Invisible String: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|2020 song by Taylor Swift}}

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"'''Invisible String'''" is a song by the American singer-songwriter [[Taylor Swift]] from her eighth studio album, ''[[Folklore (Taylor Swift album)|Folklore]]'' (2020). She wrote the song with its producer, [[Aaron Dessner]]. The lyrics are about how fate brings two soulmates together and refer to specific moments from their lives, containing references to the literature classics ''[[Jane Eyre]]'' and ''[[The Sun Also Rises]]''. Musically, "Invisible String" is a [[Folk music|folk]] tune with elements of [[blues]], [[Pop music|pop]], and [[Country music|country]]. Its spare acoustic arrangement is driven by acoustic guitar [[Strum|strumsstrum]]s on a rubber bridge and vocal [[Backbeat|backbeatsbackbeat]]s.

Music critics lauded "Invisible String" for showcasing what they deemed a masterful songcraft with endearing sound and lyrics; some picked it as an album highlight. [[NPR Music|NPR]] named it one of the best songs of 2020. Commercially, "Invisible String" peaked at number 36 on the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and on charts of Australia, Canada, Portugal, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, where it received a silver [[Music recording certification|certification]]. Swift performed "Invisible String" on the first four shows of her sixth headlining concert tour, [[the Eras Tour]], in 2023, and as a surprise song in a [[mashup (music)|mashup]] with “Superstar” from [[Fearless (Taylor Swift album)|Fearless]] on the first [[Gelsenkirchen]] show. <ref name=":3">{{cite magazine |last1=Iasimone |first1=Ashley |last2=Dailey |first2=Hannah |date=November 29, 2024 |title=All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed on The Eras Tour (So Far) |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-eras-tour-surprise-songs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241117054204/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-eras-tour-surprise-songs/ |archive-date=November 17, 2024 |access-date=November 29, 2024 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Katie Louise |date=November 29, 2024 |title=Every Surprise Song Performed On Taylor Swift's Eras Tour So Far |url=https://www.capitalfm.com/artists/taylor-swift/eras-tour-surprise-songs-setlist/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241113011018/https://www.capitalfm.com/artists/taylor-swift/eras-tour-surprise-songs-setlist/ |archive-date=November 13, 2024 |access-date=November 29, 2024 |publisher=[[Capital (radio network)|Capital]]}}</ref>

== Background and release ==

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| description = A sample of "Invisible String" demonstrating the [[fingerpick|finger-picked]] [[strum]]s and vocal [[backbeat]]s

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Swift wrote "Invisible String" with Dessner, who produced the song.<ref name="DessnerVulture">{{cite web |last=Gerber |first=Brady |date=July 27, 2020 |title=The Story Behind Every Song on Taylor Swift's ''folklore'' |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/07/taylor-swift-folklore-aaron-dessner-breaks-down-every-song.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728234347/https://www.vulture.com/2020/07/taylor-swift-folklore-aaron-dessner-breaks-down-every-song.html |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |access-date=June 7, 2021 |website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]}}</ref> Dessner composed "Invisible String" using [[Fingerpick|finger-picked]] [[Strum|strumsstrum]]s created by putting a rubber bridge on a guitar.<ref name="DessnerVulture" /> He said that the rubber bridge "deadens the strings so that it sounds old" that created his vision of a [[Folk music|folk]] song at its core.<ref name="DessnerVulture" /> Dessner added a beat that resulted in what he called a "sneaky pop song";<ref name="DessnerVulture" /> [[Annie Zaleski]] from ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' characterized "Invisible String" as a folk song with "heart thump-steady vocal [[Backbeat|backbeatsbackbeat]]s",<ref name="AVClub22">{{cite web |last=Zaleski |first=Annie |author-link=Annie Zaleski |date=July 4, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift writes her own version of history on ''folklore'' |url=https://www.avclub.com/taylor-swift-writes-her-own-version-of-history-on-folkl-1844498450 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727053604/https://music.avclub.com/taylor-swift-writes-her-own-version-of-history-on-folkl-1844498450 |archive-date=July 27, 2020 |access-date=June 7, 2021 |work=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref> while ''[[musicOMH]]''{{'s}} Chloe Johnson dubbed it a "chaotic clash" of folk, pop, and [[blues]], with a [[song structure]] rooted in [[country music]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Chloe |date=July 24, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift ''Folklore'' |url=https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-folklore |url-access=subscription |access-date=December 15, 2023 |website=[[musicOMH]] |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724123506/https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-folklore |url-status=live }}</ref>

Several critics commented that the arrangement was spare but melodious and left room for Swift's conversational sing-speaking style.<ref>{{Cite web |last=D'Souza |first=Shaad |date=July 24, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift frees herself from tabloid drama on ''Folklore'' |url=https://www.thefader.com/2020/07/24/taylor-swift-folklore-album-review-2020-national-essay |access-date=December 15, 2023 |website=[[The Fader]]}}</ref><ref name="Harvilla-2020">{{Cite web |last=Harvilla |first=Rob |date=July 27, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Is Singing About More Than Taylor Swift—and Rediscovering Herself in the Process |url=https://www.theringer.com/music/2020/7/27/21339589/taylor-swift-folklore-review |access-date=December 15, 2023 |website=[[The Ringer (website)|The Ringer]] |archive-date=August 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828040229/https://www.theringer.com/music/2020/7/27/21339589/taylor-swift-folklore-review |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Thompson-2020">{{Cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Thompson (journalist) |last2=Powers |first2=Ann |author-link2=Ann Powers |last3=McKenna |first3=Lyndsey |date=July 28, 2020 |title=Let's Talk About Taylor Swift's ''Folklore'' |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/07/28/896193188/taylor-swift-folklore-critics-roundtable |access-date=December 15, 2013 |publisher=[[NPR]] |archive-date=July 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730020352/https://www.npr.org/2020/07/28/896193188/taylor-swift-folklore-critics-roundtable |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Jon Caramanica]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' found the production "airy and earthy".<ref name="NYTimesReview222">{{cite news |last=Caramanica |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Caramanica |date=July 26, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift, a Pop Star Done With Pop |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/26/arts/music/taylor-swift-folklore-review.html |url-status=live |access-date=June 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910132513/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/26/arts/music/taylor-swift-folklore-review.html |archive-date=September 10, 2020}}</ref> Recorded at Dessner's Long Pond Studio in the [[Hudson Valley]] and [[La Gaîté Lyrique]] in Paris, France, "Invisible String" was [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixed]] by Jonathan Low. According to ''Folklore''{{'s}} [[liner notes]], Dessner played acoustic guitar, bass, electric guitar, [[Mellotron]], percussion, piano, and [[synthesizer]], and he [[Programming (music)|programmed]] the [[Drum machine|drums]] with <bdi>James McAlister</bdi>. Dessner's brother [[Bryce Dessner|Bryce]] was the [[orchestrator]] for [[cello]] (played by Clarice Jensen), [[viola]] and [[violin]] (Yuki Numata Resnick).<ref name="booklet" />

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{{single chart|Portugal|134|artist=Taylor Swift|song=Invisible String|rowheader=true|access-date=June 7, 2020|refname="Portugal"}}

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! scope="row"| Singapore ([[Recording Industry Association Singapore|RIAS]])<ref name="Singapore">{{cite web|url=https://www.rias.org.sg/rias-top-charts/|title=RIAS International Top Charts Week 31|work=RIAS |publisher=Recording Industry Association (Singapore)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805124940/https://www.rias.org.sg/rias-top-charts/|archive-date=August 5, 2020}}</ref>

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{{single chart|UKstreaming|43|date=July 31, 2020-07-31|rowheader=true|accessdateaccess-date=June 7, 2021|refname="UKStreaming"}}

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{{single chart|Billboardhot100|37|artist=Taylor Swift|rowheader=true|access-date=June 7, 2021|refname="BHot100"}}

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{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|type=single|artist=Taylor Swift|title=invisible string|award=Platinum|relyear=2020|certyear=2024|access-date=July 25, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Invisible String|type=single|award=Platinum|access-date=December 19, 2024|source=radioscope|relyear=2020|certyear=2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Taylor Swift|title=Invisible String|award=SilverGold|relyear=2020|certyear=20232025|id=18935-1598-1|access-date=May 330, 20232025|refname="BPI"}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true | nosales=true | noshipments=true}}