“Snow on the Beach” by Taylor Swift (ft. Lana Del Rey)

Yes, there are parts of the world, such as the Northeastern United States for instance, where, during the proper season, you can find snow on the beach. But such is not considered a common phenomenon. This is because when we usually think of beaches, what comes to mind is tropical environments where it doesn’t conventionally snow (except maybe at high altitudes).

And that is the aspect of the titular occurrence which Taylor Swift is speaking to. She is talking about how a snowy beach is “weird” but also “f*-king beautiful”. In doing so, she is actually metaphorically comparing such instances to how it feels to simultaneously fall in love with someone else.

Indeed when you think about it, love songs are usually and understandably pretty one-sided. They are often relayed from the perspective of the vocalist. But this is one of those cases where the narrator is able to perceive that just as she’s falling in love with the addressee, the addressee is likewise becoming increasingly smitten by her.

And yes, as the late Teddy Pendergrass would say, it is more ideal when you love someone, and they likewise love you back. Or let’s say that it is a much better situation than wanting to hook up with somebody but not being sure if they feel the same, which is a scenario we come across more commonly in song.

So basically, just as “snow on the beach” may sound unreal to some, that is how the vocalist feels in terms of currently wanting someone who likewise desires her in return, as if she is “flying in a dream”, amongst other colorful allegories.

Release of “Snow on the Beach”

This is a song from Taylor Swift’s album “Midnights”. It is a track which Swifties have been familiar with prior to its official release date since Taylor revealed it by name on 7 October 2022.

Republic Records proceeded to officially release “Snow on the Beach” a couple of weeks later, on 21 October. It was launched as part of the aforementioned album.

This song was well received on Spotify, logging 15,000,000 streams on its day of release. In doing so, it set the record for the biggest debut for a female collaboration on the platform. This record was previously held by 2020’s “Rain on Me“, a song by Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga.

This track features a shoutout to “All for You”, a song which the legendary Janet Jackson dropped back in 2001. And Miss Jackson has publicly acknowledged said reference, going on further to imply that ‘loves’ “Snow on the Beach”.

Credits

It has been pointed out that one of the drummers on this song, besides Jack Antonoff, is Dylan O’Brien, who is actually an actor by profession. In terms of his acting career, he has worked with Taylor Swift before, co-starring on the 2021 All Too Well short film that she wrote and directed.

Jack Antonoff, one of the behind-the-scenes’ musicians most responsible for Taylor’s continued success, co-wrote and co-produced “Snow on the Beach” with the songstress.

Lana Del Rey also gets writing credit for this song.

The Taylor and Lana Collaboration

Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey are arguably the two most-prolific major female pop singers of the early 2020s. So, of course it is big news that they got around to dropping a mutual track in “Snow on the Beach”.

But that said, it should be noted that Lana’s vocal contributions to this song isn’t major. In actuality she’s featured primarily in an ad-libbing capacity. For this reason, many feel that she didn’t deserve being listed as a co-headliner on the track.