It’s undeniable that Taylor Swift is a pop powerhouse known for pumping out albums packed with chart-topping hits over the last 20 years. She has the gift, she has “it,” whatever that “it” may be. We could talk about any of the more than 250 songs she’s written in her short 35 years on the planet, but with all the turmoil going on in the world right now, “Cruel Summer” stands out a bit more.
It absolutely has both the classic Swift sound, that catchy, easy-to-grasp pop feel, and yet veers a bit from what we’ve come to expect from the singer-songwriter. The song carries an edge, a dark undertone, and weighty lyrics that could transform it into something entirely different from its original 2019 summer anthem feel.
Taylor began writing and performing music in the early 2000s, signing a development deal with Sony-owned RCA in 2004 at the age of 14. She, however, left a year later to explore other labels and eventually signed with the independent Big Machine after being assured creative control over her debut album.
She would release that debut self-titled album in late 2006 to major success on the country charts, landing at number 5 with the single “Tim McGraw.” She became the first female country artist to write or co-write every song on a platinum-selling debut album.
This success would ignite the rocket that catapulted her into crossover stardom, as she has continually reinvented herself, becoming the highest-grossing live musical artist, the wealthiest female musician, and one of the best-selling artists of all time, still topping charts and performing to stadiums full of adoring fans around the world today.
Six albums later, Taylor experienced some growing pains, having repeatedly reinvented her sound and image numerous times, and garnered criticism for 2017’s “Reputation,” which was an autobiographical album that covered some of the controversies she’d gone through over the previous few years. She left Big Machine after over a decade, preparing for her next chapter with “Lover,” released in 2019 by Republic Records.
“Cruel Summer” would be one of the many hits contained in this album, thanks to teaming up with the producer Jack Antonoff, becoming the second track and her fifth single from the album. Swift and Antonoff would enlist the help of St. Vincent to create the dark, synth-driven pop single, crafting that edgy vibe that underlies the pop princess’s catchy vocal performance.
Retrospective reviews have labeled the song one of Swift’s best songs after it went viral four years after its release, while also being included in Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list. That same year, 2023, the song topped Billboard’s Hot 100 for four weeks, whereas it had only reached number 29 on the same chart the year it was released, in 2019.
Teddy Swims Breathes Life into Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One” CoverThe song’s reemergence must have caught the ear of talented singer-songwriter, Teddy Swims, who we’ve mentioned previously in an article for his gorgeous cover of Shania Twain’s “You’re Still The One,” because he decided to take on the task of putting his version of “Cruel Summer” out while performing in the “Live Lounge” for BBC’s Radio 1.
Boy, did he take an already banger of a song and make it his own, sporting a few more face tattoos since we last spoke of him. This time, he fronts a full band on the in-studio stage, a lone piano line to open the song, and Teddy takes the mic to deliver a buttery first verse.
Swims’ voice is so interesting and versatile, letting us hear an entire array of his tonality and range with this cover. Building energy and power as instruments are slowly added, before an explosion into the chorus with the drums’ cymbals crashing at the beginning of each line.
He’s dialed in with his band, no one standing out too much or being buried by the others. By the second chorus, everything is in full swing, and so are we nodding our heads to the lively rhythms from the drummer, carrying the smooth instrumentation and voicings from Teddy and Co. to us in such a beautifully well-rounded and tasteful way.
The bridge hits us like a Mack truck, everyone pushing their instruments to the limit, Teddy the only one steady and poised through it, losing himself as the final chorus builds into an eruptive emotional climax, where he and the drummer are absolutely going off, matching each other’s energy. It’s a rollercoaster of a take on the song, possibly bringing more life and emotion to it than the original.
It’s wonderful to see Teddy’s progression over the years, and this is a perfect example of his talent and ability to pour out an amazing performance, reinventing an already popular song. Looking forward to many more from him in the years to come.