Under a Microscope: The Story Behind “Wildest Dreams” by Taylor Swift

When Taylor Swift was recording her 2014 album 1989, her personal life attracted heavy media attention. “America’s Sweetheart” was under a microscope when she was involved with singer Harry Styles while promoting her previous album, Red. The media’s overreaction was maddening to the singer, causing her to shut off discussions with the press about her personal life. Swift continued to write autobiographical songs focusing on her personal life. Moving from Nashville to New York City inspired the singer to take on new musical ideas. Let’s take a look at the story behind “Wildest Dreams” by Taylor Swift.

He said, “Let’s get out of this town
Drive out of the city, away from the crowds”
I thought Heaven can’t help me now
Nothing lasts forever
But this is gonna take me down

Is This the One?

Swift changed the way she approached relationships. In 2014, she told Rolling Stone magazine: “I think the way I used to approach relationships was very idealistic. I used to go into them thinking, ‘Maybe this is the one—we’ll get married and have a family. This could be forever.’ Whereas now I go in thinking, ‘How long do we have on the clock before something comes along and puts a wrench in it,’ or your publicist calls and says ‘this isn’t a good idea?’”

He’s so tall and handsome as hell
He’s so bad, but he does it so well
I can see the end as it begins
My one condition is
Say you’ll remember me
Standing in a nice dress
Staring at the sunset, babe
Red lips and rosy cheeks
Say you’ll see me again
Even if it’s just in your wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha
Wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha

The Beating Heart

During the recording of “Wildest Dreams,” Swift recorded her heartbeat and incorporated it into the song’s percussion. Mallets and a tambourine are also used. Michael Jackson used a similar technique in his song “Smooth Criminal.” Max Martin and Shellback co-wrote and co-produced the song with Swift. The character of the song tells a lover to remember her when the relationship ends, while at the same time, remaining in love with the tall, handsome, bad man. She asserts she will haunt him after they are no longer together.

I said, “No one has to know what we do”
His hands are in my hair. His clothes are in my room
And his voice is a familiar sound
Nothing lasts forever
But this is getting good now

Piano and Electric Guitar

If Red was straddling the line between country and pop, 1989 is firmly rooted in the pop world. She took cues from 1980s synth-pop, drum pads, and overlapped vocals. Swift looked to the music of Peter Gabriel and Annie Lennox for inspiration. During the 1989 World Tour, she performed “Wildest Dreams” on the piano as part of a mashup with “Enchanted” from her earlier album Speak Now. She performed the song on electric guitar as part of the “Taylor Swift Experience” exhibit at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. In 2017, she revisited the “Wildest Dreams”/”Enchanted” mashup, performing it before the Super Bowl.

He’s so tall and handsome as hell
He’s so bad, but he does it so well
And when we’ve had our very last kiss
My last request is
Say you’ll remember me
Standing in a nice dress
Staring at the sunset, babe
Red lips and rosy cheeks
Say you’ll see me again
Even if it’s just in your wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha (ha-ah, ha)
Wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha

A Realization

Swift concluded her personal life was always going to be picked apart. In 2014, Swift told Billboard magazine: “You know what? If you’re upset and irritated that I’m just being myself, I’m going to be myself more, and I’m having more fun than you, so it doesn’t matter.”

You’ll see me in hindsight
Tangled up with you all night
Burning it down
Someday, when you leave me
I bet these memories
Follow you around

The Single

1989 hit the shelves on October 27, 2014. After “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” “Style,” and “Bad Blood,” Big Machine Records released “Wildest Dreams” as the fifth single from the album. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 7, 2015. This made Swift the first female artist to place five songs in the Top 10 in one calendar year. The song also performed well on charts around the world, including in Canada, South Africa, Venezuela, Iceland, New Zealand, Slovakia, Scotland, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Norway,  Australia, Portugal, and the UK.

You’ll see me in hindsight
Tangled up with you all night
Burning (burning) it (it) down (down)
Someday, when you leave me
I bet these memories
Follow (follow) you (you) around (follow you around)
Say you’ll remember me
Standing in a nice dress
Staring at the sunset, babe
Red lips and rosy cheeks
Say you’ll see me again
Even if it’s just pretend

Taylor’s Version

Swift rerecorded the song as part of 1989 (Taylor’s Version), which was released on September 17, 2021. The new recording was featured in the trailer for the animated movie Spirit Untamed. Shellback and Swift produced the new version; Max Martin was not involved. Christopher Rowe was brought in to work on the project.

Say you’ll remember me
Standing in a nice dress
Staring at the sunset, babe
Red lips and rosy cheeks
Say you’ll see me again
Even if it’s just (pretend, just pretend) in your wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha (ah)
In your wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha
Even if it’s just stayed in your wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha
In your wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha

The Video

Joseph Kahn directed the music video, which was shot in Botswana and South Africa. Swift conceived the storyline about a love affair between two actors on a film set in 1950s Africa. Kahn compared the characters in the video to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Swift donated all proceeds from the video to the African Parks Foundation of America.

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Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Moet & Chandon