^[21] Nate Jones from Vulture hailed "22" for simultaneously being "absurdly catchy" and having "enough personality",^[46] and Nick Levine from Time Out's deemed it "far smarter" than an average dance-pop song.^[20] In a 2019 ranking of Swift's 44 singles, The Guardian's Alexis Petridis placed the song at number four, and lauded its catchiness and contemplative lyrics about early adulthood.^[32] Perone nonetheless deemed "22" not as sophisticated and grounded as Swift's previous songs about heartbreak, specifically "Fifteen" (2009).^[24]


Some media publications dubbed "22" a cultural phenomenon resulting in the prominence of 22nd birthdays;^[47] according to NME's Hannah Mylrea, "Before '22' nobody cared when you celebrated your 22nd birthday [...] and somehow Swift turned it into a milestone."^[19]

Adapted from Red album liner notes^[9]