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How You Get the Girl

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"How You Get the Girl"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album 1989
ReleasedOctober 27, 2014
GenreElectropop
Length4:07
LabelBig Machine
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Max Martin
  • Shellback
"How You Get the Girl (Taylor's Version)"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album 1989 (Taylor's Version)
ReleasedOctober 27, 2023
Length4:07
LabelBig Machine
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"How You Get the Girl" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Co-written and produced by Swedish record producers Max Martin and Shellback, the song is track 10 from her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). "How You Get the Girl" is a song about a woman giving her ex-boyfriend a guide on how to get back together after their breakup. Critics praised its catchiness, although a handful of them criticized its immaturity. "How You Get the Girl" was used in a Diet Coke commercial, and was part of the permanent setlist of the 1989 World Tour (2015). It's choreography on said tour was inspired by the 1952 musical, Singin' in the Rain.

Following a dispute over her masters, Swift re-recorded the song as "How You Get the Girl (Taylor's Version)" for her fourth re-recorded album, 1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023). The re-recording received general praise for its sonic similarity to its original counterpart, alongside Swift's matured vocals.

Background and release

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Taylor Swift had identified as a country musician until her fourth studio album, Red, which was released on October 22, 2012.[1] Red incorporates eclectic pop and rock styles beyond the country stylings of Swift's past albums, which led to critics questioning her country-music identity.[2] Swift began writing songs for her fifth studio album in mid-2013 while touring on the Red Tour.[3] Inspired by 1980s synth-pop, she named the album 1989 after her birth year to signify an artistic reinvention: she described it as her first "official pop album".[4][5]

On 1989, Swift worked with Max Martin as executive producers. Martin and Shellback produced seven out of 13 tracks for 1989's standard edition, including "How You Get the Girl".[6][7] The song was released on October 27, 2014 as part of 1989; "How You Get the Girl" is track 10 on the album and lasts for four minutes and seven seconds.[6] "How You Get the Girl" charted in Canada (81)[8] and the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100.[9] The song received a platinum certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA),[10] a silver certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI),[11] and a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[12]

Following a dispute over the masters of her first six albums with her previous record label Big Machine, Swift re-recorded and re-released "How You Get the Girl", subtitled "Taylor's Version" as part of her fourth re-recorded album, 1989 (Taylor's Version), on October 27, 2023.[13] The song is produced by Swift and Christopher Rowe, and is four minutes and seven seconds long.[14] "How You Get the Girl (Taylor's Version)" peaked in Canada (34),[15] New Zealand (31),[16] Billboard Hot 100 (40)[17] and Global 200 (29).[18]

Music and critical reception

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"How You Get the Girl" is an electropop song[19] where Swift gives instructions on how to get her affections to an ex-lover[20] six months after their relationship ends.[21] The song is also about taking a good relationship for granted and letting it, only to want it back.[22] The song has a guitar-based instrumental[23] supported by bass beats.[24]

Alex Kritselis of Bustle regarded "How You Get the Girl" as a "lightweight" song, but complimented its "stompin' beat and totally irresistible chorus", applauding its worth as a potential single from 1989 and comparing it to her 2013 single, "22".[20] On a less positive side, John Caramanica of The New York Times regarded the song ineffective, elaborating that she sounds "least jaded" in the song, alongside her 2014 promotional single, "Welcome to New York".[25] Courteney Larocca of Business Insider called the song a "bathroom break" song with a bad message in the name of "girl code".[21] Additionally, Callie Alghrim compared the song to Radio Disney songs, calling it "basic" and "juvenile".[26]

"How You Get the Girl (Taylor's Version)" received generally positive reviews from critics. Mary Randolph of The Daily Northwestern complimented the "How You Get the Girl (Taylor's Version)"'s sonic similarity to its original counterpart, as well as the increase in maturity of her voice.[27] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine applauded the increase in heft in the re-recording.[28]

Live performances and usage in media

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A young white woman singing on a microphone, wearing a polka-dot pink two piece dress
The performance of "How You Get the Girl" was accompanied by a Singin' in the Rain-inspired choreography.

"How You Get the Girl" was used in a Diet Coke advertisement, where more cats appear whenever Swift takes a sip of a can of coke.[29][20] "How You Get the Girl" is also part of the permanent setlist of the 1989 World Tour (2015), where Swift performs it wearing a pink two-piece light up dress, accompanied by choreography inspired by the 1952 musical, Singin' in the Rain. Backup dancers perform the choreography with neon umbrellas.[30][31] Outside the 1989 World Tour, Swift performed the song on acoustic guitar during the second Dublin show of the Reputation Stadium Tour (2018)[32] and the third Atlanta show of the Eras Tour (2023-4).[33][34] Additionally, during the final Stockholm show of the Eras Tour, Swift performed it as part of a medley with singles "Message in a Bottle" (2021) and "New Romantics" (2016), in dedication to Martin.[35]

Personnel

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Adapted from the liner notes of 1989 (Taylor's Version)

  • Taylor Swift – vocals, background vocals, co-producer
  • Mike Meadows – synthesizer, acoustic guitar
  • Amos Heller – bass guitar
  • Dan Burns – drum programming, synth bass, synthesizer
  • Matt Billingslea – drum programming, drums
  • Max Bernstein – electric guitar, synthesizer
  • Derek Garten – programming
  • Brian Pruitt – drum programming, drums
  • Paul Sidoti – electric guitar
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Ryan Smith – mastering
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Derek Garten – engineering, editing
  • Christopher Rowe – vocal engineering
  • Bryce Bordone – mix engineering
  • Dan Burns – additional engineering

Charts

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Chart performance for "How You Get the Girl"
Chart (2014) Peak

position

Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[8] 81
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[9] 4
Chart performance for "How You Get the Girl (Taylor's Version)"
Chart (2023) Peak

position

Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 34
Global 200 (Billboard)[18] 29
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 31
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 40

Certifications

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Certifications for "How You Get the Girl"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[10] Platinum 70,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[11] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[12] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Caulfield, Keith (October 30, 2012). "Taylor Swift's Red Sells 1.21 Million; Biggest Sales Week for an Album Since 2002". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  2. ^ Light, Alan (December 5, 2014). "Billboard Woman of the Year Taylor Swift on Writing Her Own Rules, Not Becoming a Cliche and the Hurdle of Going Pop". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 26, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  3. ^ Talbott, Chris (October 13, 2013). "Taylor Swift Talks Next Album, CMAs and Ed Sheeran". Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  4. ^ Eells, Josh (September 16, 2014). "Taylor Swift Reveals Five Things to Expect on 1989". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  5. ^ Sisario, Ben (November 5, 2014). "Sales of Taylor Swift's 1989 Intensify Streaming Debate". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Taylor Swift (2014). 1989 (CD liner notes). Big Machine Records. BMRBD0500A.
  7. ^ Zollo, Paul (February 12, 2015). "The Oral History of Taylor Swift's 1989". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2024 – via Cuepoint.
  8. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  9. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
  10. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "British single certifications – Taylor Swift – All You Had to Do Was Stay". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "American single certifications – Taylor Swift – All You Had to Do Was Stay". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  13. ^ Vassell, Nicole (October 27, 2023). "Taylor Swift Fans Celebrate As Pop Star Releases 1989 (Taylor's Version)". The Independent. Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  14. ^ 1989 (Taylor's Version) (Compact disc liner notes). Taylor Swift. Republic Records. 2023. 0245597656.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ a b "Taylor Siwft Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  16. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – How You Get the Girl (Taylor's Version)". Top 40 Singles.
  17. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  18. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard.
  19. ^ Zaleski 2024, p. 265.
  20. ^ a b c "Taylor Swift Song "How You Get the Girl" Should Make Fans of "22" Happy". Bustle. October 27, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Larocca, Courteney. "17 of the best and 17 of the worst Taylor Swift songs of all time". Business Insider. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  22. ^ Hopper, Alex (November 3, 2023). "The Meaning Behind the Apologetic "How You Get The Girl" by Taylor Swift". American Songwriter. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  23. ^ Sheffield, Rob (April 25, 2024). "All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  24. ^ Norton, Bea (November 3, 2023). "REVIEW: Taylor Swift proves her knowledge of pop doesn't stop with '1989 (Taylor's Version)'". The University Daily Kansan. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  25. ^ Caramanica, John (October 23, 2014). "A Farewell to Twang". The New York Times.
  26. ^ Ahlgrim, Callie. "The 5 best and 5 worst songs on Taylor Swift's new album '1989 (Taylor's Version)'". Business Insider. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  27. ^ Randolph, Mary (October 30, 2023). "'1989 (Taylor's Version)' reminds us Taylor Swift will 'never go out of style'". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  28. ^ Keefe, Jonathan (October 30, 2023). "Taylor Swift '1989 (Taylor's Version)' Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  29. ^ "Taylor Swift's Cats: All About Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button". Peoplemag. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  30. ^ Sheffield, Rob (July 11, 2015). "Taylor Swift's Epic '1989' Tour: Every Night With Us Is Like a Dream". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  31. ^ Pollock, David (June 27, 2015). "Taylor Swift, Hydro Glasgow, gig review: Two-hour hyperactive spectacle is a triumph for both the artist and her fans". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  32. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (May 26, 2018). "All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed on Her Reputation Stadium Tour B-Stage (So Far)". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 27, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  33. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (August 20, 2024). "All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed on The Eras Tour (So Far)". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 8, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  34. ^ Smith, Katie (September 4, 2024). "Every Surprise Song Performed On Taylor Swift's Eras Tour So Far". Capital FM. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  35. ^ West, Bryan. "Taylor Swift performs 'Max Martin Medley' in Sweden on final night of Stockholm Eras Tour: Watch". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 23, 2024.

Source

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