Taylor Swift – “right where you left me” & “it’s time to go”
Last summer, when she released her surprise album folklore, Taylor Swift withheld one song. That track, “the lakes,” was an exclusive on the album’s physical edition, and it didn’t hit the internet until a couple of weeks after the rest of folklore. Last month, Swift followed folklore with the companion-piece album evermore, and that one had two songs that weren’t on the initial stream. Swift has since posted both of those songs on her YouTube.
Swift co-wrote both “right where you left me” and “it’s time to go” with the National’s Aaron Dessner, her collaborator on folklore and evermore. Dessner produced both songs, and both of them feature musicians from his circle. Dessner’s twin brother and bandmate Bryce did orchestrations on both songs. Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon plays bass and guitar on “it’s time to go,” which also has keyboards from Thomas “Doveman” Bartlett and drum-machine programming from the National’s Bryan Devendorf and Gayngs’ Ryan Olson. Bonny Light Horseman’s Josh Kaufman plays guitar, harmonium, and harmonica on “right where you left me.”
Both songs are the same kinds of soft, aching indie-folk that we’re getting used to hearing from Swift, and neither of them forcefully grabs your attention the way Swift songs once did. Check them both out below.
evermore is out now on Republic.