Taylor Swift busts out a ten-minute multimedia musical showstopper on Saturday Night Live
The singer-songwriter's epic performance of "All Too Well" wins all breakups, forever
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There was a lot to like about last night’s Jonathan Majors-hosted Saturday Night Live. (Check out at least new featured players Aristotle Athari and Sarah Sherman who ran off with Weekend Update between them.) But all anybody’s likely to be talking about this Sunday morning is musical guest Taylor Swift’s killer rendition of her majestic, newly re-recorded breakup song, “All Too Well,” the ten-minute performance cleaving as it did the episode as neatly in twain as a certain actor reportedly did the young Swift’s heart.
There’s no secret who’s the subject of such cutting lyrics as, “And you call me up again just to break me like a promise/So casually cruel in the name of being honest.” And one has to wonder just how you’d feel if your celebrated ex blew the doors off of a venerated live TV show’s studio by not only bringing out an extended version of the breakup song that’s become an anthem for scorned lovers the world over, but singing it in front of the wrenchingly emotional short film she made to accompany it.
With the film (featuring Fear Street’s Sadie Sink and Love And Monsters’ Dylan O’Brien) silently depicting a painfully ruptured relationship behind her, and some well-timed falling leaves, falling show, and gusting, tear-streaking wind punctuating her lyrics, Swift delivered every line of her famous song like it was the first time—and like her famous former boyfriend was sitting in the front row. With SNL putting all its musical eggs in this one, elaborately staged basket, Swift stole the show, the audience breaking out in applause throughout, as Swift’s images and lyrics came together for one emotional crescendo after another. As Weekend Update co-anchor Colin Jost put it upon the show returning from its post-Swift commercial break, “Never break up with Taylor swift, or she will sing about you for ten minutes on national television.” Words to live by.
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Once again, it’s an awkward time to be Jim Gerbengorb or whatever his name is. What a great fucking song.
Someone he dated for a few months 10 years ago is doing 10 minute songs about him. He’s doing great.
It would be flattering if not for the fact that she has wrote and performed songs about her other dozen ex boyfriends. Being mad or sad about relationships that didn’t even last a year is her music brand.
I mean, to her audience her music brand is that she’s a very gifted writer. And she writes about things that hold significance to her. A lot of that has been romance. But what makes her music (as with any great artist) isn’t so much what her songs are about but how they are about it.And at the end of the day, can you measure what all your past relationhips meant to you strictly in terms of how long they lasted?You know, they used to say the same shit about Joni Mitchell. Not so much about Jackson Browne. Or Harry Styles, to name a more contemporary example. I wonder why that is.
people shit on harry styles constantly, and have done so for his entire career
Of course he gets shit, he’s super famous. They all do. But you can’t possibly claim that his personal relationships and the way he includes him into his music undergo even remotely the same level of media scrutiny.
Because everyone knows Harry Styles is just fluff (and no one even knows Jackson Browne enough to give a shit).
I mean, if it’ll help, I’ll slag the fuck out of Michael Buble and whatnot!
Nah, I feel like the best thing we all can do is not slag the fuck out of people all the time.Plus, from what I hear, Bublé at least has a decent sense of humor about himself. I don’t ever wanna listen to his weird, slippery teflon voice, but many people do and I say God bless em, and God bless Michael Bublé. I bet he’s a nice guy. And if he isn’t, that’s for someone else to deal with, not me.
Seriously though, I’m with ya. I’m too fucking old to give much of a shit about what media people like (if I don’t), or other’s opinions about what media I like (and they don’t). Always fun when there’s a good discussion to be had, but the whole “lol teh beatles suck” kinda shit is straight outta freshman year.
Totally. Although I will sometimes feel the need to defend certain art I like against what I believe are glaring biases. Honestly, I hope one day I’ll be comfortable enough with myself and what I like that I can lay off that habit for good. Until then I’ll indulge sometimes. No harm done.Otherwise, these days there’s a conscious effort on my part to not focus so much on things I don’t like or have negative feelings towards. If I’m critical of anything, it’s because I have passion for something. I have no interest in hating for hating’s sake.
Good way to be, man!
I just Googled “Jim Gerbengorb”… That is the first time I’ve ever gotten 0 results.
He succeeded where Barbra Streisand failed.
Jim Gerbengorg will get over it. As far as the top hit from Goats Head Soup, did Italian fullback Angelo Anquiletti really struggle with the song the Rolling Stones wrote about him to express their unhappiness with the way he helped lead Italy to the 1968 Euro Soccer Cup over England?Angie was just fine, thank you very much.
That was such a crazy astonishing achievement that I’m still coming into grips with it. What made it so astonishing is that all of it was ultimately really simple, but gripping to a degree that it didn’t feel long despite being ten effing minutes.
By the way, I don’t know about that curse of being that ex-boyfriend as you are kind of immortalized by now.
I guess I’m in the minority then, but I thought playing the full 10 minute version absolutely ruined any momentum this episode had (not having a second set also threw the rhythm of the last part of the show too).And while the song is good (and better to listen to instead of sitting there for 10 minutes watching on TV), it’s still really weird that she still seems so fixated on a relationship from ten years ago that only lasted five months.
The song is good, but her leaning into the story around it 10 years later with zero self awareness is very weird to me.
WDYM “fixated on a relationship”, this is a song she wrote years ago and played in concert many times since. And now she released the long-rumored 10 minute version (which was the original version, they cut it down for the album back then) partly because the re-recording of the album marked a good occasion to do so and partly because her fans have been asking for it for years.It’s a great song, and she’s a very good performer, that doesn’t mean that it’s all she thinks about.
I’m not familiar with much of her work but it definitely strikes me as odd that “creates a work from feelings she was having about a person/situation that results in a song, not an essay” turns into “she’s obsessed” when it’s how almost all halfway decent works of art originate? I’m pretty out of touch so maybe I’m wrong about how she’s received, but is there something about her in particular that generates this kind of response, or is it just that both she and various exes are famous and people like the drama?
I mean, without accusing anything of anybody, I’ll state the following observation: I’ve never seen this type of response when a male artist revisited break-up songs from their back catalogue.
I can’t believe Axl Rose is still so hung up on Erin Everly! Why is Bono such a psycho, he’s been “without her” for decades and still on about it? 40 years later Bill Withers continued to find no sunshine due to her absence??
And those sisters with their constant harping on us all to have a happy birthday! We get it, you enjoyed your second birthday, but stop trying to force us to relive your past glory!
Um, Bono has been married 40 years since 1982, so you have no idea what you are talking about
Good one!
Their a gif with a joke flying over someone’s head in place of these types words…
If you can name any where a guy kept singing about a woman who everyone knows that broke up with him years ago, please enlighten us
Probably because the male artist didn’t do a 1, 10 min song set, on a national tv show, complete with video background as well as leaves and snow as props.Oh and probably because for the first few years of their careers they didn’t straight up use their “shocked” face at every fucking sold out concert, like a psycho…
People like drama, and people certainly like to bash content made mainly for women (see: the Twilight saga, Spice Girls back in the day, bubblegum pop, romcoms).
Ed Sheeran made songs about his famous ex-girlfriend (who allegedly cheated on him), and I have yet to see people criticize him for it. But he’s a dude, so he gets a pass. Adele has never made an album that wasn’t about her hertbreaks, has just released a song about her divorce. But she makes music grown-ups like, so she gets a pass.
But it’s always open season on Taylor Swift. Funny, that. Or very telling.
Yes, so telling. So very, very telling. It tells.
Yep it’s one of her “greatest hits”But it really funny that the majority of her songs are about her ex boyfriends. It’s a bit sad that she defines so much of her music through the men she dated.
I’m not a big Taylor Swift fan, but come on, dude. Most ballads are written about someone the songwriter was in love with, or knew. We know that both “Something” by George Harrison and “Layla” and “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton were about Pattie Boyd.
But “All Too Well” isn’t just about Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal; it gave a lot of comfort to other people going through breakups, who didn’t necessarily have the words to describe their feelings. It’s very specific, but it’s also what makes it relatable.
She had, like, 3 or so songs mentioning her exes on her last 4 albums (not counting the rerecorded ones cause they were written years ago). She’s been in the same relationship for the last 5 years and most of her last two albums weren’t even based on her life.Although what’s wrong with writing about exes? Almost every song Adele has ever written was about hers and she only gets praised for that.
“Although what’s wrong with writing about exes?”Bob Dylan never would. His most famous song was about the hazards of a geological element moving away from its original fixed position.
“Everybody Must Get Stoned” ?
Good point…however Adele only makes albums every 5 years and doesn’t start fires.
Like, 80% of music is about being in love or being dumped. Wtf are you talking about
Seems like she sticks with what sells — a pretty shrewd move. It’s not like a time will come in her career where the general public is entirely disinterested in songs by which to process heartbreak.
…have you listened to a single Bob Dylan album from the 60s through the mid-70s?
The majority of her songs are not about breakups that’s just a sexist lie the media has said for years.
It’s a bit sad that I define so much of my self-worth through obsessing over indicators such as inflation and interest rates, but I suppose this is the life I chose when I decided to be Jerome Powell, Chair of the Federal Reserve.
The Taylor Swift of it all is an interesting two sided argument. She is so freaking talent. A really great songwriter and singer who really puts her heart in her songs, which, IMO makes them even better. I just don’t see how anyone can deny her talent.
The other side of it is her fans…who go after the people she writes about. I don’t think she shouldn’t write about them and I think it’s unfair that she gets called out, while so many male song artists don’t. But her fans are really….just like so many other fandoms. Volatile and mean. Jake Gyllenhaal does not deserve twitter attacks…And yes, Taylor is responsible for her fanbase too. should speak out and say “Hey guys, that was years ago. I’ve got a hot British boyfriend. I’ve moved on, you should too.”
And Taylor, talent as she is, is also pretty sensitive when people but her in their art. When Georgia and Ginny made some oft-handed comment about her, she called the writers sexist and sure enough, her fans went after the show. And I mean, the joke was dated but innocent(it wasn’t sexist at all..and i’m not some fan of the show which is basically “What if the Gilmore Girls didn’t have great one liners, Emily, or Paris”). But she seems to be have a “I can say what I want about you but do not say anything about me” mentality which she does weaponize. So yeah…Taylor the artist is great, Taylor the person should be more thoughtful of the power of her art .
careful the Swifties are out and they’re ready to murder you if you dislike anything about her or her performance or her thoughts or likes or food she ate yesterday or anything else. go easy and tread lightly
Yeah, the “fixation” isn’t on the relationship, it’s on the song. It’s widely considered her best by critics, is a favorite of fans—and is allegedly one of her own favorites, too. Over the last decade, the ten-minute version had taken on legendary status among her fan base. It’s not that weird that she’s playing up its release.There’s no indication that she’s written any songs about the guy since Red. Framing this as “being fixated on the relationship” is the same old reductive shit Swift’s faced since the beginning of her career.
It’s a great song, and she’s a very good performer, that doesn’t mean that it’s all she thinks about. I get it, but it’s just gonna be REALLY hard for her to buck the impression of her career as shtick, of a type. Obviously that doesn’t really matter, as she’s probably one of the three biggest pop acts on the planet, but the shtick (or the perhaps unfair assumption of same) is gonna stick.That said, the folks with that particular gripe weren’t ever the intended audience anyway.
Those folks can eat a dick, if you ask me, because they’re just rushing straight to shallow judgement, which is not only morally questionable but also just such a dull and simplistic way to look at things.But that’s just my opinion of course.
Yeah, I figure it either resonates with you or it doesn’t, and it’s entirely avoidable if it doesn’t. And it evidently resonates with a fuckload of people.
She’s just re-released the album from the time when they had just broken up. It’s not really a feature in 1989, Reputation, Lover, or evermore/folklore which either have some songs about different break-ups or about her current relationship. (And a lot of songs about neither of those!)All too well is considered to be one of her best songs, if it not the best one, as well.
I see your point about momentum, but by god this is the most moving and impactful musical performance I’ve ever seen on SNL. She completely and utterly crushed it. I’d trade five minutes of inane typical skit time for this any day of the week and twice on Sundays.I’ve always teetered between amusement and respect at how Swift skewers her exes. There’s no question which way I fall here.
Jesus Christ.
I think the media and her fan base is more to blame for the apparent “fixation”. They are obsessed with her love life and speculate about every breakup song she writes. That said, I think Swift knows exactly what she’s doing playing into this obsession. She doesn’t just write about love/heartache. She gently but not subtly indicts former boyfriends for hurting her, and she does it with a one-way megaphone and knowing full well it’ll be chum in the water. All breakups are messy, but she weaponizes her music and her fan base. I definitely feel bad for Gyllenhaal in that sense.
I was definitely thrown off by the post update section without a second musical number to when and go grab my chips and beer
There’s nothing wrong with performing and/or revisiting an old song. It’s her fans that are the problem. Stop harassing this poor dude for something that happened 11 years ago.
Definitely a straight man’s perspective, right?
One of the most amazing SNL musical performances I’ve ever seen. I’m not even a fan but was riveted. Love it when an artist and team bring that old stage space a completely unique look, too.
I’m also not a fan of hers, but now I can see why people are. That was impressive and I agree that Hiemoth that it was simple but really well thought through.
Co-sign. I just left a similar post above; this was straight-up epic. I’m open to suggestions, but can’t think of another SNL performance that left me speechless.
lol
I’m not a huge Taylor Swift fan, mostly because I’m about 30 years too old to really be in her following. My youngest daughter, however, is very much a fan. So I’m much more aware of her work than most artists I’ve never bothered to buy music from.Overall, I think she’s a solid performer and a very good lyricist, even though much of the music that goes along with those lyrics pretty much all sounds the same to me. I think her biggest strength has always been the ability to produce snappy pop tunes that hook you, gets in your head and stay there.I’m sure last night’s performance was just what her rabid fans were looking for, but it was way too long for me. Way. Too. Long. About five minutes in I was really, really ready for it to be over with.I worked in broadcasting for a while when I was younger and had a couple of songs I always had on hand in case I needed to take an unplanned break and leave the booth. They were Iron Butterfly’s In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida at 17:05 minutes and The Outlaws’ Green Grass and High Tides at 9:49 minutes. I think Swift’s new extended version of All Too Well will served that same function for any future DJs who might still work live boards.
FYI most of them voice track now. You can do an entire four hour shift in about 45 minutes, and take an epic dump before, during or after.
I am very aware of that. That’s why I said “any future DJs who might still work live boards.”
Very good performance. I learned in my teens “never date a poet” (joke). Since everything that went wrong in my first serious relationship was immortalized in poetry. Buy Taylor swift is GODDESS Level in her ability to burn guys that messed her over. Nobody have ever been better at it! Good for her.
I’m right there with you – my dating/marriage days with my now ex-wife span, I believe, 3 books and a thesis (and counting…)
Sorry man.
It’s a shame that the drama surrounding the song is overshadowing how cool this performance was. It was a marathon performance and she kind of nailed it. I’d love for her to host soon. She and Ariana Grande are a few of the A-list singers who I think are more than capable of pulling double duty
During the pandemic, one of the most surprising entertainment developments for me is how many hours I’ve watched of Selena Gomez—on Only Murders in the Building and her SHOCKINGLY good cooking show on HBO Max… and I think she would absolutely nail hosting and being musical guest. Admittedly, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard an entire song of hers, but I assume it’s the kind of pleasant-enough pop that wouldn’t stand out or offend. But she seems pretty personable and her acting is probably way better than any of the popstar with songs that would still chart.
Taylor has actually already hosted SNL years ago and has been in multiple skits during her 5 times as musical guest. Look for videos on YouTube, especially the monologue song- it’s rather hilarious! She is a great comedic actor in addition to being an amazing writer, producer, performer, director, etc., etc. I am over 40 and not ashamed to admit that I am a huge fan, but not the kind that goes after her exes on social media. She has many different styles/genres within her 11 album catalogue so there’s truly something for everyone. Unless you only like death metal. If you are a real lover of music, you will appreciate her work, most of which is not about her normal amount of exes, and what she is doing for the music industry. She has also released a documentary on Netflix and concert films on Netflix, YouTube and Disney+ that are worth checking out to see what all the fuss is about. She’s who I want my daughter looking up to.
Imagine thinking this is anything but embarrassing for Taylor Swift.
I’m about to press Play. This will be the first time I’ve ever heard a Taylor Swift song. Here we go!EDIT: Have you all heard about this Taylor Swift?! She’s really good!
You know damn well it is not the first time you’ve heard a Taylor Swift song, nobody thinks you’re cool or edgy for saying that.
I may have in passing and not known it, but as far as I know, it really is. And I dig this song!But, since we’re keeping score: I think you’re cool and edgy for calling me out on something you have no way of proving!
All hilarious jokes aside, though, I love the thought of posting a comment with the hopes of others thinking I’m cool and/or edgy. What a weird way to go through life!
The only Taylor Swift song I consciously know about is the one from a Hunger Games movie.
No but there’s a band from Liverpool England you might like, too.
Ooh, tell me more!
Four lads who are going to set the world on fire. Paul is the cute one, Ringo is the funny one, George is the shy one, and John is the smart one.
Tell me more about these George and John fellows… Can I see them live anywhere these days?
It’s a good song but a ten minute version is unneeded. No one needs to bitch about Jake Gyllenhaal that long
(it’s not even that good)
She only did the 10 minute version because her fans have been literally begging for it since they found out it existed and it was the perfect opportunity for her to release it since she is re-recording her first six albums. It only is she changing the music industry, but she also just stuck it to Scooter Braun and Scott Borcbetta SO hard. She’s a damn genius, that one. Haters gonna hate.
How is she “changing the music industry” exactly?
Thankfully, Taylor and I only went on one date and mutually agreed there wasn’t a lot of chemistry and we each paid for our own coffee and donut, so there are no vicious songs coming about me.
Guess you didn’t hear her latest, “Macchiato Isn’t Pronounced That Way, You Knob”?
Also she wanted a doughnut.
God damn it, and I even apologized for that at the time. She really mines everything for materials doesn’t she?
“You Know Caffeine Gives Me the Jitters, You Absolute Bell-end.”
I’ll definitely be in the minority here, but I just…don’t get it. Good for her for singing live, though she’s not much of a singer, and the song…isn’t much of a song. It’s a ragey breakup anthem, but in the pantheon of pop songwriting, it’s not particularly distinguished one musically or lyrically other than its high notoriety and how much promo it’s gotten, and its subject, I guess?
It’s one of the most generic pieces of music possibly ever. These swifties need to turn on their brains.
I don’t know her music well and obviously don’t know everything that happened in all her relationships, but does she ever acknowledge even possibly being at any fault in the breakups or is it always 100% the guy’s fault?
Yes. One of her most loved ballads on her third album is about how she regrets handling a relationship.
Thank you!
Contrary to popular belief, most of her music is NOT about her breakups. Still, you can see how she has matured over the last ten years through her music if you dive deep. She has never named anyone in her music and the only ex I’ve seen her call out in an interview with Ellen was Joe Jonas when she was like 18 years old and she has since apologized for doing so even though he was guilty. They are actually friends now and he and his wife were in the audience for her SNL performance this weekend. The media is the actual problem with their speculations and lack of depth.
I mean just damn. I don’t remember once in my life being mesmerised like this by a performer on SNL. I’m not Swift’s demo but generally like her music just fine. My daughters lover her, and I appreciate a young woman who manages to transition from being a teen star to adult this gracefully. Not many manage to do so without some sort of embarrassing “look how grown up I am!” phase.
This was another whole level. Brav-o.
Oh god, who cares.
I gather this song is burned into the emotional consciousness of millions of teen girls, like the first two Harry Potter movies are burned into the consciousness of millions of people who were kids when they came out. That doesn’t make it an artistically great song. I bet plenty of those very same people enjoyed Jake Gyllenhall’s performance in Spider-Man: Far From Home anyway. Swift is going to be known as a singer whose career was built on narcissistic revenge songs against ex-boyfriends.
Is there anything more trite and juvenile than obsessively writing revenge songs about your exes? What are you, 14?Also, Swift is a really weak vocalist.
Clearly you haven’t actually listened to her music. I challenge you to listen to her last five albums- 1989, Reputation, Lover, Folklore and Evermore- and come back and tell us how many songs sounded like she was obsessively writing revenge songs about exes. Also, let us know how her vocals are. And then, don’t speak about things you know nothing about.
Yeah without the benefit of a lyric sheet, after a while all I could imagine was a voice saying, “your call is very important to us…please stay on the line…”
Although I have loved her music in the past, this was the most boring performance I have yet to see on SNL. So self indulgent. Two thumbs way down
I was impressed. I had never heard the song before, but the song and her performance were great. Most of her stuff I have heard over the years has sounded inoffensive and insubstantial to me like a lot of her pop contemporaries, but I understand why the fans gravitated to this song.
Her most recent album Evermore is absolutely fantastic, it is more folk music than pop music.
A ten-year-old diss track that rambles on for 10 minutes, with no compelling melody or structure? What is this, Bob Dylan? That shit was boring AF.
It was good, but I think I would’ve liked the performance more without the giant movie in the background. It was like Swift was barely there, and just adding background music to some sad film featuring actors I barely know. The promos should’ve said, “Also featuring a movie where that girl from Fear Street and that one guy from Love and Monsters break up! You may also see Taylor Swift in there somewhere, singing the narration!”
Well, I sat through about half of that video and I must say it’s not exactly the masterstroke of vindictive genius I had imagined it would be. I know I’m a generation away from the core audience but I should at least be able to know what the hell the singer is talking about. Instead I heard a middling country tune where the person is narrating their life in real time and every once in a while makes a snarly face at the camera. Finally a Gen Zer (?) at work filled me in on all the drama behind the song/movie and now eeeuww I’m, like, grossed out…
Objectively there’s nothing wrong with revisiting a breakup song you wrote 11 years ago. However, Swifties are insane and they are still harassing Jake Gyllenhaal over it. Taylor knows this and I don’t see her doing much about it.
Every time I see her perform live I’m struck by how weak her voice is.
This 100% trash. It was “fine” when she was teen singing about typical teen angst, “love” lost, etc.But now? This is psycho behavior. No, I do not care she is re-releasing her albums because greed, er I mean, “reasons”. Psycho shit is psycho shit. Plain and simple.
Well I guess she could have written a song about Tina Fey & Amy Poehler if she really wanted to get the fans riled up.
This is all amusing and everything, but you realize that she isn’t far away from the power to order her followers to drink Kool-Aid or to storm the Capitol because some Congressional staffer didn’t give her a Valentine in third grade.