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{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Top}}
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{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|relyear=2014|certyear=2014|title=Blank Space|artist=Taylor Swift|autocat=yes|type=single|award=Platinum|accessdate=December 6, 2014|certref=<ref>{{cite web|first=Gavin|last=Ryan|url=http://www.ariacharts.com.au/chart/singles|title=ARIA Singles Chart|publisher=ARIA|date=December 6, 2014|accessdate=December 6, 2014}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Mexico|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Blank Space|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2014|certref=<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/CertificacionesAmprofon/photos/ms.c.eJw1x8ENACAQArCNjMARYf~;F~;Gh~;lYmcarodztI7fDjFP0MVzgXmmAmf.bps.a.352187651572519.1073741842.167176543406965/352187928239158/?type=1&theater |title=Certificaciones Mensuales 2015 |publisher=[[Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas]]. [[Facebook]] |date=January 12, 2015 |accessdateJanuary 15, 2015}}</ref>|salesamount=30,000|autocat=yes}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|title=Blank Space|artist=Taylor Swift|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=2014|certyear=2014|autocat=yes|recent=website|id=2618|accessdate=December 19, 2014}}
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{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Blank Space|artist=Taylor Swift|type=single|award=Silver|relyear=2014|certyear=2014|autocat=yes|accessdate=December 19, 2014}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Blank Space|artist=Taylor Swift|type=single|award=Silver|relyear=2014|certyear=2014|autocat=yes|accessdate=December 19, 2014}}

Revision as of 20:22, 15 January 2015

This article is about the Taylor Swift song. For the punctuation, see Space (punctuation).
"Blank Space"
Song

"Blank Space" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). It was written by Swift, Max Martin and Shellback. The song was released to contemporary hit radio by Republic Records on November 10, 2014 as the album's second single, after "Shake It Off" and is the second track on the album. Musically, "Blank Space" is an electropop and minimal song with lyrics that satirize the media's perception of Swift and her relationships.

"Blank Space" was a critical and commercial success, having reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 following "Shake It Off". Swift became the first woman in the Hot 100's 56-year history to succeed herself at the top spot.[2] The song has also topped charts in Canada and Australia, and peaked in the top ten in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Africa, and other countries. The song received its first televised performance at the 2014 American Music Awards and as part of "Taylor Swift's 1989 Secret Session with iHeartRadio" on October 27, 2014 in New York City. It was included in several critic's year-end lists and was the second and the sixth best song according to TIME[3] and Rolling Stone.[4]

Composition

"Blank Space" is an electropop song with influences of minimal music.[5] Many critics compared the song to the works of fellow singer-songwriter Lorde. It makes fun of Swift's recent exposure in the media about her dating life, portraying herself as "an overly attached man-eater who dates for songwriting material".[6] The song was written by Swift along with Martin and Shellback, and produced by the latter two. "Blank Space" is composed in the key of F major and set in a 4/4 time signature at a moderate tempo of 96 beats per minute. Swift's vocals range from A3 to D5.[7]

Critical reception

"Blank Space" received acclaim from music critics, commending the song's quality and Swift's ability to mock herself. PopMatters called the song to be "likely the best of Swift’s career and easily a candidate for the best pop song of 2014" and that it "captures the essence of 1989 in all its glimmering, solipsistic glory".[8] AbsolutePunk lauded her attitude, saying that "On the best songs from 1989, Taylor is more or less throwing up a middle finger to the people behind those comments, and the result is one of the most exhilarating pop albums in years. She does it in two ways: first, by writing great songs that aren’t about her broken heart; and second, by spitting out venomous lines about how fucking tired she is of becoming the gossip rag punching bag." He further praised her for standing up for herself about what the media depicts Swift to be, saying "But the way she delivers phrases like “I can make the bad boys good for a weekend” or “I’ve got a blank space, baby, and I’ll write your name” is sarcastic, self-deprecating, and more than a little bit aimed at protest. And Taylor should protest. It’s a sick and stupid double standard that she gets called out and dehumanized for writing songs about her relationships when virtually every artist of all time, from classical composers to modern folkies, does the same exact thing." [9]

The New York Times noted the song as a clever metanarrative, commenting that "This is Ms. Swift at her peak. It's funny and knowing, and serves to assert both her power and her primness." [10] Robert Leedham of Drowned In Sound recognized it as "It's the work of someone who finds success in misadventure, instead of wallowing in it." [11] Los Angeles Times called it "a thrillingly vicious riff on Swift’s reputation as a man-eater, a topic she also addresses in the album’s jumpy lead single, “Shake It Off.” “Got a long list of ex-lovers / They’ll tell you I’m insane,” she sings, her voice surging with newfound power, “But I’ve got a blank space, baby / And I’ll write your name.”" [12]

Chart performance

The song topped the Hot Digital Songs charts with sales of 155,000 copies in its first week, making it the third song from 1989 to reach number 1 on the Hot Digital Songs, becoming Swift's ninth number one on that chart.[13][14] Swift stood at rank three as the artist with the most number-one Digital Songs tying her with Eminem and surpassed Rihanna for the most number-one debuts.[15] The song debuted at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.[16] In its second week, the song sold 164,000 copies (up 5%) and moved up to number 13 on the Hot 100 being the Airplay Gainer.[17][18] In its third week, the song sold 328,000 digital copies (up 100%), spurred by the release of its accompanying music video, and jumped to number one, becoming her third number one single and making Swift the first female artist to replace herself at number one (her number one song of the previous week was "Shake It Off") and tenth overall among all artists.[19] The song remained at number one on the chart for seven consecutive weeks making it Swift's longest reign at #1 besting her previous records of We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together and Shake It Off which peaked atop for three and four weeks respectively.[20] It reached its one-millionth sales mark in its fifth week.[21] As of December 7, 2014, it had sold 1.3 million copies in the United States.[22]

In New Zealand, it debuted at number 26.[23] In its third week, the song jumped from number 33 to number four, becoming Swift's sixth top-five hit in New Zealand.[24] In Australia, it debuted at number twenty-nine on the Australian Singles Chart, before reaching number 2 on November 15.[25]

Music video

A man and a blonde woman.
The music video for "Blank Space" borrowed inspiration from Steven Spielberg's early works and was partly inspired by A Clockwork Orange. Swift's love interest in the video was portrayed by model Sean O'Pry.

The accompanying music video was directed by Joseph Kahn who said that Swift approached him with the idea for the treatment, saying she was all too aware of the jokes made about all of her ex-boyfriends and how she likes to include them in her songwriting. She told him that she wanted to address the general thought of her in the clip in a fun way by playing a crazy villain.[26] The video was shot over three days in September at two different Long Island locations; 12 hours in day one, 18 hours in day two and 10 hours for filming the American Express Unstaged app.[27] Most of the scenes depicting Swift were filmed at Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York, while some of the interior scenes were shot at the Woolworth Mansion. After two days of filming with Swift, a second unit crew kept going, taking much of the photography that would later be used to construct the world within the American Express Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience app.[28][29] The video borrows inspiration from Steven Spielberg's early works and was partly inspired by A Clockwork Orange. Kahn explained, "There's a lot of symmetrical framing that's Kubrickian, which is a really funny way to approach a pop video. But it's there if you look at the way there's center-framing and symmetry throughout the whole thing,"[27] Swift's love interest in the video is portrayed by model Sean O'Pry.[30][31]

The video accidentally leaked on Yahoo! on November 10, 2014.[32] Kahn tweeted about the accidental early release, "I'll link video later when I think it's clear. I think it may be a mistake on Yahoo's part — they may have released it early by accident."[33] To which he later added, "Yup. Yahoo effed up. Wait to see the Blank Space video. Let Taylor introduce it herself. It'll be worth it :)"[34]

American Express Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience is a 360° music video app for "Blank Space" that compliments the classic-style linear music video. The 360° video features a similar storyline to the classic-style video, uses the same set, and stars the same Swift and O'Pry. The user can follow Swift and her love interest throughout many rooms of the mansion, although the user may leave the couple and go to other rooms to find interactive easter eggs and watch the butlers doing their work.[35] Kahn, the video's director, compared it to a "stage play" and dubbed it a "choose-your-own-adventure" video. The video was filmed using special 360° cameras and can be viewed by downloading the app to a smartphone or tablet. When in the app, the user physically moves their phone to move their point of view.[36]

Track listing

  • CD single
  1. "Blank Space" – 3:52
  2. "Blank Space" (Music Video) – 4:03

Live performances

Swift performed the song on television for the first time at the 2014 American Music Awards.[37] She first performed it live as part of Taylor Swift's 1989 Secret Session with iHeartRadio on October 27, 2014 in New York City, streamed on iHeartRadio and Yahoo!.[38] She performed the song at the 2014 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on December 2, 2014 held in London.[39] She also performed the song live in London, UK at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball 2014 along with some of her other songs.[40]

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from liner notes of 1989.[41]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[81] Platinum 70,000^
Mexico (AMPROFON)[82] Gold 30,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[83] Platinum 15,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[84] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[85] Platinum 1,300,000[22]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States November 10, 2014 Rhythmic crossover radio
  • Big Machine
  • Republic
 [86]
Hot adult contemporary radio [87]
November 11, 2014 Contemporary hit radio [88]
Germany January 2, 2015 CD single Universal [89]

References

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