"Florida!!!" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift featuring the English band Florence and the Machine, from Swift's eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (2024). She wrote the track with the band's frontwoman Florence Welch, who also sang lead vocals, and produced it with Jack Antonoff. "Florida!!!" is a power ballad with elements of Americana, Southern Gothic, and indie rock, showcased through the guitars and drums. Its lyrics are about escaping from unpleasant circumstances, rejecting one's own wrongdoings, and indulging in negative thoughts, using Florida as a geographical metaphor.
Critics generally praised the duo's vocal performance and the song's production, although some others deemed the lyrics lackluster. The song peaked at number eight on the Billboard Global 200 and reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. Swift performed "Florida!!!" live with Florence and the Machine on one London show and three Miami shows of the Eras Tour in 2024.
Background
Taylor Swift started working on The Tortured Poets Department immediately after she submitted her tenth studio album, Midnights, to Republic Records for release in 2022. She continued working on it in secrecy throughout the US leg of the Eras Tour in 2023.[1] Conceived amidst heightened fame brought by touring and publicized personal relationships, The Tortured Poets Department was a "lifeline" to Swift, who described it as an album she "really needed" to make.[2][3] Republic Records released The Tortured Poets Department on April 19, 2024.[4]
"Florida!!!" is track eight on the album.[5] It features vocals from Florence Welch, the frontwoman of the English band Florence and the Machine.[2] Swift shared with iHeartRadio that the inspiration behind "Florida!!!" came from the series Dateline NBC. In the interview, she drew a parallel between people who flee to Florida after committing crimes and those dealing with heartbreak: "They try to reinvent themselves, have a new identity, blend in."[6] Welch told British Vogue that Swift approached her with "a concept and a story", which was her "favourite way to start songwriting".[7] The actress Emma Stone was credited for the "oddities" in the track.[8]
Swift performed "Florida!!!" for the first time alongside Welch during the Eras Tour eighth show at London's Wembley Stadium on August 20, 2024.[9] The song was added to the setlist between renditions of "So High School" and "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?". The performance was also accompanied by a new choreography.[10] The song was additionally performed with Florence as a guest during the three Miami shows of the tour.[11]
Music and lyrics
"Florida!!!" is a power ballad[12] with an uptempopop production[13] accompanied by jarring drums and guitars reminiscent of indie rock.[14][15] Welch sings two complete verses and later in the track, intertwines lines with Swift.[16] Laura Snapes of The Guardian thought that "Florida!!!" has a melodramatic Southern Gothic direction similar to "No Body, No Crime" on Swift's 2020 album Evermore and the "desolate Americana" influenced by Lana Del Rey.[17] Erica Gonzales of Elle added that the sound brought an "anthemic and at times euphoric feel", may be largely influenced by Welch's music.[18]
The lyrics of "Florida!!!" tells of Swift and Welch embarking on a therapeutic journey after a failed relationship.[19] While Swift pipes about a town that drives her insane, Welch dreams of indulging in alcohol and burying her past lovers in a swamp, similar to Swift's character in "No Body, No Crime".[20] Howard Cohen of the Miami Herald says the lyrics of "Florida!!!" paint the state as a peak leisure destination for a getaway, but add elements of mystery to it. During Welch's first line in the feature, she makes a reference to Hurricane Florence which came close to Florida in September 2018 ("The hurricane with my name when it came").[21] Swift references the Florida panhandle city of Destin and describes her friends as either smelling like "weed or little babies".[22] During the chorus Swift metaphorically compares the state to "one hell of a drug" she wants to use up.[23]
Reception
The song received generally positive reviews from critics. Samantha Olson of Cosmopolitan ranked it the best song from the album, complimenting Welch's vocals and the production. In her ranking, she says the song encapsulates the "essence of Florida."[13] In a positive review by Melissa Ruggieri of USA Today, Swift and Welch's vocals against stomping instrumentals made the song "cinematic and purposeful."[24]The Independent's Helen Brown praised Welch's vocals.[25] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard ranked the song third against the album's sixteen tracks, commending Swift's emotional vocals and the brash sound.[26] Gonzales also said the song brought an "infectious energy" with its blasting drums during the chorus.[19] Alex Gonzalez of Uproxx gave the song a positive review, saying: the collaboration sounds so fresh, yet feels so timeless.[19]Pitchfork's Shaad D’Souza said it was the boldest and most energetic song from the album's mostly subdued, contemplative tones.[16]
P. Claire Dodson from Teen Vogue said the drums and percussive instrumentals were exciting. She added that "Florida!!!" resuscitates the latter half of the original set of 16 songs when previous moments of the album seem to diminish.[27]Vogue Australia's Nina Miyashita and Jonah Waterhouse called it a "fun, tongue-in-cheek track".[28] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Mesfin Fedaku praised the song and performance by Florence and the Machine, calling it a "winning track,"[29] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times called the song "punchy".[30] Writing for The Nightly, Jay Hanna said the collaboration lives up to all expectations.[31] The Associated Press's Maria Sherman said the song was reminiscent of the indie rock sounds of the 2010s such as Sufjan Stevens's Illinois.[14] Chris Willman of Variety called it the "funniest track" from the album,[32] referring to the lines "My friends all smell like weed or little babies" and "Fuck me up, Florida".[33]
In less enthusiastic reviews, John Wohlmacher of Beats Per Minute wrote that the track's blasting drums during its chorus disguise its substance-lacking verses and deemed it "more plodding than memorable."[34]The Line of Best Fit's Paul Bridgewater said "Florida!!!" comes close to being a standout track, especially with the collaboration with Welch. However, he said that Welch's voice "jars a little" with Swift's.[35]Stereogum's Tom Breihan said the track had "lot of half-baked Bible-belt imagery" undeserving of the exclamation points in its title.[36]Paste criticized the lyrical content, saying Welch's verse was "grossly watery" and the chorus was the worst of 2024.[37]Paste's post-review article by Grace Byron says while the song does not live up to the artistry or impact of a song by Welch, it is "more sonically interesting".[38]
Commercial performance
Upon the album's release, its tracks occupied the top 14 of the US Billboard Hot 100; "Florida!!!" opened at its peak of number eight on the chart, where Swift became the first artist to monopolize the top 14. The song also became Florence and the Machine's first top-10 entry and Welch's second following "Sweet Nothing" (2012) with Calvin Harris.[39][40] In Canada, it peaked at number nine on the Canadian Hot 100.[41]
Outside of North America, "Florida!!!" along with tracks from the album occupied the top nine of the Billboard Global 200; the song debuted and peaked at number seven on the chart, where it became Swift's 33rd top-10 entry and Florence and the Machine's first.[42][43] In Australia and New Zealand, the song reached number seven on the ARIA Singles Chart[44] and number nine on the Official New Zealand Music Chart.[45] On the former chart, it made Swift the artist with the most entries in a single week with 29 and marked Florence and the Machine's second top-10 entry after "Spectrum (Say My Name)" (2012).[46][47] Elsewhere, "Florida!!!" charted within the top 25 in Singapore (12),[48] Ireland (13),[49] Luxembourg (18),[50] Portugal (18),[51] Malaysia (20),[52] South Africa (22),[53] and the Philippines (23).[54]
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Tortured Poets Department.[55]
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 17. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
^"Top Singles (Week 16, 2024)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
^"IFPI Charts". www.ifpi.gr. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 17. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
