Bejeweled (song)

in 2023|alt=Taylor Swift singing on a mic, dressed in a rhinestoned dress|left Taylor Swift announced her tenth original studio album, Midnights, at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28; its title and cover artwork were released shortly after the same day via social media. She conceived Midnights as a collection of songs about her nocturnal ruminations, detailing a wide range of emotions such as regret, lust, nostalgia, contentment, and self-loathing. The standard album was produced by Swift and Antonoff, as a result of the two experimenting with music while their partners were both shooting for a film in Panama. Swift announced the album's track listing via a thirteen-episode video series called Midnights Mayhem with Me on the platform TikTok, where each video contained the title of one track at a time. The title of "Bejeweled" was revealed in the episode posted on October 5, 2022. Republic Records released Midnights on October 21, 2022; its synth-based electropop production was a departure from the indie folk sounds of its immediate predecessors, Folklore and Evermore (2020). "Bejeweled" is track nine on the album; Swift included "Bejeweled" in the set list of the Eras Tour (2023–2024). On the Billboard Global 200 chart, "Bejeweled" debuted and peaked at number eight. In the United States, the song debuted and peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100; Swift became the first artist to monopolize the entire top 10 the same week thanks to the song and other Midnights tracks. The song reached the top 10 on charts in the Philippines (4), Australia (7), Canada (7), Singapore (8), and New Zealand (9); and the top 20 in Vietnam (19) and South Africa (20). It was certified triple platinum in Australia; platinum in Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom; and gold in Mexico, Poland, and Spain. == Music and lyrics ==

Swift wrote and produced "Bejeweled" with Antonoff, who recorded the song with David Hart, Evan Smith, and Laura Sisk at Rough Customer Studio, Brooklyn, and Electric Lady Studios, New York. Antonoff also programmed the track and played percussion, kalimba, acoustic guitars, bass, and a variety of synths including Juno 6, DX7, OB1, and Moog. Smith and Mikey Freedom Hart played additional synths and keyboards, and their performance was recorded by David Hart at Big Mercy Sound, Brooklyn. Serban Ghenea, assisted by Bryce Bordone, mixed "Bejeweled" at MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Randy Merrill mastered it at Sterling Sound, Edgewater, New Jersey. Set at a tempo of 82 beats per minute, "Bejeweled" is an upbeat song. It incorporates synth-pop and bubblegum pop. The production consists of layered synth sequences, a deep Moog bass, and Juno 6 synth arpeggiators, creating musical hooks with a sound that critics described as "glimmering", and "shimmery". According to Paste's Ellen Johnston, the synth stylings evoke electronica. There were comparisons to the music of other artists, such as LCD Soundsystem Swift's narrator addresses how her partner takes her for granted when she was "graded on a curve" despite her efforts to maintain the relationship. She tells the partner that she can still "make the whole world shimmer". she also reflects on her sadness and grief ("Sapphire tears on my face/ Sadness became my whole sky"). Billboard Jason Lipshutz thought that the track showcased the complexes of Swift's personality, and Sheffield considered the narrative of "Bejeweled" a continuation of Swift's "Tolerate It" (2020), showing "the wife [...] finally breaking free". Several interpretations thought that "Bejeweled" was relatable to women. PopMatters Rick Quinn likened the theme of asserting a woman's autonomy to that of Lesley Gore's "You Don't Own Me" (1963), and Zaleski summed up the song's mantra as "Fake it 'til you make it" as the narrator stands up for themselves in a relationship and regains confidence. Catherine Robb and Kate Schmidt, academics in philosophy, wrote about how Swift examines the societal perceptions of and discriminations against women from the perspective of a "good girl" and how she can rebuff those remarks, which resulted in an ideal scenario for women at large. According to Alba and Amandas Cercas Curry, also academics in philosophy, "Bejeweled" expresses anger against being undervalued in a personal relationship, but this theme is also applicable to larger themes such as unequal relationships in professional or societal settings, which represents "female rage". == Critical reception ==

Several critics complimented the production of "Bejeweled". Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone dubbed it an "absolute knockout", and Mark Sutherland of Rolling Stone UK hailed it as Swift's "swaggiest showstopper" since "The Man" (2020). Under the Radar's Andy Von Pip considered "Bejeweled" a catchy song with an earworm that showcased Swift's melodic songwriting, Saloni Gajjar of The A.V. Club described it as an unapologetic, "feel-good melody meant to be played loudly". Elise Ryan from the Associated Press was less enthusiastic and deemed "Bejeweled" a weaker track on Midnights for being "a bit too candy sweet". The New York Times Jon Caramanica panned the lyrics as underwhelming and the production as "metallic and tense". ==Music video==

Release and production On October 16, 2022, Swift posted onto her social media an itinerary detailing the promotion for the album, titled Midnights Manifest. It showed that in addition to the music video for the lead single "Anti-Hero", a music video for "another track" was scheduled for release on October 25. One day before the release, Swift disclosed that the music video was for "Bejeweled". Excerpts from the video were shown in a teaser trailer for the album's visuals during Amazon Prime Video's broadcast of Thursday Night Football on October 20. Besides Swift, the cast of the "Bejeweled" music video—Antonoff, the actress Laura Dern, the female pop-rock band Haim (Este, Danielle, and Alana), the burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese, and the makeup artist Pat McGrath—also appeared in the trailer. Written and directed by Swift, the music video for "Bejeweled" premiered on her Vevo channel via YouTube. Swift's team reached out to Dita Von Teese for her appearance. They talked about Von Teese's influence on performances. Joseph Cassell, a stylist of Swift, studied Von Teese's collection and subsequently made recreations of Catherine D'lish original costumes for the video. Von Teese filmed her scenes in August 2022, and the giant martini glasses used came from her personal performance collection. Swift and her team collaborated with make-up artist McGrath, who also had a cameo as the Queen character, to design the looks for the video. Synopsis Media publications pointed out many Easter eggs possibly referencing songs and memorabilia from her 2010 album, Speak Now. Swift portrays a Cinderella-like character, named "House Wench Taylor". Taylor endures mockery from her wicked stepmother (Dern), and the evil stepsisters (Haim), one of whose vomit Taylor is forced to clean up. The stepmother and the stepsisters eagerly plan to compete in the ball, where the winner of the talent competition is to receive her own castle and a proposal from "Prince Jack" (Antonoff); whilst reminding Taylor that she is in exile and not allowed to attend. As they leave for the ball, Taylor opens a fob watch signifying the end of her exile and wears her cloak as she enters a golden elevator on her way to the ball in a skyscraper. The elevator contains an Easter egg wherein the color of each elevator button represents every album Swift has released as of the music video's release, with the thirteenth and last button, which is purple, representing the then-forthcoming ''Speak Now (Taylor's Version)'' (2023). On the third floor, Taylor walks into an environment filled with falling gemstones before taking her cloak off, revealing a black American burlesque-inspired dance outfit. The gems fall into place on her bodysuit and boots, and a bracelet and necklace attach around her wrist and neck. Exiting the elevator on the fifth floor, Taylor meets her "fairy goddess" (Von Teese), both wearing silver burlesque-style outfits. After peeling off their stockings, they perform a dance number in a pair of giant martini glasses. Finally, Taylor reaches the thirteenth floor and takes the stage at the ball in a clockwork-inspired setting surrounded by showgirls, wearing a black jewelled two-piece outfit and silver heels. Her act stuns the wicked stepmother and stepsisters, and impresses "Queen Pat" (McGrath), who forces Jack to propose to Taylor. Taylor rejects Jack's marriage proposal and ghosts him, though he shrugs it off and accepts her decision. The music video ends with Taylor enjoying the view from her newly-acquired castle as three dragons fly around it. The music video features orchestral versions of two Speak Now songs: "Enchanted" in the beginning and "Long Live" at the end. == Accolades ==

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Midnights. • Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriter, producer • Jack Antonoff – songwriter, producer, programming, percussion, Juno 6, DX7, OB1, kalimba, Moog, acoustic guitars, bass, background vocals, recording • Evan Smith – synths, recording • Mikey Freedom Hart – keys • Megan Searl – assistant engineer • John Sher – assistant engineer • John Rooney – assistant engineer • Serban Ghenea – mix engineer • Bryce Bordone – assistant mix engineer • Randy Merrill – mastering engineer • Laura Sisk – recording • David Hart – recording ==Charts==