Invisible String: Difference between revisions

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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|strums]] 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|backbeats]]",<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://music.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|''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''<nowiki/>{{'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" />

== Lyrics ==

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== Critical reception ==

Music critics acclaimed the lyrics and theme of "Invisible String". Chris Willman of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' commented that its theme added a "sweetness" to ''Folklore'', whose other tracks mostly explored the dark and bittersweet feelings from unfulfilled romance.<ref name="Willman-2020" /> Caramanica said it was the only "truly hopeful-sounding song" on the album and contained some of Swift's most vivid lyrics.<ref name="NYTimesReview222" /> According to the ''[[New Statesman]]''<nowiki/>{{'s}} critic Anna Leszkiewicz, "Invisible String" showcased a more intimate theme than other album tracks and was ''Folklore''<nowiki/>{{'s}} "romantic high-point".<ref name="Leiszkiewicz-2020" /> In ''[[Slant Magazine]]'', Jonathan Keefe lauded how the track employed "protracted metaphors" to convey Swift's "new peak in her command of language".<ref name="Keefe-2020">{{Cite web |last=Keefe |first=Jonathan |date=July 27, 2020 |title=Review: With ''Folklore'', Taylor Swift Mines Pathos from a Widening Worldview |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review-with-folklore-taylor-swift-mines-pathos-from-a-widening-worldview/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910132417/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review-with-folklore-taylor-swift-mines-pathos-from-a-widening-worldview/ |archive-date=September 10, 2020 |access-date=June 7, 2021 |website=[[Slant Magazine]]}}</ref> Katie Moulton, writing for ''[[Consequence of Sound]]'', picked "Invisible String" as an album essential and complimented that it demonstrated Swift's mature perspective with "piercing" lyricism.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moulton |first=Katie |date=July 24, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift's ''folklore'' Dismantles Her Own Self-Mythologizing: Review |url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/07/album-review-taylor-swift-folklore/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724185604/https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/07/album-review-taylor-swift-folklore/ |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |access-date=June 7, 2021 |website=[[Consequence of Sound]]}}</ref> Jason Lipshutz of [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] regarded it as the best ''Folklore'' track because it contained the "sumptuous intricacies" of Swift's songwriting and delivered an "emotional knockout" that had the potential to endure "within and outside" Swift's discography.<ref name="Lipshutz-2020">{{Cite magazine |last=Lipshutz |first=Jason |date=July 24, 2020 |title=Every Song Ranked on Taylor Swift's ''Folklore'': Critic's Picks |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-folklore-songs-ranked-critics-picks-9424095/ |access-date=December 19, 2023 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |archive-date=January 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123071509/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-folklore-songs-ranked-critics-picks-9424095/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The song's production received similarly positive comments. Caramanica and Leszkiewicz found it to be restrained and nuanced,<ref name="NYTimesReview222" /><ref name="Leiszkiewicz-2020" /> and Keefe lauded it as a masterful construct of song structure.<ref name="Keefe-2020" /> ''[[PopMatters]]''<nowiki/>{{'s}} Michael Sumsion described the guitar as "sky-bound plinking" that "bursts into an acoustic charge of pastoral loveliness".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sumsion |first=Michael |date=July 29, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Abandons Stadium-Pop for a New Tonal Approach on ''Folklore'' |url=https://www.popmatters.com/taylor-swift-folklore-review-2646821264.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731005457/https://www.popmatters.com/taylor-swift-folklore-review-2646821264.html |archive-date=July 31, 2020 |access-date=June 7, 2021 |website=[[PopMatters]]}}</ref> ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''<nowiki/>{{'s}} Julian Mapes praised "Invisible String" as one of the "loveliest" songs on ''Folklore'' for its "delightfully plucky" instrumentals.<ref name="Mapes-2020">{{Cite web |last=Mapes |first=Jillian |date=July 27, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift: ''folklore'' |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-folklore/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828191233/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-folklore/ |archive-date=August 28, 2020 |access-date=June 7, 2021 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> Zaleski was impressed by Dessner's "ornate" arrangement that created a "sonic intimacy" highlighting Swift's vocals.<ref name="AVClub22" /> In a similar vein, Lyndsey McKenna from [[NPR]] said Swift's vocals and the instrumentals, which resembled the music of the Nationals, were a "natural marriage".<ref name="Thompson-2020" /> Lipshutz described Dessner's guitar and beats as "unfussy" that complemented the lyrics.<ref name="Lipshutz-2020" /> Mikael Wood of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' placed the song second on his ranking of all ''Folklore'' tracks; he deemed its lyricism "very cleverly phrased" and Swift's vocals "whimsical and luscious".<ref name="Wood-2020">{{Cite web |last=Wood |first=Mikael |date=July 26, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift's ''Folklore'': All 16 songs, ranked |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-07-26/taylor-swift-folklore-songs-ranked |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329230604/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-07-26/taylor-swift-folklore-songs-ranked |archive-date=March 29, 2021 |access-date=June 7, 2021 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

The editorial staff of ''Billboard'' collectively ranked "Invisible String" fourth in a 2022 list of Swift's select 100 tracks. The editor Becky Kaminsky wrote that the track showcased Swift's contentment in her personal life after the "trials and tribulations" of stardom, which was emotionally resonant for her audiences, both "those who have found their special someone" and "those still searching".<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 16, 2023 |title=The 100 Best Taylor Swift Songs: Staff Picks |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-taylor-swift-songs/ |access-date=December 19, 2023 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |archive-date=April 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230411021029/https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-taylor-swift-songs/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Hannah Mylrea of ''[[NME]]'' placed the song at number 31 on a ranking of Swift's discography.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mylrea|first=Hannah|date=September 8, 2020|title=Every Taylor Swift song ranked in order of greatness|url=https://www.nme.com/en_asia/features/every-taylor-swift-song-ranked-2747916|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917054150/https://www.nme.com/en_asia/features/every-taylor-swift-song-ranked-2747916|archive-date=September 17, 2020|access-date=June 7, 2021|website=[[NME]]}}</ref> NPR placed "Invisible String" at number 22 on their ranking of 100 best songs of 2020, for "all the beautiful detail, all the muscular melody and immaculately placed acoustic production details".<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 3, 2020 |title=The 100 Best Songs Of 2020 (Nos. 40-21) |website= |publisher=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/12/03/934634855/the-100-best-songs-of-2020-page-4 |url-status=live |access-date=June 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207155455/https://www.npr.org/2020/12/03/934634855/the-100-best-songs-of-2020-page-4 |archive-date=December 7, 2020}}</ref>