"Delicate" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Taylor Swift | ||||
from the album Reputation | ||||
Released | March 12, 2018 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:52 | |||
Label | Big Machine | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Taylor Swift singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Delicate" on YouTube |
"Delicate" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her sixth studio album, Reputation (2017). She wrote the song with the producers Max Martin and Shellback. Inspired by events surrounding Swift's celebrity and personal life, the lyrics depict a narrator's vulnerability when she ponders if her reputation would affect the blossoming romance. "Delicate" is an electropop and synth-pop ballad that features vocals manipulated with a vocoder. Its production incorporates dense synthesizers and beats that evoke tropical house and dancehall.
Directed by Joseph Kahn and filmed in Los Angeles, the music video for "Delicate" premiered on March 11, 2018, at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. In the video, after becoming invisible upon receiving a mysterious note, Swift dances barefoot through public places and ultimately becomes visible again after dancing in a pouring rain. Critics interpreted the video as Swift's autobiographical reference to her personal life, as she had retreated herself from the press leading up to the release of Reputation. A day following the video's release, Big Machine and Republic Records released "Delicate" as the album's fourth single to pop radio.
"Delicate" received widespread acclaim from music critics, who praised the mellow sound and vulnerable songwriting. It featured in 2018 year-end lists by Billboard, Slant Magazine, and Rolling Stone. A sleeper hit in the United States, "Delicate" peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, topped three Billboard airplay charts, and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The single received platinum or higher certifications in Australia, Brazil, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. Swift performed the song on the Reputation Stadium Tour (2018) and the Eras Tour (2023–2024).