...Ready for It?

Taylor Swift's fifth studio album, 1989, was released in October 2014. Its synth-pop sound and commercial success transformed Swift's status from a country music artist to a global pop star. Her fame was accompanied by tabloid gossip on her celebrity disputes and short-lived relationships, which blemished her "America's Sweetheart" reputation. During a self-imposed hiatus, she secluded from public appearances and conceived her sixth studio album, Reputation, as an answer to the media commotion surrounding her celebrity. On September 2, 2017, Swift premiered a snippet of "...Ready for It?" during a teaser leading to ABC's Saturday Night Football broadcast of ESPN's Florida State vs. Alabama college football game. A day after the snippet premiered, the track was released for digital download by Big Machine Records, as part of Reputations pre-order. It was the second song released from Reputation, after the lead single "Look What You Made Me Do". In the United States, although the track initially was not actively promoted to radio, pop radio stations proactively aired it, thus making it gain traction on airplay throughout September and October 2017. It was officially promoted to US rhythmic contemporary radio on October 24, 2017, as the album's second single, by Big Machine Records. ==Music and lyrics==

Swift wrote "...Ready for It?" with its producers: Max Martin, Shellback, and Ali Payami. Martin and Shellback recorded the track at MXM Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. All three producers programmed the song and played keyboards on it. "...Ready for It?" was mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound Studios in New York City. A genre-blending song, electro, electropop, and industrial pop track with elements of dancehall, reggae, and trap music. The song is written in the key of E minor with a tempo of 80 beats per minute, and Swift's vocals span from G3 to E5. It is driven by heavy synths, dubstep bass drops, EDM and trap beats, programmed drum machines, and Swift's rapping-singing. The track has dynamic shifts through each part: it begins with abrasive dubstep bass beats and Swift clearing her throat, the verses feature her rapping, and the chorus has a less dense arrangement to make room for her breathy vocals. The production elements received comparisons to the music of Kanye West, particularly his 2013 album Yeezus, and Rihanna. and Elizabeth Taylor.|alt=Black and white shot of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the film Cleopatra Swift wrote "...Ready for It?" about finding a "partner in crime". She was influenced by the novel Crime and Punishment (1866) by Fyodor Dostoevsky to use criminal imagery such as bank robbers, thieves, and heists, finding it an interesting way to write songs about finding love. The lyrics of "...Ready for It?" are about excitement, lust, and infatuation in a burgeoning romance. The opening lines see Swift's narrator being attracted by a man whom she describes as a "killer" the moment she sees him. This man is "younger than [her] exes" but "acts like such a man". In turn, she confesses that she herself is a "robber" who has stolen other men's hearts "never saying sorry". ==Critical reception==

Upon its release, "...Ready for It?" was seen by many critics as an improvement from Reputation lead single "Look What You Made Me Do"; Favorable reviews considered the song anthemic and catchy. Mary Wang of Vogue described the track as both a love song and a stadium anthem, Patrick Ryan of USA Today lauded the "sparkling, anthemic" chorus, Tom Breihan of Stereogum was impressed by the musical elements that were new to Swift such as rapping, tropical house, and sudden dynamic changes, writing that she "rides a beat better than anyone could've reasonably expected". Slant Magazine's Alexa Camp thought that the song was carefully constructed with catchy pop melodies and rapping cadences. Retrospective reviews have considered "...Ready for It?" an effective opener for Reputation. According to Billboards Joe Lynch, when the song was first released, "casual listeners were confused, Swifties were challenged, and haters were given a bounty of fresh ammo". Vultures Nate Jones wrote that he disliked Swift's flow "borrowed from Jay-Z" but regarded the chorus as undeniable. Stereogum ranked "...Ready for It?" among the 40 best pop songs of 2017, and Variety's Chris Willman placed it at number 38 on his 2024 ranking of Swift's 75 best songs. Less complimentary comments were from NMEs Hannah Mylrea, who described the song as a messy combination of genres, ==Commercial performance==

In the United States, "...Ready for It?" debuted and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated September 23, 2017, becoming Swift's 22nd top 10-song and 14th top 10-debut. where it eventually peaked at number 12. Hungary (four), Malaysia (six), Canada (seven), the United Kingdom (seven), Greece (nine), and New Zealand (nine). The single reached the top 20 in Ireland, the Czech Republic, and Lebanon; and top 40 in Austria, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden. It has been certified six-times platinum in Australia, and double platinum in Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. ==Music video==

Swift (left) and a human Swift (right). The bodysuit that she wears as a cyborg received backlash for making her appear naked.|alt=Screenshot of the video showing Swift being emblazoned by lightning while being hunted by black-clad mysterious creatures The music video was directed by Joseph Kahn. On October 23, 2017, Swift released a teaser of the music video for the song. The teaser received backlash from online commentators and audience, who claimed that Swift appears naked in the teaser. Subsequently, Swift posted an Instagram story denouncing the nudity claims alongside a selfie of her wearing a bodysuit, captioned "It truly warms my heart that ppl had so much to say about this bodysuit." The full video premiered on October 26. It features homage references to sci-fi films like Blade Runner (1982), Tron (1982), Westworld (1973), and Ex Machina (2014); and 1990s manga franchises like Ghost in the Shell and Sailor Moon. The video's central narrative is a battle between two versions of Swift: a human one and a cyborg one. In this narrative, an imprisoned female robot is eager to break out and avenge her captors. ==Live performances==

in 2023 and 2024.|alt=Taylor Swift singing on a mic, dressed in a black catsuit Swift performed "...Ready for It?" for the first time during an episode of the 43rd season of Saturday Night Live on November 11, 2017; she sang the track donning a cropped black sweatshirt and black shorts, backed by a quartet of backing vocalists and dancers. In December 2017, she included "...Ready for It?" in the set lists of several concerts that she participated in, including KIIS-FM's Jingle Ball on December 1, in Inglewood, California, 99.7 Now!'s Poptopia on December 3, in San Jose, California, B96 Chicago and Pepsi's Jingle Bash on December 7, in Chicago, the Z100 Jingle Ball on December 8, in New York City, and the Jingle Bell Ball on December 10, in London, England. On May 27, 2018, Swift performed "...Ready for It?" as the opening number to her set as part of BBC Radio 1's Biggest Weekend in Swansea, Wales. "...Ready for It?" was the opening number of Swift's 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour. Before the performance began, the intro included news snippets discussing Swift's reputation. The screens onstage then parted, and Swift emerged through the smoke, wearing a black hoodie before revealing herself in a sparkling black bodysuit and knee-high black boots. On the Eras Tour (2023–2024), Swift performed "...Ready for It?" as the opening number for the Reputation segment, which began with stage screens showing imagery of snakes. Swift appeared onstage in a one-legged black catsuit embroidered with snakes motifs. ==Personnel==

Adapted from the liner notes of Reputation • Taylor Swift – lead vocals, background vocals, songwriter • Max Martin – producer, songwriter, recording, keyboards, programming • Shellback – producer, songwriter, recording, keyboards, programming • Ali Payami – producer, songwriter, keyboards, programming • Serban Ghenea – mixing • John Hanes – engineer for mix • Randy Merrill – mastering ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==