"I Know Places" is a song 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 ...

from her fifth studio album, ''

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

'' (2014). She wrote the song with

Ryan Tedder Ryan Benjamin Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, frontman, and lead vocalist for the pop rock band OneRepublic, while also serving as a prolific cont ...

, and the two produced it with

Noel Zancanella Noel Patrick Zancanella is an American record producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. He has written and produced songs for rock and pop artists such as Taylor Swift, OneRepublic, Maroon 5, B.o.B., Gym Class Heroes, Gavin DeGr ...

. A

trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

and

drum and bass Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...

song with influences of

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

and trap in its instrumentation, "I Know Places" is about a couple's struggle with public scrutiny. Music critics generally praised the composition and imagery of "I Know Places", with some deeming it one of ''1989'' most vulnerable and underrated tracks, although a handful of them deemed it a weaker track in her discography. "I Know Places" received gold

certifications Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

in Australia and the United States. Swift performed the song on

the 1989 World Tour The 1989 World Tour was the fourth concert tour by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, in support of her fifth studio album, ''1989'' (2014). It began in Tokyo, Japan, on May 5, 2015, and concluded in Melbourne, Australia, on December ...

(2015) and as a surprise number in select shows in her future tours. Following a 2019 dispute over her masters, Swift

re-recorded A re-recording is a recording produced following a new performance of a work of music. This is most commonly, but not exclusively, by a popular artist or group. It differs from a reissue, which involves a second or subsequent release of a previousl ...

the song as "I Know Places (Taylor's Version)" for her fourth re-recorded studio album, ''

1989 (Taylor's Version) ''1989 (Taylor's Version)'' is the fourth re-recorded album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on October 27, 2023, by Republic Records, as part of Swift's re-recording project following the Taylor Swift masters disput ...

'' (2023). Critics praised its increase in power in Swift's vocals compared to the original version.

Background and writing

The American singer-songwriter

abandoned the

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

stylings of her past music and embraced a

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 ...

production for her fifth studio album, ''1989'' (2014), which she marketed as her "first official" pop album. Her musical inspiration was 1980s

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

and its experimentation with

synthesizers A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

, drum pads, and overlapped vocals. She began writing the album in mid–2013 while touring in support of her fourth album, ''Red'' (2012), and enlisted prominent contemporary pop producers including

, whom she contacted via a Voice Memo. In that voice memo, Swift sang a demo of the chorus while playing a piano. During the production of ''1989'', Swift faced a lot of media scrutiny, which she said put her in a place where "no one is going to sign up for relationship. Swift stated, "There are just too many cameras pointed at me. There are too many ridiculous elaborations about my life". She stated that she wrote "I Know Places" after fantasizing about a relationship in which she " etsomeone awesome, and they were like, hey, I'm worried about all this attention you get", with Swift responding, "Hey, I know places we can hide. We could outrun them".

Lyrics and composition

"I Know Places" is a

and

song about the pressures of public scrutiny. With a length of three minutes and fifteen seconds, "I Know Places" is co-written by Swift and Tedder, who co-produced the track alongside

. The song was recorded at Conway Recording, located at

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. It contains influences of

and incorporates trap-inspired

snare SNARE proteins – "Soluble NSF attachment protein, SNAP REceptors" – are a large protein family consisting of at least 24 members in yeasts and more than 60 members in mammalian and plant cells. The primary role of SNARE proteins is to m ...

beats. It takes a seemingly hopeless perspective on a lifestyle where nothing is private, and Swift's need to "hide er personal informationfrom the world". It has angry and anthemic feels in the verses and chorus, which were praised by ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...

'' Eliza Thompson. In an interview with Grammy Pro, Swift mentioned that the love she wrote about in "I Know Places" was similar to that of her 2016 single " Out of the Woods". "I Know Places" portrays the

paparazzi Paparazzi (singular form paparazzo) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people, such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities who go about their daily life routines. Paparazzi are known f ...

as people that "cage" celebrities and put them into "boxes", with the lyrics showing Swift "running from something" despite being painted as a role model to other people. It builds up trap-influenced snare drums before launching into a chorus reminiscent of the American singer-songwriter

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo (née Andrzejewski; formerly and still professionally Benatar ; born January 10, 1953) is an American singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has two multi-platinum albums, five platinum albums, and 15 US ''Billboa ...

. The song also focuses on Swift's desire to preserve an unstable relationship.

Critical reception

In a ranking of Swift's entire catalog,

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 ...

of ''

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 ...

'' placed "I Know Places" at number 115, describing it as "underrated" and saying that Swift "goes all

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...

" in the song". While ranking every track on ''1989'' standard edition, Christine DiStasio of ''

Bustle A bustle is a padded undergarment or wire frame used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skir ...

'' ranked "I Know Places" at number four, praising the song's intense imagery and suspense and claiming that it was unsuspected by anyone. DiStasio deemed "I Know Places" ''1989'' most vulnerable track, believing that it made her worried about Swift's well-being. Lindsay Zoladz, writing for ''

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 Nort ...

'', compared "I Know Places" to

the soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured ...

of the

dystopian A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmenta ...

film '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1'' (2014). Zoladz thought that the song was inspired by the "moody" and " electro-

minimalist In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

" vibe of the New Zealand singer-songwriter

Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. She is known for her unconventional style of pop music and introspective songwriting, and has been referred to ...

, who curated the soundtrack album to the film. ''

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 publis ...

'' Roisin O'Connor ranked "I Know Places" 34th out of 100 select album tracks of Swift, praising the way Swift sounds "delightfully menacing" with the lyrics: "Loose links sink ships all the damn time/ Not this time". However, O'Connor also described the song as an inferior version of "Out of the Woods". Nate Jones, writing for ''Vulture'', criticized the song's "lack of universality" but praised its "slice of gothic pop-star paranoia", which gave ''1989'' a "much-needed bit of edge". In a ranking of Swift's entire catalog, Jones ranked "I Know Places" at number 122 in 2024.

Release, live performances, and covers

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 ...

released ''1989'' on October 27, 2014; "I Know Places" is number 12 on the standard track listing. The song received received gold

in Australia (

ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

) and the United States (

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

). Swift performed "I Know Places" as part of the permanent setlist of

(2015), during which Swift wears thigh-high black boots and garters. The song's intense lyrics and production are accompanied by a performance of Swift being chased by the masked dancers through multiple mobile doors as she sings "They are the hunters / We are the foxes". Outside the 1989 World Tour, Swift performed the song as a surprise song during the

Reputation Stadium Tour The Reputation Stadium Tour was the fifth concert tour and the first stadium tour by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, in support of her sixth studio album, ''Reputation'' (2017). It began in Glendale, Arizona, United States, on May ...

(2018) (

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, first show) and

the Eras Tour The Eras Tour was the sixth concert tour by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It began in Glendale, Arizona, United States, on March 17, 2023, and concluded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on December 8, 2024. Spanning 149 sh ...

(2023–2024) (

, fifth show). During the first

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

show of the Eras Tour, Swift performed "I Know Places" in a mashup with " Would've, Could've, Should've" (2022). The Australian singer-songwriter

Vance Joy James Gabriel Keogh (born 1 December 1987), known professionally as Vance Joy, is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician, and former Australian rules footballer. He is best known for his 2013 hit song " Riptide". Joy signed a five-album de ...

recorded a video of him covering "I Know Places" to his

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel. Swift described his cover as "so mesmerizing" and "so pretty". The American singer-songwriter

Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American Rock music, rock and Country music, country singer-songwriter. He has released 30 studio albums and three as a former member of Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams left Whiskeytown and released ...

covered the song as part of his track by track cover of ''1989''.

Personnel

Adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

of ''1989''. * Taylor Swift – writer, producer,

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

, lead vocals,

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
AllMusic known professional ...

– executive producer *

– producer, recording, writer, additional programming, piano,

Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods * ''Juno'' (film), the 2007 film Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, a character in the book ''Juno of ...

, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drum programming, additional

synth A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

, background vocals *

– producer, additional programming, drum programming, synthesizer, bass, additional synth

Chart

Certifications

"I Know Places (Taylor's Version)"

After signing a new contract with

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 ...

, Swift began re-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020. The decision followed a public 2019 dispute between Swift and talent manager

Scooter Braun Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun ( ; born June 18, 1981) is an American businessman, investor, and record executive. Since 2023 he has served as chief executive officer (CEO) of Hybe America, the North American subsidiary of South Korean entertain ...

, who acquired Big Machine Records, including the masters of Swift's albums which the label had released. By re-recording the albums, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, which enabled her to control the licensing of her songs for

commercial use Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

. In doing so, she hoped that the re-recorded songs would substitute the Big Machine–owned masters. The re-recording of "I Know Places", subtitled "Taylor's Version" was released as part of ''1989''s re-recording, ''

'' (2023). Swift produced "I Know Places (Taylor's Version)" with Ryan Tedder and Noel Zancanella, who reprised their co-production roles. The re-recording is also three minutes and fifteen seconds long, but is recorded at

Mandarin Oriental Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group International Limited is a multinational hospitality and management group focusing on luxury hotels, resorts, and residences, with a total of 43 properties worldwide, 20 of which it either wholly or partially owns ...

, located in Milan, instead. Upon release, all songs on ''1989 (Taylor's Version)'' entered the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, with "I Know Places (Taylor's Version)" peaking at 36. The re-recording also charted in Canada (35), Greece (41), New Zealand (32), the United Kingdom (38), and the ''Billboard'' Global 200 (30).

Critical reception

Rachel Martin of ''

Notion Notion or Notions may refer to: Software * Notion (music software), a music composition and performance program * Notion (productivity software), a note-taking and project-management program from Notion Labs, Inc. * Notion (window manager), the ...

'' praised its uptick in emotion in the vocals of "I Know Places (Taylor's Version)", alongside its "more powerful end", and the addition of more "depth and emotion" made by a few tweaks in the bridge of the song. Kelsey Barnes of ''

The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...

'' hailed the re-recording as one of the best re-recordings on ''1989 (Taylor's Version)'', elaborating that it is "more guttural" and hypothesizing that Swift " hanneledher anger" at media scrutiny into the recording. Jonathan Keefe of ''

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 ...

'' praised Swift's vocals' soar in power in "I Know Places (Taylor's Version)".

Personnel

Adapted from the liner notes of ''1989 (Taylor's Version)''. *

– vocals, background vocals *

– background vocals, piano,

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

, acoustic guitar, drum

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

, electric guitar, programming *

– drum programming, synthesizer,

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

, programming * Orion Meshorer – acoustic guitar, electric guitar *

Randy Merrill Randy Merrill is an American mastering engineer who has worked with international artists including Blink-182, DAY6, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Harry Styles, One Direction, Adele, Imagine Dragons, Beck, Liam Gallagher, Jonas Brothers, Muse ...

– mastering * Ryan Smith – mastering *

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 * Rich Rich –

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 ...

* Ryan Tedder – engineering * Derek Garten – engineering,

editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written language, written, Image editing, visual, Audio engineer, audible, or Film editing, cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing p ...

* Christopher Rowe – vocal engineering

Charts

References

2014 songs Taylor Swift songs Songs written by Taylor Swift Songs written by Ryan Tedder Song recordings produced by Taylor Swift Song recordings produced by Ryan Tedder Song recordings produced by Noel Zancanella Trip hop songs Drum and bass songs {{Taylor Swift songs