London Boy (song)
"London Boy" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her seventh studio album, Lover (2019). Swift, Jack Antonoff, and Sounwave (Mark Anthony Spears) wrote the song; the first two are credited as producers while Sounwave is credited as co-producer. A reggae-influenced bubblegum pop song, "London Boy" includes a spoken-word intro by the English actor Idris Elba and contains an interpolation of the song "Cold War" by the American singer Cautious Clay, who was given a co-writing credit on the track. Inspired by Swift's experiences in London, the lyrics mention various London locations and express a Tennessean woman's infatuation with a male love interest from the city.
For other songs, see London Boy."London Boy"
August 23, 2019
Electric Lady (New York City)
3:10
- Taylor Swift
- Jack Antonoff
- Cautious Clay
- Mark Anthony Spears
- Taylor Swift
- Jack Antonoff
"London Boy" charted in Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the United States, and it received a silver certification in the United Kingdom. Music critics gave "London Boy" mixed reviews. Those complimentary found the production upbeat and catchy, but those critical deemed the lyrics unsophisticated. The British press generally panned the song and thought that the lyrics were a poor representation of London. During promotion of Lover in 2019, Swift performed "London Boy" live on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge and at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball.
Music and lyrics[edit]
"London Boy" is a bubblegum pop song with elements of reggae.[8][9] Its minimal and upbeat production incorporates layers of synthesizers, recurring beats, and horns.[9][10][11][12] Lyrically, Swift was inspired to write "London Boy" by her appreciation of the city of London.[13] She said: "I just kind of wrote about, basically, what it was like to basically be like, 'Bye guys! I'm gonna go here for a long time.' "[13] The lyrics are told from a Tennessean woman's perspective and detail her infatuation for a "London boy". They name-check various locations and cultural icons typically associated with her American culture and the love interest's English culture.[14]
"London Boy" begins with a spoken-word intro by the English actor Idris Elba, taken from his appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2017.[15] Throughout the song, Swift mentions Motown Records, Southern California, Bruce Springsteen, Tennessee whiskey, and "American smile" as examples of her own culture, and name-checks the London locations Shoreditch, Camden Market, Soho, Hackney, Brixton, Bond Street, and the West End.[16][17][18] The love interest is a resident of Highgate, a neighborhood associated with old money and wealth.[14] Swift expresses enjoyment of several cultural activities in London, including having an evening high tea, hearing "stories from uni", and watching rugby at a pub.[14] At one point, Swift declares that she is "a Tennessee Stella McCartney", referencing the fashion designer with whom Swift launched a Lover-inspired sustainable clothing line.[19][20] Rob Sheffield described the song as a "Britpop tribute".[21]
Critical reception[edit]
"London Boy" received mixed reviews. Roisin O'Connor of The Independent called it one of the most divisive tracks of Lover, adding that "a lot of Brits are taking issue with the lyrics, as they're essentially a tourist's guide to where-not-to-visit in London".[22] Many critics deemed it one of Lover's weakest songs, including Jon Caramanica of The New York Times,[23] Dave Holmes of Esquire,[24] and Erin Vanderhoof of Vanity Fair.[25] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times deemed "London Boy" the second-worst track on Lover behind the lead single "Me!" and criticized the lyrics for "hauling out every jolly old cliché [Swift] can think of".[26] In a review for Slate, Carl Wilson thought that the London references are annoying and ineffective.[27] Shon Faye from Dazed similarly expressed distaste towards the lyrics, but noted that it was justifiable for Swift, an American, to have a "wide-eyed naivety" embraced by first-timers in London.[14] Sarah Carson from the i lauded the catchy production of "London Boy", but dismissed the lyrics as one of the album's "concessions to silliness and gimmicks".[28]
On the positive side, Keira Leonard of The Music complimented the track's lighthearted and rather silly nature, writing that the lyrics were "so pure" that "you wanna boop your partners nose with or put on when you're feeling down".[29] Nick Levine from NME agreed, and opined that the song is not to be taken seriously for its "clumsy fun" sentiments.[30] In The Irish Times, Louis Bruton selected "London Boy" as one of the album's most cheerful songs.[31] Nick Levine of NME picked the track as one of Lover's most "infectious" and felt that the lyrics portrayed "clumsy fun".[32] O'Connor ranked the song 37th on her list of Swift's select 100 tracks because she thought it showcased Swift's self-awareness "of her outsider status".[22]