Back to December
Encyclopedia
"Back to December" is a song by American singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift
. Swift wrote the song and produced it alongside Nathan Chapman
. It was sent to country radios on November 15, 2010, by Big Machine Records
as the second single from Swift's third studio album, Speak Now
. According to Swift, "Back to December" is the first time she ever apologizes to someone in a song. Critics speculate that the song is about Taylor Lautner, Swift's ex-boyfriend, although both Swift and Lautner has neither confirmed nor denied these allegations. "Back to December" is considered an orchestral country pop
ballad and its lyrics are a remorseful plea for forgiveness for breaking up with a former lover.
"Back to December" was critically acclaimed by critics, who regarded it as one of the highlights of Speak Now. Critics have praised the song for its expressive lyrics, its indelible melody, and Swift's vocal improvement. The song enjoyed commercial success, debuting at number six on the United States Billboard Hot 100, and at number seven in Canada. It also peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. Internationally, the song received moderate success, peaking at number twenty-four in New Zealand, and number twenty-six in Australia.
The song's accompanying music video directed Yoann Lemoine
, laments the aftermath of a break-up between Swift and her boyfriend. The music video garnered mixed to positive receptions from critics; some praised the spectacular visual sense in portraying the somber mood while others criticized its inadequate narrative. Swift has performed "Back to December" in several live appearances, notably at the 44th annual Country Music Association Awards
and at the 38th American Music Awards
.
actor Taylor Lautner. However, neither Swift nor Lautner has confirmed or denied these rumors. "Back to December" was first released as a promotional single
from Speak Now on October 12, 2010 as a part of the exclusive campaign by the iTunes Store
leading up to the album's release. On November 15, 2010, the song was released as the second single from Speak Now.
song with a length of four minutes and fifty-five seconds. Bill Lamb from About.com
commented that "'Back To December' musically has a bit more of a rock feel than the previously released songs" and Stephen M. Deusner from The 1953called the song "an elegant ballad full of orchestral swells, solemn guitars, and pleading lyrics". It is set in common time
and has a ballad tempo of 72 beats per minute. It is written in the key of D major
and Swift's vocals span one octave
, from the note of F3 to A4. It follows the chord progression
of D–Bm7–G-D. Randy Lewis from Los Angeles Times
commented that "Back to December" is one of two songs where Swift has first incorporated an orchestra on record (the other being "Haunted").
The song's narrative
is in first person
, and depicts Swift apologizing to a young man whose heart she broke. Lyrically, it is about somebody who was incredible and perfect to her in a relationship. However, she was really careless with him hence the break-up. Therefore, the lyrics are the words that she would say to him that he deserves to hear. Mandi Bierly from Entertainment Weekly
describes the song as "a melancholy mea culpa with the kind of driving chorus and age-appropriate yet universal honesty", adding that "in the tune [...] she says she’s sorry for the last time he saw her ('You gave me roses, and I left them there to die') and that she wishes she realized what she had ('I’d go back to December, turn around, and change my own mind/I go back to December all the time').
Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly ranked these couplets from the song; ("Your guard is up and I know why, because the last time you saw me is still burned in the back of your mind / You gave me roses and I left them there to die"), at number two out of ten best couplets from Speak Now sheet.
gave the song a positive review commenting, "Swift's voice is unaffected enough to mask how masterful she has become as a singer; she lowers her voice for the payoff lines in the classic mode of a shy girl trying to talk tough." Jonathan Keefe from Slant Magazine
complimented Swift's ability "to write an indelible melody" and praised the production of the song, writing "[the song] showcase(s) Swift's unique knack for matching the overall tone of a melody to the broader themes of a song". He added that "it isn't easy to make a melancholy song like "Back to December" sound catchy at the same time, but that's what Swift does, and it's an impressive trick." Bobby Peacock from Roughstock gave the song four stars out of five and praised Swift's vocal, saying that "it's her best vocal since "Tim McGraw
"". He concluded that "[the song] feels a little more focused, a little more mature and a little better-sung than her previous material." The Oxonian Review
considers it the centerpiece of the melancholic album, noting how "equating regret with December is a mainstream American musical tradition" and this song is "the congruence of her singing and songwriting at its finest."
Ryan Brockington from New York Post
lauded the song, writing "it’s a very surprising, and somewhat brilliant, apology track where Taylor sings about wishing to fix a relationship she wished she wouldn't have ruined in the first place." His point was echoed by Rudy Klapper from Sputnikmusic
, who described the song as a "regret-filled apology". Stephen M. Deusner from The 1953 gave the song a thumbs-up and praised Swift as "an expressive singer", calling the song "a dark fantasy of apology and reconciliation" which is "a true heartbreaker". Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe graded the production of the song as "B", complimenting the lyrics in particular, by writing "it’s always a good sign when there’s a line as memorable as that one, the kind that lingers around in your head more than the song itself." He also added that he "appreciate(s) the restrained vocal, though a more varied melody would’ve made the chorus quite a bit more distinctive."
with sales of 242,000 digital downloads (approximately), on October 12, 2010. Following its single release, the song re-entered Billboard Hot 100 at number seventy-four on the week ending November 27, 2010. It reached a position of number eighteen. It also peaked at number one on Hot Digital Songs
, number eleven on Billboard Pop Songs and at number twelve on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs. "Back to December" also became Swift's fifth song to have failed to reach the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, instead peaked at the top three (the previous songs were "Teardrops on My Guitar
" at number two, "Picture to Burn
" at number three, and both of "White Horse
" and "Mine
" at number two "Mean
"at number two) and her ninth overall song to reach the top ten, but failed to reach the top spot (the previous songs were "Tim McGraw
" at number six, "Teardrops on My Guitar" at number two, "Picture to Burn" at number three, "White Horse" at number two, "Fifteen
" at number seven, "Fearless
" at number ten, and "Mine" at number two "Mean
" at number two.)
Internationally, "Back to December" has had moderate success. In Canada, the song entered the Canadian Hot 100
and peaked at number seven on the week ending October 30, 2010. In Australia, the song entered the Australian Singles Chart at number twenty-six on the week ending October 31, 2010. On the week ending October 18, 2010, the song debuted at number twenty-four on the New Zealand Singles Chart.
, who directed the video for Katy Perry
's "Teenage Dream
," and was filmed in late December 2010 before Christmas day. In an interview with Country Music Television
, Lemoine explained that he developed the idea for the video after being inspired from the movie, E.T.
. He also told MTV News
that he wanted the video to be simple yet metaphorical. He added, "I wanted to work on the coldness of feelings in a very visual way, playing with the snow, the distance and sadness." He wanted to focus on Swift's look in the video so that she would come off as accessible, saying "I wanted her to perform a very natural way, to make her look very European. This was the main challenge to me. All of Taylor's world is very far away from my culture, but I saw something in her that could be very rough and heartbreaking; far from the princess glittery outfits and glam that she often goes for." Lemoine was allowed to take control of the whole production of the video, although it was Swift's idea to have her character leave the letter for her beloved. Swift's love interest in the video was played by male model, Guntars Asmanis. Lemoine commented that Asmanis was the perfect fit for Swift's love interest, saying "I wanted a boy that was fragile and beautiful. I didn't want to go for a hunk or a perfect cheesy boy that would have killed the sincerity of the video." The music video premiered on January 13, 2011, on CMT and Great American Country
. Footages of the school and baseball stadium in the video were filmed in Binghamton, New York
, in MacArthur Park while scenes with Swift were shot in an old country mansion outside of Nashville
.
believed that the video is "appropriately understated" considering the fact that the song is all about making an apology. Bill Lamb from About.com perceived the lack of action in the music video. However, he concluded that the portrayal of anguish and the beauty of winter in the video were appropriate for the song lyrics. The Improper
noticed that the video has "the look and feel of a Hallmark movie and is almost as maudlin," while Amos Barshad of the New York
felt that the video was "terrible." Tamar Anitai of MTV
described the video as "a bummer", writing "[It] isn't just about a girl with her calendar permanently stuck on the twelfth month of the year. It's not just about feeling like a Lady Antebellum
song. It's about getting stuck in a place of romantic regret." In a different perspective, Kyle Anderson of MTV argued that the music video puts Swift in a "pantheon of modern classics" with regards to its "almost haunting visual sense" which makes up for the inadequate narrative. Leah Collins of Dose.ca
called the music video as "dreamy and moody". Her points are echoed by Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly, who deemed the video as "kind of lovely", which corresponds with the melancholic yet regretful mood of the song. Joycelyn Vena of MTV noticed that the video is "darker" and "somber", something that is not synonymous with Swift. Yet, The Oxonian Review
considers Swift's "listlessness, the bare trees, and snowy indoors" in the music video attuned to the tenor of the song, achieved by "mixing wide shots, medium close ups, and cut-ins of Ms Swift and her ex, matching their gazes across frames, and blurring focus tastefully."
at a showcase at the Salle Wagram theater, on October 18, 2010, to promote her upcoming album, Speak Now, set for release on the October 25, 2010. Swift also performed the song on Speak Now: Taylor Swift Live From New York City, a special programme which was streamed live on CMT.com, MTV.com, VH1.com and other MTV Networks websites in Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America to celebrate the release of her new album.
Swift also performed "Back to December" on several other occasions. On November 10, 2010, she performed the song live at the 44th annual Country Music Association Awards
at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Her performance of the song during that event was graded as a "B+" in the Los Angeles Times
, noting she "kept it simple" and "rose to the occasion". On November 21, 2010, Swift mashed
"Back to December" with OneRepublic
's "Apologize
" at the 38th American Music Awards
. Her rendition in that event was graded as a "B-" in the Los Angeles Times, noting that "a brief end-song breakaway into OneRepublic's "Apologize" seemed unnecessary".
Swift performed "Back to December" and several songs from Speak Now on November, 24, 2010 during Thanksgiving night, on NBC
. She later performed the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
on December 2, 2010. On January 31, 2011, she sang the song in JetBlue’s Terminal 5 in New York
as part of JetBlue’s Live at Terminal 5 concert series. She also performs the song on her Speak Now World Tour
. The performance was released on Swift's first live album
called Speak Now: World Tour Live
.
The song was used as one of the soundtracks on Philippine teen-oriented movie Tween Academy: Class of 2012 by GMA Films
.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
. Swift wrote the song and produced it alongside Nathan Chapman
Nathan Chapman (record producer)
Nathan Chapman is an American record producer who works in the field of country music. He is known primarily for working with Taylor Swift, having produced her albums Taylor Swift, Fearless and Speak Now. The former was also the first album that he produced...
. It was sent to country radios on November 15, 2010, by Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records is an Independent American record label specializing in country music artists. It was launched in 2005 by former DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta. The label was part of a joint venture between Borchetta and country singer Toby Keith, although Keith dropped his...
as the second single from Swift's third studio album, Speak Now
Speak Now
Speak Now is the third studio album by American singer–songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 25, 2010 by Big Machine Records. Production for the album took place during 2008 to 2010 at several recording studios, and was handled by Swift and country music producer Nathan Chapman...
. According to Swift, "Back to December" is the first time she ever apologizes to someone in a song. Critics speculate that the song is about Taylor Lautner, Swift's ex-boyfriend, although both Swift and Lautner has neither confirmed nor denied these allegations. "Back to December" is considered an orchestral country pop
Country pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
ballad and its lyrics are a remorseful plea for forgiveness for breaking up with a former lover.
"Back to December" was critically acclaimed by critics, who regarded it as one of the highlights of Speak Now. Critics have praised the song for its expressive lyrics, its indelible melody, and Swift's vocal improvement. The song enjoyed commercial success, debuting at number six on the United States Billboard Hot 100, and at number seven in Canada. It also peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. Internationally, the song received moderate success, peaking at number twenty-four in New Zealand, and number twenty-six in Australia.
The song's accompanying music video directed Yoann Lemoine
Yoann Lemoine
Yoann Lemoine is a French music video director, film director, and musician. His most notable works include Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream", Taylor Swift's single "Back to December" and Mystery Jets' "Dreaming of Another World"....
, laments the aftermath of a break-up between Swift and her boyfriend. The music video garnered mixed to positive receptions from critics; some praised the spectacular visual sense in portraying the somber mood while others criticized its inadequate narrative. Swift has performed "Back to December" in several live appearances, notably at the 44th annual Country Music Association Awards
Country Music Association Awards
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...
and at the 38th American Music Awards
American Music Awards of 2010
The 38th American Music Awards were held November 21, 2010 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from 2010. Nominees were announced on October 12, 2010. Justin Bieber was nominated for, and won, four awards, including Artist of...
.
Background and release
According to Swift, "Back to December" is an apology to a former lover in the form of a song, something that she has never done before. She continued, "I've never felt the need to apologize in a song before. But in the last two years I've experienced a lot, [including] a lot of different kinds of learning lessons. And sometimes you learn a lesson too late and at that point you need to apologize because you were careless." Based on the lyrics, critics have speculated that the song is Swift's apology to her ex-boyfriend, The Twilight SagaThe Twilight Saga (film series)
The Twilight Saga is a series of supernatural romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on the four Twilight series novels by the American author Stephenie Meyer. The films star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner. The series has grossed over $2 billion in worldwide...
actor Taylor Lautner. However, neither Swift nor Lautner has confirmed or denied these rumors. "Back to December" was first released as a promotional single
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
from Speak Now on October 12, 2010 as a part of the exclusive campaign by the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
leading up to the album's release. On November 15, 2010, the song was released as the second single from Speak Now.
Composition
"Back to December" is a country popCountry pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
song with a length of four minutes and fifty-five seconds. Bill Lamb from About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
commented that "'Back To December' musically has a bit more of a rock feel than the previously released songs" and Stephen M. Deusner from The 1953called the song "an elegant ballad full of orchestral swells, solemn guitars, and pleading lyrics". It is set in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
and has a ballad tempo of 72 beats per minute. It is written in the key of D major
D major
D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....
and Swift's vocals span one octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
, from the note of F3 to A4. It follows the chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
of D–Bm7–G-D. Randy Lewis from Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
commented that "Back to December" is one of two songs where Swift has first incorporated an orchestra on record (the other being "Haunted").
The song's narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
is in first person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
, and depicts Swift apologizing to a young man whose heart she broke. Lyrically, it is about somebody who was incredible and perfect to her in a relationship. However, she was really careless with him hence the break-up. Therefore, the lyrics are the words that she would say to him that he deserves to hear. Mandi Bierly from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
describes the song as "a melancholy mea culpa with the kind of driving chorus and age-appropriate yet universal honesty", adding that "in the tune [...] she says she’s sorry for the last time he saw her ('You gave me roses, and I left them there to die') and that she wishes she realized what she had ('I’d go back to December, turn around, and change my own mind/I go back to December all the time').
Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly ranked these couplets from the song; ("Your guard is up and I know why, because the last time you saw me is still burned in the back of your mind / You gave me roses and I left them there to die"), at number two out of ten best couplets from Speak Now sheet.
Critical reception
The song has received critical acclaim from music critics. Rob Sheffield from Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
gave the song a positive review commenting, "Swift's voice is unaffected enough to mask how masterful she has become as a singer; she lowers her voice for the payoff lines in the classic mode of a shy girl trying to talk tough." Jonathan Keefe from Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
complimented Swift's ability "to write an indelible melody" and praised the production of the song, writing "[the song] showcase(s) Swift's unique knack for matching the overall tone of a melody to the broader themes of a song". He added that "it isn't easy to make a melancholy song like "Back to December" sound catchy at the same time, but that's what Swift does, and it's an impressive trick." Bobby Peacock from Roughstock gave the song four stars out of five and praised Swift's vocal, saying that "it's her best vocal since "Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw (song)
"Tim McGraw" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was written by Swift and Liz Rose, and produced by Nathan Chapman. It was released on June 19, 2006 by Big Machine Records as Swift's debut single and the lead single from Swift's eponymous debut album, Taylor Swift...
"". He concluded that "[the song] feels a little more focused, a little more mature and a little better-sung than her previous material." The Oxonian Review
The Oxonian Review
The Oxonian Review is a literature and arts review journal produced by graduate students at the University of Oxford. Each week during term time, an online edition is published featuring reviews and essays on current affairs and literature...
considers it the centerpiece of the melancholic album, noting how "equating regret with December is a mainstream American musical tradition" and this song is "the congruence of her singing and songwriting at its finest."
Ryan Brockington from New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
lauded the song, writing "it’s a very surprising, and somewhat brilliant, apology track where Taylor sings about wishing to fix a relationship she wished she wouldn't have ruined in the first place." His point was echoed by Rudy Klapper from Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
, who described the song as a "regret-filled apology". Stephen M. Deusner from The 1953 gave the song a thumbs-up and praised Swift as "an expressive singer", calling the song "a dark fantasy of apology and reconciliation" which is "a true heartbreaker". Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe graded the production of the song as "B", complimenting the lyrics in particular, by writing "it’s always a good sign when there’s a line as memorable as that one, the kind that lingers around in your head more than the song itself." He also added that he "appreciate(s) the restrained vocal, though a more varied melody would’ve made the chorus quite a bit more distinctive."
Commercial performance
"Back to December" is one of fourteen songs on the standard edition of Speak Now which has charted within the top forty of the Billboard Hot 100. Upon its release as a promotional single, "Back to December" debuted at number six on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
with sales of 242,000 digital downloads (approximately), on October 12, 2010. Following its single release, the song re-entered Billboard Hot 100 at number seventy-four on the week ending November 27, 2010. It reached a position of number eighteen. It also peaked at number one on Hot Digital Songs
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
, number eleven on Billboard Pop Songs and at number twelve on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs. "Back to December" also became Swift's fifth song to have failed to reach the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, instead peaked at the top three (the previous songs were "Teardrops on My Guitar
Teardrops on My Guitar
"Teardrops on My Guitar" is a song by American country pop singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was co-written by Swift, alongside Liz Rose and produced by Nathan Chapman with Swift's aid. "Teardrops on My Guitar" was released on February 24, 2007 by Big Machine Records, as the second single...
" at number two, "Picture to Burn
Picture to Burn
"Picture to Burn" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was co-written by Swift and Liz Rose, and produced by Nathan Chapman. It was released on January 29, 2008 by Big Machine Records as the fourth single from Swift's eponymous studio album, Taylor Swift...
" at number three, and both of "White Horse
White Horse (song)
"White Horse" is a country music song performed by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was written by Swift and Liz Rose and produced by Nathan Chapman, with Swift's aid. The song was released on December 8, 2008 by Big Machine Records, as the second single from Swift's second studio...
" and "Mine
Mine (song)
"Mine" is a country pop song performed by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was written by Swift alone and produced by Swift along with Nathan Chapman. It was released as the lead single from Swift's third studio album, Speak Now by Big Machine Records...
" at number two "Mean
Mean (song)
"Mean" is a song by American country pop singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her third studio album, Speak Now . The song, written by Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman and Swift, was first released as a promotional single for the album on October 17, 2010, by Big Machine Records...
"at number two) and her ninth overall song to reach the top ten, but failed to reach the top spot (the previous songs were "Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw (song)
"Tim McGraw" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was written by Swift and Liz Rose, and produced by Nathan Chapman. It was released on June 19, 2006 by Big Machine Records as Swift's debut single and the lead single from Swift's eponymous debut album, Taylor Swift...
" at number six, "Teardrops on My Guitar" at number two, "Picture to Burn" at number three, "White Horse" at number two, "Fifteen
Fifteen (song)
"Fifteen" is a country pop song performed by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Swift self-penned the song and co-produced it along with Nathan Chapman. "Fifteen" was released on September 1, 2009 by Big Machine Records, as the fourth single from Swift's second studio album, Fearless...
" at number seven, "Fearless
Fearless (Taylor Swift song)
"Fearless" is a country pop song performed by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was co-written by Swift in collaboration with Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsey and produced by Nathan Chapman and Swift. "Fearless" was released on January 4, 2010 by Big Machine Records as the fifth and...
" at number ten, and "Mine" at number two "Mean
Mean (song)
"Mean" is a song by American country pop singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her third studio album, Speak Now . The song, written by Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman and Swift, was first released as a promotional single for the album on October 17, 2010, by Big Machine Records...
" at number two.)
Internationally, "Back to December" has had moderate success. In Canada, the song entered the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
and peaked at number seven on the week ending October 30, 2010. In Australia, the song entered the Australian Singles Chart at number twenty-six on the week ending October 31, 2010. On the week ending October 18, 2010, the song debuted at number twenty-four on the New Zealand Singles Chart.
Development and release
"Back to December"'s accompanying music video was directed by Yoann LemoineYoann Lemoine
Yoann Lemoine is a French music video director, film director, and musician. His most notable works include Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream", Taylor Swift's single "Back to December" and Mystery Jets' "Dreaming of Another World"....
, who directed the video for Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
's "Teenage Dream
Teenage Dream (Katy Perry song)
"Teenage Dream" is a song by American recording artist Katy Perry. It was released as the second single from her third studio album of the same name on July 23, 2010 through digital distribution. Perry and Bonnie McKee wrote many songs with a youthful theme in mind, but they were rejected by...
," and was filmed in late December 2010 before Christmas day. In an interview with Country Music Television
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
, Lemoine explained that he developed the idea for the video after being inspired from the movie, E.T.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
. He also told MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
that he wanted the video to be simple yet metaphorical. He added, "I wanted to work on the coldness of feelings in a very visual way, playing with the snow, the distance and sadness." He wanted to focus on Swift's look in the video so that she would come off as accessible, saying "I wanted her to perform a very natural way, to make her look very European. This was the main challenge to me. All of Taylor's world is very far away from my culture, but I saw something in her that could be very rough and heartbreaking; far from the princess glittery outfits and glam that she often goes for." Lemoine was allowed to take control of the whole production of the video, although it was Swift's idea to have her character leave the letter for her beloved. Swift's love interest in the video was played by male model, Guntars Asmanis. Lemoine commented that Asmanis was the perfect fit for Swift's love interest, saying "I wanted a boy that was fragile and beautiful. I didn't want to go for a hunk or a perfect cheesy boy that would have killed the sincerity of the video." The music video premiered on January 13, 2011, on CMT and Great American Country
Great American Country
Great American Country , is a Nashville, Tennessee-based country music cable television network.-History:The station launched December 31, 1995 and Garth Brooks' video "The Thunder Rolls" was the first video to air on GAC....
. Footages of the school and baseball stadium in the video were filmed in Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
, in MacArthur Park while scenes with Swift were shot in an old country mansion outside of Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Synopsis
The video begins when a young man is seen walking alone in a small town to the snowy football fields in a morning winter. A cut-scene shows Swift inside a house wearing a comfy sweater draped over one shoulder. She is brooding and singing about her lost love while wandering morosely around her apartment. She is also seen sitting in the bathtub, missing her boyfriend who she didn't treat well when they were together. About half way through, it starts to snow inside the spacious house. A montage of Swift writing a letter is shown alternately with scenes of her boyfriend strolling around the town. It is then revealed that the whole situation is the aftermath of a break-up between Swift and her boyfriend. It is also shown that Swift slips the letter that she has written in his coat pocket before he leaves. The final scene shows her ex-boyfriend sitting in the bleachers, reading her break-up letter.Reception
Critical receptions towards the music video were mixed to positive. Jillian Mapes of BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
believed that the video is "appropriately understated" considering the fact that the song is all about making an apology. Bill Lamb from About.com perceived the lack of action in the music video. However, he concluded that the portrayal of anguish and the beauty of winter in the video were appropriate for the song lyrics. The Improper
The Improper Bostonian
The Improper Bostonian is a glossy lifestyle guide for the city of Boston. The magazine comes out bi-weekly and reports on the area trends in a young and entertaining way.The magazine is a staple of the city, being free to people inside the city, and $14.95 a year for people who live outside Boston...
noticed that the video has "the look and feel of a Hallmark movie and is almost as maudlin," while Amos Barshad of the New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
felt that the video was "terrible." Tamar Anitai of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
described the video as "a bummer", writing "[It] isn't just about a girl with her calendar permanently stuck on the twelfth month of the year. It's not just about feeling like a Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum is an American country pop music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2006. The trio is composed of Charles Kelley , Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott .The group made its debut in 2007 as guest vocalists on Jim Brickman's single "Never Alone", before signing to Capitol...
song. It's about getting stuck in a place of romantic regret." In a different perspective, Kyle Anderson of MTV argued that the music video puts Swift in a "pantheon of modern classics" with regards to its "almost haunting visual sense" which makes up for the inadequate narrative. Leah Collins of Dose.ca
Dose (magazine)
Dose is a daily Canadian news website and former daily print magazine.Dose was a mixture of standalone features and coverage of daily news, sometimes from an irreverent perspective...
called the music video as "dreamy and moody". Her points are echoed by Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly, who deemed the video as "kind of lovely", which corresponds with the melancholic yet regretful mood of the song. Joycelyn Vena of MTV noticed that the video is "darker" and "somber", something that is not synonymous with Swift. Yet, The Oxonian Review
The Oxonian Review
The Oxonian Review is a literature and arts review journal produced by graduate students at the University of Oxford. Each week during term time, an online edition is published featuring reviews and essays on current affairs and literature...
considers Swift's "listlessness, the bare trees, and snowy indoors" in the music video attuned to the tenor of the song, achieved by "mixing wide shots, medium close ups, and cut-ins of Ms Swift and her ex, matching their gazes across frames, and blurring focus tastefully."
Live performances
Swift first performed "Back to December" in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
at a showcase at the Salle Wagram theater, on October 18, 2010, to promote her upcoming album, Speak Now, set for release on the October 25, 2010. Swift also performed the song on Speak Now: Taylor Swift Live From New York City, a special programme which was streamed live on CMT.com, MTV.com, VH1.com and other MTV Networks websites in Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America to celebrate the release of her new album.
Swift also performed "Back to December" on several other occasions. On November 10, 2010, she performed the song live at the 44th annual Country Music Association Awards
Country Music Association Awards
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...
at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Her performance of the song during that event was graded as a "B+" in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, noting she "kept it simple" and "rose to the occasion". On November 21, 2010, Swift mashed
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
"Back to December" with OneRepublic
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
's "Apologize
Apologize (song)
"Apologize" is a song written by OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder for OneRepublic's debut album Dreaming Out Loud. A remix version was included on the Timbaland album, Shock Value and on the deluxe version of Dreaming Out Loud...
" at the 38th American Music Awards
American Music Awards of 2010
The 38th American Music Awards were held November 21, 2010 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from 2010. Nominees were announced on October 12, 2010. Justin Bieber was nominated for, and won, four awards, including Artist of...
. Her rendition in that event was graded as a "B-" in the Los Angeles Times, noting that "a brief end-song breakaway into OneRepublic's "Apologize" seemed unnecessary".
Swift performed "Back to December" and several songs from Speak Now on November, 24, 2010 during Thanksgiving night, on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. She later performed the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
on December 2, 2010. On January 31, 2011, she sang the song in JetBlue’s Terminal 5 in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as part of JetBlue’s Live at Terminal 5 concert series. She also performs the song on her Speak Now World Tour
Speak Now World Tour
Speak Now World Tour is the second concert tour by American country singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift, in support of her third studio album, Speak Now. The tour visited Asia, Europe, North America and Australasia...
. The performance was released on Swift's first live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
called Speak Now: World Tour Live
Speak Now: World Tour Live
Speak Now: World Tour Live is the first live album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on November 21, 2011 by Big Machine Records. The live album debut at number 11 on the Billboard 200 with 77,000 sold.- Background :...
.
The song was used as one of the soundtracks on Philippine teen-oriented movie Tween Academy: Class of 2012 by GMA Films
GMA Films
GMA Network Films, Inc. is a film production company and a film studio established in 1995 by GMA Network, Inc. in the Philippines....
.
Track listing
- European digital download
- "Back to December" – 4:54
- UK digital download
- "Back to December" – 4:54
- US Acoustic digital download
- "Back to December" (Acoustic Version) – 4:52
Credits and personnel
- WritersLyricistA lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
: Taylor Swift - ProducersRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
: Taylor Swift & Nathan Chapman - MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
: Justin Niebank - MasteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
: Hank Williams
Charts and certifications
| Chart (2010–2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... ) |
26 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... ) |
7 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... ) |
24 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| Canada Music Canada Music Canada was a Canadian music television miniseries which aired approximately monthly on CBC Television from 1966 to 1967.-Premise:This series featured various special productions of music and dance, from classical to modern styles.-Scheduling:... |
Gold |
| United States | Platinum |
Release history
| Country | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | October 12, 2010 | Digital download |
| United States | ||
| Australia | October 13, 2010 | |
| New Zealand | ||
| United States | November 15, 2010 | Country radio |
| November 30, 2010 | Mainstream | |
| United Kingdom | March 20, 2011 | Digital download |
External links
- "Back to December" music video on YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....