Peak
44
Weeks
1
Score
139
Chart Year
2020
"Illicit Affairs" is a slow-building ballad about infidelity. Taylor Swift lays out the differing emotions of the secret tryst, from the sneaking around: Make sure nobody sees you leave Hood over your head, keep your eyes down To the evaporating emotions stirred by the illicit affair: A dwindling, mercurial high A drug that only worked The first few hundred times During the bridge, Swift explores the effects of the relationship being carried out in secret. And you wanna scream Don't call me "kid," don't call me "baby" Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me Taylor Swift first tackled the idea of infidelity on 2006's "Should've Said No," where she condemned a boyfriend who cheated on her. By Reputation's "Getaway Car," Swift was attempting to escape her own relationship by hooking up with someone else. This song finds Swift withholding judgment about the temptation to stray without ignoring the resulting heartbreak. Taylor Swift wrote and produced the song with her frequent collaborator, Jack Antonoff. The Bleachers lead singer also played percussion, bass, and guitar. The other instrumentalist on the track is Antonoff's Bleachers bandmate, Evan Smith, who played guitar, accordion and saxophone.
Make sure nobody sees you leave Hood over your head Keep your eyes down Tell your friends you're out for a run You'll be flushed when you return Take the road less traveled by Tell yourself you can always stop What started in beautiful rooms Ends with meetings in parking lots And that's the thing about illicit affairs And clandestine meetings And longing stares It's born from just one single glance But it dies, and it dies, and it dies A million little times Leave the perfume on the shelf That you picked out just for him So you leave no trace behind Like you don't even exist Take the words for what they are A dwindling, mercurial high A drug that only worked The first few hundred times And that's the thing about illicit affairs And clandestine meetings And stolen stares They show their truth one single time But they lie, and they lie, and they lie A billion little times And you wanna scream Don't call me kid Don't call me baby Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me You showed me colors you know I can't see with anyone else Don't call me kid Don't call me baby Look at this idiotic fool that you made me You taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else And you know damn well For you I would ruin myself A million little times
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 8, 2020 | 44 | 82 |