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We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fourth studio album, Red (2012). It was released as the album's lead single on August 13, 2012, by Big Machine Records. Written and produced by Swift, Max Martin, and Shellback, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is an upbeat pop song that features synthesizers, twangy processed guitar riffs, bass drums, and a spoken-word bridge. Its lyrics express Swift's frustration with an ex-lover who wants to rekindle their relationship. An alternate version was released to US country radio on August 21, 2012.
Music critics praised the track for its catchy melody and radio-friendly sound, although some found the song overtly commercial and its lyrics subpar. The song appeared in year-end lists by Rolling Stone, Time, and The Village Voice. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" reached number one in Canada and New Zealand and reached the top five in Australia, Ireland, Japan, and the UK. On the US Billboard Hot 100, the single debuted at number 72 and rose to number one the following week, registering one of the biggest single-week jumps in chart history. The single spent a record-breaking nine consecutive weeks topping the Hot Country Songs chart. It has received multi-platinum certifications in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the US.
The music video for the song was released on August 30, 2012. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" won a Billboard Music Award for Top Country Song and was nominated for Record of the Year at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, Video of the Year at the 2013 CMT Music Awards, and Favorite Song at the 39th People's Choice Awards. Swift has performed the song on four of her world tours, from the Red Tour (2013–14) to the Eras Tour (2023–2024). A re-recorded version of the song, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Taylor's Version)", was released as part of her 2021 re-recorded album Red (Taylor's Version).
Taylor Swift continued working with longtime collaborator Nathan Chapman on her third studio album, Speak Now (2010). For her next studio album, Red, Swift wanted to collaborate with new pop and rock producers, hoping to expand beyond the country pop sound that had informed her previous albums. Among the new producers were Max Martin and Shellback, two Swedish producers known for their chart-topping pop songs.
Swift wrote three songs for Red with Martin and Shellback, including "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", which was produced by the three. When the three were in the studio, a friend of Swift visited and told her she and an ex-boyfriend of hers were reconciling. When the friend left, Swift told Martin and Shellback that they were not getting back together. She strummed an acoustic guitar and improvising the refrain, "We are never ever...", asking Martin and Shellback, "Is that too obvious?" The producers built on that idea and finished the song in 25 minutes. The song was recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles and MXM Studios in Stockholm.
The track served as Red's lead single. Swift premiered a snippet of "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" via a live webchat on Google Hangouts on August 13, 2012; it was released to hot adult contemporary radio in the US the same day, promoted by Republic Records. The following day, Big Machine Records released the song for digital download and to contemporary hit radio in the US in partnership with Republic. An alternate version was released to country radio on August 21, 2012. A limited-edition individually numbered CD single was released to Swift's online store on September 4, 2012; each CD was packaged with a "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" T-shirt and backpack.
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is 3 minutes and 12 seconds long. The song is anchored by a recurring acoustic guitar riff that features a light twang. Driven by an insistent four on the floor beat, the production features prominent electronic elements—pulsing synthesizers, keyboards, processed vocals, and a drum machine, alongside acoustic instruments of guitars and banjo. The thumping bass drum instrumentation evokes hip-hop.
The refrain features a vocal hook that Swift sings the word "we" with an extra syllable, delivered in half an octave higher. The musicologist James E. Perone wrote that Swift's vocals on "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" are both robotic and humane, thanks to the balance between processed vocals during most of the verses and unprocessed vocals at the end of each refrain as well as in the bridge and the spoken word interlude, which goes: "I'm just, I mean, this is exhausting. Like, we are never getting back together. Like, ever."
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fourth studio album, Red (2012). It was released as the album's lead single on August 13, 2012, by Big Machine Records. Written and produced by Swift, Max Martin, and Shellback, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is an upbeat pop song that features synthesizers, twangy processed guitar riffs, bass drums, and a spoken-word bridge. Its lyrics express Swift's frustration with an ex-lover who wants to rekindle their relationship. An alternate version was released to US country radio on August 21, 2012.
Music critics praised the track for its catchy melody and radio-friendly sound, although some found the song overtly commercial and its lyrics subpar. The song appeared in year-end lists by Rolling Stone, Time, and The Village Voice. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" reached number one in Canada and New Zealand and reached the top five in Australia, Ireland, Japan, and the UK. On the US Billboard Hot 100, the single debuted at number 72 and rose to number one the following week, registering one of the biggest single-week jumps in chart history. The single spent a record-breaking nine consecutive weeks topping the Hot Country Songs chart. It has received multi-platinum certifications in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the US.
The music video for the song was released on August 30, 2012. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" won a Billboard Music Award for Top Country Song and was nominated for Record of the Year at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, Video of the Year at the 2013 CMT Music Awards, and Favorite Song at the 39th People's Choice Awards. Swift has performed the song on four of her world tours, from the Red Tour (2013–14) to the Eras Tour (2023–2024). A re-recorded version of the song, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Taylor's Version)", was released as part of her 2021 re-recorded album Red (Taylor's Version).
Taylor Swift continued working with longtime collaborator Nathan Chapman on her third studio album, Speak Now (2010). For her next studio album, Red, Swift wanted to collaborate with new pop and rock producers, hoping to expand beyond the country pop sound that had informed her previous albums. Among the new producers were Max Martin and Shellback, two Swedish producers known for their chart-topping pop songs.
Swift wrote three songs for Red with Martin and Shellback, including "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", which was produced by the three. When the three were in the studio, a friend of Swift visited and told her she and an ex-boyfriend of hers were reconciling. When the friend left, Swift told Martin and Shellback that they were not getting back together. She strummed an acoustic guitar and improvising the refrain, "We are never ever...", asking Martin and Shellback, "Is that too obvious?" The producers built on that idea and finished the song in 25 minutes. The song was recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles and MXM Studios in Stockholm.
The track served as Red's lead single. Swift premiered a snippet of "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" via a live webchat on Google Hangouts on August 13, 2012; it was released to hot adult contemporary radio in the US the same day, promoted by Republic Records. The following day, Big Machine Records released the song for digital download and to contemporary hit radio in the US in partnership with Republic. An alternate version was released to country radio on August 21, 2012. A limited-edition individually numbered CD single was released to Swift's online store on September 4, 2012; each CD was packaged with a "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" T-shirt and backpack.
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is 3 minutes and 12 seconds long. The song is anchored by a recurring acoustic guitar riff that features a light twang. Driven by an insistent four on the floor beat, the production features prominent electronic elements—pulsing synthesizers, keyboards, processed vocals, and a drum machine, alongside acoustic instruments of guitars and banjo. The thumping bass drum instrumentation evokes hip-hop.
The refrain features a vocal hook that Swift sings the word "we" with an extra syllable, delivered in half an octave higher. The musicologist James E. Perone wrote that Swift's vocals on "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" are both robotic and humane, thanks to the balance between processed vocals during most of the verses and unprocessed vocals at the end of each refrain as well as in the bridge and the spoken word interlude, which goes: "I'm just, I mean, this is exhausting. Like, we are never getting back together. Like, ever."