"Exile" (stylized in

all lowercase Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...

) is a song by American singer-songwriter

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...

, featuring American band

Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...

. It is the fourth track on Swift's eighth studio album, ''

Folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, r ...

'' (2020), which was released on July 24, 2020. "Exile" was written by Swift, Joe Alwyn (under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

William Bowery), and the band's frontman

Justin Vernon Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the primary songwriter and frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. Known for his distinct falsetto voi ...

, with production by

Aaron Dessner Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band the National, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums; a co-founder of the indie ...

and Alwyn.

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). 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 an ...

sent "Exile" to US

alternative radio Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mo ...

stations on August 3, 2020. Depicting an imaginary narrative of two estranged lovers having an unspoken dialogue, "Exile" is a minimal, but cinematic, indie-folk ballad with

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

l and

chamber pop Chamber pop (or Chamber rock; also called baroque pop and sometimes conflated with orchestral pop or symphonic pop) is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of strings, horns, piano, and vocal harmonies, and other compon ...

elements, combining Swift's honeyed vocals and Vernon's deep baritone into a melancholic

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...

propelled by a plodding

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...

, swirling strings, and soaring

harmonies In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. Howeve ...

. Upon release, "Exile" garnered widespread critical acclaim, with emphasis on the duo's vocal chemistry, the agonizing lyricism, rich instrumentals and bleak atmosphere. Music critics picked it as a standout on ''Folklore'' and named it one of Swift's best collaborations to-date, comparing it to her 2012 single " Safe & Sound". Several publications listed "Exile" as one of the best songs of 2020. Commercially, "Exile" reached top-tier chart positions in various countries. It debuted at number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving Swift her 28th top-10 hit and eighteenth top-10 debut in the United States. Elsewhere, it landed inside the top-five in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand; top ten in Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and the United Kingdom; top 20 in Estonia, Israel and Scotland; and top 40 in Belgium, Portugal and Sweden. The song also became Bon Iver's highest-charting song and first top-ten song in all of the countries in which it charted. "Exile" was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the

63rd Annual Grammy Awards The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 20 ...

Background and release

All tracks on ''

'', the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter

, were conceived by as imageries and visuals from Swift's deep subconscious, a result of her imagination "running wild" while isolating herself during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

; "Exile" rose out of one such imagery— an exiled man, who is "walking the bluffs of a land that isn't his own, wondering how it all went so terribly, terribly wrong". Upon release, the song featured a songwriting credit from William Bowery, who had no online presence, and thus, was presumed to be a

. Swift later revealed that Bowery was actually a

for her boyfriend, English actor Joe Alwyn, who wrote the song's piano melody and Bon Iver's first verse. "Exile" was then developed into a rough demo of a duet, where Swift was singing both the male and female parts, and she sent it to American musician

—one of two producers Swift picked for ''Folklore''. Dessner developed a piano template of the song with Swift's rerecorded vocals. Swift and Dessner went through several candidates for the male partner on the duet, and Swift favored the voice of Bon Iver's frontman

, who is also, along with Dessner, a part of the American indie band

Big Red Machine The Big Red Machine is a nickname for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team that dominated the National League from 1970 to 1979 and is widely recognized as being among the best in baseball history. The team won six National League West Division tit ...

. Dessner forwarded the song to Vernon, who enjoyed the song, contributed his own lyrics and recorded his part. On July 23, 2020, Swift revealed the track listing of ''Folklore'', where "Exile" placed fourth; the album was released on July 24, 2020. "Exile" impacted US Adult Alternative radio as a single on August 3, 2020. The song was also included in ''Folklore: The Escapism Chapter'' and ''Folklore: The Sleepless Nights Chapter'' streaming compilations by Swift, released on August 20 and August 23, 2020, respectively.

Composition and lyrics

"Exile" is a minimal, indie-folk

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

, with

orchestral pop Orchestral pop (sometimes called ork-pop for short) is pop music that has been arranged and performed by a symphonic orchestra. It may also be conflated with the terms symphonic pop or chamber pop. History During the 1960s, pop music on radio an ...

and

influences. Lyrically, it discusses two estranged lovers discussing their former relationship, in which one has not moved on (sung by Vernon), while the other one (Swift) has. Vernon delivers a "growling" vocal performance while "bemoaning a betrayed love", as Swift portrays the lover over "honeyed yet crisp" vocals. The duo's vocal range in the song spans between C₂ to E₅. The song is written in the key of

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable com ...

and has a slow tempo of 76 beats per minute. The soaring instrumentals contain stirring strings and a plodding piano. The song is a melancholic

that fuses Swift's soft vocals with Vernon's low-register baritone, serving as an unarticulated conversation between two former lovers, setting forth their lack of communication. This thematic aspect reflects in the

melody A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combina ...

and lyrics of "Exile" as well: Melodically, the song is characterized by two voices in counterpoint—alternating while remaining as separate melodies. Similarly, the lyricism is structured after a

call-and-response Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...

format, seeing Swift and Vernon singing over each other rather than fully listening and responding to each other, giving the song an

argument An argument is a statement or group of statements called premises intended to determine the degree of truth or acceptability of another statement called conclusion. Arguments can be studied from three main perspectives: the logical, the dialect ...

ative tone with no fruitful end. The looped piano starts-off "Exile", which then grows into a climax of chorused vocals, "glorious"

and synths, mimicking the rising heat in the estranged lovers' conversation. "Exile" drew comparisons to Swift's older songs: " The Last Time" (2013) from 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 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

'', and " Safe & Sound" (2011) from '' The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond.'' Like the majority of ''Folklore'', "Exile" also infuses a cinematic quality to its lyrics evoking visuals that allude to films, such as in the lines "I think I've seen this film before / and I didn't like the ending".

Critical reception

The song received widespread critical acclaim upon release. ''

E! Online E! (an initialism for Entertainment Television) is an American basic cable channel which primarily focuses on pop culture, celebrity focused reality shows, and movies, owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of NBCUniversa ...

''s Billy Nilles described "Exile" as a "devastating dream" that "hits like a punch to the gut". Praising the song's passion and

conversation Conversation is interactive communication between two or more people. The development of conversational skills and etiquette is an important part of socialization. The development of conversational skills in a new language is a frequent focus ...

al lyricism, '' Clash'' writer Valerie Magan called the song a "scintillating" duet and "a wintry, tortured monster of a song" that best showcases the "sonic beauty" of ''Folklore''. Writing for ''

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outl ...

'', Matt Melis named "Exile" the Song of the Week upon the album's release, and called the duo's pairing a "minor miracle in 2020". Reviewing for the same publication, Katie Moulton stated that "Exile" portrays a "dissolving" romance with two voices in counterpoint, and remarked the lyrics as "clever but restrained" with maturity, observing the song's emotions to be "not only high-pitched" but possessing "complex, shifting depths". Christopher Roberts of '' Under the Radar'' included it in his list of the nine best songs of ''Folklore''s release week; he noted that Swift and Vernon's voices "mesh together well" and the latter sounds like

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

on the track.

Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree f ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' dubbed "Exile" a "lovely, anguished duet" that acts a "stark and unsettling back and forth of recriminations", with lyrics channeling distance and

skepticism Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the p ...

. He complimented the song's climax especially, where Swift and Vernon sing over each other in a style of "hard-whiskey

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

, desperate R&B and black-box-theater dialogue", making the listeners feel "the full emotional corrosion". Caramanica described the

in the song as stern and fatalistic, gonging like

grandfather clock A grandfather clock (also a longcase clock, tall-case clock, grandfather's clock, or floor clock) is a tall, freestanding, weight-driven pendulum clock with the pendulum held inside the tower or waist of the case. Clocks of this style are common ...

s. Michael Sumsion of ''

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, f ...

'' proclaimed "Exile" an "obvious standout" on ''Folklore'', defining it as a mournful examination of dissolution that juxtaposes Vernon's low

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

register with Swift's "mid-range, conversational cadences and sharp-eyed observation to thrilling effect". He noted that the song begins as a "plaintive hush", growing into "a gleaming swarm of

orchestral An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ...

-flavored testifying that suggests the physical space of a

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

", all whilst radiating a rich swell. Sumsion commented that "Exile" could easily fit on ''

I, I ''I, I'' (stylized as ''i,i'') is the fourth studio album by American indie folk band Bon Iver. It was released track by track per hour on August 8, 2019; the intro only being available on the Bon Iver fan subreddit until August 9, when the album ...

'', Bon Iver's fourth studio album. ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' writer Jody Rosen deemed the song a "stormy duet" and "a tortured

between estranged lovers", adding that the song hits hard because of its essence of reality. Justin Curto of ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North a ...

'' opined that Swift has been productive in the pandemic, creating her most contemplative album yet, with "Exile" as a prime result. Terming it "a rich, textured track" of two "unlikely" voices together in "glorious" harmony, Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen of ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' found the song's mythology mesmerising, building "a whole world in under five minutes", and wrote that the effect erects a climax that dies down again, resulting in "a spectrum of sound and emotion" that resonates across ''Folklore''. ''

Uproxx ''Uproxx'' (stylized in all caps) is an entertainment and popular culture news website. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater, and acquired by Woven Digital (later renamed Uproxx Media Group) in 2014. The site's target audienc ...

'' writer Philip Cosores regarded Vernon sounding "like himself" a flex, as he avoids his characteristic

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentou ...

present in Bon Iver's music. Bobby Olivier of '' Spin'' picked the track as "the grandest highlight" of ''Folklore'', complimenting the production as a "sweeping, cinematic

panorama A panorama (formed from Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film, seismic images, or 3D modeling. The word was originally coined in ...

". He further named it one of Swift's "most arresting" collaborations to-date and as an "worthy successor" to her 2011 collaboration, " Safe & Sound". NPR's Kim Ruehl thought that the song creates a "windswept sonic landscape", conveying "overlapping" sadness and sagacity, atypical of Swift's most radio hits. ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

'' critic Ed Power lauded "Exile" as a ''Folklore'' highlight, boosted by "Swift and Vernon's stormy chemistry"; He underscored the former's "steely earnestness" and the latter's "enigmatic presence", and regarded the song the "

millennial Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 20 ...

equivalent" of " Islands in the Stream" (1983) by

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

and

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted m ...

Best-of lists

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the ...

'' named the song as the second-best of 2020, while ''

Men's Health ''Men's Health'' (''MH''), published by Hearst Communications, Hearst, is the world's largest men's magazine brand, with 35 editions in 59 countries. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. Started as a men's health maga ...

'' included it in its ranking of best 25 songs of 2020. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' writer Hannah Mylrea placed the song at number 20 on her list ranking all 161 songs by Swift, praising it as one of Swift's most impressive collaborations. Laura Paterson, editor at ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'', listed "Exile" as one of the 29 best songs of 2020, and christened it "the melancholic duo that 2020 deserved", merging "an angsty, sing-your-guts-out Taylor anthem" with "mid-2000s nostalgia for the folksy sounds of Bon Iver". Surprised by a Swift-Vernon duet, NBHAP named the song the eleventh best of 2020, and welcomed Vernon's return to his "pure and deep voice". '' Slant'' named "Exile" as the fourth-best song of 2020. ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' critic Aia Adriano placed "Exile" at number 4 on her list ranking the best songs of 2020. In August 2022, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' ranked all of Swift's 29 collaborations with other artists, placing "Exile" first.

Commercial performance

The song reached high positions in many countries worldwide. In the United States, "Exile" debuted at number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving Swift her twenty-eighth top-ten hit and Bon Iver's first. The song is one of Swift's record-extending eighteen top-ten debuts on the chart. Marking both Swift's and Bon Iver's first appearance on ''Billboard'' Adult Alternative Songs airplay chart, "Exile" debuted at number 37 on the chart dated August 15, 2020. It debuted at number two on ''Billboard'' Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart and placed number five in its second week—the smallest drop of any of Swift's songs on the chart; ''

'' opined that "the budding airplay could bode well for "Exile" in terms of chart longevity". The song was one of three ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top-10 hits from ''Folklore'' and its third-highest peaking track on the chart, behind " Cardigan" (number one) and " The 1" (number 4). "Exile" also debuted at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Digital Song Sales chart. It reached number 10 on ''Billboard''

Adult Alternative Songs Adult Alternative Airplay (also known as Triple A or Triple A Airplay, and formerly Adult Alternative Songs and Triple A Songs) is a record chart currently published by ''Billboard'' that ranks the most popular songs on adult album alternative radi ...

, giving Swift her first top-10 entry on the chart. The song reached number 3 in Australia's ARIA Singles, Irish Singles, Malaysia's RIM Singles, and Singapore Top 30 Digital Streaming charts; number 5 in New Zealand Top 40 Singles chart; number 6 on Canadian Hot 100; number 8 on

UK Singles The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

; 17 on Israel's

Media Forest Media Forest is an Israeli service provider of Monitoring and Media Research for Music and AdvertiIndustries, founded in 2005 in Netanya, Israel. The company monitors broadcasting tracks and channels such as radio stations and TV channels, and a ...

and Scottish Singles; 32 on Denmark's

Hitlisten Hitlisten, also known as Tracklisten, is a Danish top 40 record chart that is updated every Thursday midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time f ...

; 37 on Belgium's

Ultratop 50 Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization of ...

; 38 on Sweden's Sverigetopplistan charts; and number 40 on Portugal's AFP Top 200 Singles chart. In Australia and Malaysia, "Exile" was one of five tracks from ''Folklore'' to land in the top-10. In Ireland, it was one of three songs from ''Folklore'' to chart in the top ten, increasing Swift's total of Irish top-ten hits to 15. In the UK, "Exile" opened in the top ten alongside "Cardigan" and "The 1", making Swift the sixth artist in the UK history to chart three songs in the top ten simultaneously and the first artist ever to debut three in the region; this extended Swift's UK top-10 hits total to 16. Seven weeks after the release of ''Folklore'', the ''Billboard'' Global 200 chart was inaugurated, on which "Exile" appeared at number 133 on the week of September 19, 2020.

Accolades

"Exile" was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the

, becoming Swift's third nomination in the category, following " Breathe" featuring Colbie Cailat (2008) and " Bad Blood" featuring

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...

(2015).

Usage

English singer-songwriters

Griff Griff may refer to: People * Griff (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Griff (singer), stage name of English singer and songwriter Sarah Faith Griffiths (born 2001) * Nickname of Guy Griffiths (1915–1999), British Second ...

and

Maisie Peters Maisie Hannah Peters (born 28 May 2000) is an English singer-songwriter. After independently releasing two singles, she was signed to Atlantic Records, with whom she released two EPs and the second series soundtrack to the British comedy series ...

covered "Exile" for a YouTube special in December 2020. "Exile" is featured in the twelfth episode of the fourth season of American

medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...

series ''The Resident'', and the final (tenth) episode of the third season of American

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and co ...

series ''You'', where it soundtracks the end of Joe Goldberg and Love Quinn's marital life. The song eventually topped the ''Billboard'' Top TV Songs chart. English

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

band

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stor ...

covered "Exile" on

Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...

. Vernon brought out Swift at his Bon Iver concert at OVO Arena Wembley, London, on October 26, 2022. He surprised the crowd with Swift as a guest act, and they performed "Exile" for the first time in front of an audience. Dessner was also on-stage during the performance.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. *

– vocals, songwriter *

– featured vocals, songwriter, vocal engineer * Joe Alwyn (alias William Bowery) – songwriter, producer *

– producer, recording engineer, drum programmer, electric guitar, piano, percussion, synthesizer * Rob Moose – violin, viola * Laura Sisk – vocal engineer * Jonathan Low – recording engineer, mixer *

Randy Merrill Randy Merrill is an American mastering engineer who has worked with international artists including DAY6, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Harry Styles, One Direction, Adele, Imagine Dragons, Beck, Liam Gallagher, Jonas Brothers, Muse, Cage t ...

– mastering engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2020s ballads 2020 singles 2020 songs Folk ballads Indie folk songs Taylor Swift songs Bon Iver songs Male–female vocal duets Republic Records singles Songs written by Taylor Swift Songs written by Justin Vernon Songs written by Joe Alwyn Song recordings produced by Aaron Dessner Song recordings produced by Joe Alwyn