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This article is about the Taylor Swift song. For other uses, see Question (disambiguation).

"Question...?"
Cover artwork of "Question...?" featuring a photo of Swift staring into the void
Promotional single by Taylor Swift
from the album Midnights
ReleasedOctober 25, 2022 (2022-10-25)
Studio
Genre
Length3:30
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff
Lyric video
"Question...?" on YouTube

"Question...?" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her tenth studio album, Midnights (2022). Written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, it is a minimalist electropop and synth-pop track that incorporates synth tones and sharp drum machine beats. The song contains a vocal sample of Swift's 2014 track "Out of the Woods". In the lyrics, Swift's narrator confronts an ex-lover with questions regarding their past behaviors and what could have happened differently.

"Question...?" was released for limited-time download exclusively via Swift's website on October 25, 2022. In reviews of Midnights, critics who picked the track as an album highlight praised its lyrical details and production. The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Global 200 and within the top 10 on charts of Canada, the Philippines, Singapore, and the US. It received certifications in Australia, Canada, and the UK. Swift performed "Question...?" twice on her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour.

Background and release

[edit]

Taylor Swift announced her tenth original studio album, Midnights, at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28;[1] its title and cover artwork were released shortly after via social media.[2] She conceived Midnights as a collection of songs about her nocturnal ruminations, detailing a wide range of emotions such as regret, lust, nostalgia, contentment, and self-loathing.[3] The standard album was produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, as a result of the two experimenting with music while their partners were both shooting for a film in Panama.[3]

The album's track listing was revealed via a thirteen-episode video series called Midnights Mayhem with Me on the platform TikTok, where each video contained the title of one track at a time.[4] Track seven's title, "Question...?", was revealed in the September 26, 2022, episode.[5] Republic Records released Midnights on October 21, 2022,[6] and "Question...?" was released exclusively onto Swift's official website for limited-time download on October 25.[7] The instrumental version was released two days later.[8][9] Swift performed "Question...?" twice on her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour. She sang an acoustic version on May 20, 2023, in Foxborough, Massachusetts,[10] and as part of a mashup with "The Archer" on July 4, 2024, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.[11]

Production and music

[edit]
Portrait of Dylan O'Brien smiling
Dylan O'Brien (pictured) provided cheering sounds to "Question...?".

Swift wrote and produced "Question...?" with Antonoff, who programmed the track and recorded it at Rough Customer Studio, Brooklyn, and Electric Lady Studios, New York City. Antonoff played the Juno 6 and the Mellotron, and he provided background vocals. The track features various drum players: Dominik Rivinius, whose performance was recorded by Ken Lewis at Neon Wave Studio, Pirmasens, Germany; Evan Smith, who recorded his performance at Pleasure Hill Recording, Portland, Maine; and Sean Hutchinson, who recorded his performance at Hutchinson Sound, Brooklyn. Serban Ghenea, assisted by Bryce Bordone, mixed "Question...?" at MixStar Studio, Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Randy Merrill mastered it at Sterling Sound, Edgewater, New Jersey.[12]

"Question...?" is 3 minutes and 30 seconds long.[13] It is a minimalist electropop[14] and synth-pop song[15] that begins with a vocal sample of the lyric "I remember", taken from the track "Out of the Woods" from Swift's 2014 album 1989.[16] The production of "Question...?" in the verses is driven by subdued synths and drum machine beats[17] that critics describe as sharp[18] and crisp.[14] From the second refrain, the beats become louder.[17] At the final refrain, the track contains sounds of a crowd cheering, credited to Antonoff, Antonoff's sister Rachel, Swift's brother Austin, and the actor Dylan O'Brien.[19][20]

Lyrics and interpretations

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In "Question...?", Swift's narrator ruminates on a relationship that ended bitterly.[14][21] The song depicts the narrator as a "good girl" and her ex-lover as a "sad boy"; they met in a big city and both made bad decisions.[22][23] In the refrain, the narrator confronts the ex-lover with multiple questions about their past behaviors, such as not staying the night with her and not fighting hard enough to keep her when he still had a chance; "Did you leave her house in the middle of the night? Did you wish you'd put up more of a fight when she said it was too much?"[14][24] She ultimately asks the ex-lover if he is still attracted to her; "Do you wish you could still touch her?"[14][24] According to Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone, Swift's narrator "wishes she didn't already know the answers".[25] Towards the conclusion, the narrator mocks her ex-lover's new girlfriend; "And what's that that I heard, that you're still with her, that's nice/ I'm sure that's what's suitable/ And right",[21] with Swift's vocals featuring heavier digital manipulation and the production becoming more intense with louder beats and pronounced synth tones.[14]

Several critics analyzed the lyrics with regards to women's psychology in dating and romance. Annie Zaleski summed up the narrative as a demand for closure from an ex-lover who had moved on, and she wrote that the dynamic build-up towards the end represented the narrator's jealousy towards her ex-lover's new love and urgent needs for clear answers.[14] Alejandra Gularte of Vulture thought that the track was relatable for those who have an anxious attachment.[26] NPR's Ann Powers cited the lyrics, "Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room/ And every single one of your friends was making fun of you/ But 15 seconds later they were clapping too?", as an example that portrays romantic persuasion and betrayal. For Powers, the said lines encapsulate how women's anxiety and uncertainty in love can be exacerbated by others' perceptions of and desires for them.[27]

There were comparisons of the track's production and theme to those of Swift's past songs. Several reviews thought that the sound of "Question...?" evoked the styles of tracks from 1989 such as "Out of the Woods"[17] and "Blank Space".[22] Carl Wilson from Slate wrote that the resemblance to "Blank Space" is in how Swift interpolates her "descending-scale" cadence from its bridge.[16] Kelsey Barnes, writing for Teen Vogue, said that the late-night encounters with a love interest depicted in "Question...?" are similar to those portrayed in the 1989 songs "Style", "All You Had to Do Was Stay", and "How You Get the Girl". Barnes added that the lyric mentioning the couple kissing "in a crowded room" was a throwback to "Dress" from the album Reputation (2017).[28] In Billboard, Becky Kaminsky wrote that "Question...?" resembles Reputation by portraying a version of Swift that "isn't afraid to hold back".[29]

Critical reception

[edit]

"Question...?" received generally positive reviews. Wilson considered the track his counterproposal for Midnights's lead single; he praised the song for "acknowledging the mix of nostalgia and distance that often accompanies such more mature thoughts".[16] Powers was similarly positive, saying that the track "is the kind of story song only Swift can write" and that it captures the emotional sentiments to the details "so acutely that it stings".[27] Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic said he was impressed by the song's "twisty storytelling and last-dance wistfulness".[30] The A.V. Club's Saloni Gajjar wrote it contains "classic Swift charm and potent use of metaphors",[31] and The Guardian's Alexis Petridis selected it among the Midnights tracks that are "filled with subtle, brilliant touches", selecting it as a song that displays Swift's talents as a songwriter.[32][33] Liam E Semler, a professor in early modern English literature, deemed "Question...?" one of the "complex" tracks on Midnights worthy of detailed analysis.[34]

For The New York Times's Jon Caramanica, "Question...?" is one of the better album songs lyrically.[35] Praising the production, Bobby Olivier from Spin found the track to have a radio hit potential.[15] In Paste, Ellen Johnson lauded the song as a meticulously produced track, with a more nuanced and restrained production compared to common pop music.[36] On a less complimentary side, Craig Jenkins from Vulture deemed the refrain "cloying".[23] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard placed "Question...?" last on his ranking of Midnights tracks, writing that even though it is not the strongest album song, it "boasts some fascinating tidbits to pore over".[37]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Following the release of Midnights, tracks from the album occupied the entire top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100; "Question...?" opened at its peak of number seven on the chart with first-week figures of 31 million streams, 21,400 downloads, and 425,000 airplay impressions. The tracks made Swift the first artist to occupy the top 10 of the Hot 100 and the woman with the most top 10 entries (40), exceeding Madonna (38).[38][39] On the Digital Songs chart, it became Swift's record-extending 24th number-one song, propelled by the limited-time downloads offered via her website.[40][41] In Canada, the song peaked at number 10 on the Canadian Hot 100 and was certified gold by Music Canada for selling over 40,000 units.[42][43] Elsewhere, "Question...?" charted at number seven in the Philippines[44] and Singapore,[45] number eight in Malaysia,[46] number 11 in Australia,[47] number 15 in Vietnam,[48] number 20 in Iceland,[49] number 21 in Portugal,[50] and various positions in other countries. The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Global 200.[51]

Accolades

[edit]
Awards and nominations for "Question...?"
Organization Year Category Result Ref.
iHeartRadio Music Awards 2023 Favorite Use of a Sample Won [52]

Personnel

[edit]

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Midnights.[12]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Question...?"
Chart (2022–2023) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[47] 11
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[42] 10
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[53] 40
France (SNEP)[54] 139
Global 200 (Billboard)[51] 11
Greece International (IFPI)[55] 17
Iceland (Tónlistinn)[49] 20
Ireland (Billboard)[56] 10
Lithuania (AGATA)[57] 36
Malaysia (Billboard)[58] 14
Malaysia International (RIM)[46] 8
Philippines (Billboard)[44] 7
Portugal (AFP)[50] 21
Singapore (RIAS)[45] 7
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[59] 46
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[60] 62
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[61] 42
Swiss Streaming (Schweizer Hitparade)[62] 44
UK (Billboard)[63] 12
UK Audio Streaming (OCC)[64] 12
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[65] 96
US Billboard Hot 100[39] 7
Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100)[48] 15

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for "Question...?"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[66] Platinum 70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[67] Gold 20,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[43] Gold 40,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[68] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for "Question…?"
Region Date Format Version Label(s) Ref.
United States October 25, 2022 Digital download Original Republic [7]
October 27, 2022 Instrumental [69]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Dailey, Hannah (October 20, 2022). "Everything We Know About Taylor Swift's Midnights So Far". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  2. ^ Martoccio, Angie (August 29, 2022). "Taylor Swift Announces New Album Midnights: 'A Journey Through Terrors and Sweet Dreams'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 29, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Zaleski 2024, p. 209.
  4. ^ Jones, Damian (October 7, 2022). "Taylor Swift Reveals All Song Titles on New Album Midnights". NME. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  5. ^ Chan, Anna (September 26, 2022). "Taylor Swift Reveals Another Midnights Song Title ... and We Have a 'Question'". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  6. ^ Sisario, Ben (October 21, 2022). "The Clock Strikes: Time for Taylor Swift's New LP, Midnights". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Question...? Digital Single". Taylor Swift Official Store. October 25, 2022. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  8. ^ Robinson, Ellie (October 28, 2022). "Taylor Swift Shares Instrumental Versions of 'Bejeweled' and 'Question…?'". NME. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  9. ^ Aniftos, Rania (October 28, 2022). "Here Are the Lyrics to Taylor Swift's 'Question…?'". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  10. ^ Richards, Will (May 21, 2023). "Watch Taylor Swift Give 'Question...?' Live Debut as 'Eras' Tour Continues". NME. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  11. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (August 20, 2024). "All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed on The Eras Tour (So Far)". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Swift, Taylor (2022). Midnights (vinyl liner notes). Republic Records. 2445790050.
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  55. ^ "IFPI Charts". ifpi.gr. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
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Source

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Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Question...%3F&oldid=1258914913"