Florida!!!
"Florida!!!" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift featuring the English band Florence and the Machine. It was released on April 19, 2024, through Republic Records as the eighth track on Swift's eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. The song was written by Swift alongside the band's lead vocalist Florence Welch.[1] Its lyrical content revolves around seeking relief through escapism and alcohol.[2]
This article is about the Taylor Swift song. For other uses, see Florida (disambiguation)."Florida!!!"
Background[edit]
Swift announced The Tortured Poets Department on February 4 at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards during her acceptance speech for Best Pop Vocal Album award. Shortly after the announcement, the album's artwork was shared on her Instagram profile. Swift's website also enabled the album to be pre-ordered in vinyl, CD, cassette and digital format.[3] The album's tracklist was announced on February 5, revealing sixteen tracks and a bonus track called "The Manuscript". The album would also feature Post Malone and Florence and the Machine on two tracks.[4]
"Florida!!!" marks the first collaboration between Taylor Swift and Florence Welch, although they first encountered each other in 2012. In 2015 interviews, the pair shared admiration for each other.[5] Welch occasionally credited Swift as an inspiration and a motivation for releasing her album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. Swift also shared her praise for Welch in an interview. Swift and Welch also attended a concert by the 1975 in 2023, where Swift performed her song "Anti-Hero."[6][7] Jack Antonoff, a producer credited on many of Swift's works, also co-produced Welch's 2022 album Dance Fever.[8]
Swift shared with iHeartRadio that the inspiration behind "Florida!!!" came from the series Dateline NBC. In the interview, she drew a parallel between people who flee to Florida after commiting crimes and those dealing with heartbreak, saying: "They try to reinvent themselves, have a new identity, blend in."[9] Apple Music enabled the option to pre-save the album which revealed seven explicit tracks including "Florida!!!".[10] At a Spotify pop-up at The Grove in Los Angeles, several globes were featured, all with pins marking Miami, Florida.[11] Swift's father, Scott, said "Florida!!!" was his favorite song from the album, adding that it is “one hell of a drug,” a reference to the song's lyric.[12]
Music and lyrics[edit]
"Florida!!!" is a power ballad[13] with an uptempo pop production[14] accompanied by jarring drums and guitars.[15] Welch sings two complete verses and later in the track, intertwines lines with Swift.[16] The lyrics of "Florida!!!" tells of Swift and Welch embarking on a therapeutic journey after a failed relationship.[17] While Swift pipes about a town that drives her insane, Welch dreams of indulging in alcohol and burying her past lovers in a swamp.[18] Howard Cohen of the Miami Herald says the lyrics of "Florida!!!" paints the state as peak leisure destination for a getaway, but adds elements of mystery to it. During Welch's first line in the feature, she makes a reference to Hurricane Florence which came close to Florida in September 2018 ("The hurricane was my name when it came").[19] Swift sings; “All my friends smell like weed or little babies” hints at her friends of similar age getting high while others have children.[20] Writing for WFLA, Sara Filips believes the lyric "So pack your life away just to wait out the shitstorm back in Texas,” alludes to issues raised while Swift was in Houston, Texas after her split with Joe Alwyn.[21]
Reception[edit]
The song received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. Samantha Olson of Cosmopolitan ranked it the best song from the album, complimenting Welch's vocals and the production. In her ranking, she says the song encapsulates the "essence of Florida."[14] In a positive review by Melissa Ruggieri of USA Today, Swift and Welch's vocals against stomping instrumentals made the song "cinematic and purposeful."[22] Rolling Stone's Helen Brown praised Welch's vocals.[23] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard ranked the song third against the album's eighteen tracks, commending Swift's emotional vocals and the brash sound.[24] Erica Gonzales from Elle said the song brought an "infectious energy" with its blasting drums during the chorus. She added that the sound may be influenced by Welch’s music.[25] Alex Gonzalez of Uproxx gave the song a positive review, saying: the collaboration sounds so fresh, yet feels so timeless.[17] Pitchfork's Shaad D’Souza said it was the boldest and most energetic song from the album's mostly subdued, contemplative tones.[16]
P. Claire Dodson from Teen Vogue said the drums and percussive instrumentals were exciting. She added that "Florida!!!" resuscitates the latter half of the original set of 16 songs when previous moments of the album seem to diminish.[26] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Mesfin Fedaku praised the song and performance by Florence and the Machine, calling it a "winning track,"[27] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times called the song "punchy".[28] Writing for The Nightly, Jay Hanna said the collaboration lives up to all expectations.[29] The Associated Press's Maria Sherman said the song was reminiscent of the indie rock sounds of the 2010s such as Sufjan Stevens's Illinois.[30] Chris Willman of Variety called it the "funniest track" from the album,[31] referring to the lines "My friends all smell like weed or little babies" and "Fuck me up, Florida".[32]
The Line of Best Fit's Paul Bridgewater said "Florida!!!" comes close to being a standout track, especially with the collaboration with Welch. However, he said that Welch's voice "jars a little" with Swift's.[33] Stereogum's Tom Breihan said the track had "lot of half-baked Bible-belt imagery" undeserving of the exclamation points in its title.[34] Paste criticized the lyrical content, saying Welch's verse was "grossly watery" and the chorus was the worst of 2024.[35]