Treacherous (Taylor Swift song)
"Treacherous" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fourth studio album, Red (2012). Swift wrote the track with its producer Dan Wilson. Blending styles of country and pop, "Treacherous" is a slow-burning ballad that builds up into a finale. Its lyrics are about a narrator's attempt to protect a fragile and dangerous relationship. A demo of the song was included in the track-list of Red's deluxe edition.
"Treacherous"
October 22, 2012
- Ballroom West (Los Angeles)
- Instrument Landing (Minneapolis)
- Marlay (North Hollywood)
4:02
- Taylor Swift
- Dan Wilson
Dan Wilson
November 12, 2021
- Ballroom West (Los Angeles)
- Instrument Landing (Minneapolis)
4:02
- Taylor Swift
- Dan Wilson
Dan Wilson
"Treacherous" peaked at number two on the United States's Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 and number 65 on the Canadian Hot 100. The track has been performed on three of Swift's concert tours, including the Red Tour (2013–2014), where it was included on the regular set list. Critics who picked the song an album highlight praised Swift's songwriting and the production. Retrospectively, they have regarded it as one of Swift's better songs.
A re-recorded version, titled "Treacherous (Taylor's Version)", was released as part of Swift's second re-recorded album, Red (Taylor's Version) (2021). It peaked at number 42 on the Billboard Global 200 and entered on national charts in Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the US.
Music and lyrics[edit]
"Treacherous" is a slow-burning ballad that blends country and pop styles.[26][27] It starts with mandolin, slow guitar strums, and percussion.[28][29] As the acoustic and electric guitar intertwine, background vocals harmonize at each iteration of the refrain.[30] Towards the end, the song builds up into a finale that Mary Kate Carr from The A.V. Club described as "complementary crescendo that could sweep anyone away".[28][31] For Pitchfork, Ivy Nelson wrote that whereas the beginning is "relatively motionless, frozen in time by all the tension in Swift's voice", as the track progresses, "the guitars and drums melt into dark, wet echoes like pelting raindrops".[32] Sam Lansky from Idolator likened the production to that of U2's song "With or Without You" (1987), specifically due to the "aching guitars".[33] On the re-recorded track, it is musically identical to the original recording like the rest of Red (Taylor's Version), but with a more mature voice from Swift.[34][35]
The lyrics are about a narrator's attempt to protect a fragile and dangerous relationship that has broken. On the song's meaning, Swift said, "[...] I tend to feel like when you're looking back on the things that have hurt you in life, I look back on them and think if it made you feel something, it was worth it."[36] Some critics noted the lyrics, "I’ll do anything you say / If you say it with your hands", as the first time Swift explicitly incorporated sexuality in her lyrics.[34][36][37] Chris Willman from The Hollywood Reporter compared the song's lyrical narrative to that of Sheryl Crow's "My Favorite Mistake" (1998) and opined that the track's sensuality is also due to Swift's "nearly whispered vocals" that "neatly put across the tentativeness of her sensuality in falling for a bad boy".[38]
Critical reception[edit]
In reviews of Red, a number of critics picked "Treacherous" as an album highlight. Willman said that it contains some of the most poetic lyrics on the album,[38] and Lansky considered the musical direction of the song an example of Swift's "diversions into sonic experimentation that wouldn't fare as well on the radio, and they feel even more exciting".[33] American Songwriter's Jewly Hight selected it as one of the tracks that showcase Swift's talents at capturing emotions in tangible detail.[39] Nelson labeled the song a "masterclass in dynamics from arrangement to lyric", and highlighted how the production complements the lyrical sentiments.[32] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine was impressed by Swift's songwriting for "expressing genuine insights into complex relationship dynamics".[40] Mesfin Fekadu from the Associated Press considered the song "a good one" from an album that he deemed mediocre.[41] In a less positive review, Billboard said that the instrumental build-up "steers away from the hushed, confessional beauty" of the initial verses.[28]
In retrospective reviews, critics have considered "Treacherous" one of Swift's better songs. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone said that she "braves the ski slopes of love, with a seething acoustic guitar that finally detonates halfway though".[42] The Musicologist James E. Perone deemed its musical approach an evidence of "increased maturity in Swift's work as a songwriter and performer".[43] Billboard's Hannah Dailey said the song has "some of her most gorgeous poetry" and thought it was "overlooked by the general masses".[44] Sputnikmusic was amazed by Swift for her reflections of love and life on Red, and cited "Treacherous" as an example because of how she "vividly captured forbidden lust and temptation".[45] Time ranked the song as the album's second-best track—Samantha Cooney considered the song "criminally underrated", and Annabel Gutterman said it was a "gorgeous song" and a "beautiful ballad about risking your heart when you know things might end badly".[27] Alex Hopper from American Songwriter deemed "Treacherous" a highpoint from Red,[46] and Michael Savio of PopMatters selected it as one of Swift's "finest, most pensive" songs, among other album tracks.[47] In a review of "Treacherous (Taylor's Version)", Mary Kate Carr said that the song introduced a "haunting, newly mature singer-songwriter vibe" to Swift's artistry.[31]