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My Tears Ricochet

"My Tears Ricochet" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). She produced the song with Jack Antonoff and Joe Alwyn.[a] "My Tears Ricochet" infuses arena and gothic styles of rock music and gospel. The production incorporates choir-inflected layered vocals, mellow synths, and shuddering drums, bringing forth a soundscape that critics described as haunting and sorrowful. Its lyrics are a narration by the ghost of a dead woman, which finds its murderer, who she once loved dearly, at its own funeral.

"My Tears Ricochet"

July 24, 2020 (2020-07-24)

  • Kitty Committee Studio (Los Angeles)
  • Long Pond (Hudson Valley)

4:15

Taylor Swift

Critics received "My Tears Ricochet" with rave reviews, who praised the concept, imagery, emotion, vocals and production. Upon release, the song peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and in the top 15 of the singles charts in Australia, Canada, Malaysia and Singapore. "My Tears Ricochet" was included on the set list of Swift's sixth headlining concert tour, the Eras Tour (2023–2024).

Composition and lyrics[edit]

"My Tears Ricochet" is an icy arena-goth[7] and gospel ballad[8] with hints of synth-pop,[9] about the specter of a dead woman haunting her murderer.[10][8] The track subsequently utilized funereal symbolism to depict the effect of total betrayal.[2] The song sees Swift's vocals range from C3 to F5, and was written in a C major key with a moderate tempo of 130 beats per minute.[11][12] It encompasses a twinkling music box, backing choir, reverbed ad-libs in the bridge, and reaches a tumultuous climax over shuddering drums.[13][14] Backing vocals on the track are provided by producer Jack Antonoff.[15]


Lyrically, "My Tears Ricochet" sees the narrator question whether they deserve their mistreatment, and admit that she chose not to "go with grace" by haunting the memorial. The song enquires why the former lover chose to attend her funeral despite "cursing [her] name" and compares their disoriented relationship to sunken battleships in the sea.[16] The song's lyrics and symbols reference Swift's masters dispute, and the bitter ending of her ties with the founder of Big Machine, Scott Borchetta.[4] Apart from the overarching funereal motif, Swift uses the imagery of battleships sinking into an ocean, to draw a dramatic picture of how it feels to make one wrong move and lose something enormous.[17]

Commercial performance[edit]

Driven by Folklore's release, "My Tears Ricochet" opened at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100, amongst the album's 10 tracks to chart inside the top 40 and five to enter the top 20; it charted for two weeks before its exit. The song further reached number 3 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.[23] It also reached number 7 on the Singaporean and Malaysian singles charts, number 8 on Australia's ARIA Singles Chart, and number 14 on the Canadian Hot 100.