Say Don't Go
{{Short description|2023 song by Taylor Swift}}
{{good article}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Say Don't Go
| type = song
| released = {{start date|2023|10|27}}
| written = 2013
| artist = Taylor Swift
| album = 1989 (Taylor's Version)
| genre = * New-age
| studio = * Conway Recording (Los Angeles)
- Electric Lady (New York)
- Rough Customer (Brooklyn)
- Sharp Sonics (Los Angeles)
| length = 4:39
| label = Republic
| writer = * Taylor Swift
| producer = * Taylor Swift
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|C-z-IckrQK8&pp|"Say Don't Go"}}|type=song|header=Lyric video}}
}}
"Say Don't Go"{{Efn|Subtitled "(Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)"}} is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. She wrote the track with Diane Warren in 2013 for her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014), but left it out of the final track-list. Swift re-recorded the song and produced it with Jack Antonoff for 1989{{'s}} re-recording, 1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023). "Say Don't Go" is a new-age and pop rock power ballad with a production featuring 1980s-inspired drum beats, pizzicato arpeggios, and isolated vocal patterns. The lyrics are about a narrator attempting to maintain her unfruitful relationship.
Critics were generally positive of the song, a multitude of whom viewed it as a highlight amongst fellow tracks. Many praised the production while some commended Swift's songwriting. Commercially, "Say Don't Go" peaked at number four on the Billboard Global 200 and reached the top ten on singles charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Swift has performed the song live twice at the Eras Tour (2023–2024).
Background and release
File:Diane Warren 05.jpg (pictured).]]
In mid-2013, Swift began writing songs for her fifth studio album, 1989, which was released in October 2014 by Big Machine Records.{{cite news|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/taylor-swift-talks-next-album-cmas-and-ed-sheeran|title=Taylor Swift Talks Next Album, CMAs and Ed Sheeran|last=Talbott|first=Chris|agency=Associated Press|date=October 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026093555/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/taylor-swift-talks-next-album-cmas-and-ed-sheeran|archive-date=October 26, 2013|access-date=October 26, 2013|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Swift |first=Taylor |author-link=Taylor Swift |date=October 27, 2014 |title=1989 |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/1989/1440935467 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005110614/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/1989/id907242701 |archive-date=October 5, 2016 |access-date=November 8, 2023 |publisher=Apple Music (US) }} Inspired by 1980s synth-pop,{{Cite magazine |last=Eells |first=Josh |date=2014-09-16 |title=Taylor Swift Reveals 5 Things to Expect on '1989' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-reveals-five-things-to-expect-on-1989-65750/ |access-date=2023-11-15 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |archive-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629045709/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-reveals-five-things-to-expect-on-1989-65750/ |url-status=live }} she conceived the album as her first "official pop" record after she had marketed her first four albums to country radio, and transform her artistry and image from country to pop.{{Cite magazine |last=Aswad |first=Jem |date=October 24, 2014 |title=Album Review: Taylor Swift's Pop Curveball Pays Off With 1989 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-1989-album-review-6289405/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104114329/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-1989-album-review-6289405/ |archive-date=November 4, 2022 |access-date=November 15, 2023 |magazine=Billboard}}{{cite web |last=Hertweck |first=Nate |date=January 18, 2018 |title=Taylor Swift, 1989: For The Record |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/taylor-swift-1989-record-1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028235929/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/taylor-swift-1989-record-1 |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |access-date=November 15, 2023 |publisher=The Recording Academy }} For this to happen, Swift recruited new collaborators for the album, including the American songwriter Diane Warren. She wrote one song with Swift, which was "Say Don't Go", and did it "from scratch" in late-2013. Warren recalled in a Rolling Stone interview that she was impressed with Swift for the specificity in her songwriting and how eager she was to show the track to her audience. Several days later on New Year's Day in 2014, Swift recorded and played an acoustic guitar for the demo of "Say Don't Go" at Warren's office. However, the song did not made it into the final track-list of the album.{{Cite magazine |last=Mier |first=Tomás |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift and Diane Warren Wrote 'Say Don't Go' 9 Years Ago. She Still Thinks It's a 'F-cking Hit' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-diane-warren-writing-1989-vault-track-say-dont-go-1234864465/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107202615/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-diane-warren-writing-1989-vault-track-say-dont-go-1234864465/ |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |access-date=November 8, 2023}}
Following a dispute with Big Machine over the sale of the masters of Swift's first six studio albums, she began re-recording them in November 2020; the re-recordings featured tracks from the sessions she had eschewed from their originals, subtitled as "From the Vault".{{Cite web |last=Aswad |first=Jem |date=August 22, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift Performs on GMA, Talks Re-Recording Big Machine Songs (Watch) |url=https://variety.com/2019/music/news/taylor-swift-performs-on-gma-talks-re-recording-big-machine-songs-watch-1203310319/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108014115/https://variety.com/2019/music/news/taylor-swift-performs-on-gma-talks-re-recording-big-machine-songs-watch-1203310319/ |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |access-date=November 8, 2023 |website=Variety}}{{Cite web |last=Ellis |first=Maddie |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift frees 5 songs 'from the vault' — but what does that mean? |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/music/what-are-vault-tracks-taylor-swift-rcna108022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101125930/https://www.today.com/popculture/music/what-are-vault-tracks-taylor-swift-rcna108022 |archive-date=November 1, 2023 |access-date=November 11, 2023 |website=Today}} 1989{{'s}} re-recording, 1989 (Taylor's Version), contains five of them including "Say Don't Go",{{Cite magazine |last=Aniftos |first=Rania |date=September 20, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift's Full 1989 (Taylor's Version) Track List Is Here With No Features & One More 'Vault' Track |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-track-list-no-features-1235416961/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030113451/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-track-list-no-features-1235416961/ |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |access-date=November 8, 2023 |magazine=Billboard}} which was listed at number 18 out of 21 songs on the track-list. All of the "From the Vault" tracks were produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff,{{Cite AV media notes |others= |title=1989 (Taylor's Version) |year=2023 |publisher=Republic Records |type=Compact disc liner notes |last=Swift |first=Taylor}} who originally worked on three songs for 1989.{{cite AV media notes|title=1989|year=2014|type=CD liner notes|publisher=Big Machine Records|id=BMRBD0500A}} Before the album's release, Swift sent the track to Warren via email. Warren was impressed by it, telling Rolling Stone: "I said, 'Oh my god, this is fucking awesome' [...] I hope they release this as a single because I think it's a fucking hit". 1989 (Taylor's Version) was released on October 27, 2023, by Republic Records.
On November 26, Swift performed the track live on guitar as a "surprise song" in São Paulo as part of the Eras Tour (2023–2024).{{Cite magazine |last=Iasimone |first=Ashley |date=November 27, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift Debuts 'Say Don't Go' & 'It's Time to Go' Live at Final Eras Tour Show of 2023 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-say-dont-go-its-time-to-go-live-eras-tour-2023-1235510554/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127020939/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-say-dont-go-its-time-to-go-live-eras-tour-2023-1235510554/ |archive-date=November 27, 2023 |access-date=November 27, 2023 |magazine=Billboard}} She sang it again as part of a piano medley with her songs "Welcome to New York" and "Clean" in Stockholm on May 18, 2024.{{Cite magazine |last=Legaspi |first=Althea |date=May 19, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Debuts 'Guilty as Sin?' and Triple 1989 Mashup for 89th Eras Tour Show |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-guilty-as-sin-debut-1989-mashup-eras-tour-sweden-1235023580/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520084523/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-guilty-as-sin-debut-1989-mashup-eras-tour-sweden-1235023580/ |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |access-date=May 20, 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} This performance acknowledged the 89th show of the tour, with the three songs in the medley being from Swift's album 1989 (Taylor's Version).
Composition
{{Listen
| filename = Say Don't Go by Taylor Swift (song sample).ogg
| title = "Say Don't Go"
| description = A sample of "Say Don't Go", a new-age and pop rock power ballad with 1980s-inspired drum beats and pizzicato arpeggios.
}}
"Say Don't Go" is four minutes and thirty-nine seconds long.{{Cite web |last=Swift |first=Taylor |author-link=Taylor Swift |date=October 27, 2023 |title=1989 (Taylor's Version) |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/1989-taylors-version/1708308989 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024235308/https://music.apple.com/us/album/1989-taylors-version/1708308989 |archive-date=October 24, 2023 |access-date=November 8, 2023 |publisher=Apple Music (US) }} It was recorded at Conway Recording Studios (Los Angeles), Electric Lady Studios (New York), Rough Customer Studio (Brooklyn), and Sharp Sonics Studios (Los Angeles). Antonoff and Evan Smith handled programming for the song, and the former provided background vocals. Antonoff played acoustic guitar, electric guitar, Mellotron, percussion, and synthesizers, Smith played saxophone and synthesizers, Mikey Freedom Hart played bass, electric guitar, Rhodes, and synthesizers, Michael Riddleberger and Sean Hutchinson played drums, and Zem Audu played synthesizers. Smith's performance was recorded at Pleasure Hill Recording in Portland; Hart's performance was recorded at Big Mercy Sound in Brooklyn; Sean Hutchinson's performance was recorded at Hutchinson Sound in Brooklyn; Audu's performance was recorded at Audu Music Studio in Brooklyn. The track was mixed at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach.
"Say Don't Go" is a power ballad that transcends from the album's synth-pop sound by adding styles of new-age and pop rock.{{Cite magazine |last=Martoccio |first=Angie |date=October 27, 2023 |title=1989 (Taylor's Version) Is Our Deepest Look Yet Into the Record That Made Everyone a Swiftie |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-review-2-1234804286/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027055853/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-review-2-1234804286/ |archive-date=October 27, 2023 |access-date=October 27, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}{{Cite web |last=Wood |first=Mikael |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version): The five new songs, ranked |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-10-26/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-new-songs-ranked |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028052909/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-10-26/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-new-songs-ranked |archive-date=October 28, 2023 |access-date=November 5, 2023 |website=Los Angeles Times}} The production incorporates 1980s-inspired drum beats,{{Cite web |last=Geraghty |first=Hollie |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor's Version) review: her best album will never go out of style |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-review-lyrics-tracklist-3522001 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027055855/https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-review-lyrics-tracklist-3522001 |archive-date=October 27, 2023 |access-date=November 8, 2023 |website=NME}} pizzicato arpeggios,{{Cite web |last=Puddles |first=Hugh G. |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Review: Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor's Version) |url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/87846/Taylor-Swift-1989-Taylor%E2%80%99s-Version/ |access-date=November 10, 2023 |website=Sputnikmusic |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520061203/https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/87846/Taylor-Swift-1989-Taylor%E2%80%99s-Version/ |url-status=live }} and isolated vocal patterns.{{Cite web |last=Barnes |first=Kelsey |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift: 1989 (Taylor's Version) Review - reigniting pop passion |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/albums/taylor-swift-1898-taylors-version-reignites-sleek-pop-passion |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027055859/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/albums/taylor-swift-1898-taylors-version-reignites-sleek-pop-passion |archive-date=October 27, 2023 |access-date=November 8, 2023 |website=The Line of Best Fit}} It has slow pacing for the beginning,{{Cite web |last=Berry |first=Alex |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor's Version) |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027110155/https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version/ |archive-date=October 27, 2023 |access-date=November 8, 2023 |website=Clash}} which Bobby Olivier from NJ.com found to be a "slinky intro" and likened the music to that of the fellow album track "Clean".{{Cite web |last=Olivier |first=Bobby |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Ranking the 5 vault tracks on Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) |url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2023/10/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-album-review-ranking-all-5-vault-tracks.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105054343/https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2023/10/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-album-review-ranking-all-5-vault-tracks.html |archive-date=November 5, 2023 |access-date=November 5, 2023 |publisher=NJ.com}} The song gradually builds up to what Clash critics deemed an "almost overwhelming chorus". The part features percussive hooks that Shaad D'Souza from Pitchfork thought it resembles the style of the American band Haim.{{Cite web |last=D'Souza |first=Shaad |date=October 30, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift: 1989 (Taylor's Version) |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030073002/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version/ |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |access-date=November 8, 2023 |website=Pitchfork}} In the post-chorus, it has backing vocals; Hugh G. Puddles of Sputnikmusic opined it evokes the Irish singer Enya, while Billboard{{'s}} Jason Lipshutz said the harmonies recalls her 2022 album Midnights.
The lyrics are about a narrator hanging on to an unfruitful relationship.{{Cite news |last=McCormick |first=Neil |author-link=Neil McCormick |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Are Taylor Swift's new songs a comment on her relationship with Harry Styles? |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-review/ |url-status=live |access-date=November 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027055853/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-review/ |archive-date=October 27, 2023 |issn=0307-1235}} The narrator begs her lover to give her one more reason to stay: "Halfway out the door but it won't close / I'm holding out hope for you to say, don't go / I would stay forever if you say, don't go".{{Cite web |last=Maher |first=Dani |date=October 27, 2023 |title=1989 (TV) revisits the time Taylor Swift truly stepped into her own |url=https://harpersbazaar.com.au/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027101638/https://harpersbazaar.com.au/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-review/ |archive-date=October 27, 2023 |access-date=November 16, 2023 |website=Harper's Bazaar Australia}} Lipshutz found the lyric, "Why'd you have to twist the knife? / Walk away and leave me bleedin', bleedin'!", to be in line with Swift's country pop works. Several critics wrote that the song had similar themes and lyrics to the fellow album tracks "All You Had to Do Was Stay" and "I Wish You Would";{{efn|Attributed to Rolling Stone{{'s}} Angie Martoccio,{{Cite magazine |last=Martoccio |first=Angie |date=October 27, 2023 |title=1989 (Taylor's Version) Is Our Deepest Look Yet Into the Record That Made Everyone a Swiftie |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-review-2-1234804286/ |access-date=November 8, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |archive-date=October 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027055853/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-review-2-1234804286/ |url-status=live }} The Line of Best Fit{{'s}} Kelsey Barnes, The Telegraph{{'s}} Neil McCormick, and Variety{{'s}} Chris Willman{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) Vault Tracks Bridge the Gap Between 2014 and the 'Midnights' Era: Album Review |url=https://variety.com/2023/music/album-reviews/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-album-review-1235769881/ |access-date=November 8, 2023 |website=Variety |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029140550/https://variety.com/2023/music/album-reviews/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-album-review-1235769881/ |url-status=live }}}} Olivier believed that "Say Don't Go" was cut out of the original album due to its "similar content". D'Souza thought the lyrics crossed between Swift's 2012 album Red and 1989. For AllMusic, Fred Thomas compared the verse to the Outfield song "Your Love" (1986).{{Cite web |last=Fred |first=Thomas |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor's Version) Album |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/1989-taylors-version--mw0004067309 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103083512/https://www.allmusic.com/album/1989-taylors-version--mw0004067309 |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |access-date=November 10, 2023 |website=AllMusic}}
Commercial performance
Upon the release of 1989 (Taylor's Version), "Say Don't Go" debuted and peaked at number five on the United States's Billboard Hot 100 with first-week streams of 25.8 million. It extended Swift's record of the most top-ten entries by a female artist on the chart.{{Cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=November 6, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift's 'Is It Over Now? (Taylor's Version)' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-is-it-over-now-number-1-hot-100-debut-1235464462/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106195809/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-is-it-over-now-number-1-hot-100-debut-1235464462/ |archive-date=November 6, 2023 |access-date=November 8, 2023}} The song was also Warren's 33rd top-ten song as a writer and her first since Faith Hill's "There You'll Be" (2001), extending her span of top-ten entries to forty years and six months.{{Cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=November 6, 2023 |title=Diane Warren Earns Her 33rd Hot 100 Top 10 as a Writer Thanks to Taylor Swift's 'Say Don't Go (Taylor's Version)' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/diane-warren-hot-100-top-10-taylor-swift-say-dont-go-1235464596/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108152208/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/diane-warren-hot-100-top-10-taylor-swift-say-dont-go-1235464596/ |archive-date=November 8, 2023 |access-date=2023-11-08}}
On the Billboard Global 200, "Say Don't Go" reached number four with 53.4 million streams. With five other tracks from the album, it made Swift the first artist to occupy the entire top six of the Global 200. The song additionally extended her record for most top-ten entries by a female artist on that chart.{{Cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=November 6, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift Makes History With Top 6 Songs, All From 1989 (Taylor's Version), on Billboard Global 200 Chart |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-top-six-songs-global-200-1989-taylors-version-1235464643/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114151040/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-top-six-songs-global-200-1989-taylors-version-1235464643/ |archive-date=November 14, 2023 |access-date=2023-11-08}} Elsewhere, "Say Don't Go" peaked within the top ten on various national charts: at number three in Australia and New Zealand, number four in the Philippines, number five in Canada, and number seven in Singapore. It additionally peaked at number seven on both Billboard{{'s}} Ireland Songs and U.K. Songs.
The song received a gold certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
Critical reception
"Say Don't Go" received generally positive reviews from critics; a number of them selected the song as a highlight amongst the "From the Vault" tracks of 1989 (Taylor's Version).{{efn|Attributed to Pitchfork{{'s}} Shaad D'Souza, Billboard{{'s}} Jason Lipshutz, and The A.V. Club{{'s}} Mary Kate Carr{{Cite web |last1=Gajjar |first1=Saloni |last2=Carr |first2=Mary Kate |date=October 30, 2023 |title=22 underrated Taylor Swift songs that prove her lyrical prowess |url=https://www.avclub.com/taylor-swift-underrated-songs-obscure-tracks-1849666689 |access-date=November 20, 2023 |website=The A.V. Club |archive-date=October 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024162328/https://www.avclub.com/taylor-swift-underrated-songs-obscure-tracks-1849666689 |url-status=live }}}} Alex Hopper of American Songwriter wrote that the song was "fun" and viewed it as a "soon-to-be fan [favorite]".{{Cite web |last=Hopper |first=Alex |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Review: Taylor Swift Brings Back the Glittery Optimism of 1989 |url=https://americansongwriter.com/review-taylor-swift-brings-back-the-glittery-optimism-of-1989/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028054558/https://americansongwriter.com/review-taylor-swift-brings-back-the-glittery-optimism-of-1989/ |archive-date=October 28, 2023 |access-date=November 10, 2023 |website=American Songwriter}} Many commented on the production. Mark Sutherland of Rolling Stone UK described the song as "intriguing" and picked it as one of the tracks that "subtly point out the musical progress Swift has made" after 1989.{{Cite web |last=Sutherland |first=Mark |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift, 1989 (Taylor's Version) could be the best pop album of 2023 |url=https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/album-reviews/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-could-be-the-best-pop-album-of-2023-33809/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029065149/https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/album-reviews/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-could-be-the-best-pop-album-of-2023-33809/ |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |access-date=November 8, 2023 |website=Rolling Stone UK}} Clash and Lipshutz both lauded the track's production,{{Cite magazine |last=Lipshutz |first=Jason |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Every 'From The Vault' Song Ranked on Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version): Critic's Picks |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-vault-songs-ranked/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029120931/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-vault-songs-ranked/ |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |access-date=November 8, 2023}} with Clash further elaborating that it added suspense in her delivery. D'Souza said the song "shimmers with tension", while Paddles thought it was "Swift's most intrepid journey [...] into the '80s cheese cave" on the album.
Some critics focused on the songwriting. Ed Dani Maher from Harper's Bazaar Australia deemed it the catchiest and the "instantly lovable" among the "From the Vault" tracks and opined that it had a sing-along chorus. Power of the i thought the song was "great" and a reminder of Swift's "effervescence" as a songwriter that only a few can match.{{Cite web |last=Power |first=Ed |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) is still thrilling – no wonder it went supernova |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/music/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-review-2713958 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027122214/https://inews.co.uk/culture/music/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-review-2713958 |archive-date=October 27, 2023 |access-date=November 8, 2023 |website=i}} Annabel Gutterman from Time found the lyrics vulnerable.{{Cite magazine |last1=Cooney |first1=Samantha |last2=Gutterman |first2=Annabel |last3=Mendez II |first3=Moises |last4=Sonis |first4=Rachel |date=October 27, 2023 |title=The Best Taylor Swift Vault Songs, Ranked |url=https://time.com/6327597/taylor-swift-best-vault-songs/ |access-date=December 9, 2023 |magazine=Time |archive-date=November 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105054343/https://time.com/6327597/taylor-swift-best-vault-songs/ |url-status=live }} Kelsey Barnes from The Line of Best Fit believed that the collaboration between Swift and Warren was a success; Paolo Ragusa of Consequence agreed in a ranking of every song Jack Antonoff had produced, describing the song as "warm and enjoyable", but criticized the "Say! Don't! Go!" shouts of the chorus.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=May 6, 2024 |title=Jack Antonoff: Songs He Produced, Ranked From Worst to Best |url=https://consequence.net/2024/05/jack-antonoff-songs-produced-ranked-list/19/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520235619/https://consequence.net/2024/05/jack-antonoff-songs-produced-ranked-list/ |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |access-date=August 12, 2024 |website=Consequence |language=en-US}} In contrast, Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian deemed the lyrics "decent if unremarkable".{{Cite news |last=Aroesti |first=Rachel |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift: 1989 (Taylor's Version) review – subtle bonus tracks add new depths to a classic |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/oct/27/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-review-republic |url-status=live |access-date=November 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027132923/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/oct/27/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-review-republic |archive-date=October 27, 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of 1989 (Taylor's Version).{{Cite AV media notes |others=Taylor Swift |title=1989 (Taylor's Version) |year=2023 |publisher=Republic Records |id=0245597656 |type=Compact disc liner notes}}
{{div col}}
- Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriting, production
- Diane Warren – songwriting
- Jack Antonoff – production, recording, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, Mellotron, percussion, synths, programming, background vocals
- Evan Smith – saxophone, synths, programming, synth recording
- Mikey Freedom Hart – bass, electric guitar, Rhodes, synths, synth recording
- Michael Riddleberger – drums, drum recording
- Sean Hutchinson – drums, drum recording
- Zem Audu – synths, synth recording
- David Hart – recording
- Laura Sisk – recording
- Jack Manning – assistant recording
- Jon Sher – assistant recording
- Megan Searl – assistant recording
- Serban Ghenea – mixing
- Bryce Bordone – engineering for mix
- Randy Merrill – mastering
{{div col end}}
Charts
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Say Don't Go"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2023|certyear=2024|access-date=June 14, 2024|refname="ARIA"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Say Don't Go (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2023|certyear=2024|access-date=July 24, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true | nosales=true | noshipments=true }}
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Taylor Swift songs}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Taylor Swift
Category:Songs written by Diane Warren
Category:Song recordings produced by Taylor Swift
Category:Song recordings produced by Jack Antonoff