"Holy Ground" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

for her fourth studio album, ''

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

'' (2012). Produced by

Jeff Bhasker Jeffrey Nath Bhasker (born March 4, 1974) is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 2016 and was nominated for the award in 2013. Bhasker cam ...

, "Holy Ground" is an upbeat song combining

arena rock Arena rock (also known as stadium rock, pomp rock or corporate rock) is a style of rock music that became mainstream in the 1970s. It typically involves radio-friendly rock music that was designed to be played for large audiences. As hard rock ...

country rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...

, and

heartland rock Heartland rock is a genre of rock music characterized by a straightforward, often roots musical style, often with a focus on blue-collar workers, and a conviction that rock music has a social or communal purpose beyond just entertainment. The g ...

with insistent drums. In the lyrics, the narrator reminisces about a good moment in a failed relationship; she describes where she and the ex-lover once stood as "holy ground".

Music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

praised the lyrical maturity for its showcase of a more complicated understanding of failed relationships and departed from the bitter sentiments on Swift's previous songs. Some picked it as an album highlight and one of Swift's best songs in her discography. "Holy Ground" peaked at number 12 on the US ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and number 89 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...

. A re-recorded version, "Holy Ground (Taylor's Version)", was released as part of Swift's re-recorded album ''

Red (Taylor's Version) ''Red (Taylor's Version)'' is the second re-recorded album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on November 12, 2021, by Republic Records, as part of Swift's re-recording project following the Taylor Swift masters d ...

'' on November 12, 2021. The song peaked at number 77 on the ''Billboard'' Global 200 and entered on singles charts in Canada and the United States.

Production

Taylor Swift released her third studio album, '' Speak Now'', in October 2010. She wrote the album by herself and co-produced it with Nathan Chapman. ''Speak Now'' was similar to Swift's previous album, '' Fearless'' (2008), in its

country pop Country pop (also known as urban cowboy or even urban country) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends g ...

production style. On her fourth studio album, ''

'' (2012), Swift wanted to experiment with other musical styles. To this end, she approached different producers beyond her career base in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. One such producer was

, whose drum work on the songs by

pop-rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

band

Fun Fun is defined by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' as "light-hearted pleasure, enjoyment, or amusement; boisterous joviality or merrymaking; entertainment". Etymology and usage The word ''fun'' is associated with sports, entertaining medi ...

inspired Swift; she finished writing "Holy Ground" before meeting with Bhasker in his studio. There, Swift played the whole song on acoustic guitar, which left Bhasker impressed: "I was just blown away at how stone cold she was ..Her style of songwriting is very, very honest. She's just a really old soul."

Release and chart performance

"Holy Ground" is track number 11 on ''Red'', which was released on October 22, 2012, by

Big Machine Records Big Machine Records is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by former DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta and ...

. After ''Red'' was released, in the U.S., "Holy Ground" peaked at number 12 on the ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and number 37 on the

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

in November 2012. In Canada, it peaked at number 89 on the

. Following a dispute with Big Machine over the rights to the

master recording Master recordings, or simply masters, are the original recordings—including post-recording mixes and production edits—of audio performances, from which all analog and digital copies of the audio are derived from. The term refers only to the r ...

s of Swift's first six studio albums, Swift re-recorded the whole ''Red'' album and released it as ''

'' under

Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...

imprint on November 12, 2021; the re-recording of "Holy Ground" is titled "Holy Ground (Taylor's Version)". Bhasker returned on the re-recording as producer. "Holy Ground (Taylor's Version)" debuted and peaked at number 76 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 62 on the Canadian Hot 100, and number 77 on the ''Billboard'' Global 200.

Music and lyrics

Swift wrote "Holy Ground" inspired by a past relationship with an ex-lover. Reflecting on the incident, Swift thought, "You know what? That was good... having that in my life." She said that the relationship that inspired the song had ended years ago, which she appreciated rather than feeling bitter about its unpleasant ending. The upbeat track features a recurring guitar

riff A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...

and constant fast-paced drum beats that, according to Brad Nelson from ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'', are "insistent enough to act as punctuation for the lyrics".

Rob Sheffield Robert James Sheffield (born February 2, 1966) is an American music journalist and author. He is a long time contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'', writing about music, TV, and pop culture. Previously, he was a contributing editor at '' Blen ...

from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' noted influences of 1980s music by

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Idol achieved fame in the 1970s on the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of Generation X ...

on the guitar. Kelsey Barnes of

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political r ...

found that it exemplified its album's

sound.

Musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...

James E. Perone characterized "Holy Ground" as

, with a "take on the country-pop tradition that had not really been found before in Swift's previous recordings". Meanwhile, Jonathan Keefe from ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' said that it is a

track. Other critics said the track features elements of

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

and country on the drum beats, which Brittany Spanos from ''Rolling Stone'' described as "jaunty but gentle". The 2021 re-recording, "Holy Ground (Taylor's Version)", features an identical production, but Swift's vocals do not feature the

twang Twang is an onomatopoeia originally used to describe the sound of a vibrating bow string after the arrow is released.Hensleigh Wedgwood, ''A Dictionary of English Etymology: Q - Z'' (1865), p. 433. By extension, it applies to the similar vibrat ...

as in the 2012 version. In the lyrics, the narrator tells a past relationship that ran on "New York time". She reminisces about the early days of a blossoming romance, "Took off faster than a green light, go." There is a fleeting but exhilarating moment which makes the narrator feels that the ground on which the couple used to stand was "holy ground". According to Perone, the lyrics showcased a new side to Swift's songwriting; whereas her previous songs are mostly bitter confessions accusing ex-lovers of wrongdoings, the narrator in "Holy Ground" tells her ex-lover, "Tonight I'm gonna dance... but I don't wanna dance, if I'm not dancing with you," with a bittersweet and melancholic atmosphere in the wake of a breakup. Nelson agreed that Swift's take on failed relationships became "charmingly complicated". Randy Lewis from the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', citing the lyric, "For the first time I had something to lose," said the song explores vulnerability and more nuanced relationship issues for Swift as an adult, transcending the adolescent perspective on her past albums. In ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'', Arnold Pan picked "Holy Ground" as an example of Swift's songwriting for crafting specific lyrical details setting her apart from generic lyrics found in other pop artists' music, citing the line "Spinning like a girl in a brand new dress, we had this big wide city all to ourselves" as an example.

Critical reception

In reviews of ''Red'', "Holy Ground" received critical acclaim, and many

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

picked it as an album highlight. According to Perone, "Holy Ground" is a ''Red'' track that deserves the attention of casual listeners who are not fans of Swift. He praised the lyrical maturity and found the upbeat production, though at odds with the sentimental lyrics, "somehow works" because of the

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

. Chris Willman of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' cited "Holy Ground" as one of the album's finest tracks, and remarked that the "driving drum and rhythm guitar... grab your attention from hefirst verse to helast". In '' Idolators review of ''Red'',

Sam Lansky Sam Lansky (born September 23, 1988)Connelly, Sherryl (January 14, 2016)"Time magazine culture editor Sam Lansky reveals his wild days in new memoir 'The Gilded Razor'. ''NEW YORK DAILY NEWS''. Retrieved April 6, 2017. is an American journalist, ...

called it the "most startling" track; he highlighted the strong lyricism and dynamic production. Jonathan Keefe of ''Slant Magazine'' selected "Holy Ground" as one of ''Red'' tracks that experiment beyond Swift's country-pop comfort zone, where "the production is creative and contemporary in ways that are in service to Swift's songwriting". '' The Spectrum'' commended the "anthemic", rock-influenced production: "Plenty of bands try it, but it takes a 20-something former country-pop star wiftto pull it off." ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand, ...

'' Scott Kara picked it as one of the strongest ''Red'' tracks: "These songs prove she's a strong enough songwriter to play it straight, while still being ambitious." '' Paste'' picked "Holy Ground" as one of the standouts on the album and described it as "hurried, yet precise, and rocking the hell out". Reviewing ''Red (Taylor's Version)'', Olivia Horn from ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' selected the song as one of Swift's "great masterpieces" in her career. Spanos included "Holy Ground" among the 10 best album cuts from Swift's discography, and Sheffield in 2021 placed it among the 20 best songs out of Swift's 237-song catalog: "Nobody does zero-to-60 emotional peel outs like our girl." ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

'' journalist Francesca Gariano ranked "Holy Ground" second on a list of the top 10 songs by Swift of the 2010s decade, behind " All Too Well", another ''Red'' track. On a less positive side, Mesfin Fekadu from the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

deemed the song average, and Bernard Perusse from the ''

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunn ...

'' considered it an album filler.

Live performances

Swift included "Holy Ground" in the set list to the concerts on the Red Tour (2013–2014), where she sang the song in front of a New York cityscape background. The song was part of the set list for Swift's concert at the 2016

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

Grand Prix in Austin, Texas on October 22. On the Seattle show of her Reputation Stadium Tour on May 22, 2018, Swift performed a stripped-down version of "Holy Ground" as a "surprise song". In September 2019, during promotion of her seventh studio album '' Lover'', she performed a slowed, stripped-down piano version of "Holy Ground" on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cott ...

held in New York City. Swift said the version was meant to "flip the coin of the song and show another side of it"; Rebecca Alter from ''Vulture'' remarked that the Live Lounge rendition contained a "soulful, wise... maturity". She performed it again as a "surprise song" for three dates of her Eras Tour: the first at the May 27, 2023 show in

East Rutherford East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 10,022, an inc ...

, the second at the February 7, 2024 show in Tokyo and the third in a mash-up with " Sweeter Than Fiction" in Amsterdam on July 6, 2024.

Personnel

"Holy Ground" *

– lead vocals, songwriting *

– production, programming, bass, keyboards, piano, background vocals * Pawel Sek –

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

* Tyler Sam Johnson – engineering, background vocals * John Hanes – engineering * Tim Roberts – assistant engineering *

Serban Ghenea Serban Ghenea () is a Canadian audio engineer and mixer. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award a total of 45 times and has won 21 times. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Romania, and in 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. H ...

– mixing * Anders Mouridsen – guitars "Holy Ground (Taylor's Version)" * Taylor Swift – lead vocals, background vocals, songwriter * Jeff Bhasker – producer, Moog, Juno, background vocals * Christopher Rowe – vocals engineer * Ian Gold –

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

programming, engineer * Bryce Bordone – engineer * Serban Ghenea – mixing * Mike Meadows – acoustic guitar * Anders Mouridsen – electric guitar * Bebel Matsumiya – background vocals

Charts

"Holy Ground"

"Holy Ground (Taylor's Version)"

References

Cited sources

* * {{authority control 2012 songs Taylor Swift songs Songs written by Taylor Swift Song recordings produced by Jeff Bhasker Heartland rock songs Country rock songs Arena rock songs