This Is Me Trying
{{good article}}
{{short description|2020 song by Taylor Swift}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox song
| name = This Is Me Trying
| artist = Taylor Swift
| album = Folklore
| studio = Kitty Committee (Beverly Hills)
| released = {{start date|2020|07|24}}
| genre = * Dream pop
| length = {{duration|m=3|s=16}}
| label = Republic
| writer = * Taylor Swift
| producer = * Taylor Swift
- Jack Antonoff
- Joe Alwyn{{NoteTag|name="alwyn"}}
| misc = {{External music video|1={{YouTube|9bdLTPNrlEg|"This Is Me Trying"}}|header=Lyric video|type=song}}
}}
"This Is Me Trying" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). It was written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, and Joe Alwyn was credited as co-producer.{{NoteTag|name="alwyn"}} The track is an orchestral pop, dream pop, and soft rock tune with a production featuring an organ, slow-paced beats, and horns. "This Is Me Trying" was inspired by Swift's state of mind during 2016 and 2017, when she said she was at her lowest. The narrator of "This Is Me Trying" proclaims themselves as an unwanted person who struggles with existentialism and alcoholism.
Music critics generally lauded the song's production and lyrics, and some praised Swift's vocals. "This Is Me Trying" peaked at number 39 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and appeared on singles charts of Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. It received a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Swift recorded a stripped-down rendition for the documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020) and performed it on her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour (2023–2024). The track was used for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Background and production
American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift conceived her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020), as figments of mythopoeic visuals in her mind, as a result of her imagination "running wild" while isolating herself during the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite magazine |last= |first= |date=July 24, 2020 |title='It Started With Imagery': Read Taylor Swift's Primer For 'Folklore' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/read-taylor-swift-primer-folklore-9423740/ |access-date=October 20, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724184421/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9423740/read-taylor-swift-primer-folklore |url-status=live }} She recruited Jack Antonoff, who had written and produced songs for Swift's three previous studio albums, as a producer on the album. They wrote and produced four songs on Folklore, including "This Is Me Trying"; English actor Joe Alwyn was credited as co-producer on the track.{{NoteTag|In the liner notes of Folklore, only Swift and Antonoff are credited as producers. The Recording Academy recognized Alwyn as the track's co-producer after Folklore won Album of the Year at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/joe-alwyn-grammy-winner-folklore-taylor-swift-9562943/|title=Taylor Swift's Boyfriend Joe Alwyn Is Officially a Grammy Winner|last=Grein|first=Paul|date=April 26, 2021|magazine=Billboard|access-date=May 8, 2023|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509053219/https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/joe-alwyn-grammy-winner-folklore-taylor-swift-9562943/|url-status=live}}|name="alwyn"}}
Swift wrote the lyrics "from three different characters' perspectives"; she conveyed the emotions felt in 2016 and 2017, "I just felt like I was worth absolutely nothing."{{NoteTag|Swift had suffered from tabloid gossip during the summer of 2016, when she was involved in a highly publicized feud with rapper Kanye West and media personality Kim Kardashian after West released the single "Famous".{{cite web |last=Ryan |first=Patrick |date=November 9, 2017 |title=5 things Taylor Swift's past USA Today interviews tell us about her Reputation era |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2017/11/09/5-things-taylor-swifts-past-usa-today-interviews-tell-us-her-reputation-era/840232001/ |access-date=November 9, 2017 |work=USA Today |archive-date=November 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110033304/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2017/11/09/5-things-taylor-swifts-past-usa-today-interviews-tell-us-her-reputation-era/840232001/ |url-status=live }}}} The first verse regards a character who is in a life crisis and failing in a relationship, while the second verse is about one who "has a lot of potential, but has feels they have lost in life", falling into alcohol addiction and has "issues with struggling every day". On the third verse, Swift wondered how the song would turn out if it was produced by the National.
The song was recorded at Kitty Committee Studio in Beverly Hills by Laura Sisk and Antonoff. The latter also played bass, electric guitar, drums, organ, and keyboard, which were recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles and Electric Lady Studios in New York. Evan Smith played the saxophone and additional keyboard, both instruments were recorded at Pleasure Hill Recording in Portland. Bobby Hawk and Lorenzo Wolf were in charge of the strings that were recorded at Restoration Sound in New York. John Rooney and Jon Sher worked as assistant engineers. Serban Ghenea mixed "This Is Me Trying" at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, with John Hanes serving as the mix engineer. It was mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound in New York.
Composition
"This is Me Trying" was written from multiple perspectives. The song was inspired by Swift's state of mind in 2016–2017 when she "felt like [she] was worth absolutely nothing". It also contains themes of addiction and existential crisis.{{cite magazine|last=Huff|first=Lauren|title=Taylor Swift unveils William Bowery's identity, and more revelations from Folklore concert film|url=https://ew.com/music/taylor-swift-folklore-concert-film-revelations/|access-date=June 10, 2021|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|archive-date=August 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220806120124/https://ew.com/music/taylor-swift-folklore-concert-film-revelations/|url-status=live}} According to Swift, people around her were not aware of her trying "not to fall into old patterns";{{cite magazine |last1=Suskind |first1=Alex |title=Taylor Swift broke all her rules with Folklore — and gave herself a much-needed escape |url=https://ew.com/music/taylor-swift-entertainers-of-the-year-2020/|date=July 24, 2020|accessdate=May 24, 2021|magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-date=March 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312063543/https://ew.com/music/taylor-swift-entertainers-of-the-year-2020/ |url-status=live }} she also said that the song touches on alcoholism.{{cite web|url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/taylor-swift-folklore-long-pond-sessions-disney-plus-review-joe-alwyn-jack-antonoff-new-film-773962|title=On folklore: the long pond sessions, Taylor Swift wants us to stop reading between the lines|first=Sarah|last=Carson|work=i|date=November 26, 2020|accessdate=May 24, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318103036/https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/taylor-swift-folklore-long-pond-sessions-disney-plus-review-joe-alwyn-jack-antonoff-new-film-773962|url-status=live}} The lyrics also address "where her life is", noticed in the verse, "I got wasted like all my potential".{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/music/music-reviews/taylor-swift-folklore-review/|title=Taylor Swift forges her own path on the confident Folklore|first=Maura|last=Johnston|author-link=Maura Johnston|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=July 24, 2020|access-date=June 22, 2022|archive-date=July 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724213311/https://ew.com/music/music-reviews/taylor-swift-folklore-review/|url-status=live}} The song documents the accountability and regret of someone who admits feeling that they are not enough. However, there are "feelings of hope and growth."{{cite web |last1=Ahlgrim |first1=Callie |title=Every detail and Easter egg you may have missed on Taylor Swift's new album Folklore |url=https://www.insider.com/taylor-swift-folklore-lyrics-easter-eggs-2020-7 |website=Insider |date=July 24, 2020 |access-date=May 30, 2021 |archive-date=December 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211202000344/https://www.insider.com/taylor-swift-folklore-lyrics-easter-eggs-2020-7 |url-status=live }}
The narrator of "This Is Me Trying" embraces the perspective of "the rejected party to devastating effect".{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/lists/every-song-on-taylor-swift-folklore-ranked/|title=Every Song on Taylor Swift's Folklore Ranked|work=Slant Magazine|first=Eric|last=Mason|date=September 12, 2020|accessdate=May 24, 2021|archive-date=January 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129052225/https://www.slantmagazine.com/lists/every-song-on-taylor-swift-folklore-ranked/|url-status=live}} Swift tries to hide as the narrator of the track, as she gives "credence to the other person's view of her". She transmits the idea that she has a habit of needing "the last word, in public and private" and that has been her downfall.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jul/24/taylor-swift-folklore-review-bombastic-pop-makes-way-for-emotional-acuity|title=Taylor Swift: Folklore review – bombastic pop makes way for emotional acuity|first=Laura|last=Snapes|website=The Guardian|date=July 24, 2020|access-date=June 22, 2022|archive-date=July 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724041306/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jul/24/taylor-swift-folklore-review-bombastic-pop-makes-way-for-emotional-acuity|url-status=live}} "This Is Me Trying" is an orchestral pop,{{cite web |last=Wood |first=Mikael |date=July 26, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift's Folklore: All 16 Songs, Ranked |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-07-26/taylor-swift-folklore-songs-ranked |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329230604/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-07-26/taylor-swift-folklore-songs-ranked |archive-date=March 29, 2021 |access-date=September 24, 2020 |website=Los Angeles Times}} dream pop,{{cite web |last=Wohlmacher |first=John |date=July 27, 2020 |title=Album review: Taylor Swift – folklore |url=https://beatsperminute.com/album-review-taylor-swift-folklore/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728162240/https://beatsperminute.com/album-review-taylor-swift-folklore/ |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |access-date=July 27, 2020 |website=Beats Per Minute}} and soft rock song.{{Sfn|Zaleski|2024|p=182}} Its instrumentation features a "yawning" organ,{{cite magazine|title=Taylor Swift's Folklore: There's Nothing Quiet About This Songwriting Tour De Force|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9423659/taylor-swift-folklore-review-first-listen|access-date=June 8, 2021|magazine=Billboard|date=July 24, 2020|archive-date=July 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724042030/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9423659/taylor-swift-folklore-review-first-listen|url-status=live}} "subtle" horns,{{Cite web|last=Gutowitz|first=Jill|date=July 24, 2020|title=What Is Every Song on Taylor Swift's Folklore Actually About?|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/07/taylor-swift-every-folklore-song-explained.html|access-date=June 10, 2021|website=Vulture|url-access=limited|archive-date=July 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730194750/https://www.vulture.com/2020/07/taylor-swift-every-folklore-song-explained.html|url-status=live}} percussions, strings, and a saxophone. The track was written in the key of A major and has a moderately fast tempo of 136 beats per minute. Swift's vocal range spans between D3 to C#5.{{Cite web|date=July 24, 2020|title=Taylor Swift "this is me trying" Sheet Music in D major|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0214781|access-date=June 8, 2021|website=Musicnotes.com|archive-date=May 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519153404/https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0214781|url-status=live}} "This Is Me Trying" evolves into a "wracked orchestral grandeur". The Guardian{{'s}} Laura Snapes wrote the song "[sounded] more unsettling still for how Swift's voice, processed at a ghostly, vast remove, seems to encompass the whole song with her desperation".
Release and usage in media
Folklore was released on July 24, 2020, via Republic Records. In the track list, "This Is Me Trying" sits at number 10 out of the 16 tracks.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/lucky-no7-taylor-swift-nabs-7th-no1-album-with-folklore/2020/08/03/88bb1638-d592-11ea-a788-2ce86ce81129_story.html|title=Lucky No.7: Taylor Swift nabs 7th No.1 album with folklore|first=Mesfin|last=Fekadu|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=August 3, 2020|accessdate=May 24, 2021|archive-date=July 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705233009/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/lucky-no7-taylor-swift-nabs-7th-no1-album-with-folklore/2020/08/03/88bb1638-d592-11ea-a788-2ce86ce81129_story.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Strauss |first=Matthew |date=July 24, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Releases New Album folklore: Listen and Read the Full Credits |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/taylor-swift-releases-new-album-folklore-listen-and-read-the-full-credits/ |access-date=October 20, 2023 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US |archive-date=September 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910132536/https://pitchfork.com/news/taylor-swift-releases-new-album-folklore-listen-and-read-the-full-credits/ |url-status=live }} The song reached the top 40 on national charts in Singapore (15), Australia (18), and Canada (30). In the United States, it entered at number 39 both on Billboard{{'s}} Hot 100, Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, and on Rolling Stone Top 100, with peaks of numbers 39,{{cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=August 3, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Charts 16 Songs From Folklore on Billboard Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/taylor-swift-charts-16-songs-from-folklore-on-hot-100/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622151854/https://www.billboard.com/pro/taylor-swift-charts-16-songs-from-folklore-on-hot-100/ |archive-date=June 22, 2022 |access-date=June 22, 2022 |url-access=subscription}} 9, 14, respectively. On other charts, the track peaked at number 18 on Sweden's Heatseeker Chart and number 39 on the United Kingdom's Audio Streaming Chart. It received a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), for selling 200,000 units.
After the album's release, Swift recorded a stripped-down rendition of "This Is Me Trying" for the Disney+ documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions and its live album on November 25, 2020.{{Cite web |last=Monroe |first=Jazz |date=2020-11-24 |title=Taylor Swift Releases New folklore Film and Live Album |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/taylor-swift-releasing-newandnbspfolkloreandnbspfilm-on-disney/ |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228005714/https://pitchfork.com/news/taylor-swift-releasing-newandnbspfolkloreandnbspfilm-on-disney/ |url-status=live }} In 2023, Swift embarked on her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour, which contains a segment of "surprise songs" where she performs random songs from her discography. She performed the song twice as a full song in Glendale, Arizona (March 18, 2023) and Melbourne (February 17, 2024); and as part of a mashup twice, in Gelsenkirchen with "Labyrinth" (July 18, 2024) and Miami with "Daylight" (October 18, 2024).{{cite magazine |last1=Iasimone |first1=Ashley |last2=Dailey |first2=Hannah |date=December 7, 2024 |title=All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed on The Eras Tour (So Far) |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-eras-tour-surprise-songs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241117054204/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-eras-tour-surprise-songs/ |archive-date=November 17, 2024 |access-date=December 7, 2024 |magazine=Billboard}} The track was used in a promotional video released in August 2021 celebrating American gymnast Simone Biles' return to the 2020 Summer Olympics after she withdrew from several events due to medical issues.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/taylor-swift-simone-biles-tokyo-olympics-b1896448.html|title=Taylor Swift shares powerful message for Simone Biles for Tokyo Olympics: 'What do we want from our heroes?'|last=O'Connor|first=Roisin|website=The Independent|url-access=limited|date=August 4, 2021|access-date=June 22, 2022|archive-date=June 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622151856/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/taylor-swift-simone-biles-tokyo-olympics-b1896448.html|url-status=live}} It was featured in the seventh episode of the first season of American television series Gossip Girl (2021).{{Cite web|title=Gossip Girl{{'s}} Thanksgiving Return Is Packed With Songs By Taylor Swift & Olivia Rodrigo|url=https://www.elitedaily.com/entertainment/gossip-girl-reboot-season-1-soundtrack-songs|access-date=November 26, 2021|website=Elite Daily|date=July 8, 2021|first1=Jonathan|last1=Borge|first2=Lexi|last2=Williams|archive-date=November 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126045656/https://www.elitedaily.com/entertainment/gossip-girl-reboot-season-1-soundtrack-songs|url-status=live}}
Critical reception
"This Is Me Trying" received positive reviews from most music critics. Alexandrea Lang from the Dallas Observer named "This Is Me Trying" as one of the "most profound and underrated" songs on Folklore, praising Swift's "gorgeous, breathy vocals" and the "flawless" capture of emotions of someone struggling with motivation and mental illness.{{cite web|url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/music/all-16-songs-on-taylor-swifts-album-folklore-ranked-11933018|title=The Songs from Taylor Swift's folklore, Ranked|date=August 6, 2020|work=Dallas Observer|first=Alexandra|last=Lang|accessdate=May 24, 2021|archive-date=March 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328085300/https://www.dallasobserver.com/music/all-16-songs-on-taylor-swifts-album-folklore-ranked-11933018|url-status=live}} Jonathan Keefe from Slant Magazine affirmed that the track "still demonstrates Swift's masterful grasp of song structure".{{cite web|last=Keefe|first=Jonathan|date=July 27, 2020|title=Review: With Folklore, Taylor Swift Mines Pathos from a Widening Worldview|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review-with-folklore-taylor-swift-mines-pathos-from-a-widening-worldview/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910132417/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review-with-folklore-taylor-swift-mines-pathos-from-a-widening-worldview/|archive-date=September 10, 2020|access-date=July 27, 2020|website=Slant magazine}} Clash{{'s}} Lucy Harbron lauded Swift's "penchant for blending the last remnants of her country roots with a more modern edge".{{cite news|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/taylor-swift-folklore|title=Taylor Swift – Folklore|last=Magan|first=Valerie|magazine=Clash|date=July 28, 2020|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728183412/https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/taylor-swift-folklore|url-status=live}} Rolling Stone critic Rob Sheffield said that the track is "the disturbingly witty tale of someone pouring her heart out, to keep herself from pouring more whiskey."{{Cite magazine|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|date=July 24, 2020|title=Taylor Swift Leaves Her Comfort Zones Behind on the Head-Spinning, Heartbreaking Folklore|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/taylor-swift-leaves-her-comfort-zones-behind-on-the-head-spinning-heart-breaking-folklore-1033533/|access-date=June 8, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone|url-access=limited|author-link=Rob Sheffield|archive-date=July 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724155901/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/taylor-swift-leaves-her-comfort-zones-behind-on-the-head-spinning-heart-breaking-folklore-1033533/|url-status=live}} Regarding the song's metaphor set around curve and sphere, Sheffield commented: "Taylor could have invented geometry, but Euclid couldn't have written this song."{{Cite magazine|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Sheffield|title='This Is Me Trying' (2020)|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/this-is-me-trying-2020-1093991/|access-date=June 10, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-date=June 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616171738/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/this-is-me-trying-2020-1093991/|url-status=live}}
Rob Harvilla of The Ringer called the song one of the album's "most luscious and intense songs", soaked in regret, failure and booze, "as luminous as it is dolorous". He praised Swift's "sharp and specific" writing and the "gauzy lusciousness" of Antonoff's production.{{Cite web|last=Harvilla|first=Rob|date=July 27, 2020|title=Taylor Swift Is Singing About More Than Taylor Swift—and Rediscovering Herself in the Process|url=https://www.theringer.com/music/2020/7/27/21339589/taylor-swift-folklore-review|access-date=June 10, 2021|website=The Ringer|archive-date=August 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828040229/https://www.theringer.com/music/2020/7/27/21339589/taylor-swift-folklore-review|url-status=live}} New Statesman critic Anna Leszkiewicz defined "This Is Me Trying" as an "expansive, atmospheric portrait" of someone opting vulnerability over "defense mechanisms" in a relationship.{{Cite web|last=Leiszkiewicz|first=Anna|title=Folklore reveals a more introspective side to Taylor Swift|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2020/07/folklore-reveals-a-more-introspective-side-to-taylor-swift|access-date=June 6, 2021|date=July 24, 2020|website=New Statesman|archive-date=May 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524160536/https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2020/07/folklore-reveals-a-more-introspective-side-to-taylor-swift|url-status=live}} Despite viewing the song less favorably, Eric Mason, writing for Slant Magazine, praised Swift's vulnerability in the song, stating that she was "mining both her vulnerability and her ability to do harm" on the track.
"This Is Me Trying" was featured on a list of the best songs of 2020 by Teen Vogue.{{cite web|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/best-songs-of-2020-teen-vogue-editors|title=Best Songs of 2020 According to Teen Vogue Editors|date=December 3, 2020|website=Teen Vogue|access-date=June 22, 2022|archive-date=December 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208171521/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/best-songs-of-2020-teen-vogue-editors|url-status=live}} In Clash{{'s}} list ranking the writer's 15 favorite Swift songs, Lucy Harbron remarked on the singer's vocals: "It's one of the first times her voice ever sounded this mature and jagged as the bridge seems to bite at your ears".{{cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/taylor-swift-her-15-best-songs|title=Taylor Swift: Her 15 Best Songs|website=Clash|date=February 1, 2022|access-date=June 22, 2022|archive-date=May 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525021731/https://www.clashmusic.com/features/taylor-swift-her-15-best-songs|url-status=live}} In Vulture{{'s}} list ranking all songs in Swift's discography, Jones wrote about "This Is Me Trying": "The climax sneaks up on you like a moment of clarity."{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/all-taylor-swift-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html|title=Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best|website=Vulture|first=Nate|last=Jones|date=January 11, 2021|access-date=December 6, 2021|url-access=limited|archive-date=September 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913234630/https://www.vulture.com/article/all-taylor-swift-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html|url-status=live}} Sheffield picked it among the best 20 songs of Swift's discography, "The easiest Folklore song to underrate, because it seems so deceptively straight-ahead."
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes, except where noted.{{Cite AV media notes|title=Folklore|others=Taylor Swift|year=2020|type=booklet|publisher=Republic Records|id=B003271102}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
- Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriting, production
- Jack Antonoff – production, songwriting, live drums, percussion, programming, keyboards, bass, background vocals, organ, recording
- Joe Alwyn – production{{NoteTag|name="alwyn"}}
- Evan Smith – saxophones, keyboards
- Bobby Hawk – strings
- Lorenzo Wolf – strings
{{col-2}}
- Laura Sisk – recording
- John Rooney – assistant engineering
- Jon Sher – assistant engineering
- Serban Ghenea – mixing
- John Hanes – mix engineering
- Randy Merrill – mastering
{{col-end}}
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{{col-2}}
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Year-end chart performance for "This Is Me Trying" ! scope="col"| Chart (2020) ! scope="col"| Position |
| scope="row"| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2020/hot-rock-songs|title=Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2020|magazine=Billboard|date=January 2, 2013|access-date=May 24, 2021|archive-date=January 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111060621/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2020/hot-rock-songs|url-status=live}}
| 40 |
|---|
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certification for "This Is Me Trying"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|title=|award=Platinum|number=1|artist=|type=single|relyear=2020|certyear=2024|access-date=February 14, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|artist=Taylor Swift|title=This Is Me Trying|award=Platinum|type=single|certyear=2024|relyear=2020|access-date=July 25, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Taylor Swift|title=This Is Me Trying|type=single|award=Platinum|access-date=December 19, 2024|source=radioscope|relyear=2020|certyear=2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Taylor Swift|title=This Is Me Trying|award=Gold|relyear=2020|certyear=2024|id=18634-1598-1|access-date=September 6, 2024|refname="bpi"}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
Notes
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References
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= Source =
- {{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=172–189 |chapter=The Folklore Era}}
{{Taylor Swift songs}}
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Category:Song recordings produced by Jack Antonoff
Category:Song recordings produced by Taylor Swift
Category:Songs written by Jack Antonoff
Category:Songs written by Taylor Swift