Midnights
{{short description|2022 studio album by Taylor Swift}}
{{for-multi|the time of day|Midnight|other uses|Midnight (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2022}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Midnights
| type = studio
| artist = Taylor Swift
| cover = Midnights - Taylor Swift.png
| border = yes
| alt = Digital artwork of "Midnights", a white background with a square image of Taylor Swift holding a lighter. The track list is displayed on the bottom left of the image.
| caption = Standard cover
| released = {{start date|2022|10|21}}
| studio = * Electric Lady (New York City)
- Henson Recording (Los Angeles)
- Rough Customer (Brooklyn)
| genre =
| length = 44:02
| label = Republic
| producer = * Taylor Swift
- Jack Antonoff
- Sounwave
- Jahaan Sweet
- Keanu Beats
| prev_title = Red (Taylor's Version)
| prev_year = 2021
| next_title = Lover (Live from Paris)
| next_year = 2023
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Midnights
| type = studio
| single1 = Anti-Hero
| single1date = October 21, 2022
| single2 = Lavender Haze
| single2date = November 29, 2022
| single3 = Karma
| single3date = May 1, 2023
}}
}}
Midnights is the tenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on October 21, 2022, by Republic Records. She conceived Midnights as a concept album about nocturnal ruminations inspired by her sleepless nights. The confessional lyrics explore regret, self-criticism, fantasies, heartbreak, and infatuation, with allusions to her personal life and public image.
Swift and Jack Antonoff produced the album's standard edition, which incorporates synth-pop, electropop, dream pop, and bedroom pop, with elements of electronica, hip-hop, and R&B. Its electronic soundscape is characterized by mid-tempo rhythms, analog synthesizers, sparse drum machine beats, and digitally manipulated vocals. Sounwave, Jahaan Sweet, and Keanu Beats co-produced two tracks; Antonoff and Aaron Dessner co-produced songs for an extended 3am Edition that was surprise-released three hours after the standard edition.
Swift announced Midnights at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards and unveiled the standard tracklist on the video-sharing platform TikTok. Midnights topped the charts and has received platinum certifications in markets across Europe, Asia–Pacific, and the Americas. In the United States, it became Swift's 11th consecutive number-one album on the Billboard 200, her fifth to sell over one million first-week copies, and the best-selling album of 2022. Its songs made Swift the first artist to monopolize the Billboard Hot 100 top 10; the lead single "Anti-Hero" peaked at number one and the singles "Lavender Haze" and "Karma" peaked at number two.
Music critics regarded Midnights as an amalgamation of Swift's earlier albums, emphasizing the synth production and narrative lyrics. They praised her songwriting for engaging compositions and narratives; most complimented the production as restrained and tasteful, although some found it conventional. Midnights was featured on numerous rankings of the best albums of 2022. At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards (2024), Midnights made Swift the first artist to win Album of the Year four times, and it also won Best Pop Vocal Album.
Background
Taylor Swift began as a Nashville–based country musician in the 2000s and transformed into a mainstream pop star in the 2010s.{{Cite web |last=Lutz |first=Ashley |date=October 8, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Is A Business Genius, And Her New Album Midnights Proves It |url=https://fortune.com/2022/10/08/taylor-swift-midnights-release-business-strategy/ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |website=Fortune |archive-date=October 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008100345/https://fortune.com/2022/10/08/taylor-swift-midnights-release-business-strategy/ |url-status=live }} Her two indie folk albums released during the COVID-19 pandemic, Folklore and Evermore (both 2020),{{Cite news |last=Snapes |first=Laura |date=October 14, 2022 |title='Genuine': Why Taylor Swift Can Celebrate More than an Album Release |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/14/taylor-swift-celebrate-album-release-midnights-pop-acclaim |access-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-date=October 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014143722/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/14/taylor-swift-celebrate-album-release-midnights-pop-acclaim |url-status=live }} brought her critical and public recognitions as an acclaimed songwriter.{{Sfnm|1a1=McGrath|1y=2023|1p=79|2a1=Fogarty|2a2=Arnold|2y=2021|2p=5}}
She began re-recording her first six studio albums from November 2020,{{cite web |last=Melas |first=Chloe |date=November 16, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Speaks Out About Sale of Her Masters |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/16/entertainment/taylor-swift-masters/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118064935/https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/taylor-swift-speaks-out-about-sale-of-her-masters-1.5191925 |archive-date=November 18, 2020 |access-date=November 19, 2020 |publisher=CNN}} following a 2019 dispute between her and the music executive Scooter Braun, who acquired Swift's former record label Big Machine and the masters of those albums.{{Sfn|Klein|2023}} The re-recordings' masters would be owned by Swift, enabling her to have full licensing rights of her songs for commercial use.{{Cite news |last=Shah |first=Neil |date=April 9, 2021 |title=Taylor Swift Releases New Fearless Album, Reclaiming Her Back Catalog |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/taylor-swift-releases-new-fearless-album-reclaiming-her-back-catalog-11617945524 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008111731/https://www.wsj.com/articles/taylor-swift-releases-new-fearless-album-reclaiming-her-back-catalog-11617945524 |archive-date=October 8, 2021 |issn=}} Critics and academics deemed Swift's re-recordings a key event contributing to a wider industry discourse on artists' rights and artist–label relationships.{{Sfn|Tribulski|2020–2021|p=95–96}}
Amidst the re-recording projects, Swift drew attention on her new approach following her appearance at Haim's One More Haim Tour concert in London in July 2022; her first performance since 2019.{{Cite web |last=Robledo |first=Anthony |date=July 22, 2022 |title=Watch Taylor Swift Join HAIM On Stage For a 'Mashup' of 'Love Story' and 'Gasoline' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/07/22/taylor-swift-haim-london-concert-surprise-performance/10127665002/ |access-date=August 4, 2023 |website=USA Today |archive-date=August 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230804080954/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/07/22/taylor-swift-haim-london-concert-surprise-performance/10127665002/ |url-status=live }} At the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, during her acceptance speech for Video of the Year, she announced a new studio album, slated for release on October 21.{{Cite magazine |last=Martoccio |first=Angie |date=August 29, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Announces New Album Midnights: 'A Journey Through Terrors and Sweet Dreams' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-announces-new-album-1234583475/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829064007/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-announces-new-album-1234583475/ |archive-date=August 29, 2022 |access-date=August 29, 2022 |url-access=limited}} The announcement attracted media attention and increased the show's viewership ratings.{{Cite magazine |last=Grein |first=Paul |date=August 31, 2022 |title=Producers of 2022 VMAs on Why They Think the Ratings Ticked Up This Year: 'All the Stars Aligned' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/producers-2022-vmas-interviewed-post-show-1235133326/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220831093548/https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/producers-2022-vmas-interviewed-post-show-1235133326/ |archive-date=August 31, 2022 |access-date=August 31, 2022}} After the show, Swift revealed the album title Midnights on her social media. On music streaming platforms, Midnights was labeled "pop", which attracted media speculation on its sound after the "alternative"–labeled Folklore and Evermore.
Lyrics and themes
{{multiple image
| align =
| total_width = 300
| image1 = Antonoff at Radio Station.jpg
| caption1 = Jack Antonoff co-wrote 11 and co-produced all 13 tracks with Swift on the standard edition.
| alt1 = Jack Antonoff performing
| image2 = Aaron Dessner at Way Out West 2014.jpg
| caption2 = Aaron Dessner worked on four tracks for the 3 a.m. Edition.
| alt2 = Aaron Dessner playing an acoustic guitar
}}
Swift co-wrote 11 of the 13 tracks with Jack Antonoff, who had co-written for all of her albums starting with 1989 in 2014.{{Cite magazine |last=Kaufman |first=Gil |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights Songwriting Credits: Here's Who Wrote Each Song |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-midnights-songwriter-credits/ |access-date=November 27, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227151958/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-midnights-songwriter-credits/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Cantwell |first=Molly |date=September 19, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Confirms Jack Antonoff Collaboration on Forthcoming Midnights |url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/taylor-swift-confirms-jack-antonoff-collaboration-on-forthcoming-midnights-22929167 |access-date=November 28, 2023 |website=Hot Press |archive-date=December 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209233206/https://www.hotpress.com/music/taylor-swift-confirms-jack-antonoff-collaboration-on-forthcoming-midnights-22929167 |url-status=live }} She wrote "Vigilante Shit" alone and "Sweet Nothing" with Joe Alwyn, who is credited under the pseudonym William Bowery.{{Cite web |last=Curto |first=Justin |date=October 18, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Has Been Sharing Midnights with Zoë Kravitz and William Bowery |url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-song-writers-credits-zoe-kravitz.html |url-access=limited |access-date=November 27, 2023 |website=Vulture |archive-date=April 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403093349/https://www.vulture.com/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-song-writers-credits-zoe-kravitz.html |url-status=live }} Co-writers include Zoë Kravitz and Sam Dew ("Lavender Haze"), Jahaan Sweet and Sounwave ("Lavender Haze" and "Karma"), and Keanu Beats ("Karma"). Lana Del Rey co-wrote and featured on "Snow on the Beach". An extended 3am Edition containing seven additional tracks was written by Swift, who co-wrote four tracks with Antonoff and three with Aaron Dessner.{{Cite magazine |last=Mier |first=Tomás |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Surprises Fans With Midnights 3 A.M. Edition Featuring 7 Additional Songs |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-special-very-chaotic-surprise-1234612879/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026170730/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-special-very-chaotic-surprise-1234612879/ |archive-date=October 26, 2022 |access-date=October 23, 2022 |url-access=limited}} Dew and Sounwave also shared writing credits on the track "Glitch".
Swift conceived Midnights as a concept album about her "13 sleepless nights" informed by five themes: self-hatred, revenge fantasies, "wondering what might have been", falling in love, and "falling apart".{{Cite web |last=Carr |first=Mary Kate |date=August 29, 2022 |title=A Brief History of Taylor Swift's Midnights, In Honor of Her New Album |url=https://www.avclub.com/taylor-swift-midnights-a-brief-history-1849468632 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220831042320/https://gum.criteo.com/syncframe?origin=publishertag&topUrl=www.avclub.com |archive-date=August 31, 2022 |access-date=August 30, 2022 |website=The A.V. Club}} Midnight had recurred as a lyrical motif in her songs,{{Cite news |last=Savage |first=Mark |date=October 19, 2022 |title=Midnights: What We Know About Taylor Swift's Songwriting |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63233361 |access-date=November 27, 2023 |archive-date=October 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019233646/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63233361 |url-status=live }} representing romantic sentiments of vulnerability, yearning, or being haunted by past memories. Expanding on these connotations, Midnights explores Swift's psyche during the afterhours{{Cite news |last=Powers |first=Ann |author-link=Ann Powers |date=October 21, 2022 |title=In the Haze of Midnights, Taylor Swift Softens Into An Expanded Sound |agency=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/10/21/1130293117/midnights-taylor-swift-review |url-status=live |access-date=October 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021065926/https://www.npr.org/2022/10/21/1130293117/midnights-taylor-swift-review |archive-date=October 21, 2022}}—its autobiographical songs are backward-looking contemplations on her life,{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Wilson (writer) |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights Is the Right Kind of Concept Album |url=https://slate.com/culture/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-album-review-3am-lyrics.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021170235/https://slate.com/culture/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-album-review-3am-lyrics.html |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |accessdate=October 21, 2022 |magazine=Slate}} using confessional lyrical details that allude to her personal life and public image.{{Cite news |last=Ryan |first=Elise |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Review: Taylor Swift Plays Dark, Electric on Midnights |url=https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-midnights-review-45cf7eca3326d784829b405deb48310f |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021050627/https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-midnights-review-45cf7eca3326d784829b405deb48310f |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |access-date=October 21, 2022 |publisher=Associated Press}}{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Helen |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Review, Midnights: Her Darkest and Most Cryptic Album Yet |newspaper=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/taylor-swift-review-midnights-lyrics-b2207166.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=October 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021092547/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/taylor-swift-review-midnights-lyrics-b2207166.html |archive-date=October 21, 2022}}
The songs address diverse moods and emotions: self-criticism, self-confidence, ruminations on past decisions, hopes, fears, regrets, fantasies, and infatuation.{{efn|Attributed to Esquire{{'s}} Alan Light, NME{{'s}} Hannah Mylrea, PopMatters{{'s}} Rick Quinn, Pitchfork{{'s}} Quinn Moreland, and Entertainment Weekly{{'s}} Allaire Nuss}} Some music journalists argued that the broad themes resulted in Midnights being a loosely defined concept album;{{Cite magazine |last=Jackson |first=Lauren Michele |date=October 23, 2022 |title=In Taylor Swift's Midnights, the Easter Eggs Aren't the Point |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/listening-booth/in-taylor-swifts-midnights-the-easter-eggs-arent-the-point |url-status=live |magazine=The New Yorker |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023232033/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/listening-booth/in-taylor-swifts-midnights-the-easter-eggs-arent-the-point |archive-date=October 23, 2022 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |url-access=limited}} Alan Light of Esquire thought that the concept-album designation was questionable, despite the songs altogether constructing a cohesive record. Many songs are about those emotions ensuing from love.{{Cite magazine |last=Spanos |first=Brittany |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Lets Us Into Her Darkest Dreams On Midnights |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/taylor-swift-midnights-1234611211/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021040124/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/taylor-swift-midnights-1234611211/ |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |access-date=October 21, 2022 |url-access=limited}} "Maroon" is about the haunting memories of a long-gone romance, while "Snow on the Beach" describes two people falling in love with each other at the same time.{{Cite magazine |last=Legaspi |first=Althea |date=October 12, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Details 'Snow on the Beach' Featuring Lana Del Rey |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-snow-on-the-beach-lana-del-rey-details-1234609442/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012041515/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-snow-on-the-beach-lana-del-rey-details-1234609442/ |archive-date=October 12, 2022 |access-date=October 12, 2022 |url-access=limited}} Swift ruminates over a broken relationship and how things could have turned out differently in "Question...?" and ponders the anxiety of falling in love again in "Labyrinth".{{Cite magazine |last=Bilmes |first=Alex |author-link=Alex Bilmes |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights Is an Instant Classic |url=https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a41711408/taylor-swift-midnights-review/ |url-status=live |magazine=Esquire |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028203544/https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a41711408/taylor-swift-midnights-review/ |archive-date=October 28, 2022 |access-date=October 28, 2022}}
Many songs address Swift's fame and how it intertwines with her personal life.{{Cite podcast |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/10/13/1128915052/taylor-swift-stays-up-late-for-the-introspective-midnights |title=Taylor Swift Stays Up Late For the Introspective Midnights |website=Pop Culture Happy Hour |publisher=NPR |date=October 26, 2022 |access-date=January 7, 2023 |last=Thompson |first=Stephen |last2=Willison |first2=Margaret H. |last3=Fathima |first3=Hafsa |last4=Reedy |first4=Jessica |last5=Touros |first5=Cyrena |archive-date=December 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202015119/https://www.npr.org/2022/10/13/1128915052/taylor-swift-stays-up-late-for-the-introspective-midnights |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Stedman |first=Harry |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift: What the Critics Are Saying About Her New Album, Midnights |work=Belfast Telegraph |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/taylor-swift-what-the-critics-are-saying-about-her-new-album-midnights/42085479.html |access-date=January 3, 2014 |archive-date=March 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305091617/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/taylor-swift-what-the-critics-are-saying-about-her-new-album-midnights/42085479.html |url-status=live }} According to The New York Times
The songs "Vigilante Shit" and "Karma" have lyrics that conjecture revenge fantasies against one's rivals. In the former, Swift's character sides with the ex-lover of her nemesis in a revenge plot. The latter has comical lyrics about how Swift benefits from karma: her righteous actions reward her with good outcomes in life, and she need not worry about sabotaging her rivals. Self-assurance is the theme of "Bejeweled", which depicts finding one's self-worth after a breakup.{{cite magazine |last=Mylrea |first=Hannah |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift – Midnights Review: A Shimmering Return to Pure Pop |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/taylor-swift-midnights-review-3332805 |url-status=live |magazine=NME |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021050213/https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/taylor-swift-midnights-review-3332805 |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |access-date=October 21, 2022}}
The 3am Edition tracks have varied themes; The Atlantic{{'s}} Shirley Li considered them more cathartic and metaphorical than the standard tracks.{{cite web |last=Li |first=Shirley |date=November 2, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Best New Songs Aren't Technically on Midnights |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/11/taylor-swift-midnights-3am-edition-bonus-tracks/671974/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103102727/https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/11/taylor-swift-midnights-3am-edition-bonus-tracks/671974/ |archive-date=November 3, 2022 |access-date=November 3, 2022 |website=The Atlantic}} "The Great War" references World War I as an analogy of heartbreak,{{cite magazine |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |date=October 26, 2022 |title='The Great War' (2022) |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/the-great-war-2022-1234617639/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107043242/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/the-great-war-2022-1234617639 |archive-date=November 7, 2022 |access-date=November 7, 2022}} while "Would've, Could've, Should've" uses religious imagery to describe an adult woman's reflection on her traumatic loss of innocence during her adolescence. The vague, mournful lyrics of "Bigger Than the Whole Sky" are about losing something so soon without mentioning what exactly was lost.{{Cite magazine |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |date=October 28, 2023 |title='Bigger Than the Whole Sky' (2022) |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/ |access-date=November 28, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=February 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215023910/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/ |url-status=live }} "Glitch" is about how an original plan of staying friends with somebody strays away to become a romance,{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's 3 am Bonus Tracks, Reviewed: Peeks Into Prior Relationships Prove Fascinating, Even if She Was Right to Trim From Midnights |url=https://variety.com/2022/music/album-reviews/taylor-swift-3-am-bonus-tracks-reviewed-deluxe-edition-1235410992/ |access-date=November 28, 2023 |website=Variety |archive-date=November 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101065037/https://variety.com/2022/music/album-reviews/taylor-swift-3-am-bonus-tracks-reviewed-deluxe-edition-1235410992/ |url-status=live }} and "Paris" sees Swift fantasizing about a romance in Paris while in her bedroom.{{Cite magazine |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |date=October 28, 2023 |title='Paris' (2022) |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/ |access-date=November 28, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=February 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215023910/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/ |url-status=live }} In "High Infidelity", Swift's character takes responsibility for a failed relationship with no regrets. The 3am closing track, "Dear Reader", sees Swift beseeching her audience not to look up to her as a "guiding light".
Production and music
Swift recorded all of the tracks of the standard edition and some from the later release of Midnights at Antonoff's Rough Customer studio in Brooklyn and at Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, Manhattan.{{Cite news |last=Sisario |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Sisario |date=October 21, 2022 |title=The Clock Strikes: Time for Taylor Swift's New LP, Midnights |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/21/arts/music/taylor-swift-midnights.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801061731/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/21/arts/music/taylor-swift-midnights.html |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |access-date=August 1, 2023 |work=The New York Times}} Two tracks created with other producers are "Lavender Haze" (Sounwave, Jahaan Sweet) and "Karma" (Sounwave, Keanu Beats).{{Cite web |last=Curto |first=Justin |date=October 18, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Has Been Sharing Midnights With Zoë Kravitz |url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-song-writers-credits-zoe-kravitz.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403093349/https://www.vulture.com/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-song-writers-credits-zoe-kravitz.html |archive-date=April 3, 2023 |access-date=November 27, 2023 |website=Vulture}} Sounwave created a first demo for "Lavender Haze" by experimenting with different sounds and "hitting one button by accident". He and Antonoff added vocal samples from Braxton Cook, and Swift helped complete the final production.{{Sfn|Zaleski|2024|p=211}} After "Lavender Haze", Antonoff asked Sounwave if he had any additional music that could be suitable for Midnights. He then pitched to Antonoff a sample that Beats had created in 2019,{{Cite web |last=Moran |first=Robert |date=November 2, 2022 |title=The 25-Year-Old Australian Who Helped Produce Taylor Swift's Latest Album |url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/how-an-australian-bedroom-producer-landed-on-taylor-swift-s-midnights-20221101-p5bui4.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224054134/https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/how-an-australian-bedroom-producer-landed-on-taylor-swift-s-midnights-20221101-p5bui4.html |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |access-date=November 27, 2023 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald}} and the production for the final track, "Karma", completed after one day.{{Sfn|Zaleski|2024|p=221}}
Midnights has a minimalist,{{cite magazine |last=Von Pip |first=Andy |date=October 27, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift: Midnights |url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/midnights_taylor_swift |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027173653/https://undertheradarmag.com/reviews/midnights_taylor_swift |archive-date=October 27, 2022 |access-date=October 28, 2022 |magazine=Under the Radar}} electronic production.{{Cite web |last=Light |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Light |date=October 24, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights Does Something Astonishing. Even For Her. |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a41752359/taylor-swift-midnights-review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117101209/https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a41752359/taylor-swift-midnights-review/ |archive-date=January 17, 2023 |access-date=January 17, 2023 |website=Esquire}} Antonoff used the Yamaha DX7 and Oberheim OB-8 synths to create the demos,{{Cite web |last=Mullenpublished |first=Matt |date=August 22, 2023 |title=Jack Antonoff on Vintage Gear, Analogue Synths and Taylor Swift's Midnights: 'The Oberheim OB-8 Was the Star of That Album' |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/jack-antonoff-interview-taylor-swift-midnights-oberheim |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240524025208/https://www.musicradar.com/news/jack-antonoff-interview-taylor-swift-midnights-oberheim |archive-date=May 24, 2024 |access-date=June 3, 2024 |website=MusicRadar}} and the final melodies are generated by analog synthesizers that date back to the 1960s or 1970s such as Moog, Mellotron, and Juno 6.{{Cite magazine |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights Marks a Return to Electronic, Confessional Pop That's Worth Losing Sleep Over: Album Review |url=https://variety.com/2022/music/album-reviews/taylor-swift-midnights-album-review-1235410102/ |url-status=live |magazine=Variety |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021040515/https://variety.com/2022/music/album-reviews/taylor-swift-midnights-album-review-1235410102/ |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |access-date=October 21, 2022}} The mid-tempo compositions are driven by sparse drum machine beats{{Cite magazine |last=Kornhaber |first=Spencer |date=October 21, 2022 |title=The Beautiful Banality of Taylor Swift's Midnights |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-album-review/671811/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601203501/https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-album-review/671811/ |archive-date=June 1, 2023 |access-date=November 24, 2023 |magazine=The Atlantic}}{{Cite web |last=LaPierre |first=Megan |date=November 5, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Is Her Own Timekeeper on Midnights |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/taylor_swift_midnights_album_review |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103124141/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/taylor_swift_midnights_album_review |archive-date=November 3, 2022 |access-date=November 5, 2022 |website=Exclaim!}} and synthesized or electronically manipulated vocals. Two tracks that have acoustic-leaning soundscapes are "You're on Your Own, Kid", which is driven by electric guitar strums, and "Sweet Nothing", by an electric piano and horns. Swift's words, vocals, and Antonoff's production emphasize rhythms.{{Cite magazine |last=Lipshutz |first=Jason |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights: A Personal, Emotionally Potent Late-Night Check-In (Critic's Take) |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-midnights-review-new-album-1235159053/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021040205/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-midnights-review-new-album-1235159053/ |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |access-date=October 21, 2022}} Several tracks feature subdued tones of other instruments such as saxophone, clarinet, flutes, and keyboards, played by members of Antonoff's band Bleachers.{{Cite web |last=Olivier |first=Bobby |date=October 21, 2022 |title=On Midnights, Taylor Swift Dares To See Herself |url=https://www.spin.com/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-review/ |access-date=November 24, 2023 |website=Spin |archive-date=November 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126041209/https://www.spin.com/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-review/ |url-status=live }}
Contemporary reviews mostly categorized Midnights as synth-pop{{efn|Attributed to Moreland, The Atlantic{{'s}} Spencer Kornharber, The Guardian{{'s}} Alexis Petridis, Vulture{{'s}} Craig Jenkins, and The A.V. Club{{'s}} Saloni Gajjar}} and electropop.{{efn|Attributed to Light, The Times{{'s}} Will Hodgkinson,{{cite news|last=Hodgkinson|first=Will|author-link=Will Hodgkinson|date=October 21, 2022|title=Taylor Swift Review: Midnights – An Old-Fashioned Album About Human Weakness|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/taylor-swift-new-album-review-midnights-hhxnn89q7|url-status=live|newspaper=The Times|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221021052524/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/taylor-swift-new-album-review-midnights-hhxnn89q7|archive-date=October 21, 2022|access-date=October 21, 2022|url-access=subscription}} AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, and Slant Magazine{{'s}} Paul Attard}} Several reviews described the album with dream pop{{Cite magazine |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Welcome to the Lavender Labyrinth: Taylor Swift's Midnights Is the Mastermind's Ultimate Power Move |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-midnights-sheffield-1234615239/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022185255/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-midnights-sheffield-1234615239/ |archive-date=October 22, 2022 |access-date=October 23, 2022 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} and bedroom pop.{{Cite web |last=Harvilla |first=Rob |date=October 25, 2022 |title=The Anti-Hero We Deserve: Taylor Swift and Her Polarizing Midnights |url=https://www.theringer.com/music/2022/10/25/23421954/midnights-taylor-swift-review |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103184909/https://www.theringer.com/music/2022/10/25/23421954/midnights-taylor-swift-review |archive-date=November 3, 2022 |access-date=November 3, 2022 |website=The Ringer}} Music critics deemed the album a throwback to the pop sounds of Swift's 1989, Reputation, and Lover, but its atmospheric production makes it relatively subdued and understated.{{efn|Attributed to Petridis, Moreland, The Guardian{{'s}} critic panel,{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/mar/17/taylor-swift-eras-best-album|title=Taylor Swift Eras Deathmatch! Making the Case for the Superstar's Best Album|website=The Guardian|date=March 17, 2023|access-date=November 28, 2023|archive-date=May 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524161413/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/mar/17/taylor-swift-eras-best-album|url-status=live}} Exclaim!{{'s}} Megan LaPierre, Paste{{'s}} Ellen Johnson, The New York Times{{'}} Lindsay Zoladz,{{Cite news |last=Zoladz |first=Lindsay |date=May 30, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights (Lindsay's Version) |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/30/arts/music/taylor-swift-midnights.html |url-access=limited |access-date=November 24, 2023 |archive-date=November 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124093141/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/30/arts/music/taylor-swift-midnights.html |url-status=live }} and The Observer{{'s}} Kitty Empire}} NPR's Ann Powers wrote that the sound "might be called ahistorical chillout music", with a "soft and mutable glow" that stimulated an intimate and isolated atmosphere. According to the popular culture academic Keith Nainby, Midnights has a cool sonic tone: compared to the insistent and urgent beats of 1989 or Reputation, its texture is smoother, with the pitch frequencies "closely matched from top to bottom" that make the instruments' colors blending into a unified palette.{{Sfn|Nainby|2024|p=106}}
{{Listen
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Midnights incorporates influences from R&B,{{Cite web |last=Jenkins |first=Craig |date=October 24, 2022 |title=Midnights{{'}} Moonlit Lessons |url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/10/midnights-album-review-taylor-swift.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031180303/https://www.vulture.com/2022/10/midnights-album-review-taylor-swift.html |archive-date=October 31, 2022 |access-date=October 31, 2022 |website=Vulture}}{{Cite news |last=Empire |first=Kitty |author-link=Kitty Empire |date=October 23, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift: Midnights Review – Poised Between Self-Flagellation And Pure Bliss |newspaper=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/23/taylor-swift-midnights-review-poised-between-self-flagellation-and-pure-bliss |url-status=live |access-date=October 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023080953/https://amp.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/23/taylor-swift-midnights-review-poised-between-self-flagellation-and-pure-bliss |archive-date=October 23, 2022}} electronica,{{Cite news |date=October 22, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's New Album Breaks Spotify Streaming Record |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/22/taylor-swifts-new-album-breaks-spotify-streaming-record |url-status=live |access-date=October 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022080809/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/22/taylor-swifts-new-album-breaks-spotify-streaming-record |archive-date=October 22, 2022}} and hip-hop, showcased through the synthesizers and vocal manipulations—Swift's voice is multitracked and, on "Midnight Rain" and "Labyrinth", pitched down to a low register that critics found masculine or androgynous.{{cite news |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |author-link=Alexis Petridis |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift: Midnights Review – Small-Hours Pop Rich with Self-Loathing and Stereotype-Smashing |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/21/taylor-swift-midnights-review-small-hours-pop-rich-with-self-loathing-and-stereotype-smashing |url-status=live |access-date=October 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022001540/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/21/taylor-swift-midnights-review-small-hours-pop-rich-with-self-loathing-and-stereotype-smashing |archive-date=October 22, 2022}} Powers wrote that Swift's vocals retained a country-influenced "relaxed" timbre but also interpolated hip-hop cadences that resulted in conversational sing-talking. Elements of electronica are demonstrated on "Snow on the Beach" and "Bejeweled",{{Cite magazine |last=Johnson |first=Ellen |date=October 20, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Deals in Dark Magic on Midnights |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/taylor-swift/midnights-album-review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022212054/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/taylor-swift/midnights-album-review/ |archive-date=October 22, 2022 |access-date=October 21, 2022 |magazine=Paste}}{{Cite web |last=Nguyen |first=Giselle Au-Nhien |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Clever, Addictive: Taylor Swift's New Album Bridges Pop and Folk |url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/clever-addictive-taylor-swift-s-new-album-bridges-pop-and-folk-20221020-p5brkw.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325192051/https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/clever-addictive-taylor-swift-s-new-album-bridges-pop-and-folk-20221020-p5brkw.html |archive-date=March 25, 2023 |access-date=July 5, 2023 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald}} electro-hip-hop on "Lavender Haze", "Midnight Rain", and "Vigilante Shit",{{Cite magazine |last=Nuss |first=Allaire |date=November 7, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's 10 Seminal Albums, Ranked |url=https://ew.com/music/taylor-swift-albums-ranked/ |url-status=live |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126041743/https://ew.com/music/taylor-swift-albums-ranked/ |archive-date=November 26, 2022 |access-date=November 26, 2022}} and R&B on "Lavender Haze", "Maroon", "Midnight Rain", "The Great War", and "Glitch". "Midnight Rain" and "Labyrinth" also incorporate dubstep-influenced bass and house-and-trap-inspired beats.
In Vulture, Craig Jenkins dubbed Midnights a "genre reset" attempting to hybridize synth-pop and R&B. Two other Vulture critics—the journalist Charlie Harding and the musicologist Nate Sloan—said the album evoked a variety of dance and club genres, such as techno, UK garage, and jungle. This is demonstrated by the Reese bass, a low-pitched synth-bass sound that is incorporated into tracks such as "Lavender Haze", "Anti-Hero", "Question...?", and "Karma". Harding said the Reese bass gave the album a "dark" and "subterranean" feel.{{Cite podcast |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/taylor-swift-midnights-switched-on-pop.html |title=How Midnights Sonically Convinces Us That Taylor Swift Actually Broke Curfew |website=Switched on Pop |publisher=Vulture |last=Sloan |first=Nate |date=October 27, 2022 |access-date=October 27, 2022 |last2=Harding |first2=Charlie |last3=Cruz |first3=Reanna |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221029202005/https://www.vulture.com/article/taylor-swift-midnights-switched-on-pop.html |archive-date=October 29, 2022 |url-status=live |url-access=limited}} Elise Ryan from the Associated Press and Lucy Harbron from Gigwise considered Midnights an experimental album.{{Cite web |last=Harbron |first=Lucy |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Album Review: Taylor Swift – Midnights |url=https://www.gigwise.com/reviews/3427392/album-review-taylor-swift-midnights |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021084607/https://gigwise.com/reviews/3427392/album-review-taylor-swift-midnights |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |access-date=October 21, 2022 |website=Gigwise}} Ryan deemed it a move toward indie pop, and Andrew Unterberger from Billboard described it as "alt-leaning synth-pop".{{Cite magazine |last=Unterberger |first=Andrew |date=October 31, 2022 |title=Five Reasons Why Taylor Swift Was Able to Make Chart History With Her Midnights Debut Week |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-midnights-chart-history-hot-100-1235163645/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031193846/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-midnights-chart-history-hot-100-1235163645/ |archive-date=October 31, 2022 |access-date=October 31, 2022}} Ilana Kaplam of the Alternative Press and Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said that in addition to the electronic sound, Midnights incorporated alternative elements and contemplative lyricism that evoked Folklore and Evermore.{{Cite web |last=Kaplan |first=Ilana |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Review: Midnights Is Taylor Swift's Darkest, Most Self-Reflective Work To Date |url=https://www.altpress.com/taylor-swift-midnights-review/ |access-date=November 24, 2023 |website=Alternative Press |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021051418/https://www.altpress.com/taylor-swift-midnights-review/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/midnights-mw0003797278?1666827008771|title=Taylor Swift – Midnights|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|authorlink=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|publisher=AllMusic|date=October 21, 2022|access-date=October 26, 2022|archive-date=October 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026234157/https://www.allmusic.com/album/midnights-mw0003797278?1666827008771|url-status=live}}
Artwork and aesthetics
Employing a minimalist design, the standard edition's cover artwork contains a square photo of Swift in blue eye shadow, black eye liner, and red lipstick, holding the flame of a lighter close to her face.{{Cite magazine |last=Sanchez |first=Chelsey |date=September 1, 2022 |title=A Comprehensive Guide to Midnights, Taylor Swift's Upcoming 10th Album |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a41020770/taylor-swift-new-album-midnights-release-date-details-ts10/ |url-status=live |magazine=Harper's Bazaar |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903152031/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a41020770/taylor-swift-new-album-midnights-release-date-details-ts10/ |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |access-date=September 2, 2022}} The photo is at the bottom right corner, occupying half of the cover, and bordered on the top and left sides by off-white negative space.{{Cite magazine |last=Dailey |first=Hannah |date=October 20, 2022 |title=Everything We Know About Taylor Swift's Midnights So Far |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-midnights-everything-we-know/ |access-date=November 30, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=November 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221113133112/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-midnights-everything-we-know/ |url-status=live }} The tracklist is on the bottom left, and the title Midnights is written in a blue gradient, printed on top of Swift's photo.
The tracklist presentation is reminiscent of vinyl album jackets common in the 1970s.{{Cite magazine |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=August 29, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Announces All-New Album, Midnights, Set for October |url=https://variety.com/2022/music/news/taylor-swift-announces-all-new-album-for-fall-2022-1235352890/ |url-status=live |magazine=Variety |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829072145/https://variety.com/2022/music/news/taylor-swift-announces-all-new-album-for-fall-2022-1235352890/ |archive-date=August 29, 2022 |access-date=August 31, 2022}}{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=September 1, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Unveils Three More Album Covers for Midnights |url=https://variety.com/2022/music/news/taylor-swift-midnights-more-album-covers-vinyl-color-variants-1235356563/ |access-date=August 1, 2023 |website=Variety |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801072122/https://variety.com/2022/music/news/taylor-swift-midnights-more-album-covers-vinyl-color-variants-1235356563/ |url-status=live}} Several 1970s cultural items that were listed by journalists as potential reference points for the Midnights cover include the English band Roxy Music's 1974 album Country Life, the French artist Guy Bourdin's photographs for Vogue France, and the English model Jean Shrimpton, as discussed by Jess Cartner-Morley and Alex Bilmes. Several other analyses aligned the Midnights cover with the indie sleaze trend of the 2000s decade;{{efn|Attributed to the Dallas Observer,{{Cite news |last=Gravley |first=Carly May |date=September 2, 2022 |title=Why Taylor Swift Is (Probably) About to Bring Back Indie Sleaze |newspaper=Dallas Observer |url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/music/are-we-entering-the-taylor-swift-indie-sleaze-era-14732953 |url-status=live |access-date=October 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022012523/https://www.dallasobserver.com/music/are-we-entering-the-taylor-swift-indie-sleaze-era-14732953 |archive-date=October 22, 2022}} the Alternative Press,{{Cite web |date=August 30, 2022 |title=Daniel Radcliffe Goes All In As 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Taylor Swift's Midnights Album Cover Evokes Indie Sleaze and More |url=https://www.altpress.com/daniel-radcliffe-weird-the-al-yankobic-story-trailer-taylor-swift-midnights/ |access-date=August 1, 2023 |website=Alternative Press |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801100818/https://www.altpress.com/daniel-radcliffe-weird-the-al-yankobic-story-trailer-taylor-swift-midnights/ |url-status=live }} and Pitchfork{{Cite web |date=October 27, 2022 |title=The Pitchfork Review Podcast Tackles Taylor Swift's Midnights |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/podcast/the-pitchfork-review-podcast-tackles-taylor-swifts-midnights/ |access-date=August 1, 2023 |website=Pitchfork |archive-date=June 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604200753/https://pitchfork.com/features/podcast/the-pitchfork-review-podcast-tackles-taylor-swifts-midnights/ |url-status=live }}}} Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone named the Ultra Chilled dance CD compilations from the early 2000s as a potential influence.{{cite magazine |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |date=October 18, 2022 |title=22 Things We Absolutely Do Not Know About Taylor Swift's Midnights |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-midnights-questions-rob-sheffield-1234586065/ |url-access=limited |access-date=September 13, 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903152030/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-midnights-questions-rob-sheffield-1234586065/ |url-status=live }} The cover created a trend and was parodied by many brands, celebrities, and athletic teams.{{Cite magazine |last=Burke |first=Sammi |date=September 3, 2022 |title=The Internet's Best Parodies of Taylor Swift's Midnights Album Cover |url=https://parade.com/news/internets-best-parodies-taylor-swifts-midnights-album-cover-twitter |access-date=September 5, 2022 |magazine=Parade |archive-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905134224/https://parade.com/news/internets-best-parodies-taylor-swifts-midnights-album-cover-twitter |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Darney |first=Caroline |date=October 22, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights Album Cover Is the New Sports Meme And It's Wonderful |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/taylor-swift-midnights-album-cover-sports-meme |access-date=October 30, 2022 |magazine=USA Today |archive-date=October 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030095042/https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/taylor-swift-midnights-album-cover-sports-meme |url-status=live }}
Other promotional visuals for Midnights also feature 1970s aesthetics.{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Danielle |date=October 13, 2022 |title=Everything We Know About Taylor Swift's Midnights |url=https://www.thecut.com/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-release.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016065749/https://www.thecut.com/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-release.html |archive-date=October 16, 2022 |access-date=October 16, 2022 |website=The Cut}}{{Cite magazine |last=Huff |first=Lauren |date=October 23, 2022 |title=Everything You Need to Know About Taylor Swift's Midnights Album |url=https://ew.com/music/everything-to-know-taylor-swift-midnights-album/ |access-date=August 1, 2023 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-date=May 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523200232/https://ew.com/music/everything-to-know-taylor-swift-midnights-album/ |url-status=live }} The photographs and videos that Swift posted onto social media featured a clock face, family-room furniture with retro upholstery, and a rust velvet curtain in the background.{{Cite web |last=Princiotti |first=Nora |date=October 10, 2022 |title=13 Questions About Taylor Swift's Upcoming Album, Midnights |url=https://www.theringer.com/music/2022/10/10/23396011/taylor-swift-midnights-13-questions |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012090804/https://www.theringer.com/music/2022/10/10/23396011/taylor-swift-midnights-13-questions |archive-date=October 12, 2022 |access-date=October 12, 2022 |website=The Ringer}}{{Cite web |last=Merinuk |first=Madeline |date=October 18, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Eras: What She Was Trying to Say with Each Album's Style |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/music/taylor-swifts-album-eras-aesthetics-rcna51915 |access-date=December 4, 2023 |website=Today.com |archive-date=December 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204085234/https://www.today.com/popculture/music/taylor-swifts-album-eras-aesthetics-rcna51915 |url-status=live }} Her wardrobe incorporated embellishments that Vogue identified as "disco sequins" and "corduroy flare".{{Cite magazine |date=October 7, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights Will Feature a Lana Del Rey Collab and a Tribute to Her Six-Year Relationship With Joe Alwyn |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/taylor-swift-midnights-what-we-know-so-far |url-status=live |magazine=Vogue |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012084900/https://www.vogue.com/article/taylor-swift-midnights-what-we-know-so-far |archive-date=October 12, 2022 |access-date=October 12, 2022}} The covers for three other physical editions all feature 1970s memorabilia: a retro piano, a push-button telephone, and a wood-paneled wall. Their reverse sides each portray a quarter sector of a dial and, when assembled together and combined with a clock mechanism sold separately, form a functioning clock.{{Cite magazine |last=Brandle |first=Lars |date=September 16, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights LPs Assemble to Make a Clock |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-midnights-artwork-clock-1235140079/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220916080125/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-midnights-artwork-clock-1235140079/ |archive-date=September 16, 2022 |access-date=September 18, 2022}} The music videos for "Anti-Hero", "Bejeweled", and "Lavender Haze" feature Swift in 1970s fashion: houndstooth polo sweaters, ribbed knit trousers, and sequined bodysuits.{{efn|As noted by Grazia{{Cite web |last=Chandra |first=Shikha |date=November 15, 2022 |title=A Breakdown Of The Aesthetics Of Taylor Swift's Album Midnights |url=https://www.grazia.co.in/fashion/a-breakdown-of-the-aesthetics-and-fashion-of-taylor-swifts-album-midnights-10208.html |access-date=August 1, 2023 |website=Grazia |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801155814/https://www.grazia.co.in/fashion/a-breakdown-of-the-aesthetics-and-fashion-of-taylor-swifts-album-midnights-10208.html |url-status=live }} and Vogue{{Cite web |last1=Rennert |first1=Jenna |last2=Valenti |first2=Lauren |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Tracing Taylor Swift's Beauty Evolution, From Country Curls to Bombshell Bangs |url=https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/taylor-swift-beauty-evolution-red-lipstick-vogue-cover |url-access=limited |access-date=November 30, 2023 |website=Vogue |archive-date=May 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511175211/https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/taylor-swift-beauty-evolution-red-lipstick-vogue-cover |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=January 27, 2023 |title=Does Taylor Swift's 'Lavender Haze' Video Have a Deeper Meaning? |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/taylor-swift-lavender-haze-video-deeper-meaning |url-access=limited |access-date=November 30, 2023 |website=Vogue |archive-date=May 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511175207/https://www.vogue.com/article/taylor-swift-lavender-haze-video-deeper-meaning |url-status=live }}}}
Release and promotion
Swift extensively used social media to promote Midnights. After the announcement at the MTV Video Music Awards, Swift's website and the canvases of her songs on Spotify were updated with images of a clock.{{Cite web |last=Fowler |first=Bella |date=August 29, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift to Release 10th Studio Album, Midnights |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/taylor-swift-to-release-10th-studio-album-midnights/RL57AI6AXU4DRWZMMOZ3QHFHZE/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829044803/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/taylor-swift-to-release-10th-studio-album-midnights/RL57AI6AXU4DRWZMMOZ3QHFHZE// |archive-date=August 29, 2022 |access-date=August 30, 2022 |website=The New Zealand Herald}} Using the video-sharing platform TikTok, from September 21 to October 7, 2022, she released a 13-episode video series called Midnights Mayhem with Me, where she announced the title of each track in a randomized order per episode.{{Cite magazine |last=Jones |first=Damian |date=October 7, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Reveals All Song Titles on New Album Midnights |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/taylor-swift-midnights-album-tracklist-3314098 |url-status=live |magazine=NME |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923075749/https://www.nme.com/news/music/taylor-swift-midnights-album-tracklist-3314098 |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |access-date=October 7, 2022}} In each episode, Swift rolled a lottery cage containing 13 ping pong balls numbered from 1 to 13, each representing a track of the album; when a ball dropped out, she disclosed the title of the corresponding track through a telephone.{{Cite magazine |last=Aniftos |first=Rania |date=September 23, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Announces Next Midnights Song Title & It's Spicy |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-midnights-track-8-song-title-vigilante-shit-1235143475/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923075749/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-midnights-track-8-song-title-vigilante-shit-1235143475/ |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |access-date=September 23, 2022}}{{Cite magazine |last=Gallagher |first=Alex |date=September 23, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Shares Song Title 'Vigilante Shit' in Midnights Tracklist Reveal Series |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/taylor-swift-midnights-album-tracklist-3314098 |url-status=live |magazine=NME |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923075749/https://www.nme.com/news/music/taylor-swift-midnights-album-tracklist-3314098 |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |access-date=September 23, 2022}} On October 17, Swift posted on her social media an itinerary titled Midnights Manifest, which included promotional events she had planned.{{Cite magazine |last=Brandle |first=Lars |date=October 17, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Reveals Midnights Music Videos Release Schedule |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-confirms-graham-norton-appearance-music-video-releases-1235156812/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017094021/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-confirms-graham-norton-appearance-music-video-releases-1235156812/ |archive-date=October 17, 2022 |access-date=October 25, 2022}} Swift partnered with Spotify to display some lyrics from Midnights on billboards in five cities: New York, London, São Paulo, Nashville, and Mexico City.{{Cite magazine |last=Dailey |first=Hannah |date=October 20, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights Lyrics Around the World |url=https://www.billboard.com/photos/taylor-swifts-midnights-lyrics-around-world-1235158566/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026084221/https://www.billboard.com/photos/taylor-swifts-midnights-lyrics-around-world-1235158566/ |archive-date=October 26, 2022 |access-date=October 28, 2022}} Another partnership with Apple Fitness+ included three exercise programs designed around Swift's music, featuring tracks from Midnights.{{Cite magazine |last=Dailey |first=Hannah |date=October 13, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Music to Be Featured in Apple Fitness Workout Programs: 'Get Ready to Sweat, Swifties' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-music-apple-fitness-swiftie-workout-programs-1235155708/ |access-date=October 15, 2022 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=October 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014172452/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-music-apple-fitness-swiftie-workout-programs-1235155708/ |url-status=live }}
Although Swift extensively promoted Midnights and announced multiple release pre-orders, she did not conduct press interviews or preview music prior to the album's release. Republic Records released Midnights on October 21, 2022. The standard edition was made available for streaming, download, cassette, four CD variants, and four vinyl LP variants.{{Cite web |last=Knopper |first=Steve |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Is Selling Over 20 Versions of Midnights in Different Styles and Formats |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/taylor-swift-midnights-every-version-album/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022114446/https://www.billboard.com/pro/taylor-swift-midnights-every-version-album/ |archive-date=October 22, 2022 |access-date=December 1, 2022 |magazine=Billboard}} Target stores exclusively sold a Lavender Edition on CD and vinyl LP, and Capital One distributed a box set that contained the CD and a Swift-branded T-shirt.{{Cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=October 22, 2022 |title=How Taylor Swift's Recent Album Releases Tell a Story of the Midnights Rollout |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-first-week-album-sales-streams-compare/ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107142607/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-first-week-album-sales-streams-compare/ |url-status=live }} The 3am Edition was surprise-released onto streaming and digital services three hours after the standard edition. From October 21 to 26, iHeartRadio aired a program called iHeartRadio Brings You Midnights with Taylor, which featured tracks from the album and stories behind the songs told by Swift herself.{{Cite web |last=Fields |first=Taylor |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Celebrate Midnights With Taylor Swift On iHeartRadio |url=https://www.iheart.com/content/2022-10-20-celebrate-midnights-with-taylor-swift-on-iheartradio/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024002258/https://www.iheart.com/content/2022-10-20-celebrate-midnights-with-taylor-swift-on-iheartradio/ |archive-date=October 24, 2022 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |agency=iHeartMedia}} She appeared, but did not perform, on the talk shows The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on October 24{{Cite magazine |last1=Madarang |first1=Charisma |last2=Legaspi |first2=Althea |date=October 25, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Talks Record-Breaking Midnights, Teases Potential Tour on Fallon |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-midnights-album-tour-tonight-show-jimmy-fallon-1234617582/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025054454/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-midnights-album-tour-tonight-show-jimmy-fallon-1234617582/ |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |access-date=October 25, 2022 |url-access=limited}} and The Graham Norton Show on October 28.{{Cite magazine |last=Rowley |first=Glenn |date=October 28, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Never Expected 'Other People to Care' About Her 'Very Personal' Re-Records |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-re-recording-albums-graham-norton-show-interview-1235163113/aham-norton-show-interview-1235163113/amp/&ved=2ahUKEwiU9qWPioX7AhWAS2wGHc5CDqMQyM8BKAB6BAgFEAI&usg=AOvVaw1KO69urhBbqec9AEw-HiWt |magazine=Billboard |access-date=October 29, 2022}}
File:Taylor Swift The Eras Tour Midnights Era Set (53109799784) (cropped).jpg at SoFi Stadium in August 2023|alt=Swift, dressed in a rhinestoned bodysuite, singing into a mic]]
The lead single, "Anti-Hero", was released on October 21, 2022.{{Cite web |last=Horn |first=Olivia |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift: 'Anti-Hero' |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/taylor-swift-anti-hero/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021163937/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/taylor-swift-anti-hero/ |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |access-date=October 22, 2022 |website=Pitchfork}} In the United States, it became the best-selling song of 2022 and made Swift the first artist to have a number-one song on the Radio Songs chart in the 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s decades.{{Cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=December 27, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Scores Historic No. 1 on Radio Songs Chart With 'Anti-Hero' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-anti-hero-historic-number-one-radio-songs-chart-1235191584/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228215500/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-anti-hero-historic-number-one-radio-songs-chart-1235191584/ |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |access-date=December 28, 2022}} "Bejeweled" and "Question...?" were released for limited-time digital download exclusively through Swift's website on October 25.{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Ellie |date=October 28, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Shares Instrumental Versions of 'Bejeweled' and 'Question...?' |url=https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/taylor-swift-shares-instrumental-versions-of-bejeweled-and-question-3337984 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126025925/https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/taylor-swift-shares-instrumental-versions-of-bejeweled-and-question-3337984 |archive-date=November 26, 2022 |access-date=November 26, 2022 |website=NME}} Republic Records released "Lavender Haze" to US radio as the second single on November 29, 2022,{{Cite web |title=Top 40/M Future Releases |url=https://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819213306/https://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases |archive-date=August 19, 2014 |access-date=November 28, 2022 |agency=All Access}}{{Cite magazine |last=Zellner |first=Xander |date=December 6, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Extends Record Atop Artist 100 Chart, Michael Buble & Fleetwood Mac Return to Top 10 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-tops-artist-100-chart-56th-week-1235181821/ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=February 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207120008/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-tops-artist-100-chart-56th-week-1235181821/ |url-status=live }} and "Karma" as the third on May 1, 2023.{{Cite web |title=Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases |url=https://www.allaccess.com/hot-modern-ac/future-releases |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502095659/https://www.allaccess.com/hot-modern-ac/future-releases |archive-date=May 2, 2023 |access-date=April 26, 2023 |website= |publisher=All Access}}{{Cite magazine |last=Zellner |first=Xander |date=May 23, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift Scores Record-Extending 66th Week at No. 1 on Artist 100 Chart |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-number-one-artist-100-chart-record-extending-week-1235334383/ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=June 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621163527/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-number-one-artist-100-chart-record-extending-week-1235334383/ |url-status=live }} A remix of "Karma" featuring the rapper Ice Spice was released on May 26, 2023.{{Cite magazine |last=Lipshutz |first=Jason |date=May 24, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift Reveals Ice Spice 'Karma' Remix, Different Version of Lana Del Rey Collab Coming Soon |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-karma-remix-ice-spice-midnights-1235335748/ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=May 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525113025/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-karma-remix-ice-spice-midnights-1235335748/ |url-status=live }} On the Billboard Hot 100, "Anti-Hero" reached number one, and both "Lavender Haze" and "Karma" peaked at number two.{{Cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=June 5, 2023 |title=Morgan Wallen's 'Last Night' No. 1 on Hot 100 for Ninth Week, Taylor Swift & Ice Spice's 'Karma' Blasts to No. 2 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/morgan-wallen-last-night-taylor-swift-ice-spice-karma-hot-100-top-10-1235345987/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026233157/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/morgan-wallen-last-night-taylor-swift-ice-spice-karma-hot-100-top-10-1235345987/ |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |access-date=August 21, 2023 |magazine=Billboard}}
The promotional rollout of Midnights received media commentary. Unterberger and Slate's Chris Molanphy described it as a middle ground between a traditional album rollout and the surprise-release strategy of Folklore and Evermore.{{Cite magazine |last=Unterberger |first=Andrew |date=October 26, 2022 |title=The Contenders: Taylor Swift Leads Billboard 200 Race by a Midnight Mile, Trailed by Arctic Monkeys & YoungBoy Never Broke Again |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-youngboy-arctic-monkeys-billboard-200-debuts-1235161345/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026231832/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-youngboy-arctic-monkeys-billboard-200-debuts-1235161345/ |archive-date=October 26, 2022 |access-date=October 26, 2022}}{{Cite magazine |last=Molanphy |first=Chris |date=November 4, 2022 |title=How Taylor Swift Achieved the Unthinkable |url=https://slate.com/culture/2022/11/taylor-swift-midnights-drake-beatles-billboard-hot-100.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221105030644/https://slate.com/culture/2022/11/taylor-swift-midnights-drake-beatles-billboard-hot-100.html |archive-date=November 5, 2022 |access-date=November 5, 2022 |magazine=Slate}} Molanphy argued that Midnights employed an optimal promotion for every consumption metric: the multiple CD and LP offers would boost physical sales, the limited-time download tracks would increase digital sales, and the surprise 3am Edition release would prompt higher streams. The fact that there were no pre-release singles prompted speculation on the album's sound and content,{{Cite news |last=Seisdedos |first=Iker |date=December 27, 2022 |title=Pop Music in the Era of Taylor Swift |newspaper=El País |url=https://english.elpais.com/culture/2022-12-27/pop-music-in-the-era-of-taylor-swift-behind-the-success-of-todays-biggest-star.html |url-status=live |access-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227184641/https://english.elpais.com/culture/2022-12-27/pop-music-in-the-era-of-taylor-swift-behind-the-success-of-todays-biggest-star.html |archive-date=December 27, 2022}} and the TikTok video series prompted Swift's fans to interpret possible Easter eggs, heightening the anticipation for the album.{{Cite news |last=Yahr |first=Emily |date=October 20, 2022 |title=How the Search for Clues in Taylor Swift's Music Became All-Consuming |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/10/20/taylor-swift-midnights-easter-eggs/ |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=October 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020150337/https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/10/20/taylor-swift-midnights-easter-eggs/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJpZCI6Ijg0NjgzODUiLCJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNjY2Mjc3NDQ1LCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNjY3NDg3MDQ1LCJpYXQiOjE2NjYyNzc0NDUsImp0aSI6IjJlZTI1ZTg4LWJjMjctNGJkZi1hZGI5LTk3MTYwOTM1OTAwZCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9hcnRzLWVudGVydGFpbm1lbnQvMjAyMi8xMC8yMC90YXlsb3Itc3dpZnQtbWlkbmlnaHRzLWVhc3Rlci1lZ2dzLyJ9.zn2VA8PbcM-2DM45W5md0mhQc7VuDEyJUPCY-zwxGGg |archive-date=October 20, 2022}}
To support Midnights and her other albums, Swift embarked on the Eras Tour, which she described as retrospective journey through her "musical eras".{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=November 1, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Announces 2023 'Eras Tour' of U.S. Stadiums |url=https://variety.com/2022/music/news/taylor-swift-announces-2023-tour-1235419454/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101122647/https://variety.com/2022/music/news/taylor-swift-announces-2023-tour-1235419454/ |archive-date=November 1, 2022 |access-date=November 1, 2022 |website=Variety}} Running from March 2023 to December 2024, the tour spanned 149 dates and visited five continents.{{Cite news |last1=McCormick |first1=Neil |author-link=Neil McCormick |last2=Platt |first2=Poppie |last3=Hall |first3=James |last4=Eijsberg |first4=Meike |date=July 14, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift, Inc: The Building of Pop's Billion-Dollar Behemoth |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/taylor-swift-rise-eras-tour-business-inner-circle-politics/ |access-date=November 30, 2023 |archive-date=December 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218062243/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/taylor-swift-rise-eras-tour-business-inner-circle-politics/ |url-status=live }} It became the first concert tour to gross over $1 billion, totaling $2 billion, the highest-grossing in history.{{Cite news |last=Sisario |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Sisario |date=December 9, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Grand Total: A Record $2 Billion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/arts/music/taylor-swift-eras-tour-ticket-sales.html |url-access=limited |access-date=December 16, 2024 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=December 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241209130753/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/arts/music/taylor-swift-eras-tour-ticket-sales.html |url-status=live }} During the run of the tour, a Til Dawn Edition of Midnights containing the bonus track "Hits Different" was released to digital platforms, and a Late Night Edition containing the bonus track "You're Losing Me" was sold as concert–exclusive merchandise starting from the East Rutherford show on May 26, 2023.{{Cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=June 4, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights Jumps Back to No. 1 on Billboard 200 After Release of Deluxe Editions |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-midnights-back-number-one-billboard-200-til-dawn-late-nights-1235345655/ |access-date=November 30, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=June 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604210609/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-midnights-back-number-one-billboard-200-til-dawn-late-nights-1235345655/ |url-status=live }}
Commercial performance
Midnights was a commercial success across all consumption metrics: streaming, digital sales, and physical sales.{{Cite news |last=Balasaygun |first=Kaitlin |date=November 1, 2022 |title=How Taylor Swift Went Back to the Past and Turned Midnights Into Her Biggest Album Success Yet |agency=CNBC |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/01/how-taylor-swift-made-midnights-her-biggest-success-yet.html |url-status=live |access-date=December 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230224245/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/01/how-taylor-swift-made-midnights-her-biggest-success-yet.html |archive-date=December 30, 2022}} It broke various records on music streaming platforms.{{Cite magazine |last=Huff |first=Lauren |date=October 31, 2022 |title=All the Records Taylor Swift's Midnights Broke In Its First Week of Release |url=https://ew.com/music/taylor-swifts-midnights-records-broken/ |access-date=November 30, 2023 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-date=October 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027183613/https://ew.com/music/taylor-swifts-midnights-records-broken/ |url-status=live }} On Spotify, Midnights broke records for the highest single-day streams and the highest single-week streams.{{Cite magazine |last=Espinoza |first=Joshua |date=October 23, 2022 |title=Here Are the First-Week Sales Projections for Taylor Swift's Midnights |url=https://www.complex.com/music/taylor-swift-midnights-first-week-sales-projections |url-status=live |magazine=Complex |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022233710/https://www.complex.com/music/taylor-swift-midnights-first-week-sales-projections |archive-date=October 22, 2022 |access-date=October 23, 2022}}{{Cite news |last=Jericho |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Jericho |date=October 28, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Incredible Success In Graphs – Who Can Blame Me for Being a Swiftie As a 50-Year-Old Man? |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/29/taylor-swifts-incredible-success-in-graphs-who-can-blame-me-for-being-a-swiftie-as-a-50yo-man |url-status=live |access-date=October 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028234328/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/29/taylor-swifts-incredible-success-in-graphs-who-can-blame-me-for-being-a-swiftie-as-a-50yo-man |archive-date=October 28, 2022}} It also claimed the highest single-day streams for a pop album and an album released in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music, the highest single-week streams for an album on Amazon Music, and the highest single-day requests on Amazon Alexa.{{Cite web |last=Young |first=Alex |date=October 31, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Broke 73 Records with Release of New Album Midnights |url=https://consequence.net/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-records/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031010926/https://consequence.net/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-records/ |archive-date=October 31, 2022 |access-date=October 31, 2022 |website=Consequence}} All of its tracks entered the Billboard Global 200 simultaneously; it set the record for the most simultaneous top-10 entries (nine) and made Swift the first artist to occupy the entire top five.{{Cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=October 31, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's 'Anti-Hero' Debuts Atop Both Billboard Global Charts |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-anti-hero-debut-billboard-global-charts-1235163784/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031184411/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-anti-hero-debut-billboard-global-charts-1235163784/ |archive-date=October 31, 2022 |access-date=October 31, 2022}}
In the United States, Midnights sold one million copies after five days of release, becoming Swift's record-extending fifth album to sell one million first-week copies.{{Cite news |last=Sisario |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Sisario |date=October 31, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Smash Midnights Sells More Than 1 Million in a Week |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/31/arts/music/taylor-swift-midnights-billboard-chart.html |url-access=limited |access-date=November 29, 2023 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=November 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121040533/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/31/arts/music/taylor-swift-midnights-billboard-chart.html |url-status=live }} The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 with first-week units of 1.578 million, consisting of 1.14 million sales and 549.26 million streams.{{Cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=October 30, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights Blasts in at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart With Biggest Week for an Album in 7 Years |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-midnights-debut-number-one-billboard-200-albums-chart-1235163377/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030190303/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-midnights-debut-number-one-billboard-200-albums-chart-1235163377/ |archive-date=October 30, 2022 |access-date=October 30, 2022}} Swift had her record-extending 11th consecutive number-one album debut and tied with Barbra Streisand for the most number-one albums among women. It was the best-selling album of 2022, the second-best-selling album of 2023, and the second-most-consumed album of both years.{{Cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=January 10, 2024 |title=Morgan Wallen's One Thing at a Time Is Luminate's Top Album of 2023 in U.S. |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/2023-us-year-end-music-report-luminate-top-album-morgan-wallen-taylor-swift-1235579214/ |access-date=January 16, 2024 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=January 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110151017/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/2023-us-year-end-music-report-luminate-top-album-morgan-wallen-taylor-swift-1235579214/ |url-status=live }} Swift became the first artist to have a yearly best-seller six times since Luminate tracked US music sales in 1991.{{Cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=January 11, 2023 |title=Bad Bunny's Un Verano Sin Ti Is Luminate's Top Album of 2022 in U.S. |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/2022-us-year-end-music-report-luminate-top-album-bad-bunny-un-verano-sin-ti-1235196736/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111155630/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/2022-us-year-end-music-report-luminate-top-album-bad-bunny-un-verano-sin-ti-1235196736/ |archive-date=January 11, 2023 |access-date=January 11, 2023}} Midnights spent six weeks atop the Billboard 200. Its songs, led by "Anti-Hero", made Swift the first artist to occupy the entire top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 the same week;{{Cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=October 31, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Makes History as First Artist With Entire Top 10 on Billboard Hot 100, Led by 'Anti-Hero' at No. 1 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-all-hot-100-top-10-anti-hero-1235163664/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031172231/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-all-hot-100-top-10-anti-hero-1235163664/ |archive-date=October 31, 2022 |access-date=October 31, 2022}} all 20 tracks from the 3am Edition charted in the top 45.{{Cite magazine |last=Zellner |first=Xander |date=October 31, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Charts All 20 Songs From Midnights on Billboard Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-charts-20-midnights-tracks-billboard-hot-100-1235163740/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031203756/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-charts-20-midnights-tracks-billboard-hot-100-1235163740/ |archive-date=October 31, 2022 |access-date=November 1, 2022}} "Anti-Hero" and Midnights marked the fourth time Swift had a number-one album and song simultaneously. The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for surpassing two million US units in November 2022 and had sold 2.814 million US copies by January 2024.{{Cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=January 18, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) Surpasses 2 Million in U.S. Sales |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-2-million-sales-1235584599/ |access-date=May 9, 2024 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=January 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118235246/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-2-million-sales-1235584599/ |url-status=live }}
Midnights debuted at number one on the album charts in at least 14 countries, including Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden. It was Swift's first number-one album in Germany{{Cite web |date=October 28, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift erstmals auf Platz eins der Offiziellen Deutschen Charts |trans-title=Taylor Swift at Number One on the Official German Charts for the First Time |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/news/item/1154-taylor-swift-erstmals-auf-platz-eins-der-offiziellen-deutschen-charts |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028131515/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/news/item/1154-taylor-swift-erstmals-auf-platz-eins-der-offiziellen-deutschen-charts |archive-date=October 28, 2022 |access-date=October 28, 2022 |language=de-de |agency=GfK Entertainment Charts}} and made her the best-selling foreign artist in China of 2022 after selling nearly 250,000 copies within one day.{{Cite news |last=Tobin |first=Meaghan |date=December 31, 2023 |title=Chinese Swifties Are Ready to Shake It Off at the Eras movie |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/30/taylor-swift-china-eras-tour/ |url-access=limited |access-date=January 3, 2024 |archive-date=December 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230120540/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/30/taylor-swift-china-eras-tour/ |url-status=live }} On the Australian charts, Midnights was Swift's 10th consecutive number-one album{{Cite magazine |last=Brandle |first=Lars |date=October 28, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Dominates Australia's Charts With Midnights |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-dominates-australia-charts-midnights-1235162601/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028062418/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-dominates-australia-charts-midnights-1235162601/ |archive-date=October 28, 2022 |access-date=October 28, 2022}} and its tracks made her the first artist to have nine songs on the top 10 of the singles chart the same week.{{Cite magazine |last=Gallagher |first=Alex |date=October 28, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Breaks Australian Chart Records with Midnights |url=https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/taylor-swift-breaks-australian-chart-records-with-midnights-3338252 |url-status=live |magazine=NME |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028084226/https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/taylor-swift-breaks-australian-chart-records-with-midnights-3338252 |archive-date=October 28, 2022 |access-date=October 28, 2022}} In the United Kingdom, Midnights sold over 140,000 units in its first three days to become the fastest-selling album of 2022.{{Cite web |last=Griffiths |first=George |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift vs Arctic Monkeys: Who's Pulled Ahead In Race for Number 1? |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/taylor-swifts-midnights-already-fastest-selling-album-of-2022-so-far-as-she-pulls-ahead-of-arctic-monkeys-in-race-to-number-1__37641/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024155901/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/taylor-swifts-midnights-already-fastest-selling-album-of-2022-so-far-as-she-pulls-ahead-of-arctic-monkeys-in-race-to-number-1__37641/ |archive-date=October 24, 2022 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |publisher=Official Charts Company}} It debuted atop the UK Albums Chart with 204,000 units, helping Swift achieve the shortest duration (10 years) for a female act to accumulate nine UK number-one albums.{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Carl |date=October 28, 2022 |title=It's a Taylor Swift Takeover with an Official Charts Double |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/taylor-takeover-taylor-swift-scores-biggest-opening-week-of-her-career-to-land-the-official-chart-double-with-midnights-and-anti-hero-__37687/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028164457/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/taylor-takeover-taylor-swift-scores-biggest-opening-week-of-her-career-to-land-the-official-chart-double-with-midnights-and-anti-hero-__37687/ |archive-date=October 28, 2022 |access-date=October 28, 2022 |publisher=Official Charts Company}} Midnights spent five weeks atop the UK Albums Chart.{{Cite web |last=Griffith |first=George |date=January 13, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift Settles In for Fifth Week at Number 1 on Official Albums Chart with Midnights |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/taylor-swift-settles-in-for-fifth-week-at-number-1-on-official-albums-chart-with-midnights-__38288/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113165317/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/taylor-swift-settles-in-for-fifth-week-at-number-1-on-official-albums-chart-with-midnights-__38288/ |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |access-date=January 13, 2023 |publisher=Official Charts Company}} It sold 80,000 vinyl copies in 2022, the highest annual figure for an album in the 21st century, propelling total UK vinyl sales past CD sales for the first time since 1987.{{Cite news |last=Sweeney |first=Mark |date=December 27, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Propels UK Vinyl Sales Past CDs for First Time in 35 Years |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/dec/27/taylor-swift-propels-uk-vinyl-sales-past-cds-for-first-time-in-35-years |url-status=live |access-date=December 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227122135/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/dec/27/taylor-swift-propels-uk-vinyl-sales-past-cds-for-first-time-in-35-years |archive-date=December 27, 2022}}
According to Universal Music Group, the album crossed three million album-equivalent units in its first week and six million in two months.{{Cite magazine |last=Paine |first=Andre |date=December 22, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Achieves More Than 6 Million Global Units for Midnights and 37 Billion Total Streams in 2022 |url=https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/taylor-swift-achieves-more-than-6-million-global-units-for-midnights-and-37-billion-total-streams-in-2022/087168 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222132856/https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/taylor-swift-achieves-more-than-6-million-global-units-for-midnights-and-37-billion-total-streams-in-2022/087168 |archive-date=December 22, 2022 |access-date=December 22, 2022 |magazine=Music Week}} Bloomberg News reported that the album generated $230 million in sales for Universal in 2022, accounting for 3% of their annual revenue—the highest from any artist.{{Cite news |last=Helmore |first=Edward |date=January 18, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights Generates $230m In Sales for Universal |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jan/18/taylor-swifts-midnights-album-sales-universal |url-status=live |access-date=January 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230120220016/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jan/18/taylor-swifts-midnights-album-sales-universal |archive-date=January 20, 2023}} The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) recognized Midnights as the second-most-consumed album of 2022; it ranked third in pure sales (first in vinyl sales) and fifth in streams; they named Swift the Global Recording Artist of 2022, which made her the first act to win the accolade three times (after 2014 and 2019).{{cite web |title=IFPI Global Charts 2022 |url=https://www.ifpi.org/our-industry/global-charts/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516150604/https://www.ifpi.org/our-industry/global-charts/ |archive-date=May 16, 2021 |access-date=November 30, 2023 |publisher=International Federation of the Phonographic Industry}}{{cite magazine |last=Paine |first=Andre |date=February 22, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift Wins IFPI's 2022 Global Recording Artist Of The Year Award |url=https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/taylor-swift-wins-ifpi-s-2022-global-recording-artist-of-the-year-award/087478 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222201747/https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/taylor-swift-wins-ifpi-s-2022-global-recording-artist-of-the-year-award/087478 |archive-date=February 22, 2023 |access-date=February 22, 2023 |magazine=Music Week}} In the IFPI's 2023 report, Midnights was the year's fourth-most-consumed album (third in both streams and vinyl sales).{{Cite magazine |last=Brandle |first=Lars |date=February 27, 2024 |title=K-Pop, Seventeen Dominate IFPI Global Album Awards 2023 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/k-pop-seventeen-ifpi-global-album-award-2023-1235616001/ |access-date=May 9, 2024 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=May 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240524161053/https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/k-pop-seventeen-ifpi-global-album-award-2023-1235616001/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Bayley |first=Jack |date=March 28, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift, Seventeen and Morgan Wallen top IFPI Global Album Charts |url=https://www.ifpi.org/taylor-swift-seventeen-and-morgan-wallen-top-ifpi-global-album-charts/ |access-date=May 9, 2024 |publisher=International Federation of the Phonographic Industry |archive-date=March 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328105657/https://www.ifpi.org/taylor-swift-seventeen-and-morgan-wallen-top-ifpi-global-album-charts/ |url-status=live }} The album received platinum or higher certifications in many countries, including triple-platinum in Poland, the United Kingdom and Australia, five-times-platinum in New Zealand, and six-times platinum in Canada.
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
| title = Midnights ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev2 = American Songwriter
| rev2score = {{rating|4.5|5}}
| rev3 = Entertainment Weekly
| rev4 = The Daily Telegraph
| rev5 = The Guardian
| rev6 = The Independent
| rev7 = NME
| rev8 = Pitchfork
| rev9 = Rolling Stone
| rev10 = The Times
}}
Upon release, Midnights was met with widespread acclaim from music critics.{{Cite news |last=McIntosh |first=Steven |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift: Midnights Praised by Critics Despite Lack of Radio Hits |work= |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63341633 |url-status=live |accessdate=October 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021085450/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63341633 |archive-date=October 21, 2022}}{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Fred |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights: What the Critics Are Saying |url=https://www.theweek.co.uk/arts-life/culture/music/958268/taylor-swift-midnights-album-review |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023014930/https://www.theweek.co.uk/arts-life/culture/music/958268/taylor-swift-midnights-album-review |archive-date=October 23, 2022 |access-date=October 23, 2022 |magazine=The Week}} On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from mainstream publications, the album received a weighted mean score of 85 based on 28 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".{{cite web |title=Critic Reviews for Midnights |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/midnights/taylor-swift/critic-reviews |url-status=live |access-date=October 21, 2022 |website= |publisher=Metacritic |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021050903/https://www.metacritic.com/music/midnights/taylor-swift/critic-reviews }} The review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic? compiled 29 reviews and gave Midnights an average of 8.0 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.
Swift's songwriting was a subject of praise. Alex Hopper in American Songwriter said Midnights displayed complex songwriting,{{Cite magazine |last=Hopper |first=Alex |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Review: Taylor Swift Delivers Her Dreamiest and Most Introspective Album to Date with Midnights |url=https://americansongwriter.com/review-taylor-swift-delivers-her-dreamiest-and-most-introspective-album-to-date-with-midnights/ |url-status=live |magazine=American Songwriter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031090455/https://americansongwriter.com/review-taylor-swift-delivers-her-dreamiest-and-most-introspective-album-to-date-with-midnights/ |archive-date=October 31, 2022 |access-date=October 21, 2022}} and Alexis Petridis in The Guardian found it to be "confident" and contain a "sure-footedness". Ken Tucker of NPR complimented Swift's composition using rhymes "so tightly, so rigorously, that [...] you wonder if she did it on purpose to mess with your mind".{{Cite web |last=Tucker |first=Ken |author-link=Ken Tucker |date=October 27, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's Midnights Mixes Late-Night Dreaminess with Steely Control |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/10/27/1131891164/taylor-swifts-midnights-mixes-late-night-dreaminess-with-steely-control |access-date=December 21, 2023 |publisher=NPR |archive-date=December 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221105327/https://www.npr.org/2022/10/27/1131891164/taylor-swifts-midnights-mixes-late-night-dreaminess-with-steely-control |url-status=live }} Some reviewers commented that her lyrics were more refined and inward. According to NME{{'s}} Hannah Mylrea, Spin's Bobby Olivier, and The Daily Telegraph{{'s}} Neil McCormick, the album featured Swift's intimate personal narratives that delved deep into her state of mind.{{cite news |last=McCormick |first=Neil |author-link=Neil McCormick |date=October 21, 2022 |title=On Midnights, Taylor Swift Kisses Goodbye to the Charts |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/taylor-swift-midnights-album-review-pop-queen-kisses-goodbye/ |url-status=live |url-access= |access-date=October 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221021055050/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/taylor-swift-midnights-album-review-pop-queen-kisses-goodbye/ |archive-date=October 21, 2022}} Hirsh commented that while the themes were a continuation of what Swift had explored, the album showcased a newfound maturity with "serene acceptance".{{Cite magazine |last=Hirsh |first=Marc |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Sleeps to Dream on the Moody, Intimate Midnights |url=https://ew.com/music/music-reviews/taylor-swift-midnights-review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021221645/https://ew.com/music/music-reviews/taylor-swift-midnights-review/ |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |access-date=October 22, 2022 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times admired the storytelling lyrics and argued that they blurred the distinction between "what's drawn directly from Swift's real life and what's not."{{Cite news |last=Wood |first=Michael |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Out of the Woods, Taylor Swift's Midnights Heralds the Return of a Pop-Music Mastermind |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-10-20/taylor-swift-midnights-album-review |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=October 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021040329/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-10-20/taylor-swift-midnights-album-review |archive-date=October 21, 2022}} Hopper and Light considered the narrative-driven songwriting on Midnights an influence of Folklore and Evermore; the latter complimented Swift's ability to address a "broad canvas" of emotions that highlighted her mature perspective. For Clash's Matthew Neale, Midnights was a culmination of Swift's songcraft throughout past albums.{{Cite magazine |last=Matthew |first=Neale |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift – Midnights |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/taylor-swift-midnights/ |url-status=live |magazine=Clash |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027104944/https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/taylor-swift-midnights/ |archive-date=October 27, 2022 |access-date=October 24, 2022}}
Reactions to the production were somewhat polarized;{{Cite magazine |last=Kornhaber |first=Spencer |date=December 27, 2022 |title=Don't Blame a Man for Midnights |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-jack-antonoff-criticism/671911/ |url-status=live |magazine=The Atlantic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205112816/https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/10/taylor-swift-midnights-jack-antonoff-criticism/671911/ |archive-date=December 5, 2022 |access-date=December 5, 2022 |url-access=limited}} most were complimentary and deemed the sound tasteful. In laudatory reviews, Sheffield, Brittany Spanos from Rolling Stone, and Bilmes dubbed Midnights an "instant classic"; the lattermost called it "the pop album of the year". Ryan and Quinn said the album was a demonstration of masterful musical structures and experimentation; the former wrote that Swift effortlessly combined her sharp lyricism with new musical elements. Under the Radar's Andy Von Pip described the subdued production as elegant, while Johnston and Petridis regarded the sound as nuanced and restrained compared to the mainstream pop sound. McCormick dubbed the album a collection of "clever pop songs" but said it suggested Swift's uncertainty about whether to proceed with "intimate songcraft" or "a commercial juggernaut".
Less enthusiastic reviews complained that Swift and Antonoff's collaboration led to conformity. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times,{{Cite news |last=Caramanica |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Caramanica |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift, Caught Between Yesterday and Tomorrow on Midnights |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/21/arts/music/taylor-swift-midnights-review.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=October 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022110127/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/21/arts/music/taylor-swift-midnights-review.html |archive-date=October 22, 2022}} Chris Richards of The Washington Post{{Cite news |last=Richards |first=Chris |date=October 21, 2022 |title=On Midnights, Taylor Swift Sounds Wide Awake |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/10/21/midnights-taylor-swift-review/ |url-access=limited |access-date=March 25, 2023 |archive-date=November 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110081253/https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/10/21/midnights-taylor-swift-review/ |url-status=live }} and Paul Attard of Slant Magazine deemed Midnights uninventive and too similar to Swift's past music.{{Cite web |last=Attard |first=Paul |date=October 24, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Midnights Review: Starkly Intimate, If Redundant |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/taylor-swift-midnights-album-review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101065707/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/taylor-swift-midnights-album-review/ |archive-date=November 1, 2022 |access-date=November 1, 2022 |website=Slant Magazine}} Moreland, Erlewine, and The Line of Best Fit{{'s}} Paul Bridgewater agreed, but they complimented the album as cohesive.{{Cite magazine |last=Bridgewater |first=Paul |date=October 21, 2022 |title=Review of Midnights by Taylor Swift: 'A Love Letter to Emotional Stability that Can't Hide Its Flaws' |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/albums/taylor-swift-midnights-love-letter-to-emotional-stability |url-status=live |magazine=The Line of Best Fit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021040052/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/albums/taylor-swift-midnights-love-letter-to-emotional-stability |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |access-date=October 21, 2022}} Powers appreciated some sonic experimentation that attempted to innovate Swift's first-person songwriting but felt that it sometimes had a "half-finished quality". For Carl Wilson of Slate and Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic, Midnights at first seemed dull but revealed texture and substance after multiple plays; Robert Christgau believed that this "textural" approach made it less tunefully defined than Swift's previous albums.{{cite web |last=Christgau |first=Robert |authorlink=Robert Christgau |date=December 14, 2022 |title=Consumer Guide: December, 2022 |url=https://robertchristgau.substack.com/p/consumer-guide-december-2022 |url-access=subscription |accessdate=August 19, 2023 |work=And It Don't Stop |publisher=Substack |archive-date=August 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230819170815/https://robertchristgau.substack.com/p/consumer-guide-december-2022 |url-status=live }} Helen Brown of The Independent wrote that the "subtle melodies" took time to "sink their claws in" and brought a rich listening experience with "feline vocal stealth and assured lyrical control". Will Hodgkinson of The Times said that despite some "off-putting" vocal treatments, Midnights was an appealing "old-fashioned singer-songwriter album" with resonant songs.
= Rankings =
Midnights appeared on publications' lists of the best albums of 2022. It was featured in the top five by Rolling Stone, Billboard, the Los Angeles Times, People,{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Jeff |date=December 12, 2022 |title=Best Albums of 2022 |url=https://people.com/music/best-albums-of-2022/ |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=People |archive-date=December 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230222641/https://people.com/music/best-albums-of-2022/ |url-status=live }} PopMatters, and USA Today,{{Cite news |last1=Ruggieri |first1=Melissa |last2=Ryan |first2=Patrick |date=December 22, 2022 |title=Ranking the 10 Best Albums of 2022, Including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny |newspaper=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/12/22/best-albums-2022-ranked-taylor-swift-beyonce-harry-styles-bad-bunny/10903349002/ |url-status=live |access-date=December 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229081210/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/12/22/best-albums-2022-ranked-taylor-swift-beyonce-harry-styles-bad-bunny/10903349002/ |archive-date=December 29, 2022}} and the top 10 by Hot Press, The Independent, musicOMH,{{Cite web |last=Hubbard |first=Michael |date=December 21, 2022 |title=Top 50 Albums Of 2022 |url=https://www.musicomh.com/features/lists/top-50-albums-of-2022-musicomh |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=musicOMH |archive-date=December 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216072431/https://www.musicomh.com/features/lists/top-50-albums-of-2022-musicomh |url-status=live }} and The Times.{{Cite news |last1=Dean |first1=Jonathan |last2=Cairns |first2=Dan |date=December 1, 2023 |title=Ranked: 25 Best Albums of 2022—From Taylor Swift to Arctic Monkeys |work=The Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/ranked-25-best-albums-of-2022-from-taylor-swift-to-arctic-monkeys-zhbxbjdbb |url-access=subscription |access-date=December 1, 2023 |archive-date=April 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409214729/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ranked-25-best-albums-of-2022-from-taylor-swift-to-arctic-monkeys-zhbxbjdbb |url-status=live }} Publications that featured Midnights in the top 50 of their lists include BrooklynVegan,{{Cite web |date=December 14, 2022 |title=Top 50 Albums of 2022 |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/brooklynvegans-top-50-albums-of-2022/ |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=BrooklynVegan |archive-date=December 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215044309/https://www.brooklynvegan.com/brooklynvegans-top-50-albums-of-2022/ |url-status=live }} Clash,{{Cite web |date=December 15, 2022 |title=Clash Albums of The Year 2022 |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/clash-albums-of-the-year-2022/ |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=Clash |archive-date=December 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223020517/https://www.clashmusic.com/features/clash-albums-of-the-year-2022/ |url-status=live }} Consequence,{{Cite web |date=December 6, 2022 |title=Top 50 Albums of 2022 |url=https://consequence.net/2022/12/top-50-albums-2022-list/3/ |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=Consequence |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321084532/https://consequence.net/2022/12/top-50-albums-2022-list/3/ |url-status=live }} Gaffa,{{Cite web |date=December 20, 2022 |title=Gaffa-redaktionen presenterar årets bästa utländska album från året som gått |url=https://gaffa.se/artiklar/2022/artiklar_december/arets-basta-utlandska-album-2022/ |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=Gaffa |language=sv |archive-date=December 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212145321/https://gaffa.se/artiklar/2022/artiklar_december/arets-basta-utlandska-album-2022/ |url-status=live }} The Guardian, The Line of Best Fit,{{Cite web |date=December 5, 2022 |title=The Best Albums of 2022 Ranked |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/best-albums-2022-ranked |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=The Line of Best Fit |archive-date=December 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207183757/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/best-albums-2022-ranked |url-status=live }} NME, Paste,{{Cite web |title=The Best Albums of 2022 |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-albums/best-albums-of-2022 |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=Paste |archive-date=December 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202193318/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-albums/best-albums-of-2022 |url-status=live }} Slant Magazine,{{Cite magazine|date=December 8, 2022|title=The 50 Best Albums of 2022|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/the-50-best-albums-of-2022/|access-date=December 8, 2022|magazine=Slant Magazine|archive-date=December 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207221809/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/the-50-best-albums-of-2022/|url-status=live}} and Under the Radar.{{Cite web |date=December 23, 2022 |title=Top 100 Albums of 2022 Part 1 |url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/lists/under_the_radar_top_100_albums_of_2022_part_1 |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=Under the Radar |archive-date=December 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223140743/https://www.undertheradarmag.com/lists/under_the_radar_top_100_albums_of_2022_part_1 |url-status=live }} It was also included in unranked lists by AllMusic,{{Cite web |title=AllMusic Best of 2022 {{!}} AllMusic 2022 in Review |url=https://www.allmusic.com/year-in-review/2022/allmusic-best-of-2022 |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website= |publisher=AllMusic |archive-date=December 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215141014/https://www.allmusic.com/year-in-review/2022/allmusic-best-of-2022 |url-status=live }} British GQ,{{Cite web |date=February 24, 2022 |title=2022 Was a Killer Year for Music. These Were the 29 Best Albums of the Year |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/best-new-albums-2022 |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=British GQ |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801185358/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/best-new-albums-2022 |url-status=live }} the Alternative Press,{{Cite web |date=December 12, 2022 |title=The 55 Best Albums of 2022 |url=https://www.altpress.com/best-albums-2022/ |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=Alternative Press |archive-date=December 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215214927/https://www.altpress.com/best-albums-2022/ |url-status=live }} and Uproxx.{{Cite web |date=November 28, 2022 |title=The 50 Best Albums Of 2022 |url=https://uproxx.com/music/best-albums-2022-list/ |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=Uproxx |archive-date=November 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129062819/https://uproxx.com/music/best-albums-2022-list/ |url-status=live }} On individual critics' lists, Midnights was ranked first by Willman{{Cite web |last1=Aswad |first1=Jem |last2=Willman |first2=Chris |date=December 9, 2022 |title=The Best Albums of 2022 |url=https://variety.com/lists/the-best-albums-of-2022/ |access-date=December 4, 2023 |website=Variety |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209174649/https://variety.com/lists/the-best-albums-of-2022/ |url-status=live }} and second by Sheffield.{{Cite magazine |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |date=December 22, 2022 |title=Rob Sheffield's Top 20 Albums of 2022 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/rob-sheffields-top-albums-2022-1234651853/ |access-date=December 4, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=December 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223022910/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/rob-sheffields-top-albums-2022-1234651853/ |url-status=live }}
Awards
File:Taylor Swift at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (1).png, where she won nine awards for Midnights and its songs.|alt=Taylor Swift in a black gown posing]]
In the United States, Midnights won Album of the Year at the 2022 People's Choice Awards,{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/awards/peoples-choice-awards-2022-winners-list/|title=2022 People's Choice Awards: See the Full List of Winners|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|first=Lester Fabian|last=Brathwaite|date=December 6, 2022|access-date=December 8, 2023|archive-date=May 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524170536/https://ew.com/awards/peoples-choice-awards-2022-winners-list/|url-status=live}} Favorite Album at the 2023 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards,{{cite web|url=https://www.nick.com/kids-choice-awards/articles/rwskx2/every-kids-choice-awards-2023-winner|title=Every Kids' Choice Awards 2023 Winners|publisher=Nickelodeon|date=March 6, 2023|access-date=December 8, 2023|archive-date=November 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128044334/https://www.nick.com/kids-choice-awards/articles/rwskx2/every-kids-choice-awards-2023-winner|url-status=live}} Pop Album of the Year at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards,{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/2023-iheartradio-music-awards-winners-list-1235293648/|title=Here Are the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards Winners: Full List|last=Atkinson|first=Katie|date=March 27, 2023|magazine=Billboard|access-date=December 8, 2023|archive-date=March 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328162749/https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/2023-iheartradio-music-awards-winners-list-1235293648/|url-status=live}} and Album of the Year at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, where the Midnights songs and videos helped Swift win eight other awards, including Artist of the Year.{{Cite magazine |last=Stenzel |first=Wesley |date=September 13, 2023 |title=2023 VMAs Winners: See the Full List |url=https://ew.com/mtv-video-music-awards/2023-vmas-winners-see-the-full-list/ |access-date=September 13, 2023 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-date=September 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230913022515/https://ew.com/mtv-video-music-awards/2023-vmas-winners-see-the-full-list/ |url-status=live }} At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in 2024, Midnights won Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year. It was Swift's fourth win for Album of the Year, making her the artist with the most wins in history.{{Efn|Swift had won Album of the Year with Fearless in 2010, 1989 in 2016, and Folklore in 2021{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/04/arts/music/taylor-swift-grammy-album-of-the-year.html|title=Taylor Swift Wins Album of the Year, Breaking a Record|last=Sisario|first=Ben|author-link=Ben Sisario|date=February 4, 2024|newspaper=The New York Times|url-access=limited|access-date=February 15, 2024|archive-date=February 13, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213053517/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/04/arts/music/taylor-swift-grammy-album-of-the-year.html|url-status=live}}}} It also marked Swift's sixth nomination in that category and an all-time record for a female artist, tied with Barbra Streisand.{{Cite news |date=November 10, 2023 |title=Grammy Awards 2024: Taylor Swift Breaks Nomination Record |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67381339 |access-date=November 10, 2023 |archive-date=November 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110170901/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67381339 |url-status=live }}
Midnights won album awards at the NetEase Cloud Music Awards in China,{{Cite news |date=January 6, 2023 |title=NetEase Cloud Music 2022 Music Awards: Xue Zhiqian, Deng Ziqi, Xu Song, Cai Xukun and others won |url=https://inf.news/en/entertainment/fc2ea3e482f8e1646a345c5b97982895.html |access-date=January 6, 2023 |agency=iNews }}{{Dead link|date=July 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} the RTHK International Pop Poll Awards in Hong Kong, the Gold Disc Awards in Japan,{{Cite web |script-title=ja:第37回日本ゴールドディスク大賞 |trans-title=The 37th Japan Gold Disc Awards |url=http://www.golddisc.jp/award/37/Prize_1.html |access-date=March 9, 2023 |publisher=Recording Industry Association of Japan |language=ja |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331120758/http://www.golddisc.jp/award/37/Prize_1.html |url-status=live }} the Fonogram Awards in Hungary,{{cite web|url=http://www.fonogram.hu/jeloltek|title=Jelölték 2023|trans-title=2023 Nominees|date=March 28, 2023|publisher=Hungarian Music Awards|access-date=March 29, 2023|archive-date=March 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309185107/http://www.fonogram.hu/jeloltek|url-status=live|language=hu}} the Los 40 Music Awards in Spain,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/espanol/musica/los40-music-awards-2023-lista-completa-de-ganadores-1235463195/|title=Manuel Turizo y Feid triunfan en LOS40 Music Awards 2023: Lista completa de ganadores|trans-title=Manuel Turizo and Feid Triumph at LOS40 Music Awards 2023: Complete List of Winners|date=November 3, 2023|magazine=Billboard|language=es|access-date=December 8, 2023|archive-date=November 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106182318/https://www.billboard.com/espanol/musica/los40-music-awards-2023-lista-completa-de-ganadores-1235463195/|url-status=live}} and the Danish Music Awards in Denmark.{{Cite magazine |last=Strunk |first=Espen |date=November 16, 2023 |title=Danish Music Awards 2023: Og vinderne er... |trans-title=Danish Music Awards 2023: And the Winners Are... |url=https://gaffa.dk/nyheder-fra-gaffa/2023/november/danish-music-awards-2023-og-vinderne-er/ |magazine=Gaffa |access-date=November 17, 2023 |language=da |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117021023/https://gaffa.dk/nyheder-fra-gaffa/2023/november/danish-music-awards-2023-og-vinderne-er/ |url-status=live }} At the 2023 ARIA Music Awards in Australia, it helped Swift win Most Popular International Artist.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/troye-sivan-dmas-taylor-swift-2023-aria-awards-1235471303/|title=Troye Sivan, DMA'S, Taylor Swift Among Big Winners at 2023 ARIA Awards|magazine=Billboard|last=Brandle|first=Lars|date=November 15, 2023|access-date=December 8, 2023|archive-date=November 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129052259/https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/troye-sivan-dmas-taylor-swift-2023-aria-awards-1235471303/|url-status=live}} It earned nominations at the Capricho Awards in Brazil,{{Cite magazine|url=https://capricho.abril.com.br/entretenimento/ch-awards-2022-confira-a-lista-completa-de-vencedores/|title=CH Awards 2022: confira a lista completa de vencedores|trans-title=CH Awards 2022: See the Full List of Winners|magazine=Capricho|language=pt-br|date=December 15, 2022|access-date=December 8, 2023|archive-date=December 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217022941/https://capricho.abril.com.br/entretenimento/ch-awards-2022-confira-a-lista-completa-de-vencedores/|url-status=live}} the Juno Awards in Canada,{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/music/junos/junos-2023-full-list-of-winners-1.6772299|title=Junos 2023: Full List of Winners|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=March 14, 2023|access-date=December 8, 2023|archive-date=November 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101032214/https://www.cbc.ca/music/junos/junos-2023-full-list-of-winners-1.6772299|url-status=live}} and the Gaffa Awards in Denmark.{{cite web|url=https://gaffa.dk/gaffa-prisen-mappe/gaffa-prisen-vindere-2023/|title=Og årets vindere af GAFFA-prisen er...|trans-title=And the Winners for the Gaffa Awards Are...|website=Gaffa|language=da|access-date=December 8, 2023|archive-date=March 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326182016/https://gaffa.dk/gaffa-prisen-mappe/gaffa-prisen-vindere-2023/|url-status=live}}
Impact
Midnights received extensive press attention around its release. The Guardian{{'s}} Laura Snapes commented that the album was "likely to hang around longer" than other "superstar releases" by Swift's contemporaries. She attributed this to Swift's popularity on streaming services and how she overturned the negative press to curate a positive public image since her 2017 album Reputation. In Fortune, Ashley Lutz argued that Swift's marketing strategy for Midnights proved she was a "business and marketing genius" akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero franchise. For Snapes and Billboard{{'s}} Katie Atkinson, Midnights came at a point when the public became invested in Swift's music after the critical success and reevaluation she received with the 2020 albums Folklore and Evermore and the 2021 re-recordings of Fearless and Red.{{Cite magazine |last1=Unterberger |first1=Andrew |last2=Atkinson |first2=Katie |last3=Dailey |first3=Hannah |last4=Lipshutz |first4=Jason |last5=Lynch |first5=Joe |date=November 1, 2022 |title=Five Burning Questions: Taylor Swift Makes Chart History With Midnights Debut |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-midnights-chart-history-five-burning-questions-1235164529/ |access-date=December 7, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=November 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102020117/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-midnights-chart-history-five-burning-questions-1235164529/ |url-status=live }}
Publications said the album's commercial success attested to Swift's longevity in the music industry. According to Billboard, it was the only album in 2022 that succeeded "evenly" across every consumption metric, namely streaming, album sales, and song downloads. Five Billboard journalists collectively agreed that Swift, upon Midnights
Unterberger said the physical sales of Midnights were "not seen in decades",{{Cite magazine |last=Schneider |first=Marc |date=October 30, 2023 |title=9 Ways Taylor Swift Has Changed the Music Business |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/how-taylor-swift-changed-music-business/ |access-date=December 7, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724161024/https://www.billboard.com/lists/how-taylor-swift-changed-music-business/ |url-status=live }} and Anna Nicolaou in the Financial Times said they were unseen since the "1990s boy bands" era, labeling Swift "the last pop superstar". The music publisher Matt Pincus called Swift "basically an intellectual property franchise [... like] a DC movie".{{Cite news |last=Nicolaou |first=Anna |date=October 27, 2022 |title=Is Taylor Swift the Last Pop Superstar? |newspaper=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/9cd1cd39-d4f5-45cd-8b72-24a1882b010b |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=October 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030163019/https://www.ft.com/content/9cd1cd39-d4f5-45cd-8b72-24a1882b010b |archive-date=October 30, 2022}} Noting a 2021 article from The New York Times that asked "if Adele couldn't sell more than a million albums in a single week, could any artist?" after her album 30 missed the mark, Rolling Stone{{'s}} Ethan Millman responded that Swift "has once again moved the goalposts regarding what the music industry can see as possible from a major pop star".{{Cite magazine |last=Millman |first=Ethan |date=October 25, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Is the First Artist to Sell 1 Million Records in Week One Since... Taylor Swift in 2017 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-first-artist-1-million-records-week-one-1234617977/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025220306/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-first-artist-1-million-records-week-one-1234617977/ |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |access-date=October 26, 2022 |url-access=limited}} Swift shared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon that she was astounded by the success: "I'm feeling very overwhelmed by the fans love for the record. I'm 32, so we're considered geriatric pop stars."{{Cite magazine |last=Dailey |first=Hannah |date=December 22, 2022 |title=Here Are All of Taylor Swift's Biggest Accomplishments in 2022 |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-biggest-accomplishments-2022/ |access-date=December 1, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=April 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430000907/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-biggest-accomplishments-2022/ |url-status=live }}
Billboard commented in November 2022 that although the commercial success of Midnights was undisputable, "the legacy of the album within [Swift's] catalog [...] remains to be seen". Molanphy observed that when the initial reviews were out, "few seem to think Midnights is Swift's very best album" and "nobody seems to agree on what [its] best or worst songs are". Within one year of its release, on the rankings of Swift's 10 studio albums, Midnights appeared fifth on NME{{Cite magazine |last=Mylrea |first=Hannah |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift: Every Single Album Ranked and Rated |url=https://www.nme.com/en_asia/features/taylor-swift-best-albums-ranked-in-order-2841752 |access-date=December 7, 2023 |magazine=NME |archive-date=December 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180656/https://www.nme.com/en_asia/features/taylor-swift-best-albums-ranked-in-order-2841752 |url-status=live }} and Entertainment Weekly and sixth on Paste,{{Cite web |date=August 2, 2023 |title=Every Taylor Swift Album Ranked |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/taylor-swift/best-taylor-swift-albulms-ranked |access-date=December 7, 2023 |magazine=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 }} Spin,{{Cite magazine |last=Shipley |first=Al |date=December 13, 2022 |title=Every Taylor Swift Album, Ranked |url=https://www.spin.com/2022/12/best-taylor-swift-albums/ |access-date=December 7, 2023 |magazine=Spin |archive-date=January 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125155117/https://www.spin.com/2022/12/best-taylor-swift-albums/ |url-status=live }} and Slant Magazine.{{Cite magazine |date=October 25, 2022 |title=All 10 Taylor Swift Albums Ranked |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/features/every-taylor-swift-album-ranked/ |access-date=December 7, 2023 |magazine=Slant Magazine |archive-date=November 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106160723/https://www.slantmagazine.com/features/every-taylor-swift-album-ranked/ |url-status=live }} In an October 2023 article for The Guardian, Snapes dubbed the album Swift's "first consolidation effort" that signaled "a more sustainable, experimental, adult kind of music career".{{Cite news |last=Snapes |first=Laura |date=October 30, 2023 |title=Baby, One More Time: Why Madonna, Britney Spears and Taylor Swift Are All On a Nostalgia Trip |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/oct/30/baby-one-more-time-why-madonna-britney-spears-and-taylor-swift-are-all-on-a-nostalgia-trip |access-date=May 10, 2024 |work=The Guardian |archive-date=November 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102223212/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/oct/30/baby-one-more-time-why-madonna-britney-spears-and-taylor-swift-are-all-on-a-nostalgia-trip |url-status=live }}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| headline = Midnights standard track listing
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| title1 = Lavender Haze
| length1 = 3:22
| writer1 = {{hlist|Taylor Swift|Jack Antonoff|Zoë Kravitz|Mark Spears|Jahaan Sweet|Sam Dew}}
| extra1 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff|Sounwave|Sweet|Braxton Cook{{ref|a|[a]}}}}
| title2 = Maroon
| length2 = 3:38
| writer2 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| extra2 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title3 = Anti-Hero
| length3 = 3:20
| writer3 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| extra3 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title4 = Snow on the Beach
| note4 = featuring Lana Del Rey
| length4 = 4:16
| writer4 = {{hlist|Swift|Del Rey|Antonoff}}
| extra4 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title5 = You're on Your Own, Kid
| length5 = 3:14
| writer5 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| extra5 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title6 = Midnight Rain
| length6 = 2:54
| writer6 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| extra6 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title7 = Question...?
| length7 = 3:30
| writer7 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| extra7 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title8 = Vigilante Shit
| length8 = 2:44
| writer8 = Swift
| extra8 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title9 = Bejeweled
| length9 = 3:14
| writer9 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| extra9 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title10 = Labyrinth
| length10 = 4:07
| writer10 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| extra10 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title11 = Karma
| length11 = 3:24
| writer11 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff|Spears|Sweet|Keanu Torres}}
| extra11 = {{hlist|class=inline|Swift|Antonoff|Sounwave|Keanu Beats|Sweet{{ref|b|[b]}}}}
| title12 = Sweet Nothing
| length12 = 3:08
| writer12 = {{hlist|Swift|William Bowery}}
| extra12 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title13 = Mastermind
| length13 = 3:11
| writer13 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| extra13 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| total_length = 44:02
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Lavender Edition bonus tracks
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| title14 = Hits Different
| length14 = 3:54
| writer14 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff|Aaron Dessner}}
| extra14 = {{hlist|class=inline|Swift|Antonoff|Dessner}}
| title15 = You're on Your Own, Kid
| note15 = Strings remix
| length15 = 3:20
| writer15 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| extra15 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title16 = Sweet Nothing
| note16 = Piano remix
| length16 = 3:28
| writer16 = {{hlist|Swift|Bowery}}
| extra16 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| total_length = 54:50
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = 3am Edition bonus tracks
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| title14 = The Great War
| length14 = 4:00
| writer14 = {{hlist|Swift|Dessner}}
| extra14 = {{hlist|class=inline|Swift|Dessner}}
| title15 = Bigger Than the Whole Sky
| length15 = 3:38
| writer15 = Swift
| extra15 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title16 = Paris
| length16 = 3:16
| writer16 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| extra16 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title17 = High Infidelity
| length17 = 3:51
| writer17 = {{hlist|Swift|Dessner}}
| extra17 = {{hlist|class=inline|Swift|Dessner}}
| title18 = Glitch
| length18 = 2:28
| writer18 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff|Spears|Dew}}
| extra18 = {{hlist|class=inline|Swift|Antonoff|Sounwave}}
| title19 = Would've, Could've, Should've
| length19 = 4:20
| writer19 = {{hlist|Swift|Dessner}}
| extra19 = {{hlist|class=inline|Swift|Dessner}}
| title20 = Dear Reader
| length20 = 3:45
| writer20 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| extra20 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| total_length = 69:20
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Til Dawn Edition bonus tracks
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| total_length = 81:26
| title21 = Hits Different
| extra21 = {{hlist|class=inline|Swift|Antonoff|Dessner}}
| writer21 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff|Dessner}}
| length21 = 3:54
| title22 = Snow on the Beach
| note22 = featuring More Lana Del Rey
| writer22 = {{hlist|Swift|Del Rey|Antonoff}}
| extra22 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| length22 = 3:50
| title23 = Karma
| note23 = featuring Ice Spice
| writer23 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff|Isis Gaston|Ephrem Lopez|Spears|Sweet|Keanu Torres}}
| extra23 = {{hlist|class=inline|Swift|Antonoff|Sounwave|Keanu Beats|Sweet{{ref|b|[b]}}}}
| length23 = 3:22
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Late Night Edition bonus tracks
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| title14 = The Great War
| length14 = 4:00
| writer14 = {{hlist|Swift|Dessner}}
| extra14 = {{hlist|class=inline|Swift|Dessner}}
| title15 = Bigger Than the Whole Sky
| length15 = 3:38
| writer15 = Swift
| extra15 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title16 = High Infidelity
| length16 = 3:51
| writer16 = {{hlist|Swift|Dessner}}
| extra16 = {{hlist|class=inline|Swift|Dessner}}
| title17 = Would've, Could've, Should've
| length17 = 4:20
| writer17 = {{hlist|Swift|Dessner}}
| extra17 = {{hlist|class=inline|Swift|Dessner}}
| title18 = Dear Reader
| length18 = 3:45
| writer18 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| extra18 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title19 = You're Losing Me
| note19 = From the Vault
| length19 = 4:38
| writer19 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| extra19 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| title20 = Snow on the Beach
| note20 = featuring More Lana Del Rey
| length20 = 3:50
| writer20 = {{hlist|Swift|Del Rey|Antonoff}}
| extra20 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff}}
| total_length = 77:06|
| title21 = Karma
| note21 = featuring Ice Spice
| writer21 = {{hlist|Swift|Antonoff|Isis Gaston|Ephrem Lopez|Spears|Sweet|Keanu Torres}}
| extra21 = {{hlist|class=inline|Swift|Antonoff|Sounwave|Keanu Beats|Sweet{{ref|b|[b]}}}}
| length21 = 3:22
}}
Notes
- {{sup|{{note|a|[a]}}}}signifies an additional producer
- {{sup|{{note|b|[b]}}}}signifies a co-producer
Personnel
Musicians
{{div col}}
- Taylor Swift – vocals
- Jack Antonoff – percussion, programming, synthesizer (all tracks); background vocals (1, 3–5, 7, 9, 10, 13), drums (1, 3, 4, 6, 11–13), Mellotron (1, 3–5, 7), Wurlitzer organ (1, 3, 8), bass (2–5, 9, 15, 18, 20), electric guitar (2, 4, 5, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 20), piano (2, 12, 15, 16, 20), acoustic guitar (3, 4, 5, 9, 15), crowd noises (7), slide guitar (15)
- Aaron Dessner – percussion (14, 17), keyboards (14, 17), synth bass (14), piano (14, 17), electric guitar (14, 19), synthesizer (17, 19), acoustic guitar (17), bass guitar (19), harmonica (19)
- Sam Dew – background vocals (1, 18)
- Zoë Kravitz – background vocals (1, 18)
- Jahaan Sweet – synth pads (1, 11); bass, flute, synthesizer (1); keyboards (11),
- Sounwave – programming (1, 11)
- Dominic Rivinius – snare drum (1), drums (7–8)
- Evan Smith – saxophone (2, 12, 13); clarinet, flute, organ (2, 12); synthesizer (4, 5, 7–9, 13, 16), percussion (16)
- Bobby Hawk – violin (3, 4, 13)
- Dylan O'Brien – drums (4), crowd noises (7)
- Lana Del Rey – vocals (4)
- Rachel Antonoff – crowd noises (7)
- Austin Swift – crowd noises (7)
- Sean Hutchinson – drums (5, 7), percussion (5)
- Mikey Freedom Hart – keyboards (9); programming (12–13), synthesizer (12–13, 16), theremin (16), organ (16)
- Keanu Beats – synthesizer (11)
- Michael Riddleberger – drums (13)
- Zem Audu – saxophone (12–13)
- Kyle Resnick – trumpet (14)
- Yuki Numata Resnick – violin
- Benjamin Lanz – drums, trombone (17)
- James Krivchenia – drums (17)
- Bryce Dessner – electric guitar (19)
- Bryan Devendorf – drums (19)
- James McAlister – drums (19), synthesizer (19)
- Thomas Bartlett – keyboards (19), synthesizer (19){{div col end}}
Technical
{{div col}}
- Jack Antonoff – engineering
- Laura Sisk – engineering
- Şerban Ghenea – mixing
- Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance
- Randy Merrill – mastering
- Jahaan Sweet – engineering (1, 11)
- Ken Lewis – engineering (1, 7, 8)
- Evan Smith – engineering (2, 4, 5, 7–9, 12, 13)
- Jon Gautier – engineering (3, 13)
- Dave Gross – engineering (4)
- Sean Hutchinson – engineering (5, 7)
- David Hart – engineering (9, 13)
- Sounwave – engineering (11)
- Keanu Beats – engineering (11)
- Michael Riddleberger – engineering (13)
- Zem Audu – engineering (13)
- John Rooney – engineering assistance
- Jon Sher – engineering assistance
- Megan Searl – engineering assistance
- Jonathan Garcia – engineering assistance (1, 7, 8)
- Mark Aguilar – engineering assistance (1, 11)
- Jacob Spitzer – engineering assistance (4)
- Laurene Marquez – additional engineer
- James McAlister – drums programming (14, 17, 19)
- Jonathan Low – mixer, engineering (17, 19)
- Bella Blasko – engineering (14, 17, 19)
- Justin Vernon – additional engineer (19)
- Thomas Bartlett – additional engineer (19){{div col end}}
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
= Weekly charts =
{{col-2}}
= Monthly chart =
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Monthly chart performance of Midnights ! scope="col"| Chart (2022) ! scope="col"| Position |
| scope="row"| Uruguayan Albums (CUD){{cite web|url=https://cudisco.org/|title=Rankings (Noviembre 2022)|publisher=Cámara Uruguaya del Disco|language=es|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206081153/https://cudisco.org/|archive-date=December 6, 2022|access-date=December 6, 2022}}
| 1 |
|---|
= Year-end charts =
{{col-end}}
Certifications and sales
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for Midnights, with pure sales where available}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=album|award=Platinum|number=3|relyear=2022|certyear=2024|access-date=June 21, 2024|refname="ARIA"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Austria|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Midnights|type=album|award=Platinum|relyear=2022|certyear=2023|access-date=August 8, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Belgium|type=album|title=Midnights|artist=Taylor Swift|award=Gold|relyear=2022|certyear=2023|access-date=March 31, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|title=Midnights|artist=Taylor Swift|type=album|award=Platinum|number=6|relyear=2022|certyear=2024|access-date=February 28, 2025|refname="MCanada"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Midnights|award=Platinum|number=2|type=album|relyear=2022|certyear=2024|id=12140|access-date=January 25, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|type=album|certyear=2023|relyear=2022|award=Platinum|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Midnights|access-date=December 21, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Midnights|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=2022|certyear=2024|access-date=December 21, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=album|award=Platinum|relyear=2022|certyear=2023|access-date=July 17, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Mexico|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Midnights|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=2022|certyear=2023|access-date=September 4, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Midnights|type=album|award=Platinum|number=5|relyear=2022|certyear=2024|id=2024-11-22|source=newchart|access-date=November 23, 2024|refname="RMNZ"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Norway|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Midnights|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=2022|certyear=2023|access-date=April 11, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Poland|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Midnights|award=Platinum|number=3|type=album|relyear=2022|certyear=2024|access-date=February 14, 2025|refname="ZPAV"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Portugal|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Midnights|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=2022|certyear=2025|id=file_2025-03-13-17-34-14.pdf|access-date=March 13, 2025}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|title=Midnights|artist=Taylor Swift|type=album|id=taylor-swift-midnights|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2022|certyear=2024|certweek=52|access-date=December 30, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Switzerland|artist=Taylor Swift |title=Midnights |type=album |award=Gold |relyear=2022 |certyear=2024 |access-date=April 15, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Midnights|type=album|award=Platinum|number=3|id=18467-1598-2|relyear=2022|certyear=2024|access-date=August 16, 2024|refname="BPI"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=Midnights|type=album|artist=Taylor Swift|award=Platinum|number=2|certyear=2022|relyear=2022|access-date=December 5, 2022|refname="RIAA"|salesamount=2,814,000|salesref={{efn|US pure sales for Midnights as of January 2024{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-2-million-sales-1235584599/ |title=Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) Surpasses 2 Million in U.S. Sales |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |magazine=Billboard |date=January 18, 2024 |access-date=January 19, 2024 |archive-date=January 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118235246/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-2-million-sales-1235584599/ |url-status=live }}}}}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
Release history
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Release dates and formats for Midnights ! scope="col" | Initial release date ! scope="col" | Edition ! scope="col" | Format(s) ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}} |
| scope="row" rowspan="3" | {{dts|October 21, 2022}}
| Standard | {{hlist|Digital download|streaming|CD|vinyl LP|cassette}} | style="text-align:center;"| Midnights release formats:
|
|---|
| Lavender / Deluxe
| {{hlist|CD}} | style="text-align:center;"| {{cite web |title=Midnights (Target Exclusive) CD |url=https://www.target.com/p/taylor-swift-midnights-lavender-edition-cd-target-exclusive/-/A-87503266 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913122915/https://www.target.com/p/taylor-swift-midnights-lavender-edition-cd-target-exclusive/-/A-87503266 |archive-date=September 13, 2022 |access-date=September 13, 2022 |publisher=Target Corporation}}{{Cite web|title=ミッドナイツ: ムーンストーン・ブルー・エディション|trans-title=Midnights – Moonstone Blue Edition – Taylor Swift|url=https://www.universal-music.co.jp/taylor-swift/products/uicu-1350/|access-date=August 30, 2022|publisher=Universal Music Japan|language=ja|archive-date=October 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011092431/https://www.universal-music.co.jp/taylor-swift/products/uicu-1350/|url-status=live}} |
| 3am
| {{hlist|Digital download|streaming}} | style="text-align:center;"|{{cite web|title=Midnights (3am Edition) by Taylor Swift|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/midnights-3am-edition/1650841512|access-date=October 21, 2022|publisher=Apple Music|archive-date=October 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027075143/https://music.apple.com/us/album/midnights-3am-edition/1650841512|url-status=live}} |
| scope="row" rowspan="2" | {{dts|May 26, 2023}}
| Late Night | CD |
| Til Dawn
| {{hlist|Digital download|streaming}} |
See also
{{col div}}
- List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2022
- List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2023
- List of number-one albums from the 2020s (Denmark)
- List of number-one albums from the 2020s (New Zealand)
- List of number-one albums of the 2020s (Czech Republic)
- List of number-one albums of 2022 (Australia)
- List of number-one albums of 2023 (Australia)
- List of number-one albums of 2024 (Australia)
- List of number-one albums of 2022 (Belgium)
- List of number-one albums of 2022 (Canada)
- List of number-one albums of 2022 (Ireland)
- List of number-one albums of 2023 (Ireland)
- List of number-one albums of 2022 (Portugal)
- List of number-one albums of 2022 (Spain)
- List of number-one hits of 2022 (Austria)
- List of number-one hits of 2022 (Denmark)
- List of number-one hits of 2022 (France)
- List of number-one hits of 2022 (Germany)
- List of number-one hits of 2022 (Switzerland)
- List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden of 2022
- List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2020s
- Milestones and achievements for albums on Spotify
{{col div end}}
Footnotes
{{notelist|colwidth=30em}}
References
{{reflist}}
= Sources =
- {{Cite journal |last1=Fogarty |first1=Mary |last2=Arnold |first2=Gina |author-link2=Gina Arnold |date=2021 |title=Are You Ready for It? Re-Evaluating Taylor Swift |journal=Contemporary Music Review |volume=40 |issue=1 |pages=1–10 |doi=10.1080/07494467.2021.1976586 |doi-access=free}}
- {{Cite journal |last=Klein |first=Ashley N. |date=November–December 2023 |title=Taylor Swift Music Icon and Copyright Gamesman? |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A780928937/AONE?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=359637b2 |journal=Landslide |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=34+ |access-date=January 1, 2025 |via=Gale Academic OneFile}}
- {{Cite journal |last=McGrath |first=John |date=2023 |title=The Return to Craft: Taylor Swift, Nostalgia, and Covid-19 |journal=Popular Music and Society |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=70–84 |doi=10.1080/03007766.2022.2156761 |doi-access=free}}
- {{Cite book |last=Nainby |first=Keith |title=Examining Blank Spaces and the Taylor Swift Phenomenon: An Investigation of Contingent Identities |publisher=Lexington Books |year=2024 |isbn=978-1-6669-4272-9 |pages=81–128 |chapter=More than Music: The Image 'Taylor Swift'}}
- {{Cite journal |last=Tribulski |first=Emily |date=2020–2021 |title=Look What You Made Her Do: How Swift, Streaming, and Social Media Can Increase Artists' Bargaining Power |journal=Duke Law & Technology Review |volume=19 |pages=91–121}}
- {{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=203–231 |chapter=The Midnights Era}}
External links
- {{Discogs master}}
{{Taylor Swift}}
{{Grammy Award for Album of the Year}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album}}
{{UK Christmas No. 1 albums in the 2010s}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Republic Records albums
Category:Albums produced by Taylor Swift
Category:Albums produced by Jack Antonoff
Category:Albums produced by Aaron Dessner
Category:Albums produced by Sounwave
Category:Albums recorded at Electric Lady Studios
Category:Synth-pop albums by American artists
Category:Dream pop albums by American artists