Wildest Dreams

Taylor Swift had identified as a country musician until her fourth studio album, Red, which was released on October 22, 2012.{{cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=October 30, 2012 |title=Taylor Swift's Red Sells 1.21 Million; Biggest Sales Week for an Album Since 2002 |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/474400/taylor-swifts-red-sells-121-million-biggest-sales-week-for-an-album-since-2002 |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201140727/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/474400/taylor-swifts-red-sells-121-million-biggest-sales-week-for-an-album-since-2002 |archive-date=February 1, 2013 |access-date=February 4, 2019}} Red{{'s}} eclectic pop and rock styles beyond the country stylings of Swift's past albums led to critics questioning her country-music identity.{{sfn|McNutt|2020|p=77}}{{cite magazine |last=Light |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Light |date=December 5, 2014 |title=Billboard Woman of the Year Taylor Swift on Writing Her Own Rules, Not Becoming a Cliche and the Hurdle of Going Pop |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/events/women-in-music-2014/6363514/billboard-woman-of-the-year-taylor-swift-on-writing-her |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226012450/https://www.billboard.com/articles/events/women-in-music-2014/6363514/billboard-woman-of-the-year-taylor-swift-on-writing-her |archive-date=December 26, 2014 |access-date=February 27, 2019}} Swift began writing songs for her fifth studio album in mid-2013 while touring.{{cite news |last=Talbott |first=Chris |date=October 13, 2013 |title=Taylor Swift Talks Next Album, CMAs and Ed Sheeran |url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/taylor-swift-talks-next-album-cmas-and-ed-sheeran |url-status=dead |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 |agency=Associated Press}} She was inspired by 1980s synth-pop to create her fifth studio album, 1989, which she described as her first "official pop album" and named after her birth year.{{cite magazine |last=Eells |first=Josh |date=September 16, 2014 |title=Taylor Swift Reveals Five Things to Expect on 1989 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-reveals-five-things-to-expect-on-1989-65750/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116173655/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-reveals-five-things-to-expect-on-1989-65750/ |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |access-date=November 16, 2018 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}{{cite news |last=Sisario |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Sisario |date=November 5, 2014 |title=Sales of Taylor Swift's 1989 Intensify Streaming Debate |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/06/arts/music/sales-of-taylor-swifts-1989-intensify-streaming-debate.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111032635/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/23/business/media/taylor-swifts-1989-carries-high-hopes-but-no-country-music.html |archive-date=November 11, 2014 |access-date=February 27, 2019 |work=The New York Times}} The album makes extensive use of synthesizers, programmed drum machines, and electronic and dance stylings, a stark contrast to the acoustic arrangements of her country–styled albums.{{Cite web |last=Pettifer |first=Amy |date=November 27, 2014 |title=Reviews: Taylor Swift, 1989 |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/16790-taylor-swift-1989-review |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=The Quietus}}{{Sfn|Perone|2017|p=55–56}}

Swift and Max Martin served as executive producers of 1989.{{cite web |last=Zollo |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Zollo |date=February 13, 2016 |title=The Oral History of Taylor Swift's 1989 |url=https://medium.com/cuepoint/the-oral-history-of-taylor-swift-s-1989-d9869cc13adc?sf22314340=1#.cd4wstjmz |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404113417/https://medium.com/cuepoint/the-oral-history-of-taylor-swift-s-1989-d9869cc13adc?sf22314340=1#.cd4wstjmz |archive-date=April 4, 2016 |access-date=March 23, 2016 |publisher=The Recording Academy |via=Cuepoint}} On the album's standard edition, Martin and his frequent collaborator Shellback produced 7 out of 13 songs, including "Wildest Dreams". Swift wrote "Wildest Dreams" with Martin and Shellback, who both produced and programmed the song and played the keyboards. Martin played the piano, and Shellback played the electric guitar and percussion.{{cite AV media notes |title=1989 |year=2014 |type=Compact disc liner notes |publisher=Big Machine Records |id=BMRBD0500A |last=Swift |first=Taylor |author-link=Taylor Swift}} Mattias Bylund joined the production of "Wildest Dreams" after Martin played the track to him; Bylund played and arranged the strings, which he recorded and edited at his home studio in Tuve, Sweden. Michael Ilbert and Sam Holland, assisted by Cory Bice, recorded the track at MXM Studios in Stockholm and Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles. It was mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach and mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound in New York.

{{Listen

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| description = "Wildest Dreams" has a balladic production that incorporates synths, Mellotron–generated and live strings, and it interpolates Swift's heartbeat in its rhythm. Swift sings with breathy vocals.

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"Wildest Dreams" is a power ballad that interpolates Swift's heartbeat in its rhythm.{{Cite web |date=September 1, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift – 'Wildest Dreams' (video) (Singles Going Steady) |url=https://www.popmatters.com/196952-taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-video-2495490737.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228120736/https://www.popmatters.com/196952-taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-video-2495490737.html |archive-date=December 28, 2017 |access-date=December 27, 2017 |website=PopMatters}} It incorporates programmed drums, pulsing synths, and staccato strings generated with a Mellotron.{{cite web |last=Wood |first=Mikael |date=October 27, 2014 |title=Taylor Swift Smooths Out the Wrinkles on Sleek 1989 |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-review-taylor-swift-smooths-out-the-wrinkles-on-sleek-1989-20141027-story.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115075319/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-review-taylor-swift-smooths-out-the-wrinkles-on-sleek-1989-20141027-story.html |archive-date=November 15, 2014 |access-date=November 15, 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times}}{{Sfn|Perone|2017|p=62}} In the chorus, the melody is accentuated by live strings with what Bylund described as "Coldplay-type rhythm chords". Swift sings with breathy vocals.{{cite web |last=Kimberlin |first=Shane |date=November 3, 2014 |title=Taylor Swift – 1989 {{!}} Album Review |url=https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-1989 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105103600/https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-1989 |archive-date=November 5, 2014 |access-date=February 5, 2019 |work=MusicOMH}}{{Cite web |last1=Cruz |first1=Lenika |last2=Beck |first2=Julie |last3=Green |first3=Emma |last4=O'Keeffe |first4=Kevin |date=October 25, 2014 |title=Taylor Swift's 1989: First Impressions |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/10/taylor-swifts-1989-first-impressions/381915/ |url-access=limited |access-date=December 28, 2023 |website=The Atlantic |archive-date=June 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230624063548/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/10/taylor-swifts-1989-first-impressions/381915/ |url-status=live}} According to Jon Caramanica from The New York Times, she sings "drowsily" in the verses and "skips up an octave" in the bridge. Jem Aswad of Billboard said that she "[flits] between a fluttery soprano and deadpan alto".{{cite magazine |last=Aswad |first=Jem |date=October 24, 2014 |title=Album Review: Taylor Swift's Pop Curveball Pays Off With 1989 |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6289405/taylor-swift-1989-album-review |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208185459/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6289405/taylor-swift-1989-album-review |archive-date=February 8, 2017 |access-date=August 30, 2015}} Music critics characterized the genre as synth-pop,{{cite web |last1=Mylrea |first1=Hannah |date=September 8, 2020 |title=Every Taylor Swift Song Ranked In Order of Greatness |url=https://www.nme.com/features/every-taylor-swift-song-ranked-2740117 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908194608/https://www.nme.com/features/every-taylor-swift-song-ranked-2740117 |archive-date=September 8, 2020 |access-date=September 8, 2020 |website=NME}}{{Cite web |last=Breihan |first=Tom |date=September 17, 2021 |title=Taylor Swift Shares Her Re-Recorded Version of 'Wildest Dreams': Listen |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2161031/hear-taylor-swifts-re-recorded-version-of-wildest-dreams/music/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506072331/https://www.stereogum.com/2161031/hear-taylor-swifts-re-recorded-version-of-wildest-dreams/music/ |archive-date=May 6, 2022 |access-date=May 6, 2022 |website=Stereogum}} dream pop, and electropop,{{cite web |last1=Masley |first1=Ed |date=August 12, 2015 |title=30 Best Taylor Swift Singles Ever (So Far) |url=https://eu.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/08/12/best-taylor-swift-singles-ever-far/31478033/ |access-date=July 30, 2020 |website=The Arizona Republic}} with elements of chillwave.{{cite web|url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/taylor-swift-1989-album-review-12975046|title=Taylor Swift 1989 – Album Review|last=Nolan|first=Paul|website=Hot Press|date=November 13, 2014|access-date=December 29, 2023}} Although the synths and drums were a stark contrast to Swift's earlier music, the musicologist James E. Perone said that the composition retained some elements from her previous country songs: the "heavy use" of the pentatonic scale in the melody and the move between major and minor chords in the chorus.{{Sfn|Perone|2017|p=62}}

In the lyrics, Swift's narrator tells a lover to remember her after their relationship ends while still being in love with him.{{cite web |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |author-link=Alexis Petridis |date=October 24, 2014 |title=Taylor Swift: 1989 Review – Leagues Ahead of the Teen-Pop Competition |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/24/taylor-swift-1989-review |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101060229/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/24/taylor-swift-1989-review |archive-date=November 1, 2014 |access-date=February 4, 2019 |work=The Guardian}} Despite the inevitable ending, the narrator acknowledges the strong romantic and sexual connection with this man and strives to build fond memories with him.{{Sfn|Zaleski|2024|p=119}} The first verse is about lust: "He's so tall, and handsome as hell/ He's so bad, but he does it so well/ I can see the end as it begins."{{Cite magazine |last=Lansky |first=Sam |author-link=Sam Lansky |date=October 23, 2014 |title=Review: 1989 Marks a Paradigm Swift |url=https://time.com/3533569/taylor-swift-1989-review/ |access-date=December 28, 2023 |magazine=Time |archive-date=November 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101185534/https://time.com/3533569/taylor-swift-1989-review/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Galvin |first=Annie |date=October 27, 2014 |title=Review: Taylor Swift, 1989 |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/taylor-swift-1989/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305234512/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/taylor-swift-1989/ |archive-date=March 5, 2019 |access-date=October 28, 2014 |work=Slant Magazine}} She expresses her desire to live on in the lover's memory as a woman with red lips, "standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset".{{Cite web |last=Kornhaber |first=Spencer |date=September 2, 2015 |title=The Backlash to Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' Shows the Danger of Nostalgia |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/09/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-africa-nostalgia-dangers-colonization-video/403435/ |url-access=limited |access-date=December 28, 2023 |website=The Atlantic |archive-date=December 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228025829/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/09/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-africa-nostalgia-dangers-colonization-video/403435/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Cliff |first=Aimee |date=October 30, 2014 |title=1989 |url=https://www.factmag.com/2014/10/30/taylor-swift-1989-review/ |access-date=December 28, 2023 |website=Fact |archive-date=June 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618195113/https://www.factmag.com/2014/10/30/taylor-swift-1989-review/ |url-status=live}} She cautions the lover that she will haunt him: "Say you'll see me again even if it's just in your wildest dreams."{{cite web |last=Wickman |first=Forrest |date=October 24, 2014 |title=Taylor Swift's 1989: A Track-by-Track Breakdown |url=https://slate.com/culture/2014/10/taylor-swift-s-1989-leaked-here-s-a-track-by-track-breakdown-of-the-new-album-video.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214041234/https://slate.com/culture/2014/10/taylor-swift-s-1989-leaked-here-s-a-track-by-track-breakdown-of-the-new-album-video.html |archive-date=February 14, 2019 |access-date=November 20, 2020 |work=Slate}} The bridge is set in double time and sees Swift's character affirming, "You see me in hindsight/ Tangled up with you all night/ Burnin' it down."{{Cite magazine |date=May 13, 2021 |title=The 100 Greatest Song Bridges of the 21st Century: Staff Picks |url=https://www.billboard.com/media/lists/greatest-song-bridges-21st-century-top-100-9571438/ |access-date=December 28, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228024007/https://www.billboard.com/media/lists/greatest-song-bridges-21st-century-top-100-9571438/ |url-status=live}}

Critics have described the sound as sultry, sensual, and dramatic, comparing the production and the theme of failed romance to the music of the singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey.{{cite web |last=Eakin |first=Marah |date=October 28, 2014 |title=With 1989, Taylor Swift Finally Grows Up |url=http://www.avclub.com/review/1989-taylor-swift-finally-grows-211047 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520182542/http://www.avclub.com/review/1989-taylor-swift-finally-grows-211047 |archive-date=May 20, 2017 |access-date=August 30, 2015 |work=The A.V. Club}}{{Cite web |last=Zoladz |first=Lindsay |date=October 24, 2014 |title=Did Taylor Swift Rip Off Lorde and Lana Del Rey? |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/10/did-taylor-swift-rip-off-lorde-and-lana-del-rey.html |url-access=limited |access-date=December 28, 2023 |website=Vulture |archive-date=December 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228032404/https://www.vulture.com/2014/10/did-taylor-swift-rip-off-lorde-and-lana-del-rey.html |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Leedham |first=Robert |date=October 27, 2014 |title=Album Review: Taylor Swift - 1989 |url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/18488/reviews/4148424 |access-date=December 28, 2023 |website=Drowned in Sound |archive-date=February 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214002551/https://drownedinsound.com/releases/18488/reviews/4148424 |url-status=dead}} The Guardian{{'s}} Alexis Petridis felt that the song abandoned Swift's previous "persona of the pathetic female appendage snivelling over her bad-boy boyfriend" and instead portrayed the man as her victim. Slate's Forrest Wickman thought that Swift's character was a "sort of [...] femme fatale". Robert Leedham of Drowned in Sound wrote that the lyrics portrayed her arrogance and confidence to "[move] onto better things", contrasting with the victim mentality on her past songs.

Big Machine Records released 1989 on October 27, 2014; "Wildest Dreams" is number nine on the standard edition's track listing.{{Cite magazine |last=Graff |first=Gary |date=October 24, 2014 |title=Taylor Swift to the Haters: 'If You're Upset That I'm Just Being Myself, I'm Going to Be Myself More' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-on-new-album-1989-6296366/ |access-date=December 28, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=November 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102211249/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-on-new-album-1989-6296366/ |url-status=live}} The song debuted at number 76 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 2014.{{cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=November 5, 2014 |title=Taylor Swift's 'Shake It Off' Returns to No. 1 on Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6304579/taylor-swift-shake-it-off-returns-no-1-hot-100 |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107191437/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6304579/taylor-swift-shake-it-off-returns-no-1-hot-100 |archive-date=November 7, 2014 |access-date=November 7, 2014}} On August 5, 2015, Swift shared on Twitter that "Wildest Dreams" would be the fifth single from 1989, following four Hot 100 top-10 singles: "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", "Style", and "Bad Blood".{{cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=August 5, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift Announces Next Single |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6655729/taylor-swift-announces-next-single |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415032528/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6655729/taylor-swift-announces-next-single |archive-date=April 15, 2021 |access-date=November 20, 2020}} In the United States, Big Machine and Republic Records released "Wildest Dreams" to hot adult contemporary radio on August 31,{{cite web |title=Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases |url=http://www.allaccess.com/hot-modern-ac/future-releases |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150824000429/http://www.allaccess.com/hot-modern-ac/future-releases |archive-date=August 24, 2015 |access-date=September 1, 2015 |publisher=All Access Media Group}} and contemporary hit radio on September 1, 2015.{{cite web |title=Top 40/M Future Releases |url=http://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150824222536/http://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases |archive-date=August 24, 2015 |access-date=October 16, 2015 |publisher=All Access Media Group}} Big Machine released a remix by R3hab for download via the iTunes Store on October 15,{{cite web |title=Wildest Dreams (R3hab Remix) – Single by Taylor Swift |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/wildest-dreams-r3hab-remix-single/1444855449 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017033138/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/wildest-dreams-r3hab-remix/id1049605375 |archive-date=October 17, 2015 |access-date=October 16, 2015 |website= |publisher=iTunes Store}} and Universal Music released the original version to Italian radio on October 30.{{cite web |title=Taylor Swift 'Wildest Dreams' |url=https://radiodate.it/radio-date/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-143685-30-10-2015-radiodate/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625084004/https://radiodate.it/radio-date/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-143685-30-10-2015-radiodate/ |archive-date=June 25, 2022 |access-date=June 24, 2022 |publisher=Airplay Control S.R.L. |language=it}}

On the Billboard Hot 100, "Wildest Dreams" re-entered at number 15 on the chart dated September 19, 2015, after its single release.{{cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=September 8, 2015 |title=The Weeknd Doubles Up in Hot 100's Top Three |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6685989/the-weeknd-hot-100-top-three |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910070607/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6685989/the-weeknd-hot-100-top-three |archive-date=September 10, 2015 |access-date=September 9, 2015}} It reached number 10 on October 10, 2015, and became 1989{{'s}} fifth consecutive top-10 single.{{cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=September 28, 2015 |title=The Weeknd Holds Atop Hot 100, Taylor Swift Hits Top 10 With 'Wildest Dreams' |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6708225/the-weeknd-hot-100-taylor-swift-top-10 |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151201155410/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6708225/the-weeknd-hot-100-taylor-swift-top-10 |archive-date=December 1, 2015 |access-date=December 1, 2015}} In the Billboard issue dated November 7, 2015, the single peaked at number five on the Hot 100 and became 1989{{'s}} fifth consecutive number-one song on two Billboard{{'s}} airplay charts: Pop Songs and Adult Pop Songs; 1989 tied with Katy Perry's Teenage Dream (2010) to become the album with the most Adult Pop Songs number ones.{{cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=October 26, 2015 |title=The Weeknd Tops Hot 100; Adele No. 1 Next Week? |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6738614/weeknd-tops-hot-100-adele-no-1-next-week |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151201070331/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6738614/weeknd-tops-hot-100-adele-no-1-next-week |archive-date=December 1, 2015 |access-date=December 1, 2015}} On Billboard{{'s}} Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, supported by the R3hab remix, "Wildest Dreams" was Swift's first number one and made her the first female artist to have five top-10 songs in a calendar year.{{cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=November 24, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift Tallies First Dance/Mix Show Airplay No. 1 With 'Wildest Dreams' |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6777030/taylor-swift-first-dance-mix-show-airplay-number-one |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126184032/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6777030/taylor-swift-first-dance-mix-show-airplay-number-one |archive-date=November 26, 2015 |access-date=November 24, 2015}} "Wildest Dreams" was certified four-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and had sold two million digital copies in the United States by November 2017.{{cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=November 26, 2017 |title=Ask Billboard: Taylor Swift's Career Album & Song Sales |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8046939/taylor-swift-career-album-song-sales-ask-billboard |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125002923/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8046939/taylor-swift-career-album-song-sales-ask-billboard |archive-date=November 25, 2018 |access-date=November 25, 2018}}

"Wildest Dreams" reached the top 10 on the singles charts of Canada (4), South Africa (5), Venezuela (6), Iceland (8), New Zealand (8), Slovakia (8), and Scotland (9). It received platinum or higher certifications in Brazil (diamond), Portugal (double platinum), and the United Kingdom (double platinum). It received platinum certifications in Austria, Canada, Denmark, Italy, and Spain. The track also received gold certifications in New Zealand, Germany, and Norway. In Australia, the single peaked at number three on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified nine-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).

When it was first released, "Wildest Dreams" received mixed reviews from music critics. Petridis found it "hugely cheering" that Swift employed a new perspective in her songwriting. Caramanica said that the song had the "most pronounced vocal tweak" on 1989, demonstrating Swift's new ways of expressing herself in music.{{cite web |last=Caramanica |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Caramanica |date=October 23, 2014 |title=A Farewell to Twang |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/arts/music/taylor-swift-1989-new-album-review.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111032622/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/arts/music/taylor-swift-1989-new-album-review.html |archive-date=November 11, 2014 |access-date=August 30, 2015 |work=The New York Times}} The Arizona Republic{{'s}} Ed Masley found the track "haunting" and Swift's vocals "seductive". Sam Lansky of Time described the production as "lush" and full of "cinematic grandeur". Writing for Hot Press, Paul Nolan picked it as the album's best track for its combination of chillwave and "sweeping, singalong choruses". The song helped Swift win the Songwriter of the Year Award at the 2016 BMI Pop Awards{{cite web |date=May 11, 2016 |title=BMI Honors Taylor Swift and Legendary Songwriting Duo Mann & Weil at the 64th Annual BMI Pop Awards |url=http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/2016_bmi_pop_awards |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527053027/http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/2016_bmi_pop_awards |archive-date=May 27, 2016 |access-date=May 11, 2016 |publisher=Broadcast Music, Inc.}} and was recognized at the 2017 ASCAP Awards.{{Cite web |title=ASCAP Pop Awards 2017 |url=https://www.ascap.com/popawards17 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623170045/https://www.ascap.com/popawards17 |archive-date=June 23, 2018 |access-date=October 20, 2018 |publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers}}

Other reviews opined that the track was influenced by Lana Del Rey to an extent that it erased Swift's authenticity.{{cite web |last=Manning |first=Craig |date=October 31, 2014 |title=Taylor Swift – 1989 – Album Review |url=http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=3711328 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141029022514/http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=3711328 |archive-date=October 29, 2014 |access-date=August 30, 2015 |work=AbsolutePunk}} Aswad said that it was "hard to tell if the song is homage or parody", and Wickman and Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times opined that Swift's songwriting lost its distinctive quality. Shane Kimberline from MusicOMH and Lindsay Zoladz from Vulture deemed "Wildest Dreams" one of the album's weakest tracks and took issue with the Del Rey resemblance in Swift's vocals and lyrics.{{Cite web |last=Zoladz |first=Lindsay |date=October 27, 2014 |title=Taylor Swift's 1989 Is Her Most Conservative Album Yet |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/10/album-review-taylor-swift-1989.html |url-access=limited |access-date=December 28, 2023 |website=Vulture |archive-date=January 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110162939/http://www.vulture.com/2014/10/album-review-taylor-swift-1989.html |url-status=live}} Slant Magazine's Annie Galvin said Swift's vocals complemented the narrative lyrics but described the song as a "misguided imitation" of Del Rey with a predictable storyline. In The Atlantic, Kevin O'Keeffe argued that the Del Rey comparisons were "unfair", and Emma Green praised the storytelling lyrics and contended that they were "unabashed, all-consuming, earnest nostalgia, anticipating", which she deemed distinct from Del Rey's "performative, cool-girl nostalgia".

Retrospectively, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone wrote in 2019 that the song "sounds stronger and stronger over the years".{{cite magazine |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |date=December 12, 2019 |title='Wildest Dreams' (2014) |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/wildest-dreams-2014-198739/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924181029/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/wildest-dreams-2014-198739/ |archive-date=September 24, 2021 |access-date=November 20, 2020}} NME{{'s}} Hannah Mylrae called it a "beauty", and Nate Jones from Vulture considered it one of Swift's 10 best songs and specifically lauded the "invigorating double-time bridge".{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Nate |date=August 13, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked from Worst to Best |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/all-taylor-swift-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207121127/https://www.vulture.com/article/all-taylor-swift-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html |archive-date=December 7, 2023 |access-date=November 20, 2020 |work=Vulture}} The bridge was ranked 66th on Billboard{{'s}} 2021 list of the 100 Greatest Song Bridges of the 21st Century. Alex Hudson and Megan LaPierre of Exclaim! included "Wildest Dreams" in their list of the best 20 songs by Swift, saying that she "totally nails" the Del Rey resemblance.{{Cite web |last1=Hudson |first1=Alex |last2=LaPierre |first2=Megan |date=October 20, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift's 20 Best Songs Ranked |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/taylor_swifts_20_best_songs_ranked |access-date=December 28, 2023 |website=Exclaim! |archive-date=December 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206081044/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/taylor_swifts_20_best_songs_ranked |url-status=live}} Jane Song from Paste lauded the "dark Lana Del Rey-esque pop" production and opined that the lyrics about memory made the song have "more staying power than you'd expect".{{Cite web |last=Song |first=Jane |date=February 11, 2020 |title=All 158 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/taylor-swift/best-taylor-swift-songs |access-date=December 28, 2023 |website=Paste |archive-date=June 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625065820/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/taylor-swift/best-taylor-swift-songs |url-status=live}} Petridis ranked it 18th out of 44 singles Swift had released by April 2019, and he said that the song employed a Del Rey-inspired songwriting trope with a "smart, pleasing twist".{{Cite news |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |author-link=Alexis Petridis |date=April 26, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift's Singles – Ranked! |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/26/taylor-swifts-singles-ranked |access-date=December 28, 2023 |archive-date=April 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427062612/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/26/taylor-swifts-singles-ranked |url-status=live}}

Joseph Kahn directed the music video for "Wildest Dreams",{{Sfn|Dyer|2016|p=301}} the third time he directed a music video for a 1989 single after "Blank Space" and "Bad Blood".{{Cite magazine |last=Fisher |first=Lauren Alexis |date=August 31, 2015 |title=Watch Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' Video |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/news/a11935/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-video/ |access-date=January 8, 2024 |magazine=Harper's Bazaar}} Filming primarily took place in Botswana and South Africa. Inspired by The Secret Conversations (2013), a memoir of the actress Ava Gardner,{{cite web |last=Klosterman |first=Chuck |date=October 15, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift on 'Bad Blood', Kanye West, and How People Interpret Her Lyrics |url=https://www.gq.com/story/taylor-swift-gq-cover-story |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018020927/http://www.gq.com/story/taylor-swift-gq-cover-story |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |access-date=October 18, 2015 |work=GQ}}{{cite web |last=Mondello |first=Bob |date=July 20, 2013 |title=You'll Want To Hang Up On These Secret Conversations |url=https://www.npr.org/2013/07/20/193551257/youll-want-to-hang-up-on-these-secret-conversations |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112110036/https://www.npr.org/2013/07/20/193551257/youll-want-to-hang-up-on-these-secret-conversations |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |access-date=November 25, 2020 |publisher=NPR}} Swift conceived the premise for the video as an illicit love affair between two actors in an isolated place within Africa, because they could only interact with each other without other means of communication.{{Sfn|Dyer|2016|p=307}} Kahn took inspiration from romantic films set in Africa, such as The African Queen (1951), Out of Africa (1985), and The English Patient (1996).{{cite web |last=Silver |first=Marc |date=September 2, 2015 |title=Director of Taylor Swift's New Video Defends His Work |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/09/02/436967742/the-director-of-the-taylor-swift-video-defends-his-work |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904002805/http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/09/02/436967742/the-director-of-the-taylor-swift-video-defends-his-work |archive-date=September 4, 2015 |access-date=September 3, 2015 |publisher=NPR}}

The video's narrative focuses on an affair between a classical Hollywood actress (Swift) and her male co-star (Scott Eastwood) who shoot a film in 1950s Africa.{{Sfn|Dyer|2016|p=308}}{{cite web |author=Linder |first=Emilee |date=August 30, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' Video Is Here To Make You Cry |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2256036/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-video/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831105531/http://www.mtv.com/news/2256036/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-video/ |archive-date=August 31, 2015 |access-date=September 1, 2015 |publisher=MTV}} Kahn compared the affair to the romance between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The pair gets involved romantically off-screen, as the video features shots of wildlife such as giraffes, zebras, and lions in a broad savanna.{{Sfnm|1a1=Dyer|1y=2016|1p=308|2a1=Keim|2a2=Somerville|2y=2021|2p=149}} The affair turns sour after a fight on set. As the romance ends, the pair is seen shooting in front of a savanna backdrop in a California studio.{{Sfn|Dyer|2016|p=308}} At the film's premiere, Swift's character sees her co-star with his wife. During the screening, Swift's character flees the theater and gets into a waiting limousine, as the co-star runs into the street and watches her leave.{{Cite web |last=Meynes |first=Carolyn |date=August 30, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift 'Wildest Dreams' Music Video: Scott Eastwood and 1989 Star Fall In Love |url=https://www.musictimes.com/articles/46580/20150830/taylor-swift-wildest-dream-music-video-scott-eastwood-1989-vmas.htm |access-date=December 14, 2023 |website=Music Times |archive-date=September 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908130337/http://www.musictimes.com/articles/46580/20150830/taylor-swift-wildest-dream-music-video-scott-eastwood-1989-vmas.htm |url-status=live}}

The video premiered on television during the pre-show of the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards on August 31.{{cite web |last=Hosken |first=Patrick |date=August 23, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' Will Premiere During the VMA Pre-Show |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2248825/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-vmas/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826222809/http://www.mtv.com/news/2248825/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-vmas/ |archive-date=August 26, 2015 |access-date=September 4, 2015 |publisher=MTV News}} Swift donated all of the proceeds from the video to the African Parks Foundation of America for wild animal conservation causes.{{Sfn|Dyer|2016|p=307}} Rolling Stone{{'s}} Brittany Spanos commented that Swift and Eastwood channeled "retro Hollywood glamour",{{cite magazine |last1=Spanos |first1=Brittany |date=August 30, 2015 |title=Watch Taylor Swift's Glamorous, Retro 'Wildest Dreams' Video |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-taylor-swifts-glamorous-retro-wildest-dreams-video-20150830 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150902231320/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-taylor-swifts-glamorous-retro-wildest-dreams-video-20150830 |archive-date=September 2, 2015 |access-date=September 2, 2015 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} and Billboard{{'s}} Natalie Weiner deemed Elizabeth Taylor an influence on Swift's fashion in the video.{{Cite magazine |last=Weiner |first=Natalie |date=August 31, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift Debuts 'Wildest Dreams' Video at 2015 VMAs: Watch |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-video-premiere-vma-watch-6678697/ |access-date=December 14, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=December 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214081423/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-video-premiere-vma-watch-6678697/ |url-status=live}} ABC News described the video as visually powerful,{{Cite web |date=August 31, 2015 |title=MTV VMAs: Taylor Swift Debuts 'Wildest Dreams' Video |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/mtv-vmas-taylor-swift-debuts-wildest-dreams-video/story?id=33421734 |access-date=December 14, 2023 |website= |publisher=ABC News |archive-date=December 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214081423/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/mtv-vmas-taylor-swift-debuts-wildest-dreams-video/story?id=33421734 |url-status=live}} and Wickman found the production cinematic and the narrative "a lot more engaging" than the music video for "Style".{{cite web |last1=Wickman |first1=Forrest |date=August 30, 2015 |title=Watch Taylor Swift Go Classical Hollywood With the Video for 'Wildest Dreams' |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/08/30/taylor_swift_wildest_dreams_music_video_debuts_during_mtv_vmas_video.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150902220801/http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/08/30/taylor_swift_wildest_dreams_music_video_debuts_during_mtv_vmas_video.html |archive-date=September 2, 2015 |access-date=September 2, 2015 |website=Slate}} Mike Wass of Idolator said that although Swift and Eastwood did not have a strong "chemistry", the African scenery and narrative "all [hang] together rather nicely".{{cite web |last1=Wass |first1=Mike |date=August 30, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift And Scott Eastwood Pay Tribute To Cinema's Greatest Love Stories In 'Wildest Dreams': Watch |url=http://www.idolator.com/7606200/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-video-scott-eastwood |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150904090255/http://www.idolator.com/7606200/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-video-scott-eastwood |archive-date=September 4, 2015 |access-date=September 2, 2015 |website=Idolator}} The video was nominated for Best Fresh Video at the 2016 MTV Italian Music Awards.{{cite web |title=TRL Awards 2016 |url=http://mtvawards.mtv.it/vincitori-2016/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622135808/http://mtvawards.mtv.it/vincitori-2016/ |archive-date=June 22, 2016 |access-date=June 19, 2016 |publisher=MTV Italy |language=it}}

Many online blogs and publications contended that the video glorified "white colonialism" by featuring a white cast in Africa.{{cite web |last=Khomami |first=Nadia |date=September 2, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift Accused of Racism In 'African Colonial Fantasy' Video |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/02/taylor-swift-accused-racism-african-colonial-fantasy-video-wildest-dreams |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108211638/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/02/taylor-swift-accused-racism-african-colonial-fantasy-video-wildest-dreams |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |access-date=November 21, 2020 |work=The Guardian}} Critics opined that it portrayed a romanticized nostalgia for colonial Africa held by white people and neglected the struggles of the African peoples during the European colonization.{{cite web |last1=Rutabingwa |first1=Viviane |last2=Kassaga Arinaitwe |first2=James |date=September 1, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift Is Dreaming of a Very White Africa |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/09/01/436653602/taylor-swift-is-dreaming-of-a-very-white-africa |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150902222324/http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/09/01/436653602/taylor-swift-is-dreaming-of-a-very-white-africa |archive-date=September 2, 2015 |access-date=September 2, 2015 |publisher=NPR}}{{cite web |last1=Duca |first1=Lauren |date=August 30, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' Channels White Colonialism |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-video_55e3a899e4b0c818f6183d6c |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150901235215/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-video_55e3a899e4b0c818f6183d6c |archive-date=September 1, 2015 |access-date=September 2, 2015 |website=HuffPost}}{{Cite news |last=Mokoena |first=Tshepo |date=September 2, 2015 |title=Is Taylor Swift's Colonial Fantasy the Beginning of the End? |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/sep/02/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-video-colonial-african-fantasy |access-date=December 29, 2023 |archive-date=December 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229032025/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/sep/02/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-video-colonial-african-fantasy |url-status=live}} The African studies professor Matthew Carotenuto wrote that the storyline depicted "pith-helmet-and-khaki-clad men as civilizing heroes and the women who joined them roughing it in tents wearing lingerie".{{Cite web |last=Carotenuto |first=Matthew |date=September 23, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift's White Colonial Romance |url=https://daily.jstor.org/taylor-swift-white-colonial-romance/ |access-date=December 29, 2023 |publisher=JSTOR |archive-date=December 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229032026/https://daily.jstor.org/taylor-swift-white-colonial-romance/ |url-status=live}} In the book Mistaking Africa, the history and political science authors Curtis Keim and Carolyn Somerville wrote that "Wildest Dreams" reinforced the stereotypes associated with Africa and "the mistaken perception held by many Americans that large game are found everywhere in Africa and that all parts of Africa are identical".{{Sfn|Keim|Somerville|2021|p=149}} Kahn defended the video and said that featuring a black cast would be historically inaccurate for the 1950s settings.{{cite web |date=September 3, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift Video Director Defends 'Wildest Dreams' Following 'Whitewash' Claims |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/03/taylor-swift-video-director-defends-wildest-dreams-whitewash-claims |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114051348/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/03/taylor-swift-video-director-defends-wildest-dreams-whitewash-claims |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |access-date=November 21, 2020 |work=The Guardian}} Lauretta Charlton of Vulture felt that the accusations were overblown: although she acknowledged that the video's depiction of Africa was problematic, she regarded it as "antiquated" and recommended the audience to focus on the "modern-day colonialism of Africa" that demanded urgent attention.{{cite web |last1=Charlton |first1=Lauretta |date=September 4, 2015 |title=Take a Breath – the 'Wildest Dreams' Video Isn't Racist – Now Exhale |url=http://www.vulture.com/2015/09/take-a-breather-wildest-dreams-isnt-racist.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805192432/http://www.vulture.com/2015/09/take-a-breather-wildest-dreams-isnt-racist.html |archive-date=August 5, 2017 |access-date=September 28, 2015 |website=Vulture}}

Some journalists and academics analyzed the video in the context of Swift's celebrity and the historical Hollywood depictions of Africa. Carotenuto opined that Swift was part of a "Lion King generation", which led her to think of Africa as "nothing more than a rich tapestry of flora and fauna, with actual Africans fading onto the periphery", an idea that had been propagated by Hollywood films and popular American culture. The Atlantic{{'s}} Spencer Kornhaber wrote that her generation was when "certain symbols of white dominance{{nbsp}}[...] have been glorified". For Kornhaber, "Wildest Dreams" was in line with Swift's artistic vision of "a powerful but vague nostalgia, defined less by time period than by particular strains of influence that just happen to be affiliated with a certain skin color". Kornhaber and Tshepo Mokoena from The Guardian argued that the criticism was not meant to portray Swift as racist. The former contended that it was a "lesson" for Swift about "how nostalgia can be inherently political"; the latter said that the video was a "clumsy move, but not one that merits outrage", but the criticism blemished Swift's "America's sweetheart" reputation.

File:Taylor Swift The Eras Tour 1989 Era Set (53109549826).jpg.]]

On the 1989 World Tour (2015), Swift performed the song as part of a mashup with "Enchanted", from her 2010 album Speak Now.{{cite web |last1=Wood |first1=Lucy |date=May 6, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift Has Kicked Off Her 1989 World Tour in Tokyo |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/news/a35504/taylor-swift-1989-world-tour-setlist/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614123431/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/news/a35504/taylor-swift-1989-world-tour-setlist/ |archive-date=June 14, 2018 |access-date=January 4, 2020 |website=Cosmopolitan}} Playing a sparkling grand piano, she first sang "Wildest Dreams" and, after the second chorus, proceeded with "Enchanted". The rendition built up with accompanying synths and backing vocals.{{Cite web |last=Allen |first=Paige |date=July 25, 2015 |title=Review: Taylor Swift Delivers Another Stellar Show at Gillette |url=https://www.thesunchronicle.com/go/review-taylor-swift-delivers-another-stellar-show-at-gillette/article_308d373c-3283-11e5-b3db-e34a7e4ffedb.html |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=The Sun Chronicle |archive-date=May 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531232003/https://www.thesunchronicle.com/go/review-taylor-swift-delivers-another-stellar-show-at-gillette/article_308d373c-3283-11e5-b3db-e34a7e4ffedb.html |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Princiotti |first=Nora |date=March 16, 2023 |title=On the Eve of Eras, Ranking Taylor Swift's All-Time Best Live Performances |url=https://www.theringer.com/music/2023/3/16/23633759/ranking-taylor-swift-all-time-best-live-performances-eras-tour |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=The Ringer |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331000214/https://www.theringer.com/music/2023/3/16/23633759/ranking-taylor-swift-all-time-best-live-performances-eras-tour/ |url-status=live}} She finished the mashup by changing costumes from a sparkling tulle skirt to a bodysuit for the next number. The Ringer's Nora Princiotti in March 2023 deemed it Swift's best live performance, praising it as an "epic five-and-a-half-minute medley [that] is fundamentally simple".

"Wildest Dreams" was included in Swift's other concerts. On September 30, 2015, she performed a stripped-down rendition on an electric guitar as part of the "Taylor Swift Experience" exhibition at the Grammy Museum at L.A. Live.{{cite magazine |date=January 4, 2016 |title=Taylor Swift Shares Stunning 'Wildest Dreams' Performance from Grammy Museum |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/6828983/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-grammy-museum |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129005253/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/6828983/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-grammy-museum |archive-date=November 29, 2020 |access-date=November 21, 2020}} At a private concert for 100 fans in Hamilton Island, Australia, as part of Nova's "Red Room" series, Swift "Wildest Dreams" on an acoustic guitar.{{Cite web |last1=Akers |first1=Trenton |last2=Arnold |first2=Rikki-Lee |date=December 4, 2015 |title=Taylor Swift 1989 Tour: Exclusive Picture as Taylor Swift Arrives In Brisbane Ahead of Concert |url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/confidential/taylor-swift-1989-tour-exclusive-picture-of-venue-for-intimate-concert-on-hamilton-island/news-story/da45be7f15dc3b623412cf3a7bb417bd |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=The Courier-Mail |archive-date=December 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229040233/https://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/confidential/taylor-swift-1989-tour-exclusive-picture-of-venue-for-intimate-concert-on-hamilton-island/news-story/da45be7f15dc3b623412cf3a7bb417bd |url-status=live}} Swift included the "Wildest Dreams"/"Enchanted" mashup in the set lists of two concerts: at the United States Grand Prix in Austin on October 22, 2016,{{Cite magazine |last=Hall |first=David Brendan |date=October 23, 2016 |title=Taylor Swift Delivers a Knockout Performance at Formula 1 Concert in Austin |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-formula-1-grand-prix-austin-concert-calvin-harris-7550007/ |access-date=December 29, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=September 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902023704/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-formula-1-grand-prix-austin-concert-calvin-harris-7550007/ |url-status=live}} and at the Super Saturday Night, a pre-Super Bowl event, on February 4, 2017.{{Cite magazine |last=Atkinson |first=Katie |date=February 5, 2017 |title=Taylor Swift Performs 'Better Man' & 'I Don't Wanna Live Forever' for First Time at Stunning Pre-Super Bowl Set |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-super-bowl-concert-houston-better-man-i-dont-wanna-live-forever-7678029/ |access-date=December 29, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525180320/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-super-bowl-concert-houston-better-man-i-dont-wanna-live-forever-7678029/ |url-status=live}}

Swift performed "Wildest Dreams" as a "surprise song" outside the regular set list twice on her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018: at the first show in Santa Clara, California, on May 11, and at the second show in Tokyo, Japan, on November 21.{{cite magazine |last1=Iasimone |first1=Ashley |date=November 20, 2018 |title=All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed On Her Reputation Stadium Tour B-Stage (So Far) |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8458025/taylor-swift-reputation-tour-b-stage-songs-list |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008113110/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8458025/taylor-swift-reputation-tour-b-stage-songs-list |archive-date=October 8, 2019 |access-date=December 19, 2018}} At the Philadelphia concert of the Reputation Stadium Tour on July 14, she sang "Wildest Dreams" a cappella after a stage device malfunctioned.{{Cite web |last=Fisher |first=Luchina |date=July 16, 2018 |title=Taylor Swift Turns a Concert Malfunction Into a Memorable Moment |url=https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/taylor-swift-turns-concert-malfunction-memorable-moment-56617872 |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=Good Morning America |archive-date=December 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229043648/https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/taylor-swift-turns-concert-malfunction-memorable-moment-56617872 |url-status=live}} On the Eras Tour (2023–2024), a tour that Swift described as a tribute to all of her albums, she performed the song as part of the 1989 act as the screen projected scenes of a couple in bed.{{Cite news |last=Yahr |first=Emily |date=March 18, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Opener: A Complete Recap of All 44 Songs |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2023/03/18/taylor-swift-eras-tour-setlist-costumes-recap/ |url-status=live |url-access=registration |access-date=March 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318162008/https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2023/03/18/taylor-swift-eras-tour-setlist-costumes-recap/ |archive-date=March 18, 2023}}

The singer-songwriter Ryan Adams released his track-by-track cover album of 1989 on September 21, 2015.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Nate |date=September 17, 2015 |title=Ryan Adams Is Finally Releasing His 1989 Covers Album; Listen to His 'Bad Blood' |url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/09/ryan-adams-is-releasing-his-1989-covers-album.html |url-access=limited |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=Vulture |archive-date=December 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229050331/https://www.vulture.com/2015/09/ryan-adams-is-releasing-his-1989-covers-album.html |url-status=live}} Adams said that Swift's 1989 helped him cope with emotional hardships and that he wanted to sing the songs from his perspective "like it was Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska".{{Cite magazine |last=Browne |first=David |date=September 21, 2015 |title=Ryan Adams on His Full-Album Cover of Taylor Swift's 1989 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/ryan-adams-on-his-full-album-taylor-swift-cover-you-just-have-to-mean-it-59783/ |url-access=limited |access-date=December 29, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=September 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925011831/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/ryan-adams-on-his-full-album-taylor-swift-cover-you-just-have-to-mean-it-59783/ |url-status=live}} Before the album's release, Adams previewed his cover of "Wildest Dreams" online in August.{{Cite magazine |last=Goodman |first=Jessica |date=August 13, 2015 |title=Ryan Adams Tackles Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' in Latest 1989 Cover |url=https://ew.com/article/2015/08/13/ryan-adams-wildest-dreams/ |access-date=December 29, 2023 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-date=December 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229050330/https://ew.com/article/2015/08/13/ryan-adams-wildest-dreams/ |url-status=live}} He switches and adjusts pronouns in some places; the lyric "Standing in a nice dress" becomes "Standing in your nice dress".{{cite web |last=Caffrey |first=Dam |date=September 28, 2015 |title=Ryan Adams – 1989 |url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2015/09/album-review-ryan-adams-1989/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028060545/https://consequenceofsound.net/2015/09/album-review-ryan-adams-1989/ |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |access-date=September 28, 2015 |work=Consequence of Sound}} His version combines country rock, alternative country, and jangle pop.{{Cite web |last=Burrows |first=Marc |date=October 30, 2015 |title=Album Review: Ryan Adams - 1989 |url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/19092/reviews/4149537 |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=Drowned in Sound |archive-date=December 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229050331/https://drownedinsound.com/releases/19092/reviews/4149537 |url-status=dead}}{{Cite web |last=Winograd |first=Jeremy |date=October 21, 2015 |title=Review: Ryan Adams, 1989 |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/ryan-adams-1989/ |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=Slant Magazine |archive-date=May 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506211701/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/ryan-adams-1989/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Sarah |date=September 22, 2015 |title=Ryan Adams 1989 |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/ryan_adams-1989 |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=Exclaim! |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103103501/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/ryan_adams-1989 |url-status=live}} It uses acoustic instruments of live drums and guitar strums.{{cite web |last=Wood |first=Mikael |date=September 21, 2015 |title=Review: Ryan Adams Turns to Taylor Swift for Help On His Version of 1989 |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-ryan-adams-taylor-swift-1989-review-20150921-story.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923090023/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-ryan-adams-taylor-swift-1989-review-20150921-story.html |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |access-date=September 21, 2015 |work=Los Angeles Times}}{{cite web |last=Sawdy |first=Evan |date=September 24, 2015 |title=Ryan Adams: 1989 |url=https://www.popmatters.com/ryan-adams-1989-2495486446.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802121324/https://www.popmatters.com/ryan-adams-1989-2495486446.html |archive-date=August 2, 2018 |access-date=September 24, 2015 |work=PopMatters}}{{Cite news |last=Cragg |first=Michael |date=September 22, 2015 |title=Ryan Adams's Take on Taylor Swift's 1989 – First Listen Track-By-Track Review |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/22/review-ryan-adams-taylor-swift-1989-first-listen-track-by-track |access-date=December 29, 2023 |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128174937/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/22/review-ryan-adams-taylor-swift-1989-first-listen-track-by-track |url-status=live}}

Adams's "Wildest Dreams" peaked at number 40 on Billboard{{'s}} Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.{{Cite magazine |title=Ryan Adams Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs) |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/ryan-adams/ |access-date=December 29, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=November 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113203914/https://www.billboard.com/artist/ryan-adams/ |url-status=live}} Kornharber found the cover "undeniably lovely",{{cite web |last=Kornharber |first=Spencer |date=September 21, 2015 |title=Ryan Adams's 1989 and the Vindication of Taylor Swift |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/09/ryan-adams-taylor-swift-1989/406744/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108131547/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/09/ryan-adams-taylor-swift-1989/406744/ |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |access-date=November 21, 2020 |work=The Atlantic}} Jeremy Winograd of Slant Magazine deemed it a tasteful incorporation of 1980s rock, and Marc Burrows of Drowned in Sound preferred Adams's cover to Swift's version. Sarah Murphy in Exclaim! labeled the cover "an equally impressive feat" that could resonate with Swift's fans who lamented her departure from country music. In The Guardian, Michael Cragg said that there were no substantial additions in Adams's cover, which he described as a "fairly rudimentary strumalong", and Rachel Aroesti found it "comical" that it failed to match the original.{{Cite news |last=Aroesti |first=Rachel |date=November 5, 2015 |title=Ryan Adams: 1989 Review – False Notes Abound on Taylor Swift Covers Album |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/05/ryan-adams-1989-taylor-swift-review |access-date=December 29, 2023 |archive-date=November 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129060556/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/05/ryan-adams-1989-taylor-swift-review |url-status=live}} Caramanica said that the lyrical alterations brought "no real effect".{{Cite news |last=Caramanica |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Caramanica |date=September 22, 2015 |title=Teaming Up, Together (Drake and Future) or Apart (Ryan Adams and Taylor Swift) |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/arts/music/teaming-up-together-drake-and-future-or-apart-ryan-adams-and-taylor-swift.html |url-access=limited |access-date=December 29, 2023 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924013110/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/arts/music/teaming-up-together-drake-and-future-or-apart-ryan-adams-and-taylor-swift.html |url-status=live}}

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of 1989.

{{div col begin}}

• Taylor Swift – vocals, writer, heart sounds
• Max Martin – producer, writer, keyboard, piano, programming
• Shellback – producer, writer, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboard, percussion, programming
• Mattias Bylund – string arrangements, recording, and editing
• Michael Ilbert – recording
• Sam Holland – recording
• Cory Bice – assistant recording
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• John Hanes – engineered for mix
• Tom Coyne – mastering

{{div col end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Wildest Dreams"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|award=Platinum|number=9|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|access-date=June 14, 2024|refname="ARIA"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Austria|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Wildest Dreams|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|access-date=May 29, 2024|refname="IFPIAT"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Wildest Dreams|award=Diamond|type=single|certyear=2024|relyear=2014|access-date=July 24, 2024|refname="Brazil"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|title=Wildest Dreams|artist=Taylor Swift|type=single|award=Platinum|access-date=October 2, 2015|relyear=2014|certyear=2015|digital=true|refname="mc"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|title=Wildest Dreams|artist=Taylor Swift|type=single|award=Platinum|access-date=April 24, 2024|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|id=13795|refname="IFPIDK"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|title=Wildest Dreams|artist=Taylor Swift|type=single|award=Gold|access-date=November 18, 2022|relyear=2015|certyear=2022|refname="BVMI"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|title=Wildest Dreams|artist=Taylor Swift|type=single|award=Platinum|access-date=September 16, 2024|relyear=2014|certyear=2024|id=13206|refname="FIMI"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Wildest Dreams|type=single|award=Platinum|number=3|access-date=December 19, 2024|source=radioscope|relyear=2014|certyear=2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Norway|title=Wildest Dreams|artist=Taylor Swift|type=single|award=Gold|access-date=November 27, 2020|relyear=2015|certyear=2020|refname="IFPINO"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Portugal|title=Wildest Dreams|artist=Taylor Swift|type=single|award=Platinum|number=2|access-date=January 31, 2023|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|id=file_2024-06-12-13-45-28.pdf|refname="AFP"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Wildest Dreams|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=2014|certyear=2024|id=taylor-swift-wildest-dreams|access-date=April 1, 2024|refname="PROMUSICAE"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Wildest Dreams|artist=Taylor Swift|type=single|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2014|certyear=2024|id=8272-1598-1|refname="bpi"|access-date=February 23, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=Wildest Dreams|artist=Taylor Swift|type=single|award=Platinum|access-date=March 13, 2020|number=4|relyear=2014|certyear=2020|refname="RIAA"}}

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

{{Infobox song

| name = Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)

| cover = Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift.png

| alt = Taylor Swift standing under the sunlight, looking to her left, wearing sunglasses and a horizontally stripped T-shirt.

| border = yes

| type = promo

| artist = Taylor Swift

| album = 1989 (Taylor's Version)

| released = {{Start date|2021|09|17}}

| recorded =

| studio = Kitty Committee (London)

| genre = Synth-pop

| length = 3:40

| label = Republic

| writer = * Taylor Swift

• Max Martin
• Shellback

| producer = * Taylor Swift

• Shellback
• Christopher Rowe

| misc = {{External music video|type=song|header=Audio video|{{YouTube|CUr_UwUUXzU|"Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)"}}}}

}}

Swift departed from Big Machine and signed a new contract with Republic Records in 2018. She began re-recording her first six studio albums in 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}} The decision followed a 2019 dispute between Swift and the talent manager Scooter Braun, who acquired Big Machine Records, over the masters of Swift's albums that the label had released.{{Cite news |date=August 22, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift Wants to Re-Record Her Old Hits |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49432817 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822202321/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49432817 |archive-date=August 22, 2019 |access-date=August 22, 2019 |publisher=BBC News}}{{cite web |last=Finnis |first=Alex |date=November 17, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Masters: The Controversy around Scooter Braun Selling the Rights to Her Old Music Explained |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/music/taylor-swift-masters-scooter-braun-selling-rights-music-rerecording-row-explained-762411 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212170953/https://inews.co.uk/culture/music/taylor-swift-masters-scooter-braun-selling-rights-music-rerecording-row-explained-762411 |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |access-date=February 13, 2021 |work=i}} By re-recording the albums, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, which enabled her to encourage licensing of her re-recorded songs for commercial use in hopes of substituting the Big Machine-owned masters.{{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=}} She denoted the re-recordings with a "Taylor's Version" subtitle.{{Cite magazine |last=Espada |first=Mariah |date=July 6, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift Is Halfway Through Her Rerecording Project. It's Paid Off Big Time |url=https://time.com/6292599/taylor-swift-speak-now-rerecord-project/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027074519/https://time.com/6292599/taylor-swift-speak-now-rerecord-project/ |archive-date=October 27, 2023 |access-date=November 6, 2023 |magazine=Time}}

The re-recording of "Wildest Dreams" is titled "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)". Its snippets were featured in the March–May trailers for the 2021 animated film Spirit Untamed by DreamWorks Animation.{{cite web |last1=Fernández |first1=Alexia |date=March 12, 2021 |title=Spirit Untamed First Look! Hear Taylor Swift's Re-Recorded 'Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)' in Trailer |url=https://people.com/movies/spirit-untamed-first-look-hear-taylor-swifts-re-recorded-wildest-dreams-taylors-version-in-trailer/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312171542/https://people.com/movies/spirit-untamed-first-look-hear-taylor-swifts-re-recorded-wildest-dreams-taylors-version-in-trailer/ |archive-date=March 12, 2021 |access-date=March 12, 2021 |website=People}}{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Sam |date=April 1, 2021 |title=Listen to a New Preview of Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/listen-to-a-new-preview-of-taylor-swifts-wildest-dreams-taylors-version-2912600 |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=NME |archive-date=August 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811232953/https://www.nme.com/news/music/listen-to-a-new-preview-of-taylor-swifts-wildest-dreams-taylors-version-2912600 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Kenneally |first=Cerys |date=May 17, 2021 |title=Extended Clip of 'Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)' Features in New Spirit Untamed Trailer |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/latest-news/longer-clip-wildest-dreams-taylors-version-in-new-spirit-untamed-trailer |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128083142/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/latest-news/longer-clip-wildest-dreams-taylors-version-in-new-spirit-untamed-trailer |archive-date=November 28, 2021 |access-date=May 17, 2021 |website=The Line of Best Fit |language=en}} On September 17, 2021, Swift released "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" onto digital and streaming platforms. The release followed the viral success of the original song on the video-sharing platform TikTok, which lead to an increase in streams.{{Cite web |last=Speakman |first=Kimberlee |date=September 17, 2021 |title=Taylor Swift Drops New Version Of 'Wildest Dreams'—Why It Matters |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimberleespeakman/2021/09/17/taylor-swift-drops-new-version-of-wildest-dreams---why-it-matters/ |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=Forbes |archive-date=August 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810132309/https://gum.criteo.com/syncframe?origin=publishertag&topUrl=www.forbes.com |url-status=live}}{{Cite magazine |last=Legatspi |first=Althea |date=September 17, 2021 |title=Taylor Swift Surprise-Releases 'Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)' for Avid TikTokers |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-taylors-version-1228197/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114011813/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-taylors-version-1228197/ |archive-date=November 14, 2021 |access-date=December 29, 2023 |url-access=limited}} "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" is included as part of 1989 (Taylor's Version), the re-recorded version of 1989, which was released on October 27, 2023.{{Cite web |last=Vassell |first=Nicole |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift Fans Celebrate As Pop Star Releases 1989 (Taylor's Version) |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/taylor-swift-1989-track-list-b2436950.html |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=The Independent |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030093741/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/taylor-swift-1989-track-list-b2436950.html |url-status=live}}

"Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" is a synth-pop song that replicates the original's production.{{Cite web |last=Siroky |first=Mary |date=September 17, 2021 |title=Song of the Week: Taylor Swift Revives Our 'Wildest Dreams' with Surprise Re-Recording |url=https://consequence.net/2021/09/wildest-dreams-taylors-version-song-of-the-week/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506072111/https://consequence.net/2021/09/wildest-dreams-taylors-version-song-of-the-week/ |archive-date=May 6, 2022 |access-date=May 6, 2022 |website=Consequence}} Swift produced the song with Shellback and Christopher Rowe, a Nashville-based vocal engineer who had produced her re-recorded album Fearless (Taylor's Version).{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=September 17, 2021 |title=Taylor Swift Releases New Version of 'Wildest Dreams' From 1989, Skipping Ahead in Her Re-Recordings |url=https://variety.com/2021/music/news/taylor-swift-releasese-wildest-dreams-taylors-version-tiktok-1989-1235067262/ |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=Variety |archive-date=November 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104010903/https://variety.com/2021/music/news/taylor-swift-releasese-wildest-dreams-taylors-version-tiktok-1989-1235067262/ |url-status=live}} Although Martin did not return as producer, the musicians were those from Swift's backing band during the 1989 sessions. Aroesti remarked that the re-recorded version was almost identical to the original but was "sometimes bassier".{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/oct/27/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-review-republic|title=Taylor Swift: 1989 (Taylor's Version) Review – Subtle Bonus Tracks Add New Depths to a Classic|last=Aroesti|first=Rachel|date=October 27, 2023|website=The Guardian|access-date=December 29, 2023}} Robin Murray of Clash said that it contained "subtle stylist[ic] shifts",{{Cite web |last=Murray |first=Robin |date=September 17, 2021 |title=Taylor Swift Just Shared 'Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)' |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/taylor-swift-just-shared-wildest-dreams-taylors-version/ |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=Clash |archive-date=December 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203185245/https://www.clashmusic.com/news/taylor-swift-just-shared-wildest-dreams-taylors-version |url-status=live}} and Stereogum{{'}}s Tom Breihan found it more "muted". Mary Siroky of Consequence appreciated that the production took "great care to capture the sound of the original, right down to a riff in the second chorus". Murray and Siroky praised Swift's vocals as having improved.

Within four hours, "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" amassed over two million streams on Spotify, surpassing the original version's biggest single-day streaming tally on the platform.{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=September 17, 2021 |title=Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)' Quickly Beats the Original Song's Spotify Record for Single-Day Plays |url=https://variety.com/2021/music/news/taylor-swifts-wildest-dreams-taylors-version-quickly-beats-the-original-songs-spotify-record-for-single-day-plays-1235067441/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917183822/https://variety.com/2021/music/news/taylor-swifts-wildest-dreams-taylors-version-quickly-beats-the-original-songs-spotify-record-for-single-day-plays-1235067441/ |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |access-date=September 17, 2021 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} In the United States, it debuted at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending September 23, 2021.{{Cite magazine |last=Zeliner |first=Xander |date=September 27, 2021 |title=Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)' Debuts in Hot 100's Top 40 |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-taylors-version-hot-100-top-40 |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114014813/https://www.billboard.com/amp/articles/business/chart-beat/9637059/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-taylors-version-hot-100-top-40 |archive-date=November 14, 2021 |access-date=September 28, 2021}} In both Ireland and the United Kingdom, "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" surpassed the peak positions of the original version (15–39 and 25–40).{{Cite web |last=White |first=Jack |date=September 24, 2021 |title=Ed Sheeran's 'Shivers' Holds Firm At Irish Number 1 |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/ed-sheeran-holds-firm-at-official-irish-singles-chart-top-spot-with-shivers__34105/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924172938/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/ed-sheeran-holds-firm-at-official-irish-singles-chart-top-spot-with-shivers__34105/ |archive-date=September 24, 2021 |access-date=September 24, 2021 |publisher=Official Charts Company}}{{Cite web |last=Copsey |first=Rob |date=September 24, 2021 |title=Ed Sheeran's 'Shivers' Scores Second Week at Official Singles Chart Summit |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/ed-sheeran-s-shivers-scores-second-week-at-official-singles-chart-number-1__34109/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924173647/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/ed-sheeran-s-shivers-scores-second-week-at-official-singles-chart-number-1__34109/ |archive-date=September 24, 2021 |access-date=September 24, 2021 |publisher=Official Charts Company}} After 1989 (Taylor's Version) was released, "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Global 200 and re-entered and peaked at number 19 on the Hot 100 chart dated November 11, 2023.{{Cite magazine |last=Zellner |first=Xander |date=November 6, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift Charts All 21 Songs From 1989 (Taylor's Version) on the Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-all-songs-hot-100-1235464591/ |access-date=December 29, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=November 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106204255/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-all-songs-hot-100-1235464591/ |url-status=live}} The song reached the top 10 in Malaysia (10) and Singapore (5). It peaked in the top 40 in Australia (14), the Philippines (15), Canada (18), Hungary (29), and New Zealand (30). It was certified double platinum in Australia, platinum in the United Kingdom, and gold in New Zealand and Greece.

{{div col}}

• Taylor Swift – lead vocals, songwriting, production
• Christopher Rowe – production, vocal engineering
• Shellback – songwriting, production
• Max Martin – songwriting
• Mattias Bylund – record engineering, editing, strings arrangement, synthesizer
• Max Bernstein – guitar, synthesizer, synthesizer programming
• Mike Meadows – synthesizer, synthesizer programming
• Dan Burns – synthesizer programming
• Matt Billingslea – drums, percussion
• Amos Heller – bass
• Paul Sidoti – guitar
• Mattias Johansson – violin
• David Bukovinszky – cello
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• John Hanes – engineering
• Randy Merrill – master engineering

{{div col end}}

=== Charts ===

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|award=Platinum|number=2|type=single|relyear=2020|certyear=2024|refname="ARIA2024"|access-date=February 14, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)|award=Platinum|number=2|type=single|certyear=2024|relyear=2021|certref=}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)|type=single|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2021|certyear=2024|access-date=February 28, 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|title=Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)|artist=Taylor Swift|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2021|certyear=2023|id=2023-11-03|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|refname="RMNZTV"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Poland|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2021|certyear=2024|access-date=September 11, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)|artist=Taylor Swift|type=single|award=Platinum|access-date=January 31, 2025|relyear=2021|certyear=2025|id=18568-1598-1|refname="BPITV"}}

{{Certification Table Separator|title=Streaming}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Greece|type=single|award=Gold|certref=|relyear=2021|certyear=2023}}

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

• List of Billboard Adult Top 40 number-one songs of the 2010s
• List of Billboard Mainstream Top 40 number-one songs of 2015
• List of Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles in 2015

{{reflist}}

• {{Cite journal |last=Dyer |first=Elizabeth B. |date=December 19, 2016 |title=Whitewashed African Film Sets: Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' and King Solomon's Mines |journal=African Studies Review |volume=59 |issue=3 |pages=301–310 |doi=10.1017/asr.2016.93|s2cid=229168394}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Keim |first1=Curtis |title=Mistaking Africa: Misconceptions and Inventions |last2=Somerville |first2=Carolyn |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-000-51001-0 |chapter=Safari: Beyond Our Wildest Dreams |doi=10.4324/9781003172024-12}}
• {{cite journal |last=McNutt |first=Myles |year=2020 |title=From 'Mine' to 'Ours': Gendered Hierarchies of Authorship and the Limits of Taylor Swift's Paratextual Feminism |journal=Communication, Culture and Critique |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=72–91 |doi=10.1093/ccc/tcz042}}
• {{Cite book |last=Perone |first=James E. |title=The Words and Music of Taylor Swift |publisher=ABC-Clio |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-44-085294-7 |series=The Praeger Singer-Songwriter Collection |pages=55–68 |chapter=1989 and Beyond}}
• {{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=106–131 |chapter=The 1989 Era}}

{{Taylor Swift songs}}

{{authority control}}

Category:2010s ballads

Category:2014 songs

Category:2015 singles

Category:Taylor Swift songs

Category:Song recordings produced by Max Martin

Category:Song recordings produced by Shellback (record producer)

Category:Song recordings produced by Taylor Swift

Category:Song recordings produced by Chris Rowe

Category:Songs written by Taylor Swift

Category:Songs written by Max Martin

Category:Songs written by Shellback (record producer)

Category:Music videos directed by Joseph Kahn

Category:Dream pop songs

Category:American synth-pop songs

Category:Electropop ballads

Category:Synth-pop ballads

Category:Ryan Adams songs

Category:Big Machine Records singles

Category:Republic Records singles

Category:Music video controversies

Category:Race-related controversies in music

Category: Songs about dreams