:Fortnight (song)

File:Taylor Swift Eras Tour TTPD Set Fortnight.jpg act on the Eras Tour, on a bed emblazoned with the album's logo|left|alt=Swift standing on a bed onstage]]

Taylor Swift developed her eleventh original studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, immediately after finishing her previous album Midnights (2022). She continued working on The Tortured Poets Department while embarking on the Eras Tour in 2023, amidst media reports on her personal life including a breakup after a long-term relationship with Joe Alwyn and a short-lived romantic linking with Matty Healy.{{Cite news |last=Sisario |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Sisario |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Arrives With a Promotional Blitz |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/19/arts/music/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422193932/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/19/arts/music/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department.html |archive-date=April 22, 2024 |access-date=July 30, 2024 |work=The New York Times}}{{cite magazine |last1=Dailey |first1=Hannah |date=April 16, 2024 |title=Everything We Know About Taylor Swift's New Album The Tortured Poets Department So Far |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-everything-we-know/taylor-swift-new-album-tortured-poets-department-collaborators/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419110034/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-everything-we-know/taylor-swift-new-album-tortured-poets-department-collaborators |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |access-date=April 17, 2024 |magazine=Billboard}}

Swift announced The Tortured Poets Department at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024,{{Cite magazine |last=Martoccio |first=Angie |date=February 5, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Announces New Album Tortured Poets Department at Grammys |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-grammys-tortured-poets-department-1234960908/ |url-access=limited |access-date=May 12, 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=May 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240512062108/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-grammys-tortured-poets-department-1234960908/ |url-status=live }} and unveiled the track listing via social media the following day. "Fortnight" is the opening track on the album, with Post Malone as the featured artist.{{Cite magazine |last=Garcia |first=Thania |date=February 5, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Shares Tracklist for The Tortured Poets Department, Featuring Post Malone and Florence + Machine |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/taylor-swift-tracklist-the-tortured-poets-department-post-malone-florence-machine-1235898976/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240206054210/https://variety.com/2024/music/news/taylor-swift-tracklist-the-tortured-poets-department-post-malone-florence-machine-1235898976/ |archive-date=February 6, 2024 |access-date=February 5, 2024 |magazine=Variety}} Swift brought the track to Malone's home studio in Los Angeles, and he recorded his background vocals and additional hooks for the bridge.{{Cite news |last1=Coscarelli |first1=Joe |last2=Traff |first2=Thea |date=August 8, 2024 |title=How Post Malone Went Country (Carefully, With a Beer in His Hand) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/08/arts/music/post-malone-f-1-trillion-country-music.html |url-access=limited |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=January 31, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250131155010/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/08/arts/music/post-malone-f-1-trillion-country-music.html |url-status=live }} During an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1 in February 2024, Malone said that he had not heard the full song.{{cite web|url=https://people.com/post-malone-talks-tortured-poets-collaboration-fortnight-taylor-swift-8575333|title=Post Malone Can't Wait to Hear His Tortured Poets Collab with Taylor Swift: 'Pretty Fort Knox About That'|last=Mazzeo|first=Esme|website=People|date=February 9, 2024|access-date=April 17, 2024|archive-date=April 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240417184526/https://people.com/post-malone-talks-tortured-poets-collaboration-fortnight-taylor-swift-8575333|url-status=live}}

"Fortnight" was released as the lead single of The Tortured Poets Department on April 19, 2024, concurrently with the album's release;{{cite magazine |last1=Denis |first1=Kyle |date=April 18, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Reveals The Tortured Poets Department{{'s}} First Single & Drops Fan Challenge |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-lead-single-challenge-1235660033/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418200136/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-lead-single-challenge-1235660033/ |archive-date=April 18, 2024 |access-date=April 18, 2024 |magazine=Billboard}}{{Cite web |date=April 19, 2024 |title=As The Tortured Poets Department drops, here's all Taylor Swift's albums ranked by sales |url=https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/as-the-tortured-poets-department-drops-here-s-all-taylor-swift-s-albums-ranked-by-sales/089645 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419095336/https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/as-the-tortured-poets-department-drops-here-s-all-taylor-swift-s-albums-ranked-by-sales/089645 |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |access-date=July 30, 2024 |website=Music Week}} it was released to United States contemporary hit radio and hot adult contemporary radio by Republic Records, Italian radio airplay by Universal Music Group, and Canadian radio airplay by Republic/Universal. Swift unveiled the cover artwork via social media; it is a grayscale photograph of Swift resting her cheek on a closed fist and Malone gazing into the camera with his hands clasped. The track was made available for purchase as a limited-time CD single through Swift's online store in the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Switzerland.{{efn|References:}} A remix by Blond:ish was released on May 21, and an acoustic version and a remix by Cults followed on July 9, 2024.{{cite magazine |last=Kaufman |first=Gil |date=July 9, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Drops Hushed Acoustic Version of Post Malone Collab 'Fortnight' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-acoustic-version-post-malone-fortnight-cults-remix-1235727015/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240709141726/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-acoustic-version-post-malone-fortnight-cults-remix-1235727015/ |archive-date=July 9, 2024 |access-date=July 9, 2024 |magazine=Billboard}} A special 7-inch vinyl edition was released on April 12, 2025, to commemorate Record Store Day.

Starting from the Eras Tour shows in May 2024 in Paris, Swift revamped the set list to include songs from The Tortured Poets Department, including "Fortnight".{{Cite magazine |last=Paul |first=Larisha |date=May 13, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Celebrates Tortured Poets Induction Into Eras Tour Set List: It's 'Female Rage the Musical' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-eras-tour-set-list-post-1235019481/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517180937/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-eras-tour-set-list-post-1235019481/ |archive-date=May 17, 2024 |access-date=May 13, 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}{{Cite magazine |last=Dailey |first=Hannah |date=May 13, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Says She's 'So Fired Up' to Play New Tortured Poets Set for the Rest of the Eras Tour |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-performing-tortured-poets-eras-tour-1235681173/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517051958/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-performing-tortured-poets-eras-tour-1235681173/ |archive-date=May 17, 2024 |access-date=May 13, 2024 |magazine=Billboard}} For the performance of "Fortnight", the stage featured a "TTPD"-emblazoned bed and dancers dressed as nurses. Swift sang the song as she sat on a typewriter, across from a dancer, and the bed, which also resembled an office desk, moved across the stage.{{Cite magazine |last=Shafer |first=Ellise |date=May 10, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Masterfully Reinvents the Eras Tour for Its European Version: See All the Changes |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/global/taylor-swift-eras-tour-changes-europe-tortured-poets-department-1235998418/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240512095745/https://variety.com/2024/music/global/taylor-swift-eras-tour-changes-europe-tortured-poets-department-1235998418/ |archive-date=May 12, 2024 |access-date=May 13, 2024 |magazine=Variety}}{{Cite web |last=Mylrea |first=Hannah |date=June 8, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift live in Edinburgh: The Eras tour finally hits the UK |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/live/taylor-swift-live-in-edinburgh-3763814 |access-date=February 12, 2025 |website=NME |archive-date=February 10, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250210185738/https://www.nme.com/reviews/live/taylor-swift-live-in-edinburgh-3763814 |url-status=live }}

Swift and Malone wrote "Fortnight" with Jack Antonoff, who programmed the track and played acoustic guitar, electric guitar, the Juno, the M1, drums, and percussion. Sean Hutchinson played additional drums, which were recorded by himself and Michael Riddleberger at Hutchinson Sounds in Brooklyn. Malone's vocals were recorded and produced by Louis Bell at Electric Feel Studios in Los Angeles. "Fortnight" was produced by Swift and Antonoff; recorded by Laura Sisk and Oli Jacobs at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles and Electric Lady Studios in New York City; and mixed by Serban Ghenea at Mixstar Studios in Virginia Beach.{{Cite AV media notes |last=Swift |first=Taylor |title=The Tortured Poets Department |author-link=Taylor Swift |publisher=Republic Records, an imprint of Universal Music Group |type="The Black Dog" edition CD liner notes |year=2024 |id=602465081367}}

{{Listen

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| title = "Fortnight"

| description = A sample of "Fortnight", showing the pulsing synth bassline, Swift's monotonic vocals, and Malone's backing vocals in the lyric, "I love you, it's ruining my life."

| pos = right

}}

"Fortnight" is 3 minutes and 48 seconds long. It is a 1980s-influenced ballad that incorporates downtempo,{{Cite news |last=Hodgkinson |first=Will |author-link=Will Hodgkinson |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Love, Men and the Story Behind Each Song on Taylor Swift's New Album |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-track-by-track-guide-zp7qjwszr |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419065612/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-track-by-track-guide-zp7qjwszr |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |newspaper=The Times}}{{Cite news |last=Richardson |first=Mark |date=April 23, 2024 |title=The Tortured Poets Department Review: Taylor Swift's Songs of the Self |url=https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/music/the-tortured-poets-department-review-taylor-swift-jack-antonoff-aaron-dessner-matty-healy-452feecb |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423210946/https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/music/the-tortured-poets-department-review-taylor-swift-jack-antonoff-aaron-dessner-matty-healy-452feecb |archive-date=April 23, 2024 |access-date=April 24, 2024 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal}} electropop,{{Sfn|Zaleski|2024}}{{Cite news |last=Shteamer |first=Hank |date=February 3, 2025 |title=Taylor Swift Hasn't Won Record or Song of the Year Grammys. Yet. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/02/arts/music/taylor-swift-grammy-awards.html |url-access=limited |access-date=February 3, 2025 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=February 3, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250203050024/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/02/arts/music/taylor-swift-grammy-awards.html |url-status=live }} synth-pop,{{Cite magazine |last=Webb |first=Lauren |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department/ |access-date=April 20, 2024 |magazine=Clash |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419123911/https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite magazine |last=Camp |first=Alexa |date=April 20, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift and Post Malone Enter Love Rehab in 'Fortnight' Video |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/taylor-swift-post-malone-fortnight-music-video/ |access-date=April 22, 2024 |magazine=Slant Magazine |archive-date=April 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422095209/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/taylor-swift-post-malone-fortnight-music-video/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite magazine |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |date=April 25, 2024 |title='Fortnight' feat. Post Malone (2024) |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/fortnight-feat-post-malone-2024-1235008802/ |access-date=February 16, 2025 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=September 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909194726/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/fortnight-feat-post-malone-2024-1235008802/ |url-status=live }} and new wave.{{Cite web |last=Renaud |first=Philippe |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Avec "The Tortured Poets Department", Taylor Swift n'innove pas, elle se raffine |trans-title=With The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift Doesn't Innovate, She Refines Herself |url=https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/musique/811316/critique-musique-the-tortured-poets-department-taylor-swift-innove-pas-elle-raffine |access-date=September 30, 2024 |website=Le Devoir |language=fr}} Its subtle electronic production is instrumented by a pulsing synth bassline generated by 8-bit synth plucks{{Cite web |last=Bannikov |first=Igor |date=April 23, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Overcomes Breakup on The Tortured Poets Department |url=https://www.popmatters.com/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department |access-date=April 24, 2024 |website=PopMatters |archive-date=April 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423153335/https://www.popmatters.com/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |author-link=Alexis Petridis |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poets Department Review – Fame, Fans and Former Flames in the Line of Fire |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/apr/19/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-review-fame-fans-and-former-flames-in-the-firing-line |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419042429/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/apr/19/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-review-fame-fans-and-former-flames-in-the-firing-line |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |newspaper=The Guardian}} that repeat every eight bars.{{Cite web |last=Senior |first=Mike |date=June 6, 2024 |title='Fortnight' |url=https://themixreview.org/reviews/fortnight/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |website=The Mix Review |archive-date=October 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241015065513/https://themixreview.org/reviews/fortnight/ |url-status=live }} Swift sings the verses in a monotone{{Cite magazine |last=Lipshutz |first=Jason |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department: All 31 Tracks Ranked |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-tracks-ranked/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420200628/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-tracks-ranked/ |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |access-date=April 21, 2024 |magazine=Billboard}} and the refrain's lyric, "I love you, it's ruining my life", features her vocals being echoed back by Malone's subdued singing.{{Cite news |last=Pareles |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Pareles |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift and Post Malone's Regretful Duet, and 9 More New Songs |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/19/arts/music/playlist-taylor-swift-arooj-aftab-claire-rousay.html |url-access=limited |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=August 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822090949/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/19/arts/music/playlist-taylor-swift-arooj-aftab-claire-rousay.html |url-status=live }} Towards the concluding bridge, Malone and Swift deliver vocal harmonies. According to Annie Zaleski, Swift sounds "seething and resigned", while Malone adds a sense of longing with his "earnest, buttery-smooth melodic counterpoints".{{Sfn|Zaleski|2024}}

Some critics opined that "Fortnight" was stylistically similar to the music of Midnights.{{efn|Attributed to reviews by Variety,{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Renews Her Vows With Heartbreak in Audacious, Transfixing Tortured Poets Department: Album Review |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/album-reviews/the-tortured-poets-department-review-taylor-swift-album-1235975690/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419201323/https://variety.com/2024/music/album-reviews/the-tortured-poets-department-review-taylor-swift-album-1235975690/ |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |magazine=Variety}} Business Insider,{{Cite web |last=Ahlgrim |first=Callie |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department Is the Messiest, Horniest, and Funniest Album She's Ever Made |url=https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/taylor-swiftaposs-aposthe-tortured-poets-departmentapos-is-the-messiest-horniest-and-funniest-album-sheaposs-ever-made/slidelist/109440024.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420034341/https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/taylor-swiftaposs-aposthe-tortured-poets-departmentapos-is-the-messiest-horniest-and-funniest-album-sheaposs-ever-made/slidelist/109440024.cms#slideid=109440300 |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |website=Business Insider}} The Hollywood Reporter,{{Cite magazine |last=Fekadu |first=Mesfin |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Review: On Tortured Poets, Taylor Swift Continues to Spill Her Own Tea (and the Flavor Is Mostly English Breakfast) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-album-review-1235877493/ |access-date=April 21, 2024 |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-date=April 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421005211/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-album-review-1235877493/ |url-status=live }} and American Songwriter}} Clash's Lauren Webb wrote that the track has a 1980s power ballad sensibility reminiscent of such artists as Roxette, Cutting Crew, and Phil Collins, and The Guardian's Laura Snapes thought that the "burbling synths, booming drums and glazed backing vocals" evoked the music of the 1975.{{Cite news |last=Snapes |first=Laura |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Breakups, fantasies and her most cutting lyrics: inside Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/apr/19/taylor-swift-album-the-tortured-poets-department-lyrics |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=The Guardian |archive-date=April 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422092026/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/apr/19/taylor-swift-album-the-tortured-poets-department-lyrics |url-status=live }} There were also multiple comparisons to the music of Lana Del Rey,{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Nate |date=May 20, 2024 |title=All 245 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/all-taylor-swift-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html |url-access=limited |access-date=February 16, 2025 |website=Vulture |archive-date=September 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913234630/https://www.vulture.com/article/all-taylor-swift-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Molanphy |first=Chris |date=May 3, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Is Doing Michael Jackson–Level Numbers, but Does She Have a 'Billie Jean'? |url=https://slate.com/culture/2024/05/taylor-swift-fortnight-song-tortured-poets-department-billboard.html |access-date=February 16, 2025 |work=Slate |archive-date=May 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240503235609/https://slate.com/culture/2024/05/taylor-swift-fortnight-song-tortured-poets-department-billboard.html |url-status=live }} which American Songwriter's Thom Donovan described as "bleak Americana".

The lyrics of "Fortnight" are about the strong impacts of a two-week romance that leaves behind fleeting emotions:{{Sfn|Zaleski|2024}} Swift's narrator is a woman in an unhappy marriage, and she becomes a neighbor of an ex-lover, who is now married to another woman.{{Cite web |last=Breihan |first=Tom |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Premature Evaluation: Taylor Swift The Tortured Poets Department |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2260059/premature-evaluation-taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department/reviews/premature-evaluation/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419202141/https://www.stereogum.com/2260059/premature-evaluation-taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department/reviews/premature-evaluation/ |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |access-date=April 20, 2024 |website=Stereogum}} They encounter each other on a daily basis in a suburban American town, watering the flowers in their garden and chatting about the weather.{{Sfn|Zaleski|2024}} That she lives next-door to her ex-lover makes her fantasize about killing the wife{{Cite web |last=Donovan |first=Thom |date=April 19, 2024 |title=When Your Ex Moves in Next Door: The Meaning Behind 'Fortnight' by Taylor Swift and Post Malone from The Tortured Poets Department |url=https://americansongwriter.com/when-your-ex-moves-in-next-door-the-meaning-behind-fortnight-by-taylor-swift-and-post-malone/ |access-date=April 21, 2024 |magazine=American Songwriter |archive-date=April 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421170814/https://americansongwriter.com/when-your-ex-moves-in-next-door-the-meaning-behind-fortnight-by-taylor-swift-and-post-malone/ |url-status=live }} and resort to alcoholism to cope with her misery.{{Sfn|Zaleski|2024}} In the double chorus that follows the second verse, Swift's character finds out about her husband's infidelity and desires to kill him also. In the conclusion, Malone's character, representing the ex-lover of Swift's character, fantasizes about escaping to Florida with her to escape the torturous reality that they are in.

Some publications highlighted that the title is a British English noun meaning two weeks, possibly referencing Swift's previous romances with British men;{{efn|References:{{Cite web |last=Fu |first=Eddie |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Reveals Video for Post Malone Collab 'Fortnight' |url=https://consequence.net/2024/04/taylor-swift-fortnight-video-post-malone/ |access-date=April 29, 2024 |website=Consequence |archive-date=April 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429110142/https://consequence.net/2024/04/taylor-swift-fortnight-video-post-malone/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news|url=https://www.irishnews.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-details-several-ex-boyfriends-and-hints-at-new-romance-in-album-TB53DUWS4ZKFDG6HFCJ2KROKVM/|title=Taylor Swift details break-ups and hints at new romance in album|first1=Ellie|last1=Iorizzo|first2=Laura|last2=Harding|date=April 19, 2024|newspaper=The Irish News|url-access=subscription|access-date=February 14, 2025|archive-date=December 9, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241209082758/https://www.irishnews.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-details-several-ex-boyfriends-and-hints-at-new-romance-in-album-TB53DUWS4ZKFDG6HFCJ2KROKVM/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-album-easter-eggs/|title=Taylor Swift's Double Album: All the Easter Eggs You May Have Missed|last=Platt|first=Poppie|date=April 22, 2024|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=February 14, 2025|archive-date=July 9, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240709151555/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-album-easter-eggs/|url-status=live}}}} Google searches for the definition of "fortnight" in the United States increased by 868% on the song's release day.{{Cite news |last=Parkel |first=Inga |date=April 30, 2024 |title=Searches for 'What is a fortnight?' surge after release of Taylor Swift song |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/taylor-swift-what-is-fortnight-tortured-poets-department-b2537259.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250130140224/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/taylor-swift-what-is-fortnight-tortured-poets-department-b2537259.html |archive-date=January 30, 2025 |access-date=February 16, 2025 |work=The Independent }} Swift said that the track features many characteristics that define The Tortured Poets Department, including themes of "fatalism, longing, pining away, lost dreams"{{Cite web |last=Rosenbloom |first=Alli |date=April 20, 2024 |title=The Tortured Poets Department: A track-by-track listener's guide to Taylor Swift's 31-song double album |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/20/entertainment/easter-eggs-taylor-swift-lyrics/index.html |access-date=April 21, 2024 |publisher=CNN |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420213535/https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/20/entertainment/easter-eggs-taylor-swift-lyrics/index.html |url-status=live }} and hyperbolic and dramatic lyrics ("I love you, it's ruining my life").{{Cite web |last=Shafer |first=Ellise |date=April 22, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Reveals Meaning of 'Fortnight', 'Clara Bow', 'Florida!!!' and More Tortured Poets Department Tracks in Amazon Music Commentary |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-meaning-fortnight-clara-bow-florida-1235977904/ |access-date=April 29, 2024 |magazine=Variety |archive-date=April 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422132442/https://variety.com/2024/music/news/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-meaning-fortnight-clara-bow-florida-1235977904/ |url-status=live }} Explaining her songwriting perspective to Amazon Music, she said that she imagined the setting of "Fortnight" as an American town where one's American Dream never materialized: "You ended up not with the person that you loved and now you just have to live with that every day, wondering what would've been maybe seeing them out."{{Cite web |last=Bonner |first=Mehera |date=November 12, 2024 |title=Who Is Taylor Swift's Song 'Fortnight' Really About? Clues From the Lyrics and Music Video |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/music/a62870082/taylor-swfit-fortnight-lyrics-meaning/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Cosmopolitan |archive-date=February 14, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250214100948/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/music/a62870082/taylor-swfit-fortnight-lyrics-meaning/ |url-status=live }}

Several journalists suggested that "Fortnight" is autobiographical in nature, but it also blends confessional and fictional elements.{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Helen |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department Review: Irresistible, Country-Hued Tales of Relationships Past and Present |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-album-review-b2530867.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419201239/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-album-review-b2530867.html |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |newspaper=The Independent}}{{cite web |last1=D'Souza |first1=Shaad |date=April 19, 2024 |title=8 Takeaways From Taylor Swift's New Album The Tortured Poets Department |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/takeaways-from-taylor-swift-new-album-the-tortured-poets-department/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420200910/https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/takeaways-from-taylor-swift-new-album-the-tortured-poets-department/ |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |website=Pitchfork}}{{Cite web |last=Gonzales |first=Erica |date=April 22, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Sings 'My Husband Is Cheating' on 'Fortnight' with Post Malone |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a60538997/taylor-swift-fortnight-lyrics-meaning/ |access-date=February 16, 2025 |website=Elle}} The short-lived yet emotionally impactful romance in "Fortnight" becomes the subject of many other album tracks, and its imagery of violence and death (such as the narrator fantasizing about murdering the ex-lover's wife and her own cheating husband) also recur on them.{{Cite web |last=Horn |first=Olivia |date=April 22, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poets Department / The Anthology |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-the-anthology/ |access-date=February 16, 2025 |website=Pitchfork |archive-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425125150/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-the-anthology/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Siroky |first=Mary |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Gets Lost in Her Own Shadow on The Tortured Poets Department |url=https://consequence.net/2024/04/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420032541/https://consequence.net/2024/04/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-review/ |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |access-date=April 21, 2024 |website=Consequence}}{{Cite web |last=Ahlgrim |first=Callie |date=April 25, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department is packed with references and Easter eggs. Here are the key details you may have missed. |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-easter-eggs-lyrics-explained-2024-4#fortnight-introduces-the-albums-fatalistic-themes-1 |access-date=February 16, 2025 |website=Business Insider |archive-date=April 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429074534/https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-easter-eggs-lyrics-explained-2024-4#fortnight-introduces-the-albums-fatalistic-themes-1 |url-status=live }} Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone opined that the "1950s bad-marriage theme" of unhappy suburban marriages with cheating husbands and dutiful housewives "on the verge of nervous breakdowns" was reminiscent of Swift's songwriting for her past albums Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights. Donovan described the scenario of "Fortnight" as a "suburban nightmare". The New York Times{{'}} Lindsay Zoladz thought that the track is "chilly and controlled" until it "[thaws] and [glows]" after the lyric, "I love you, it's ruining my life."{{Cite news |last=Zoladz |first=Lindsay |date=April 19, 2024 |title=On The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift Could Use an Editor |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/19/arts/music/taylor-swift-album-tortured-poets-department-review.html |url-access=limited |access-date=April 29, 2024 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420000556/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/19/arts/music/taylor-swift-album-tortured-poets-department-review.html |url-status=live }} USA Today{{'s}} Melissa Ruggeri dubbed the lyrics mentioning alcoholism as "darkly funny".{{Cite news |last=Ruggieri |first=Melissa |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets is hauntingly brilliant, even the 15 surprise songs |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/04/19/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-review/73342235007/ |access-date=April 21, 2024 |newspaper=USA Today |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419174553/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/04/19/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-review/73342235007/ |url-status=live }}

File:Post Malone in Chicago 2020.jpg's guest vocals.|alt=Post Malone performing, singing onto a mic, dressed in checkered pants]]

The track was picked as a highlight on The Tortured Poets Department by Alli Rosenbloom of CNN{{Cite news |last=Rosenbloom |first=Alli |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift's surprise double album The Tortured Poets Department is daggers wrapped in a lullaby |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/18/entertainment/album-review-taylor-swift-reaction/index.html |access-date=April 21, 2024 |publisher=CNN |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419104027/https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/18/entertainment/album-review-taylor-swift-reaction/index.html |url-status=live }} and Mesfin Fekadu of The Hollywood Reporter. In PopMatters, Igor Bannikov lauded "Fortnight" as the best opening track of Swift's career for featuring a "delicate and cunning" songcraft with a "buoyant" synth-pop production, Swift's vocal harmonies, and self-referential lyricism. Webb and NME{{'}}s Laura Molloy thought that the track displayed a new musical direction for Swift,{{Cite web |last=Molloy |first=Laura |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department Review: A Rare Misstep |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-lyrics-tracklist-3619454 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419044223/https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-lyrics-tracklist-3619454 |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |website=NME}} and The Irish Times' Finn McRemmond praised the "impossible catchy hook" despite the dreary theme.{{cite news |last1=McRedmond |first1=Finn |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poets Department track by track – a manifesto for all the believers who will try at love one more time |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/review/2024/04/19/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-track-by-track-a-manifesto-for-all-the-believers-who-will-try-at-love-one-more-time/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419120021/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/review/2024/04/19/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-track-by-track-a-manifesto-for-all-the-believers-who-will-try-at-love-one-more-time/ |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |access-date=February 16, 2025 |newspaper=The Irish Times}} Zoladz highlighted the lyrics for portraying "how viscerally Swift can summon the flushed delirium of a doomed romance".

Many critics praised the vocal chemistry between Swift and Malone. John Meagher of the Irish Independent highlighted Malone's performance as more restrained compared to his usual "melodramatic" tendencies,{{Cite news |last=Meagher |first=John |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department review: fans going to Dublin gigs have a new wealth of riches to look forward to |url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/music-reviews/taylor-swifts-the-tortured-poets-department-review-fans-going-to-dublin-gigs-have-a-new-wealth-of-riches-to-look-forward-to/a628314177.html |access-date=April 21, 2024 |newspaper=Irish Independent |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419110755/https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/music-reviews/taylor-swifts-the-tortured-poets-department-review-fans-going-to-dublin-gigs-have-a-new-wealth-of-riches-to-look-forward-to/a628314177.html |url-status=live }} and Ed Power of The Daily Telegraph wrote: "His breathy singing voice dovetails surprisingly with Swift's angsty coo."{{Cite news |last=Power |first=Ed |date=April 20, 2024 |title=With her 'Fortnight' music video, Taylor Swift reunites the Dead Poets Society – and shows off a new side |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/taylor-swift-fortnight-video-tortured-poets-department/ |access-date=April 21, 2024 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420192144/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/taylor-swift-fortnight-video-tortured-poets-department/ |url-status=live }} Billboard's Jason Lipshutz ranked "Fortnight" fifth out of the 31 tracks on the double album edition of The Tortured Poets Department, praising how Malone's appearance suits well with Swift's vocals and gives the bridge "subtle power and hangdog charm". Bianca Gracie of Grammy.com also praised Malone's "melancholic harmonies" for giving "more emotional weight" to Swift's storytelling lyrics.{{Cite web |last=Gracie |first=Bianca |date=November 8, 2024 |title=2025 Grammys Nominations: Record Of The Year Nominees |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/2025-grammys-nominations-record-of-the-year |access-date=February 18, 2025 |website=Grammy.com |archive-date=February 11, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250211172448/https://www.grammy.com/news/2025-grammys-nominations-record-of-the-year |url-status=live }}

Less enthusiastic reviews considered "Fortnight" a compositionally unmemorable song. Callie Ahlgrim of Business Insider deemed it uninventive and argued that it was too similar to Antonoff and Swift's previous collaborations, specifically calling it a derivative of Midnights. Mark Richardson of The Wall Street Journal deemed it mediocre, and Paste and Konstantinos Pappis from Our Culture Mag criticized the sound as empty and bland.{{Cite web |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Strikes Out Looking on The Tortured Poets Department |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/taylor-swift/taylor-swift-strikes-out-looking-on-the-tortured-poets-department |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420000218/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/taylor-swift/taylor-swift-strikes-out-looking-on-the-tortured-poets-department |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |access-date=April 20, 2024 |magazine=Paste}}{{Cite web |last=Pappis |first=Konstantinos |date=April 22, 2024 |title=Album Review: Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department |url=https://ourculturemag.com/2024/04/22/album-review-taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department/ |access-date=May 13, 2024 |website=Our Culture Mag |archive-date=May 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240513164306/https://ourculturemag.com/2024/04/22/album-review-taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department/ |url-status=live }} Variety's Chris Willman regarded the single as a good choice for pop radio, but he contended that it was "not much of an indication of the more visceral, obsessive stuff" for the album's remainder. Alex Hudson of Exclaim! wrote that he was "genuinely shocked" that "such a dreary, unmemorable song" was released as a single.{{cite web |last=Hudson |first=Alex |date=April 22, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department Is Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-album-review |access-date=April 23, 2024 |website=Exclaim! |archive-date=April 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422173604/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-album-review |url-status=live }}

The Hollywood Reporter ranked "Fortnight" among their best songs of 2024.{{Cite web |last=Fekadu |first=Mesfin |date=December 18, 2024 |title=The 10 Best Songs of 2024 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/best-songs-2024-kendrick-lamar-beyonce-1236089015/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241229212640/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/best-songs-2024-kendrick-lamar-beyonce-1236089015/ |archive-date=December 29, 2024 |access-date=February 3, 2025 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}} Billboard placed the song at number 10 on their list of the 100 best songs of the year.{{Cite magazine |date=December 5, 2024 |title=Staff List: The 100 Best Songs of 2024 |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-songs-2024/eminem-houdini/ |access-date=February 20, 2025 |magazine=Billboard}} At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in 2025, "Fortnight" was nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.{{Cite web |date=February 3, 2025 |title=Grammy Awards 2025: Winners and nominees |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg0jg4n0z4o |access-date=February 19, 2025 |publisher=BBC}}

After one day of release, "Fortnight" set the single-day streaming record for any song on Spotify, surpassing the all-time peak previously held by Mariah Carey's song "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (1994).{{cite magazine |last=Batey |first=Eve |date=April 20, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Smashes Several Spotify Records in Single Day |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/story/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-tortured-poets-department-fortnight-spotify-records |access-date=April 20, 2024 |magazine=Vanity Fair |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420174936/https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/story/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-tortured-poets-department-fortnight-spotify-records |url-status=live }} This achievement was registered in the Guinness World Records.{{Cite magazine |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Most Streamed Track on Spotify in 24 Hours |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/397726-most-streamed-track-on-spotify-in-24-hours |website=Guinness World Records |access-date=December 1, 2024 |archive-date=December 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241201214223/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/397726-most-streamed-track-on-spotify-in-24-hours |url-status=live }}{{Cite magazine |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Most Streamed Track on Spotify in the First 24 Hours |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/494520-most-streamed-track-on-spotify-in-the-first-24-hours |website=Guinness World Records |access-date=December 1, 2024 |archive-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425223204/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/494520-most-streamed-track-on-spotify-in-the-first-24-hours |url-status=live }}{{Cite magazine |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Most Streamed Track on Spotify in 24 Hours (Female) |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/462476-most-streamed-track-on-spotify-in-24-hours-female |website=Guinness World Records |access-date=December 1, 2024 |archive-date=November 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241121030251/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/462476-most-streamed-track-on-spotify-in-24-hours-female |url-status=live }} The single debuted atop the Billboard Global 200, marking Swift's fifth number-one song and tying her with Bad Bunny for the most chart toppers among solo acts. It was one of the nine tracks from The Tortured Poets Department to debut within the top 10, extending Swift's number of top-10 entries to 33.{{Cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=April 29, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift & Post Malone's 'Fortnight' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Global Charts |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-post-malone-fortnight-number-one-debut-global-charts-1235669042/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510080912/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-post-malone-fortnight-number-one-debut-global-charts-1235669042/ |archive-date=May 10, 2024 |access-date=May 10, 2024 |magazine=Billboard}}

In the United States, "Fortnight" debuted at number 9 on Adult Pop Airplay and number 13 on Pop Airplay. It tied her own "Shake It Off" (2014) as the highest debut on the former chart, and "Bad Blood" (2015) as the second-highest debut on the latter chart.{{cite magazine |last1=Trust |first1=Gary |date=April 26, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift & Post Malone's 'Fortnight' Makes Record-Tying Start on Adult Pop Airplay Chart |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-post-malone-fortnight-adult-pop-airplay-chart-debut-1235667869/ |access-date=April 26, 2024 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=April 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426215953/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-post-malone-fortnight-adult-pop-airplay-chart-debut-1235667869/ |url-status=live }} On the Adult Pop Airplay chart dated June 22, 2024, the single reached number one to become Swift's record-extending 13th chart topper and Malone's second.{{Cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=June 14, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Notches Her 13th No. 1 on Adult Pop Airplay Chart with 'Fortnight' Featuring Post Malone |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-post-malone-fortnight-number-one-adult-pop-airplay-chart-1235710160/ |access-date=June 19, 2024 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=June 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617144109/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-post-malone-fortnight-number-one-adult-pop-airplay-chart-1235710160/ |url-status=live }} On the Billboard Hot 100, "Fortnight" debuted at number one on the chart dated May 4, 2024. As Swift's 12th number-one single and seventh number-one debut, it tied Swift with Ariana Grande for the most number-one debuts for a female artist. "Fortnight" also marked Malone's fifth number-one single and first number-one debut.{{Cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=April 29, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Claims Record Top 14 Spots on Billboard Hot 100, Led by 'Fortnight' With Post Malone |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-hot-100-top-14-fortnight-post-malone-record/ |access-date=April 29, 2024 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=April 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429170523/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-hot-100-top-14-fortnight-post-malone-record/ |url-status=live }} The single spent two consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100.{{Cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=May 6, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift & Post Malone's 'Fortnight' Spends a Second Week at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-post-malone-fortnight-number-one-hot-100-second-week/ |access-date=May 14, 2024 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=May 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240511222932/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-post-malone-fortnight-number-one-hot-100-second-week/ |url-status=live }}

"Fortnight" debuted at number one and was Swift's fourth number-one single in the United Kingdom{{cite web |last1=Griffiths |first1=George |date=April 26, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department secures UK's biggest opening week in seven years |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-fortnight-uk-number-1-chart-double/ |access-date=April 26, 2024 |publisher=Official Charts Company |archive-date=April 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426222516/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-fortnight-uk-number-1-chart-double/ |url-status=live }} and 12th in Australia.{{Cite magazine |last=Brandle |first=Lars |date=April 26, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Creates History on Australia's Charts |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-history-australia-aria-charts-1235667154/ |access-date=May 14, 2024 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=April 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426074626/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-history-australia-aria-charts-1235667154/ |url-status=live }} The single also topped the charts in Canada, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Billboard{{'s}} Hits of the World charts for Hong Kong, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Across other European territories, "Fortnight" reached the top five in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Belgian Flanders, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Latvia, Lithuania, and Iceland. The track peaked at number two on the chart for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In Asia-Pacific, "Fortnight" peaked in the top five of Billboard{{'s}} Hits of the World charts for Taiwan and Indonesia. It has been certified double platinum in Australia and platinum in New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom.{{efn|References:}}

Swift wrote and directed the music video for "Fortnight", whose cinematography was handled by the Mexican filmmaker Rodrigo Prieto.{{Cite web |last=Peikert |first=Mark |date=April 19, 2024 |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/fortnight-music-video-taylor-swift-rodrigo-prieto-1234976133/ |title=Taylor Swift's 'Fortnight' Music Video Brings in Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430180804/https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/fortnight-music-video-taylor-swift-rodrigo-prieto-1234976133/ |archive-date=April 30, 2024 |access-date=September 28, 2024 |website=IndieWire}} According to Swift, the music video for "Fortnight" was the visual representation of The Tortured Poets Department: "Pretty much everything in it is a metaphor or a reference to one corner of the album or another."{{Cite magazine |last=Murphy |first=J. Kim |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift and Post Malone Burn Poems and Smash Windows in 'Fortnight' Music Video |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/taylor-swift-fortnight-music-video-1235975675/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420004016/https://variety.com/2024/music/news/taylor-swift-fortnight-music-video-1235975675/ |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |magazine=Variety}}

Four hours prior to the album's release, Swift posted a teaser for the music video on social media.{{Cite magazine |last=Mier |first=Tomás |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Drops Dystopic, Post Malone-Featuring Trailer for 'Fortnight' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-fortnight-trailer-post-malone-1235007158/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419021309/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-fortnight-trailer-post-malone-1235007158/ |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} The music video was released on April 19, 2024.{{Cite web |last1=Phillips |first1=Zoe G. |last2=Carly |first2=Thomas |date=April 20, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Unveils Music Video for 'Fortnight' With Post Malone From The Tortured Poets Department |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/taylor-swift-music-video-fortnight-tortured-poets-department-post-malone-1235875679/ |access-date=February 16, 2025 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-date=April 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421005301/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/taylor-swift-music-video-fortnight-tortured-poets-department-post-malone-1235875679/ |url-status=live }} It has a black-and-white cinematography and features Swift and Malone as ex-lovers, and Dead Poets Society{{'s}} co-stars Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles as mad scientists carrying out tests on Swift.{{cite magazine |last1=Huff |first1=Lauren |last2=Travis |first2=Emlyn |date=April 20, 2024 |title=Ethan Hawke and Post Malone experiment on Taylor Swift's mind on surreal 'Fortnight' music video |url=https://ew.com/taylor-swift-fortnight-music-video-post-malone-ethan-hawke-8636315 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420010319/https://ew.com/taylor-swift-fortnight-music-video-post-malone-ethan-hawke-8636315 |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |access-date=April 20, 2024 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} Malone recalled that Swift had to hide under an umbrella and drapes "over the golf cart so drones and a helicopter couldn't get footage" during filming of the video.

File:Taylor Swift Songbook Trail Fortnight display 05.jpg-gothic ensemble gown from the music video, designed by Elena Velez (dress) and UNTTLD (top){{Cite magazine |last=Sanchez |first=Rosa |date=April 23, 2024 |title=Elena Velez's Witchy Creation for Taylor Swift's 'Fortnight' Is Tortured Poetry at Its Core |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/a60571533/designer-elena-velez-outfit-taylor-swift-ttpd-fortnight-interview/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |magazine=Harper's Bazaar |archive-date=December 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241222161750/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/a60571533/designer-elena-velez-outfit-taylor-swift-ttpd-fortnight-interview/ |url-status=live }}|alt=An exhibit of a black Victorian-gothic gown]]

The video starts with Swift seen in a white dress and choker, chained to her bed in a mental facility;{{Cite magazine |last=Spanos |first=Brittany |date=April 20, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift, Post Malone Go Mad in Stunning 'Fortnight' Video With Ethan Hawke Cameo |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-post-malone-fortnight-video-1235007623/ |url-access=limited |access-date=May 13, 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=May 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240513171048/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-post-malone-fortnight-video-1235007623/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Maitland |first=Hayley |date=April 20, 2024 |title=Unpacking the 13 Layers of Meaning Behind Taylor Swift's Costumes in 'Fortnight' |url=https://www.glamour.com/story/taylor-swift-fortnight-music-video-fashion-clara-bow |access-date=February 16, 2025 |website=Glamour |archive-date=February 16, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250216175311/https://www.glamour.com/story/taylor-swift-fortnight-music-video-fashion-clara-bow |url-status=live }} the bed is suspended on the wall. After a faceless person gives her a "Forget Him" pill, Swift is seen wiping her face to reveal tattoos. She then walks into a room filled with typewriters with black-masked figures typing them, donning a black mourning Victorian dress. She sits and begins typing with Malone across the room.{{Cite web |last=West |first=Bryan |author-link=Bryan West (journalist) |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift's 'Fortnight' music video has a surprise Dead Poets Society cameo: Watch |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/04/18/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-first-single-fortnight-post-malone/73149430007/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240513171048/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/04/18/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-first-single-fortnight-post-malone/73149430007/ |archive-date=May 13, 2024 |access-date=May 13, 2024 |website=USA Today}} The video then shows scenes of Swift and Malone lying on top of a pile of papers, reading a book titled Us.{{Cite web |last=Crosbie |first=Eve |date=April 19, 2024 |title=All the details you might have missed in Taylor Swift and Post Malone's 'Fortnight' music video |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-post-malone-fortnight-music-video-details-you-missed#swift-and-malone-are-seen-reading-the-story-of-us-10 |access-date=February 18, 2025 |website=Business Insider |archive-date=February 13, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250213174409/https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-post-malone-fortnight-music-video-details-you-missed#swift-and-malone-are-seen-reading-the-story-of-us-10 |url-status=live }} They embrace on a lone highway before being caught up in a tornado that causes loose papers to swirl around them.{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Megan |date=April 20, 2024 |title=Tortured Poets meet Dead Poets in Taylor Swift's 'Fortnight' video |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/19/entertainment/fortnight-music-video-taylor-swift-post-malone/index.html |access-date=May 13, 2024 |website= |publisher=CNN |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420014002/https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/19/entertainment/fortnight-music-video-taylor-swift-post-malone/index.html |url-status=live }}

Back at the mental facility, Swift is seen strapped to a gurney, in a laboratory. The doctors (Hawke and Charles) perform electroshock therapy on her as Malone watches from the side. In the final scene, Malone calls from a telephone booth that Swift, in a sparkling flapper dress,{{Cite web |last=Soo |first=Caryn |date=April 22, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Goes Goth For Her 'Fortnight' Music Video |url=https://grazia.sg/fashion/taylor-swift-fortnight-music-video-outfits-tortued-poets-department/ |access-date=February 16, 2025 |website=Grazia Singapore |archive-date=February 16, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250216175313/https://grazia.sg/fashion/taylor-swift-fortnight-music-video-outfits-tortued-poets-department/ |url-status=live }} is on top of in the pouring thunderstorm rain, on an isolated cliff. He ultimately comes out of the booth and grabs Swift's hand. The video ends with silent-film credits.

According to many publications, Swift's character in the video evokes the protagonist of the 2023 movie Poor Things{{efn|As discussed in Cosmopolitan,{{cite magazine |last=Cochrane |first=Ellis |date=April 21, 2024 |title=The hidden references that you might have missed in Taylor Swift's 'Fortnight' music video |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a60558020/taylor-swift-fortnight-music-video-easter-eggs/ |url-status=live |magazine=Cosmopolitan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240908103539/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a60558020/taylor-swift-fortnight-music-video-easter-eggs/ |archive-date=September 8, 2024 |access-date=September 28, 2024 }} The Daily Telegraph, Harper's Bazaar Vietnam,{{Cite magazine |last=Mai |first=Nguyen |date=April 24, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Lấy Cảm Hứng Từ Phim Poor Things Cho MV 'Fortnight' |trans-title=Taylor Swift Takes Inspiration From Movie Poor Things For MV 'Fortnight' |url=https://bazaarvietnam.vn/taylor-swift-lay-cam-hung-tu-phim-poor-things-cho-mv-fortnight/ |access-date=September 28, 2024 |magazine=Harper's Bazaar Vietnam |language=vi |archive-date=June 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240622034621/https://bazaarvietnam.vn/taylor-swift-lay-cam-hung-tu-phim-poor-things-cho-mv-fortnight/ |url-status=live }} Entertainment Weekly, and Elle{{cite magazine |last1=Gonzales |first1=Erica |last2=Bailey |first2=Alyssa |last3=Puckett-Pope |first3=Lauren |date=April 19, 2024 |title=All the Easter Eggs in Taylor Swift's Cinematic 'Fortnight' video |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a60551319/taylor-swift-fortnight-music-video-easter-eggs/ |access-date=April 20, 2024 |magazine=Elle |archive-date=April 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421035505/https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a60551319/taylor-swift-fortnight-music-video-easter-eggs/ |url-status=live }}}} and the scene of her being experimented on by mad scientists resembled Mary Shelley's 1818 gothic novel Frankenstein.{{efn|As discussed in The Daily Telegraph, Première, and USA Today}} In the French film magazine Première, Anthéa Claux compared the black-and-white cinematography and certain scenes to those of early-20th century German expressionist silent films: the close-up scene showing Swift's face and makeup evokes Metropolis (1927), and the mental facility setting with its bed suspended on the wall and distorted interiors resembles the settings of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920).{{Cite web |last=Claux |first=Anthéa |date=April 23, 2024 |title=Deux Acteurs du Cercle des Poètes Disparus Se Retrouvent dans un Clip de Taylor Swift |trans-title=Two Dead Poets Society Actors Reunite in Taylor Swift Music Video |url=https://www.premiere.fr/People/News-People/Deux-acteurs-du-Cercle-des-poetes-disparus-se-retrouvent-dans-un-clip-de-Taylor-Swift |access-date=November 29, 2024 |website=Première |language=FR |archive-date=April 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426014648/https://www.premiere.fr/People/News-People/Deux-acteurs-du-Cercle-des-poetes-disparus-se-retrouvent-dans-un-clip-de-Taylor-Swift |url-status=live }}

Analyses of the video identified themes of mourning and reliving memories of a past relationship.{{efn|As discussed in Slant Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, and Rolling Stone}} Fashion magazines examined Swift's fashion relating to Victorian and gothic styles that channeled poets and writers like Mary Shelley or Emily Dickinson.{{efn|As discussed in Harper's Bazaar, Grazia Singapore, People,{{Cite web |last=Santino |first=Catherine |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Wears a Wedding Gown and a 'Victorian Mourning' Dress in 'Fortnight' Video: Every Style Clue Decoded |url=https://people.com/taylor-swift-fortnight-music-video-outfits-decoded-8636136 |access-date=February 18, 2025 |website=People |archive-date=September 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927160706/https://people.com/taylor-swift-fortnight-music-video-outfits-decoded-8636136 |url-status=live }} and Marie Claire{{Cite web |last=Chapelle |first=Sarah |date=April 24, 2024 |title=How Do You Dress Like a Tortured Poet? |url=https://www.marieclaire.com/fashion/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-fashion-explained/ |access-date=February 18, 2025 |website=Marie Claire |archive-date=January 27, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127004953/https://www.marieclaire.com/fashion/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-fashion-explained/ |url-status=live }}}} Ed Power of The Daily Telegraph thought that the video portrayed a haunting version of Swift that "gets under our skin like never before" and complimented the acting chemistry between Swift and Malone. According to the literature professor Matthew J.A. Green, the video of "Fortnight" was part of Swift's foray into literary gothic, which was an important artistic endeavor that represented womanhood and critique of the self.{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Matthew J. A. |date=July 19, 2024 |title=Why Taylor Swift's gothic work is as important as the novels of Mary Shelley or Bram Stoker |url=https://theconversation.com/why-taylor-swifts-gothic-work-is-as-important-as-the-novels-of-mary-shelley-or-bram-stoker-233518 |access-date=February 18, 2025 |website=The Conversation |archive-date=July 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240720011258/https://theconversation.com/why-taylor-swifts-gothic-work-is-as-important-as-the-novels-of-mary-shelley-or-bram-stoker-233518 |url-status=live }}

At the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, Swift won seven trophies, five of whom were for "Fortnight", becoming the most-awarded artist in a single night in the awards' history.{{Cite web |date=September 12, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift makes VMAs history |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/mtv-video-music-awards-2024-taylor-swift-makes-vmas-history/3QLAA2F4Q5HNPBJWYZDXOGSOZQ/ |access-date=February 18, 2025 |website=The New Zealand Herald |archive-date=November 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241118055126/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/mtv-video-music-awards-2024-taylor-swift-makes-vmas-history/3QLAA2F4Q5HNPBJWYZDXOGSOZQ/ |url-status=live }} Its trophy for Video of the Year extended Swift's record as the artist with the most wins (five times).{{Cite magazine |last1=Blistein |first1=Jon |last2=Larisha |first2=Paul |date=September 12, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Broke a Whole Bunch of Records at the 2024 VMAs |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-breaks-records-2024-mtv-vma-awards-1235097031/#:~:text=She%20also%20extended%20her%20own,2015%20with%20%E2%80%9CBad%20Blood.%E2%80%9D |url-access=limited |access-date=February 18, 2025 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} "Fortnight" also won Best Video at the 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards,{{Cite web |date=November 11, 2024 |title=MTV EMAs: Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Raye all win awards |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/cj3mzejdv5po |access-date=February 18, 2025 |publisher=BBC Newsround |archive-date=November 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127033953/https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/cj3mzejdv5po |url-status=live }} and for his cinematography work, Prieto won the Grand Prize (Golden Frog) in the Music Videos category at the 32nd International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage.{{Cite web |last=Giardina |first=Carolyn |date=November 23, 2024 |title=The Girl With the Needle Wins Camerimage's Golden Frog |url=https://variety.com/2024/artisans/awards/the-girl-with-the-needle-camerimage-cinematography-1236219004/ |access-date=February 18, 2025 |website=Variety}}

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Tortured Poets Department.

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• Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriter, producer
• Post Malone – vocals, songwriter
• Jack Antonoff – producer, songwriter, drums, Juno, M1, percussion, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, programming
• Louis Bell – vocal producer, vocal engineer
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• Bryce Bordone – mix engineer
• Laura Sisk – recording engineer
• Oli Jacobs – recording engineer
• Jon Sher – assistant recording engineer
• Jack Manning – assistant recording engineer
• Lauren Marquez – assistant recording engineer
• Sean Hutchinson – drums, drums recording
• Michael Riddleberger – recording engineer
• Randy Merrill – mastering

{{Div col end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col 2}}

{{col 2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Fortnight"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2024|certyear=2024|id=2024-09-02|access-date=August 30, 2024|refname="ARIA"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Belgium|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=2024|certyear=2025|access-date=March 13, 2025|refname="BEA"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Fortnight|award=Diamond|type=single|relyear=2024|certyear=2025|access-date=May 22, 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|title=Fortnight |artist=Taylor Swift|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2024|certyear=2024|access-date=May 1, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Fortnight|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2024|certyear=2024|id=14366|access-date=September 12, 2024|refname="IFPIDEN"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|type=single|certyear=2024|relyear=2024|award=Gold|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Fortnight|access-date=July 29, 2024|refname="SNEP"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|type=single|title=Fortnight|artist=Taylor Swift|award=Gold|relyear=2024|relmonth=04|certyear=2025|access-date=April 12, 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|artist=Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone|title=Fortnight|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2024|certyear=2024|access-date=August 20, 2024|refname="FIMI"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|award=Platinum|type=single|artist=Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone|title=Fortnight|relyear=2024|id=2024-07-05|source=newchart|access-date=November 20, 2024|certyear=2024|refname="RMNZ"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Poland|artist=Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone|title=Fortnight|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2024|certyear=2024|access-date=February 13, 2025|refname="Poland"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Portugal|artist=Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone|title=Fortnight|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2024|certyear=2024|id=file_2024-08-01-14-32-11.pdf|access-date=August 1, 2024|refname="ABP"}}

{{Certification Table Entry |region=Spain|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=2024|certyear=2025|artist=Taylor Swift / Post Malone|title=Fortnight|accessdate=February 11, 2025|refname="PROMUSICAE"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Switzerland|artist=Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone|title=Fortnight|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2024|certyear=2025|access-date=May 28, 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|relyear=2024|certyear=2024|title=Fortnight|artist=Taylor Swift Ft Post Malone|type=single|award=Platinum|id=19989-6766-1|access-date=August 16, 2024|refname="BPI"}}

{{Certification Table Bottom | noshipments=true|nosales=true|streaming=true}}

{{Notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Cite book |last=Zaleski |first=Annie |author-link=Annie Zaleski |title=Taylor Swift: The Stories Behind the Songs |publisher=Headline Publishing Group |year=2024 |isbn=9781802798586}}

{{Taylor Swift songs}}

{{Post Malone}}

{{Navboxes

|title = Awards for "Fortnight"

|titlestyle = background: lightblue

|list =

{{MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video}}

{{MTV Video Music Award for Best Collaboration}}

{{MTV Video Music Award for Song of Summer}}

{{MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year}}

}}

Category:2024 songs

Category:2024 singles

Category:2020s ballads

Category:Billboard Global 200 number-one singles

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Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles

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Category:Post Malone songs

Category:Taylor Swift songs

Category:Songs about depression

Category:Songs about heartache

Category:Songs written by Taylor Swift

Category:Songs written by Jack Antonoff

Category:Songs written by Post Malone

Category:Song recordings produced by Taylor Swift

Category:Song recordings produced by Jack Antonoff

Category:Electropop songs

Category:Downtempo songs

Category:Male–female vocal duets

Category:Music videos directed by Taylor Swift

Category:Number-one singles in Australia

Category:Number-one singles in India

Category:Number-one singles in Israel

Category:Number-one singles in Malaysia

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Category:Number-one singles in the Philippines

Category:Number-one singles in Singapore

Category:Black-and-white music videos

Category:American synth-pop songs

Category:Synth-pop ballads

Category:UK singles chart number-one singles

Category:Republic Records singles

Category:American new wave songs

Category:New wave ballads

Category:Electropop ballads