No Body, No Crime

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Taylor Swift wrote and produced her eighth studio album, Folklore, with Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff. She conceived it as a set of mythopoeic visuals in her mind, a result of her imagination "running wild" while isolating herself during the lockdowns. Surprise-released on July 24, 2020, Folklore was met with critical acclaim and commercial success. In September2020, Swift, Antonoff, and Dessner assembled at Long Pond Studio in the Hudson Valley to film Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, a documentary that features Swift performing all of the seventeen tracks of Folklore and discussing the creative process and inspirations behind the album. The result was Swift's ninth studio album, Evermore, which she described as a "sister record" to Folklore. Swift wrote "No Body, No Crime" on a rubber-bridge guitar, inspired by her fixation on crime documentaries and podcasts. She sent a voice memo recording to Dessner, who later produced the track with her. Swift had specific ideas on how the song should feel and wanted the American band Haim to contribute vocals to it. "No Body, No Crime" was recorded by Dessner and Jonathan Low at Long Pond, where Low additionally mixed it and recorded Swift's vocals. Este Haim and Danielle Haim provided background vocals, recorded by Ariel Rechtshaid and Matt DiMona at Rechtshaid's house in Los Angeles. The track was mastered by Greg Calbi and Steve Fallone at Sterling Sound Studios in Edgewater, New Jersey. Dessner additionally provided field recording and played piano, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, and synthesizers. Josh Kaufman played lap steel guitar, electric guitar, organ, and harmonica, and J.T. Bates played drums. == Music and lyrics ==

"No Body, No Crime" is three minutes and thirty-five seconds long. Music journalists identified it as a murder ballad and a breakup song that features a midtempo rhythm; they categorized the track as Americana, country, country pop, and country rock. Madeline Crone of American Songwriter thought Haim brought elements of pop rock to the song. "No Body, No Crime" features twang in Swift's voice and on the guitars—Justin Curto of Vulture opined that her performance is the "twangiest [she] has sounded" since her fourth studio album, Red (2012). It revolves around a woman called Este, named after Este Haim, who confronts her cheating husband and is subsequently murdered. The refrain consists of the repeated phrase: "I think he did it but I just can't prove it". == Release and promotion ==

at the Eras Tour in 2023|alt=Taylor Swift performing in an orange dress with the Haim sisters "No Body, No Crime" is the sixth track on Evermore, which was surprise-released by Republic Records on December 11, 2020. In March 2023, Swift embarked on her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour, which featured various opening acts at certain shows, one of which was Haim. At shows opened by the band, "No Body, No Crime" replaced "Tis the Damn Season" as the opening number for the Evermore act. It contained an alternative country edge compared to the studio version. Each Haim member performed with either an acoustic guitar, a bass guitar, or an electric guitar and sang with Swift. When "No Body, No Crime" was released, the CEO of the American casual dining restaurant chain Olive Garden, Gene Lee, credited Swift for creating newfound buzz with the brand after she referenced it in the song. In 2021, the true crime podcast Crime Junkie ran an April Fools' Day episode depicting the case of a murder victim named Esther Hollis, a reinvention of the fictional victim in "No Body, No Crime". Swift reacted with delight, giving the episode "13 stars" and commenting that she changed Este Haim's name in her phone to "Esther Hollis". == Critical reception ==

Some music critics praised "No Body, No Crime" for its airy country production. Stereogum Tom Breihan considered it "the most country thing that Swift has done in years", and USA Today Patrick Ryan dubbed it a "scorching" song that marks her "mischievous return" to her country roots. Variety Chris Willman described it as the album's "pure spirit of fun" moment, away from the ruminating themes of other tracks. Billboard Jason Lipshutz similarly viewed it as a delightful song that offers optimism and lightness in contrast to the emotional turmoil of Evermore; he considered it the second best track on the album. Mylrea commended the song for blending various genres, Other critics commented on the concept and the minimal utilization of Haim's vocals. Robert Christgau, in his "Consumer Guide" column, wrote although "No Body, No Crime" was the first track he paid attention to on Evermore, it became his least favorite after repeated listens; he described it as "super-hooky but pat police procedural". Curto complimented Haim's performance for livening up Evermore "static pacing", but considered the narrative rather dull and Swift's songwriting not as strong as on her past songs about revenge. and Vulture Nate Jones (202 out of 245). == Commercial performance ==

"No Body, No Crime" reached number 16 on the Billboard Global 200 It also charted at number 70 in Slovakia and number 83 in Portugal. The song was certified platinum in Australia, gold in Brazil and New Zealand, and silver in the United Kingdom. == Personnel ==

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Evermore. • Taylor Swift − lead vocals, songwriter, producer • Haim – featured artist • Danielle Haim − background vocals • Este Haim − background vocals • Aaron Dessner − producer, recording engineer, field recording, piano, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, synthesizers • Jonathan Low − recording engineer, Swift's vocal recording engineer, mixing engineer • Ariel Rechtshaid − Haim's vocal recording engineer • Matt DiMona − Haim's vocal recording engineer • Greg Calbi − mastering engineer • Steve Fallone − mastering engineer • Josh Kaufman − lap steel guitar, electric guitar, organ, harmonica • J.T. Bates − drums == Charts ==