Snow on the Beach
The song was met with mixed reviews; some praised it for what they deemed a wintery production and engaging lyrics, but critics and fans alike found Del Rey's contribution underwhelming.
[2] On September 21, Swift began unveiling the album's track-list in a randomized order through a short 13-episode video series on TikTok, titled Midnights Mayhem with Me.
[15] Mellisa Ruggieri of USA Today and John Wohlmacher of Beats Per Minute compared its use of bells and plucked strings to holiday music.
[15] Various critics deemed the production of the track wintery,[note 1] which Melissa Ruggieri from USA Today compared to The Dream Academy's "Life in a Northern Town" (1985).
[20] Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone likened "Snow on the Beach" to the Folklore track "Mirrorball", because she thought it had a similar dream pop production.
[9] Wohlmacher wrote that the track incorporates classical elements and believed it resembles the work of the American composers Philip Glass and Steve Reich.
[7] The first verse begins with Swift discovering that unforeseen love, which Seventeen's Samantha Olson thought it was done in a similar way to "Long Story Short" (2020).
[25] In an interview with Billboard, Del Rey stated that she "had no idea [she] was the only feature" on the album and "would have sung the entire second verse like [Swift] wanted" if she had known, but was "more focused on the production" of the song than the vocals.
[31] In response to the reception of the track,[32] a version of the song featuring "More Lana Del Rey" was released as part of The Til Dawn Edition of Midnights on May 26, 2023.
[39][40] In the United States, "Snow on the Beach" opened and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, with 37.2 million streams, 2,600 digital downloads, and 615,000 airplay impressions.
[63] Chris Willman of Variety and John Murphy of MusicOMH noted the minimal vocals from Del Rey, but nonetheless praised her contributions.
[28][29] Under the Radar's Andy Von Pop described "Snow on the Beach" as a "beautiful love song" and opined that the subtlety of the track is more sophisticated than works by Swift's peers.
[68] John Wohlmacher of Beats Per Minute wrote that Del Rey's vocals added a "subtle shade of melancholia" to contrast the happiness of the lyrics.
[9] In a more complimentive review, The Guardian music journalist Alexis Petridis said it was far from a "grandstanding summit" between them but nonetheless applauded their "restrained" collaboration and thought it was "beautifully done".
[26] Rick Quinn of PopMatters praised the "quiet beauty and arresting imagery" of the track, but nonetheless opined that it leaves the listener wanting more from the collaboration.
