Treacherous (Taylor Swift song)

[1] She wrote the album and co-produced it with her long-time collaborator Nathan Chapman; Speak Now expands the country pop production of its 2008 predecessor Fearless.

[6] In an interview with Taste of Country, Swift stated that the track was inspired by a conflicted feeling of being at risk every time you fall in love.

[13] Before the album's release, on August 13, Swift performed an acoustic rendition for a YouTube Webchat session held in Nashville.

[30][33] For Pitchfork, Ivy Nelson wrote that whereas the beginning is "relatively motionless, frozen in time by all the tension in Swift's voice", as the track progresses, "the guitars and drums melt into dark, wet echoes like pelting raindrops".

[35] On the re-recorded track, it is musically identical to the original recording like the rest of Red (Taylor's Version), but with a more mature voice from Swift.

Willman said that it contains some of the most poetic lyrics on the album,[40] and Lansky considered the musical direction of the song an example of Swift's "diversions into sonic experimentation that wouldn't fare as well on the radio, and they feel even more exciting".

[35] American Songwriter's Jewly Hight selected it as one of the tracks that showcase Swift's talents at capturing emotions in tangible detail.

[34] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine was impressed by Swift's songwriting for "expressing genuine insights into complex relationship dynamics".

Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone said that she "braves the ski slopes of love, with a seething acoustic guitar that finally detonates halfway though".

[44] Musicologist James E. Perone deemed its musical approach an evidence of "increased maturity in Swift's work as a songwriter and performer".

[46] Sputnikmusic was amazed by Swift for her reflections of love and life on Red, and cited "Treacherous" as an example because of how she "vividly captured forbidden lust and temptation".

[29] Alex Hopper from American Songwriter deemed "Treacherous" a highpoint from Red,[48] and Michael Savio of PopMatters selected it as one of Swift's "finest, most pensive" songs, among other album tracks.

[49] In a review of "Treacherous (Taylor's Version)", Mary Kate Carr said that the song introduced a "haunting, newly mature singer-songwriter vibe" to Swift's artistry.