| "Ronan" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Taylor Swift | ||||
| Released | September 8, 2012 | |||
| Genre | Soft rock | |||
| Length | 4:25 | |||
| Label | Big Machine | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Taylor Swift | |||
| Taylor Swift singles chronology | ||||
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"Ronan" is a charity single by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was registered as a single with RIAA on September 7,[1] then released as an iTunes-exclusive download on September 8, 2012, by Big Machine Records. The lyrics are based on a blog by Maya Thompson about her three-year-old son Ronan, who died from neuroblastoma in 2011. Swift wrote and produced the song by putting together quotes from the blog, crediting Thompson as co-writer. All proceeds from sales of "Ronan" were donated for charity causes to raise awareness of and fight against cancer.
Musically, "Ronan" is a soft rock ballad instrumented by a sole finger-picked guitar with occasional piano tunes and minimal drum brushes. Music critics have lauded the song artistically, deeming it a prime example of Swift's abilities as a singer-songwriter to evoke vivid emotional sentiments through her songwriting.[2][3][4][5] The single peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. A re-recorded version, "Ronan (Taylor's Version)", was included in Swift's 2021 re-recorded album Red (Taylor's Version).
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
RIAAwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Unterberger, Andrew (November 9, 2017). "Why Taylor Swift's 'Ronan' Is Her Best Song Never to Appear on an Album: Critic's Take". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
- ^ "Why Does Taylor Swift Write So Many One-Note Melodies?". BBC News. November 8, 2017. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ Sheffield, Rob (October 26, 2021). "'Ronan' (2012)". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (April 26, 2019). "Taylor Swift's Singles – Ranked". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.