False God (song)

Taylor Swift released her seventh studio album, Lover, on August 23, 2019, through Republic Records.[2] Described by Swift as a "love letter to love itself", Lover explores the "full spectrum of love", inspired by the connections she felt with her fans during her Reputation Stadium Tour (2018).[3] The track list of Lover consists of 18 songs, of which eight were written by Swift and Jack Antonoff, including "False God" which was also produced by them.[4] Prior to the release, the singer teased various lyrics of the track in "Me!" music video (2019) and in The New York Times advertisement.[5] Swift unveiled the album's track listing on August 16, leading to speculation about "False God" being about Donald Trump or Kanye West.[6][7] However, the track turned out to be about Swift's then-boyfriend Joe Alwyn.[6][8]

"False God" is a "jazzy"[9] and "sultry"[10] neo soul[1] and smooth jazz[11] song that spans for three minutes and 20 seconds.[4] The track begins with a "minimalist"[1] and "subtle" saxophone riff and proceeds into a "laid-back" and "slow-burning" R&B cut inspired by the genre's 1980s music scene,[12][13] supported by hiccupping vocal samples.[14] NME's Nick Levine opined that the song is a "balmy mix of sax and trap",[15] while Esquire's Dave Holmes compared it to new-age and ambient music compilation Pure Moods (1994).[16] According to Jeff Nelson from People it is a "standout" on Lover;[17] featuring a different feel than the rest of the record—more "steamy" and "sensual".[12][17] "False God" was likened to the work of American musician Prince, due to displayed confidence in its lyrics,[18] as well as covering similar topics.[16]

An "emotional" cut,[19] it "invokes religion to ponder how eager we are to fool ourselves with promises of perfection".[20] Labeled as one of the most "idiosyncratic" Swift songs,[21] it was summed up by Refinery29's Meagan Fredette as a track about "the ups, downs, and horizontal polkas in a relationship".[8] Swift starts the first verse by singing "We were stupid to jump".[5] The pre-chorus depicts the singer and her lover during an argument,[18][22] as well as mention of New York City, which might illustrate the long-distance relationship.[8][14] In the chorus, Swift declares that her hips are "the altar" even if it is the titular "false god", suggesting not to believe fantasized relationships present in pop songs.[23] She later repeats "We'd still worship this love", segueing into the second verse, where she uses metaphors of heaven and hell to depict different parts of a relationship.[12] Heaven represents physical pleasure,[10] while hell shows struggles of romance.[12] Heaven imagery is also used in Swift's other songs such as "Blank Space" and "Wildest Dreams" (both 2014), and other Lover track "Cruel Summer".[5] Religious theme is continued with the depiction of guilt and shame,[24] exemplified by the line "Making confessions and we're begging for forgiveness / Got the wine for you."[5]

During the performance of "False God" in Saturday Night Live, Swift was accompanied by its musical director Lenny Pickett on saxophone.

On October 5, 2019,[25] Swift appeared on Saturday Night Live as a musical guest; she teased a performance there on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, by saying "I'll probably do 'Lover' but in a way I haven't performed it before. And then I'm going to do a song that I have never performed at all live."[26] As she announced, she performed "Lover", and debuted "False God" live on a stage decorated by lightbulbs and pitch-black walls,[27][28] evoking a feeling of a "quiet nighttime walk through Central Park".[8] She was backed up by background singers, drummer, keyboardist, and SNL's musical director Lenny Pickett on saxophone.[29][30] Accompanied by smoke on the ground, the singer was dressed in oversized black-colored blazer, sequined pants, and flat shoes;[25][31] De Elizabeth from Teen Vogue likened this outfit to the aesthetic of her 2017 album Reputation.[32] Labeled as "loungy" and "vibey" rendition of the track earned Swift a critical praise,[33][31] with critics enjoying the way she brought the song to a live setting.[25][13] Pickett was also applauded; Uproxx's Caitlin White called him a "scene-stealer",[9] while Matthew Dessem of Slate opined that his performance "has got to be the smoothest saxophone sound an SNL musical guest has had in years".[30]

In 2023, Swift embarked on the Eras Tour, which contains a segment of "surprise songs" when she performs random songs from her discography—one on guitar and another on piano.[34] Each night, she changes tracks that she sings, which she picks based on show's location.[35] During the stop in East Rutherford on May 27, she sang "False God", following a performance of "Holy Ground" (2012).[36] She played it on piano, while the crowd sang along her.[37] The New Yorker's Amanda Petrusich opined that the performance has proven that the singer's voice has improved over the years.[23] Nora Princiotti of The Ringer placed it as the 28th best "surprise song" performance of the tour.[21]

English singer-songwriter James Bay shared a 45-second-long clip of him covering "False God" on guitar on his Instagram Story in September 2019. It was later re-posted by Swift who captioned the rendition "stunning", while Gil Kaufman of Billboard dubbed it as "gorgeous".[38] The following year, it was covered by American country music singer Ryan Hurd on his Platonic Tour. Swift again shown her appreciation by tweeting "Love this so much", while Nelson labeled it as "sexy".[17] "False God" was used in the fourth episode of the first season of American romantic drama The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022).[39][40]

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Lover.[4]

Studios

• Recorded at Electric Lady Studios (New York City)
• Mixed at MixStar Studios (Virginia Beach)
• Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Personnel