I Forgot That You Existed

Taylor Swift conceived her seventh studio album, Lover, as a "love letter to love" that explores the different emotions stirred by love. It was influenced by the connections she experienced with her fans during her Reputation Stadium Tour (2018), which helped her recalibrate her personal life and artistic direction.{{cite magazine|last=Suskind|first=Alex|date=May 9, 2019|title=New Reputation: Taylor Swift Shares Intel on TS7, Fan Theories, and Her Next Era|url=https://ew.com/music/2019/05/09/taylor-swift-cover-story/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812135902/https://ew.com/music/2019/05/09/taylor-swift-cover-story/|archive-date=August 12, 2019|access-date=August 14, 2023}}{{Cite magazine |last=Aniftos |first=Rania |date=August 8, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift Calls Lover Album Her 'Love Letter to Love,' Details 2 Unreleased Tracks |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-vogue-intereview-lover-two-new-songs-8526948/ |access-date=April 16, 2024 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612104220/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-vogue-intereview-lover-two-new-songs-8526948/ |url-status=live }} Republic Records released Lover on August 23, 2019; it was Swift's first album under the label after she ended her previous contract with Big Machine Records. "I Forgot That You Existed" was released as Lover{{'s}} opening track.{{Cite web |last=Coscarelli |first=Joe |date=August 23, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift Releases Lover the Old-Fashioned Way |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/arts/music/taylor-swift-lover.html |url-access=limited |access-date=December 22, 2023 |website=The New York Times |archive-date=August 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828234348/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/arts/music/taylor-swift-lover.html |url-status=live }} A voice memo that contains an unfinished demo of the song, dubbed "piano/vocal", was included in the physical deluxe edition of the album.{{cite AV media notes |title=Lover |first=Taylor |last=Swift |author-link=Taylor Swift |year=2019 |type=CD deluxe edition liner notes |publisher=Republic Records |id=UICU-9099}}{{cite web|url=https://www.universal-music.co.jp/taylor-swift/products/uicu-9099/|script-title=ja:ラヴァー - ジャパン・スペシャル・エディション [初回生産限定盤][7インチ紙ジャケ仕様]|trans-title=Lover - Japan Special Edition [Limited Edition] [7-inch Sleeve Cover]|publisher=Universal Music Japan|language=ja|access-date=December 14, 2024|archive-date=May 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526215942/https://www.universal-music.co.jp/taylor-swift/products/uicu-9099/|url-status=live }}

Swift performed "I Forgot That You Existed" as a "surprise" song on acoustic guitar twice on her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour (2023–2024). She played it for the first time at the first show in Mexico City on August 24, 2023.{{cite magazine|last=Wilkes|first=Emma|date=August 25, 2023|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-taylor-swift-debut-i-forgot-that-you-existed-and-sweet-nothing-live-3488753|title=Watch Taylor Swift Debut 'I Forgot That You Existed' and 'Sweet Nothing' Live|magazine=NME|access-date=March 20, 2024}} She performed "I Forgot That You Existed" as part of a mashup with her 2017 song "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" at the Cardiff show on June 18, 2024.{{cite magazine |last1=Iasimone |first1=Ashley |last2=Dailey |first2=Hannah |date=December 11, 2024 |title=All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Performed on The Eras Tour |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-eras-tour-surprise-songs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241117054204/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-eras-tour-surprise-songs/ |archive-date=November 17, 2024 |access-date=December 14, 2024 |magazine=Billboard}}

"I Forgot That You Existed" was the first track written for Lover, picked as the opening track to complete "the cycle of grieving" explored in Swift's previous album, Reputation (2017), and signify a state of indifference after the end of any cycle that involves negative emotions. She wrote and produced the track with Louis Bell and Frank Dukes, motivated by their work with Camila Cabello; she wanted the production to be as simple as the feeling of indifference itself.{{cite web|last=Mastrogiannis|first=Nicole|date=August 23, 2019|url=https://www.iheart.com/content/2019-08-23-taylor-swift-shares-intimate-details-of-lover-songs-during-secret-session/|title=Taylor Swift Shares Intimate Details of Lover Songs During Secret Session|publisher=iHeartRadio|access-date=March 20, 2024|archive-date=August 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190825122533/https://www.iheart.com/content/2019-08-23-taylor-swift-shares-intimate-details-of-lover-songs-during-secret-session/|url-status=live}} Bell recorded "I Forgot That You Existed" at Electric Feel Studios in Los Angeles, assisted by Grant Strumwasser. It was mixed by Serban Ghenea at Mixstar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia; mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound Studios in New York; programmed by Bell and Dukes; and engineered for mix by John Hanes. Musicians who played instruments for the track include Bell (keyboards), Serafin Aguilar (trumpet), David Urquidi (saxophone), and Steve Hughes (trombone); Joe Harrison and Dukes played guitar.

"I Forgot That You Existed" is 2 minutes and 50 seconds long.{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/lover/1468058165|title=Lover|publisher=Apple Music (US)|access-date=December 14, 2024|archive-date=February 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207015437/https://music.apple.com/us/album/lover/1468058165|url-status=live}} Music journalists identified it as a bubblegum pop, R&B, and post-tropical house song with Auto-Tuned vocal performance.{{Sfn|Zaleski|2024|p=150}}{{cite magazine|last=Catucci|first=Nick|date=August 23, 2019|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/taylor-swift-lover-875442/|title=Taylor Swift Reaches For New Heights of Personal and Musical Liberation on 'Lover'|magazine=Rolling Stone|url-access=limited|access-date=March 21, 2024|archive-date=August 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823045112/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/taylor-swift-lover-875442/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2019/08/taylor-swift-lover-review|title=Taylor Swift's Lover Could Hold the Key to Pop Music's Survival|first=Erin|last=Vanderhoff|website=Vanity Fair|date=August 23, 2019|access-date=December 14, 2024|archive-date=August 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824051507/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2019/08/taylor-swift-lover-review|url-status=live|url-access=limited}} It features a bouncy and minimalist production consisting of a light piano, "rumbling" bass, and finger snaps that form a pop rap beat.{{cite magazine|last1=Suskind|first1=Alex|last2=Snetiker|first2=Marc|date=August 23, 2019|url=https://ew.com/music/2019/08/23/ew-pop-missy-elliott-taylor-swift-1975/|title=EW's Friday Five: Missy Elliott Goes Vintage, Taylor Swift's Kiss-Off Anthem, and the 1975 Tear the Roof Off|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=March 21, 2024}}{{cite web|last=Jenkins|first=Craig|date=August 23, 2019|url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/08/taylor-swift-i-forgot-that-you-exisited-song-review.html|title='I Forgot That You Existed' Is Taylor Swift in All Her Passive-Aggressive Glory|website=Vulture|access-date=March 21, 2024|archive-date=August 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823045815/https://www.vulture.com/2019/08/taylor-swift-i-forgot-that-you-exisited-song-review.html|url-status=live|url-access=limited}}{{Sfn|Zaleski|2024|p=352}} The song incorporates themes of overcoming the past and finding peace, serving as a transition from the dark themes of Reputation.{{cite web|last=Caramanica|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Caramanica|date=August 23, 2019|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/arts/music/taylor-swift-lover-review.html|title=Taylor Swift Emerges from the Darkness Unbroken on Lover|website=The New York Times|url-access=limited|access-date=August 23, 2019|archive-date=August 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824211014/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/arts/music/taylor-swift-lover-review.html|url-status=live}} It explores the idea of creating enough distance from difficult times so they gradually fade from memory. The lyrics feature a reference to Reputation ("I forgot that you got out some popcorn as soon as my rep starting going down, down, down") and Drake{{'s}} 2018 single "In My Feelings" ("In my feelings more than Drake").{{cite magazine|last=Mamo|first=Heran|date=September 6, 2019|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/lyrics/taylor-swift-i-forgot-that-you-existed-lyrics-lover-8529376/|title=Here Are the Lyrics to Taylor Swift's 'I Forgot That You Existed'|magazine=Billboard|access-date=March 20, 2024}}{{cite magazine|last=Locker|first=Melissa|date=August 23, 2019|url=https://time.com/5659727/taylor-swift-i-forgot-you-existed-reference/|title=You Probably Missed This Subtle Clue Taylor Swift Dropped for the Fans With Her Pin|magazine=Time|access-date=March 20, 2024|url-access=limited}}{{cite web|last=McDermott|first=Maeve|date=August 23, 2019|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/08/23/taylor-swifts-lover-juicy-lyrics-her-past-dramas/2064911001/|title=Taylor Swift's Lover: The Juiciest Lyrical References, from Kanye West to Leonardo DiCaprio|website=USA Today|access-date=March 24, 2023}} Swift employs spoken word deliveries and performs a sinister laugh in the final chorus.{{cite web|last=Jenkins|first=Craig|date=August 23, 2019|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/best-new-music-2019.html|title=Best New Music – August 23, 2019|website=Vulture|access-date=March 21, 2024|archive-date=June 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210621075221/https://www.vulture.com/article/best-new-music-2019.html|url-status=live|url-access=limited}}

Some music critics praised "I Forgot That You Existed" for its airy quality and sharp lyricism. Robert Christgau, in his "Consumer Guide" column, described the track as "mean yet hopeful",{{cite web|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=September 18, 2019|url=https://robertchristgau.substack.com/p/consumer-guide-september-2019|title=Consumer Guide: September 2019|work=And It Don't Stop|publisher=Substack|access-date=December 14, 2024|archive-date=September 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929182101/https://robertchristgau.substack.com/p/consumer-guide-september-2019|url-status=live}} The Observer{{'s}} Kitty Empire dubbed it a "breezy kiss-off",{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/24/taylor-swift-lover-album-review|title=Taylor Swift: Lover Review – A Return to Past Glories|last=Empire|first=Kitty|author-link=Kitty Empire|newspaper=The Observer|date=August 24, 2019|access-date=December 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826033045/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/24/taylor-swift-lover-album-review|archive-date=August 26, 2019|url-status=live}} and Time{{'s}} Raisa Bruner referred to it as "bright, light, and bubbly".{{Cite magazine |last=Bruner |first=Raisa |date=August 23, 2019 |title=Let's Discuss the Lyrics to Every Song on Taylor Swift's Lover |url=https://time.com/5651207/taylor-swift-lover-songs-explained/ |url-status=live |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609233017/https://time.com/5651207/taylor-swift-lover-songs-explained/ |archive-date=June 9, 2020 |access-date=August 14, 2023|url-access=limited}} Craig Jenkins of Vulture thought that it combined the sharp and biting lyricism of Swift's earlier songs, such as "Picture to Burn" (2008) and "Mean" (2011), with the modern production of her later works. He believed it was successful in the context of taking her music in a new direction while still maintaining a connection to her previous work. Deborah Krieger of PopMatters similarly considered it a great transition from the bitterness of Reputation to the more accepting attitude towards life and relationships of Lover.{{Cite web |last=Krieger |first=Deborah |date=September 3, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift's Lover Finds Her at Peak Creativity in a State of Romantic Bliss |url=https://www.popmatters.com/taylor-swift-lover-review-2640081922.html |access-date=December 14, 2024 |website=PopMatters |archive-date=December 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221102036/https://www.popmatters.com/taylor-swift-lover-review-2640081922.html |url-status=live }} Annie Zaleski from The A.V. Club said that Swift was charmingly nonchalant as she casually sang the line "I forgot that you existed / It isn't love, it isn't hate, it's just indifference".{{cite web|last1=Zaleski|first1=Annie|title=Taylor Swift Is Done Proving Herself on the Resonant Lover|url=https://www.avclub.com/taylor-swift-is-done-proving-herself-on-the-resonant-lo-1837578581|website=The A.V. Club|date=August 26, 2019|access-date=December 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826180927/https://music.avclub.com/taylor-swift-is-done-proving-herself-on-the-resonant-lo-1837578581|archive-date=August 26, 2019|url-status=live|author-link=Annie Zaleski}}

Other critics criticized the concept as confusing and irrelevant. NME{{'s}} Nick Levine believed that Swift undermined her message by writing a song about someone she is meant to forget,{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/taylor-swift-lover-review-2541084|title=Taylor Swift – Lover Review|last=Levine|first=Nick|website=NME|url-status=live|date=August 23, 2019|access-date=December 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823151842/https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/taylor-swift-lover-review|archive-date=August 23, 2019}} and Slate{{'s}} Carl Wilson deemed it a song "whose existence disproves its central claim".{{cite web|url=https://slate.com/culture/2019/08/taylor-swift-lover-album-review.html|title=Taylor Swift's Lover Is a More Mature (Mostly) Successor to Red|work=Slate|first=Carl|last=Wilson|author-link=Carl Wilson (writer)|date=August 23, 2019|access-date=December 14, 2024|archive-date=November 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121100740/https://slate.com/culture/2019/08/taylor-swift-lover-album-review.html|url-status=live}} Miranda Wollen from Paste described the track as disappointing and remarked that it failed to showcase Swift's lyrical and musical abilities.{{Cite web |title=Every Taylor Swift Album Ranked |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/taylor-swift/best-taylor-swift-albulms-ranked |access-date=December 14, 2024 |date=April 21, 2024 |website=Paste |archive-date=December 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212135621/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/taylor-swift/best-taylor-swift-albulms-ranked |url-status=live }} Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine considered it a diss track and a toned-down version of her songs "Bad Blood" (2015) and "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things",{{cite web|last=Cinquemani|first=Sal|title=Review: Taylor Swift's Lover Course Corrects in Multiple Directions|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review-taylor-swift-lover-course-corrects-in-multiple-directions/|website=Slant Magazine|date=August 23, 2019|access-date=December 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823203812/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review-taylor-swift-lover-course-corrects-in-multiple-directions/|archive-date=August 23, 2019|url-status=live}} and Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times dubbed it an "an unwelcome leftover from 2017's revenge-minded Reputation" and placed it at number sixteen in a ranking of Lover{{'s}} eighteen tracks.{{cite web|last=Wood|first=Mikael|date=August 25, 2019|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2019-08-25/taylor-swift-lover-songs-ranked|title=Taylor Swift's Lover: All 18 Songs, Ranked|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=June 1, 2024|archive-date=September 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190914082330/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2019-08-25/taylor-swift-lover-songs-ranked|url-status=live|url-access=limited}} Vulture{{'s}} Nate Jones placed "I Forgot That You Existed" at number 81 while ranking Swift's 245 songs,{{cite web|last=Jones|first=Nate|date=May 20, 2024|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/all-taylor-swift-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html|title=All 245 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked|website=Vulture|access-date=December 14, 2024|url-access=limited|archive-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721160846/https://www.vulture.com/article/all-taylor-swift-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html|url-status=live}} and Rolling Stone{{'s}} Rob Sheffield named it her 221st best song in a 2024 ranking of her discography, finding it to be closer to "reminding" than forgetting.{{Cite web |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |date=April 25, 2024 |title=All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/forgot-that-you-existed-2019-924553/ |access-date=December 6, 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609081231/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/forgot-that-you-existed-2019-924553/ |archive-date=June 9, 2022 |url-status=live |url-access=limited }}

"I Forgot That You Existed" reached number three on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart and number five on the US Rolling Stone Top 100 chart. On the week ending September 7, 2019, it debuted at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 29 on the Canadian Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, the track peaked at number 39 on the Audio Streaming chart and number 82 on both the Singles Downloads and Singles Sales charts. "I Forgot That You Existed" additionally reached the national charts of Singapore (17), Australia (24), Sweden (50), and Scotland (71). It was certified platinum in Australia and Brazil, gold in New Zealand, and silver in the United Kingdom.

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Lover.{{cite AV media notes|title=Lover|type=liner notes|first=Taylor |last=Swift |author-link=Taylor Swift |year=2019|publisher=Republic Records}}

• Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriter, producer
• Louis Bell – songwriter, producer, recording engineer, programmer, keyboards
• Frank Dukes – songwriter, producer, programmer, guitar
• Grant Strumwasser – assistant recording engineer
• Serban Ghenea – mixer
• John Hanes – engineer for mix
• Randy Merrill – mastering engineer
• Joe Harrison – guitar
• Serafin Aguilar – trumpet
• David Urquidi – saxophone
• Steve Hughes – trombone

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "I Forgot That You Existed"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2024|access-date=March 17, 2024|refname="ARIA"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|type=single|artist=Taylor Swift|title=I Forgot That You Existed|award=Platinum|relyear=2019|certyear=2024|access-date=July 25, 2024|refname="BrazilCert"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Taylor Swift|title=I Forgot That You Existed|type=single|award=Gold|access-date=December 19, 2024|source=radioscope|relyear=2019|certyear=2022|refname="NZCert"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Taylor Swift|title=I Forgot That You Existed|award=Silver|relyear=2019|certyear=2023|id=18578-1598-1|access-date=March 17, 2024|refname="BPI"}}

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

{{reflist}}

• {{Cite book |last=Zaleski |first=Annie |author-link=Annie Zaleski |title=Taylor Swift: The Stories Behind the Songs |publisher=Thunder Bay Press |year=2024 |isbn=978-1-6672-0845-9 |pages=148–171 |chapter=The Lover Era}}

{{Taylor Swift songs}}

Category:Taylor Swift songs

Category:Songs written by Taylor Swift

Category:Songs written by Frank Dukes

Category:Songs written by Louis Bell

Category:Song recordings produced by Taylor Swift

Category:Song recordings produced by Frank Dukes

Category:Song recordings produced by Louis Bell

Category:Bubblegum pop songs

Category:2019 songs

Category:American contemporary R&B songs

Category:American house music songs

Category:Tropical house songs