A bubblegum, electropop, and synth-pop song, "Gorgeous" features a loop instrumented by minimal hip hop–inspired drum machine beats and synthesizers, occasional acoustic guitars, and a triangle ding before the refrain.

Inspired by Swift's relationship with the English actor Joe Alwyn, the lyrics are flirtatious confessions to a newfound romantic interest: the narrator jokingly tells this man that his striking beauty makes her miserable and yearning for more.

Critical reception of the song was mixed: some reviews complimented its simple lyrics and production, but some others deemed the songwriting subpar for Swift's abilities.

Taylor Swift wrote "Gorgeous" with Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback for her sixth studio album, Reputation.

[1] On October 19, 2017, Swift gave a preview of the song in an Instagram post which featured a baby voice saying the word "gorgeous" over an electropop production.

[4] Swift decided to feature the baby's voice after she played an acoustic guitar demo to Lively and Reynolds and then their daughter kept saying the word "gorgeous".

[24] Compared to her previous songs about unrequited love or hopeless romance, "Gorgeous" sees Swift assuming a more assertive position: "I'm so furious / At you for making me feel this way.

[21] Christopher Rosa from Glamour stated that it was evidence that Swift was "single-handedly saving pop music in 2017," calling it "fizzy" and "delightful".

[25] In a review for Variety, Chris William called it a pop song that offers "conventional pleasures", and appreciated it as a welcoming reminder of Swift's abilities as a songwriter, after the dark sounds of Reputation's previous singles "Look What You Made Me Do" and "...Ready for It?".

[26] Entertainment Weekly's Eric Renner Brown gave it a B+, deeming it a welcoming sign of Swift's songwriting skills compared to the petty lyrics of the two previous Reputation singles.

He added that judging from the vengeance and drama-filled lyrics of the previous Reputation singles, "Gorgeous" proved that Swift was becoming "a woman whose tremendous success has magnified her resentments to the point where she can't even enjoy the happiest of emotions: falling in love".

[27] Similarly, Jordan Sargent from Spin felt that the song, whose narrative was a step down from Swift's traditional vivid songwriting, was overshadowed by the dark and tumultuous promotional campaign for Reputation and its lead single "Look What You Made Me Do".

[30] It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for exceeding 500,000 units based on sales and on-demand streaming.

[31] In the U.K., where "Gorgeous" was added to BBC Radio 1's playlist,[32] it peaked at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart and was certified platinum (600,000 units) by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).