Clean (song)
Written and produced by Swift and the British musician Imogen Heap, the track is a steady soft rock, dream pop, and synth-folk ballad with an electronic production.
The re-recording peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Global 200 and entered in the top 30 on the national charts of Canada, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United States.
The American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift had identified as a country artist until she released her fourth studio album, Red, in October 2012.
[7][8] To this end, Swift recruited new producers including the British musician Imogen Heap, whom she called "one of the most interesting and unique artists".
[23] Hannah Mylrea from NME said the song has "chiming soft rock instrumentals",[21] while The Guardian's Alex Petridis wrote that it features "alternately pulsing and drifting electronics".
[30] In 2023, she performed the track as a "surprise song" on two dates of the Eras Tour: April 1 in Arlington, Texas, and May 28 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
[38] "Clean (Taylor's Version)" is a second longer than the original; Heap reprised her role as co-producer and player of instruments including vibraphone, percussion, kalimba, keyboard, and drums.
[18][50][51] Forrest Wickman of Slate called the song "sad but ultimately hopeful" and thought it had similar themes to Swift's other closing tracks, such as "Begin Again" from Red.
[54] Sasha Geffen of Consequence called "Clean" a "bell-accounted number" and commended Swift's sentiment of finding strength through friendship.
[17] Clash picked the track as one of Swift's 15 best songs—editor Sahar Ghadirian labeled the song a "masterclass in songwriting" and lauded its emotional sentiment as "empowering and validating".
[58] Alex Hopper from American Songwriter viewed the song as a fan-favorite and commended how Swift opens up her struggles and ventures deep with her audience.
Michaelson covered "Clean" at the Billboard Women in Music event on December 12, 2014, to honor Swift's win for Woman of the Year.
[63] On June 9, 2021, the American singer Sara Bareilles performed a cover of "Clean" as a tribute to Taylor Swift at the annual National Music Publishers' Association meeting.
[65] Critics described the performance as "emotional"[66] and "stunning"—Larisha Paul of Rolling Stone said that Clarkson maintained the song's "sense of rebirth and new beginnings".
