"State of Grace" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, and was first released on her fourth studio album Red (2012). Big Machine Records released the song as a promotional single for digital download on October 16, 2012. Swift produced the track with Nathan Chapman. "State of Grace" is an arena rock song that includes chiming guitars and dynamic drums; it is the opening track of Red and is about the tumultuous feelings evoked by the first sights of love, setting the tone for an album about lost romance.

"State of Grace"
Promotional single by Taylor Swift
from the album Red
Released	October 16, 2012 (2012-10-16)
Genre	Arena rock
Length	4:56
Label	Big Machine
Songwriter(s)	Taylor Swift
Producer(s)	Taylor Swift Nathan Chapman

Music critics noted "State of Grace" for expanding Swift's previous country pop catalog. They praised its anthemic production and emotional sentiments, and retrospectively included it among Swift's best songs. "State of Grace" peaked within the top 50 of singles charts in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK. It reached number nine on the Canadian Hot 100 and number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, and received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Swift released a re-recorded version of "State of Grace", subtitled "Taylor's Version", as part of her re-recorded album, Red (Taylor's Version) (2021). "State of Grace (Taylor's Version)" peaked within the top 10 of singles charts in Ireland, Canada, and Singapore; and top 20 in New Zealand, the UK, and the US.

Background and release

In October 2010, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift released her third studio album Speak Now, which she wrote and co-produced with Nathan Chapman, her long-time collaborator.[1] The album extends the country pop sound of Swift's two previous albums with elements of radio-friendly pop crossover that are evident on its predecessor Fearless (2008).[2]

On Speak Now's follow-up Red, Swift aimed to experiment beyond her earlier albums' formulaic country-pop sound.[1] "State of Grace" is one of the first songs Swift wrote in Nashville, Tennessee, before she went to Los Angeles to approach producers.[1] Swift co-produced the song and eight other tracks for Red with Chapman.[3] "State of Grace" was recorded by engineers Brian David Willis, Chad Carlson, and Matt Rausch; and mixed by Justin Niebank at Blackbird Studios, Nashville.[3] Hank Williams mastered the track at Nashville's MasterMix studio.[3]

From September 24, 2012, to promote Red, Swift released on the iTunes Store one track each week until the album's October 22 release date as part of a four-week release countdown.[4] "State of Grace" was released as the final promotional single from Red on October 16 during the final week of the countdown.[5][6]

On August 6, 2021, Swift announced that "State of Grace" along with its acoustic version would be re-recorded, titled "State of Grace (Taylor's Version)" and "State of Grace (Acoustic Version) (Taylor's Version)", would be included as the first track and twentieth track on her second re-recorded album Red (Taylor's Version), which were released on November 12, 2021, through Republic Records.[7]

Music and lyrics

"State of Grace"

An arena rock song instrumented by chiming guitars and dynamic drums, "State of Grace" is about the tumultuous feelings evoked from the first sights of love.

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"State of Grace" is the opening track of Red.[3] It is an arena rock song with anthemic production, and is backed by chiming guitars and dynamic drums.[8][9][10] Music journalists said the song's rock-leaning production departs from the country-pop sound of Swift's previous albums, citing Irish rock band U2 as a possible influence.[11] Music professor James Perone said "State of Grace" is reminiscent of 1980s college rock[12] while Marc Hogan from Spin and Randall Roberts from the Los Angeles Times compared the song's style to that of U2's album The Joshua Tree (1987).[13][14]

The song is lyrically consistent with Swift's romantic themes, and is about the tumultuous feelings evoked by the first sights of love.[14][15] The song uses feedback and reverberation for the guitars and Swift sings loudly and with elongated syllables.[10][5] In the second verse, the bass halts for a contemplative moment and Swift sings; "We are alone, just you and me / Up in your room and our slates are clean".[15][16] The song's tempo quickens as Swift sings with fast-paced drums and propelling guitars in the background.[17] According to Entertainment Weekly's Grady Smith, contrary to Swift's usual intricate storytelling, "State of Grace" puts heavy emphasis on the production. Smith wrote the expansive sound represents the song's theme of a "dawning sense of triumphant wonder that accompanies love".[9]

Several critics highlighted the maturity of Swift's songwriting on "State of Grace"; Hogan found the lyrics uplifting because Swift does not seek revenge for a failed relationship in the lines; "And I never saw you coming / And I'll never be the same".[14] In a review for The Atlantic, Brad Nelson said Swift introduced more nuances to the narrative than those in her previous love songs; after clichéd lyrics about love; "We fall in love 'til it hurts or bleeds / or fades in time", she "gets writerly" with the second-verse lines "We are alone, just you and me / Up in your room and our slates are clean / Just twin fire signs / four blue eyes", using "the kind of details that detach from a narrative and stretch over it like clouds", reminding Nelson of the work of Steely Dan songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.[17] The song concludes with the lyric "Love is a ruthless game / unless you play it good and right", which sets the tone for an album about complex feelings ensuing from lost romance.[10][18]

Live performances

Swift performed "State of Grace" live for the first time on November 15, 2012, during the second season of the U.S. version of The X Factor.[19] She later performed the song at Z100 Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden, New York City, on December 7, 2012.[20] The song was first on the set list of the Red Tour (2013–14).[21] Swift performed the song on July 10, 2018, at a concert at Landover, Maryland, as part of her Reputation Stadium Tour.[22]

Critical reception

Upon its release, "State of Grace" received positive reviews from critics.[11] Grady Smith from Entertainment Weekly commented on the song's rock sound: "the extended instrumental breaks provide a more forceful, mature impact than Swift's standard sass".[9] Spin's Marc Hogan lauded the production as "brutally effective"[14] and August Brown from the Los Angeles Times said the track is Red's most arresting and promising song.[5] Adam Graham of The Detroit News complimented Swift's songwriting for creating "moments of intimacy within the booming sonics", which showcased a new aspect of her artistry.[16] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard commented on the song's "sweeping emotion" and labeled it Swift's bold experimentation with arena rock.[10]

Michael Robbins from Spin chose "State of Grace" as one of the album's songs that "go down like pop punch spiked by pros".[23] Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times named the song as evidence of swift's experimentation beyond country music on Red. Roberts praised the track but said the experimentation makes Swift "like a mere cypher for the music that surrounds her".[13] Jonathan Keefe from Slant Magazine was disappointed by the song's repetitive drums and guitars because it prioritizes musical experimentation but fails to exhibit Swift's songwriting abilities.[24]

Retrospective reviews of "State of Grace" have been highly positive, with several critics picking it as one of Swift's best songs. In a 2019 review of Red for Pitchfork, Brad Nelson wrote "State of Grace", while produced by Swift's longtime collaborator Chapman, is an example of her emerging versatility beyond country.[15] Jordan Sargent of Spin described its production as a "thematically perfect musical composition, unhurried as if to marinate on the moment but also fleetingly epic".[25] The staff of Billboard included the track on their 2017 list of the "100 Best Deep Cuts by 21st Century Pop Stars", describing the built-up arena rock production as "a wallop quite unlike anything in Swift's catalog".[26] Hannah Mylrea of NME, Jane Song of Paste, and Nate Jones of New York included the song among the 10 best songs in Swift's catalog, all lauding the arena-rock sound that Swift has since not recreated.[8][27][28]

Commercial performance

"State of Grace" charted on singles charts of several Anglophone countries, peaking within the top 50 in Australia (44),[29] Ireland (43),[30] the UK (36),[31] and New Zealand (20).[32] The song peaked at number nine on the Canadian Hot 100[33] and at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100,[34] and received a gold certification from the RIAA, denoting sales of 500,000 track-equivalent units based on sales and on-demand streaming.[35]

Credits and personnel

"State of Grace" (2012)[3]

"State of Grace (Taylor's Version)" (2021)[36]

Charts

Certification

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[35]	Gold	500,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

Notes

Citations

На других языках

[es] State of Grace (canción)

[ru] State of Grace