Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone - "Fortnight"

[lazer]

Okay this one grew on me. I think it's the right choice for the lead single even if it's a bit soft and slow

[Choco]

I mean name recognition alone and being the first track makes it a good choice to get that huge peak. No idea how radio will treat it once album debut week hype fades. But they could probably get away with this and maybe ICDIWABH until Rep TV is ready.

[fearlessarrow]

POP:
-- 22 TAYLOR SWIFT Fortnight f/Post Malone 3591 0 3591 11.012

+818 Spins
+818 Bullet
+2.359 Audience

HOT AC:
-- 16 TAYLOR SWIFT Fortnight f/Post Malone 1743 0 1743 7.595

+272 Spins
+272 Bullet
+1.044 Audience

AC:
-- 16 TAYLOR SWIFT Fortnight f/Post Malone 182 0 182 1.192

+24 Spins
+24 Bullet
+0.122 Audience

[Mike]

This is growing on me a lot with each listen. Love the video

[Deleted]

Oh Fortsmash

[Caviar]

[avamaxstan]

Apr 21, 2024 0:20:38 GMT -5 theflying said:

Yeah happy people are quickly coming around on this. This was an instant ear worm for me.

Plus some really scandalous lyrics — revealing she was a functioning alcohol, Joe’s infidelity — quite a statement to make.

That isn't really what she's saying, I took those lines as metaphorical.

Agree that this has grown on me as I've continued listening throughout the week (which is why professional critic reviews should not be published within hours of album release!) I now think this was the right choice as lead, with ICDIWABH waiting in the wings to smash. 

[theflying]

Apr 23, 2024 13:18:14 GMT -5 avamaxstan said:

Apr 21, 2024 0:20:38 GMT -5 theflying said:

Yeah happy people are quickly coming around on this. This was an instant ear worm for me.

Plus some really scandalous lyrics — revealing she was a functioning alcohol, Joe’s infidelity — quite a statement to make.

That isn't really what she's saying, I took those lines as metaphorical.

Agree that this has grown on me as I've continued listening throughout the week (which is why professional critic reviews should not be published within hours of album release!) I now think this was the right choice as lead, with ICDIWABH waiting in the wings to smash. 

Can I ask why you think she’s being metaphorical?

Themes of infidelity are all over folklore and evermore and Midnights, we know Joe and Taylor took a break because something very bad happened during their relationship.

I’m not saying I disagree per se, but, what is the metaphor?

[Taylor.]

I agree with this interpretation of Fortnight:

When I first listened to Fortnight, I automatically assumed it was a song about a short-lived relationship but lyrics like "turned into good neighbors" and "run into you sometimes/ask about the weather" confused me. Firstly because it seemed so out of place and secondly because we know the short-term relationship referenced in this album did NOT end well so it doesn't make sense for her to write about being in neutral terms with that person.

Then I realized it's not about a short-term relationship but about a long-term one. She refers to the duration as "a fortnight" because the time they spent together was very short compared to the time they spent apart.

Now she imagines a future in which she hears about him through social media or friends, (now you're in my backyard/turned into good neighbors); and he has a secure, happy life (your wife waters flowers) while she does not (my husband is cheating). She resents it (I wanna kill her/him). The important part is that she does not resent him. She never says "I wanna kil YOU", rather she says "I hope you are okay".

This could be about THE one long-term relationship, the one that is referenced in this album or could be a general commentary on the good relationships she lost, maybe she is afraid all of them will go on to have happy lives while she is stuck in " an endless February".

I have to say the outro makes me believe it could be the former. Now that the relationship is over she is free to go after her dreams (move to Florida/buy the car you want) but it is not enough to fulfill her (but it won't start up till' I touch you).

Also the line "another fortnight lost in America" makes more sense from this perspective and is compatible with the line about giving her youth for free in So Long, London. They thought this was the real deal but it wasn't, so their years (another fortnight) is now lost like other relationships that ended up not being the one.

[RoseColoredGirl]

Was just looking at the leaders page for this on AllAccess, and it's wild to see there are three stations that have already played the song over 100 times this week, despite it only being out for four days (today's plays wouldn't be included yet).

[chickythelittlechicken]

+1000 tomorrow since it officially impacted today?

[jdanton2]

this got 158 out of 170 adds . surprised it did not get the full panel being Taylor's lead.

[Jose Polica]

158 Adds at US Pop Radio. #1 Most Added.

[Ivy Leegue™]

Apr 19, 2024 5:39:13 GMT -5 allow that said:

Unpopular opinion? This is one of my favorite Taylor songs off the bat. That overarching synth is killer. It's giving Chromatics / Drive Soundtrack vibes. Taylor's delivery reminds me of Lana and it really works. And that bridge is so pretty!

Yes! It's dreamy and just coasts along on a cloud of charm. I love the vibe of it. It deserves to smash.

[Deleted]

I guess the user who predicted it would struggle to go Top 20 on Pop meant on release week

[fearlessarrow]

Most added on HAC and AC with 71 adds and 17 adds respectively this week.

POP:
-- 16 TAYLOR SWIFT Fortnight f/Post Malone 4441 0 4441 13.259

+850 Spins
+850 Bullet
+2.247 Audience

HOT AC:
-- 15 TAYLOR SWIFT Fortnight f/Post Malone 2064 0 2064 8.665

+321 Spins
+321 Bullet
+1.070 Audience

AC:
-- 14 TAYLOR SWIFT Fortnight f/Post Malone 218 0 218 1.328

+36 Spins
+36 Bullet
+0.136 Audience

[musiclife]

Okay, I'm finally ready to say that this is a bop. The song is actually a real earworm. 100% the correct 1st single choice.

[Deleted]

Apr 24, 2024 9:45:32 GMT -5 musiclife said:

Okay, I'm finally ready to say that this is a bop. The song is actually a real earworm. 100% the correct 1st single choice.

I think it was correct too now. Still not because I think it has THE most hit potential, but I’d say maybe like the 3rd most. It’s smart to send a song like that as the lead if they are planning to go at least 3 singles deep, since then you maximize the “lesser” potential hit’s success by giving it the lead single push advantage. Something like Broken Heart probably doesn’t need that edge.

[theflying]

I genuinely think this is a much stronger single choice than Broken Heart. This fits way more varieties of vibes and moods. The strongest singles are ones that fit the most kind of situations and have a low burn rate — like Anti-Hero, and Delicate. This is the best combination of those qualities while also delivering on the themes and mood of the album. I also think this is just a catchier song.

[Deleted]

Apr 24, 2024 13:24:57 GMT -5 theflying said:

I genuinely think this is a much stronger single choice than Broken Heart. This fits way more varieties of vibes and moods. The strongest singles are ones that fit the most kind of situations and have a low burn rate — like Anti-Hero, and Delicate. This is the best combination of those qualities while also delivering on the themes and mood of the album. I also think this is just a catchier song.

I personally just can’t see this being a hit as a 3rd single in the streaming era for example, whereas I can totally see ICDIWABH pulling that off. But as a lead Taylor single? Yeah, I think it makes total sense why it would smash.

[theflying]

Yeah it’s a very interesting topic to discuss in general about songs that only work as, like, a first single but not a third - agree with that about this.

LWYMMD a great example

[Acid Eyes]

I'd argue she always chooses a weird first single, which possible exceptions of Fearless (Love Story was probably the safest pick), Speak Now (likewise with Mine), evermore (ditto with willow), and Midnights (Anti-Hero was always going to enthrall the Tik Tok crowds).

Red -> State of Grace, Red, Holy Ground, or the eventual IKYWT would have smashed harder than WANEGBT
1989 -> any of the uptempos honestly would have worked
reputation -> Getaway Car would have been the most obvious, especially post-1989
Lover -> Cruel Summer being the most obvious
folklore -> august
TTPD -> ICDIWABH being the obvious choice; TTPD could have also worked

She tends to bit first singles that are controversial or frankly, kind of annoying lol. Like Shake It Off is still her biggest hit to this day, even though there are much better songs. It gets people talking. And she kept doing it because it kept working. It wasn't until Me! that it really backfired.

[balletgirlmom]

Beautiful song by Taylor and Post Malone.

[thezatch]

Hopefully we get some dance remixes this era. I found an unofficial dance remix for this on YouTube that fits the bill for the group fitness classes I teach until something official comes out (I won't link it here in case that's not allowed).

[Grün]

I literally can't get this out of my head. Weirdly enough, the music video really made the song spark. The chemistry between the two is palpable.

[Marooned@Midnight]

Apr 24, 2024 20:19:40 GMT -5 Grün said:

I literally can't get this out of my head. Weirdly enough, the music video really made the song spark. The chemistry between the two is palpable.

I completely agree. When I first heard it I was wondering if it would crack the top 10 on pop. Now I find myself wondering if it will be a multi-week #1. An absolute ear-worm.

[Positive Tension]

Yeah, the whole song is stuck in my head now. Post Malone's part at the end is still my favorite, but the whole song is infectious. It's still too early to tell how I would rank it among her leads and if it has the chance to be a long-running hit, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

[Normi]

Well most of her lead singles have always been provocative songs because she knows what she's doing
Red - WANEGBT was a big shift for her musically, set a statement and I don't think another song could have worked as the lead (lyrically)
1989 - SIO had another big shift, the message screamed lead single as well, BS might have worked too but that era was pretty flawless anyway (minus not pushing AYHTDWS)
reputation - LWYMMD was more of a statement than a song, hence why it was the lead, of course there were better songs/single-worthy ones (IDSM, DBM, especially Getaway Car) but they weren't a good opening to the era I'd say
Lover - yeah I don't know what they did with ME! there, no comment ☠️
folklore and evermore are a different story because of the type of music they were
Midnights - Anti-Hero, she adresses her fame and status AGAIN, obvious lead haha

But now with this I'm confused, lead single wise I think ICDIWABH would have had the strongest message but then again I also couldn't see it as a lead due to the chorus' lyrics (maybe 2nd though), there is nothing on the album that scream lead so maybe that's why they went with this
I love the song of course (especially Post's final parts/outro) and I'm glad it's smashing but that's just something I've noticed

[fearlessarrow]

POP:
-- 15 TAYLOR SWIFT Fortnight f/Post Malone 5370 0 5370 15.960

+929 Spins
+929 Bullet
+2.701 Audience

HOT AC:
-- 12 TAYLOR SWIFT Fortnight f/Post Malone 2405 0 2405 9.874

+341 Spins
+341 Bullet
+1.209 Audience

AC:
-- 14 TAYLOR SWIFT Fortnight f/Post Malone 260 0 260 1.478

+42 Spins
+42 Bullet
+0.150 Audience

[clsvltn]

I hope we get a version with more Post. His ending is so awesome. Maybe he can do a solo cover somewhere or they can do 2.0 like Lana on Snow on the Beach

But she does have a habit of doing that with Ed Sheeran for Everything has changed as well.. so here is hoping!