"Snow on the Beach" is a song by Taylor Swift featuring Lana Del Rey. It was released on October 21, 2022, as the fourth track from Swift's tenth studio album, Midnights. The song was re-released featuring "more Lana Del Rey" on May 26, 2023, as part of a deluxe edition of the album, entitled Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition).
Background[]
From September 21, 2022, Swift would unveil the tracklist for Midnights over the course of a TikTok video series called "Midnights Mayhem with Me". The final episode, released on October 7, saw Swift announce Del Rey to be featured on "Snow on the Beach".[1]
On October 12, Swift spoke more of the song in an Instagram reel:[2]
- "The song is about falling in love with someone at the same time they're falling in love with you in this sort of cataclysmic, fated moment where you realise someone feels exactly the same way you feel at the same moment, and you're kind of looking around going like, 'Wait is this real? Is this a dream? Is this for real? Is this happening? Is it really happening?' Kind of like it would be if you were to see snow falling on a beach."
Commercial performance[]
The song became Del Rey's highest-charting song on Spotify Global at number three. The song would similarly become Del Rey's highest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number four, surpassing "Young and Beautiful"'s peak of six.
The track beat the record for the biggest opening day for a female collaboration in Spotify's history, with 15 million streams in its first 24 hours on the platform.[3]
Cross-references[]
- Beaches are a recurrent theme, being mentioned in "Bartender", "Cherry", "Mariners Apartment Complex", "Summer Bummer", "Watercolor Eyes", and in the poems "Happy", "My Bedroom is a Sacred Place Now — There Are Children at the Foot of my Bed", "Paradise is Very Fragile", and "Salamander".
Official versions[]
- Original version — 4:16
- Clean version — 4:16
- "More Lana Del Rey" version — 3:49
- Clean version — 3:49
Lyrics[]
Original version[]
[Taylor Swift]:
One night, a few moons ago
I saw flecks of what could've been lights
But it might just have been you
Passing by unbeknownst to me
Life is emotionally abusive
And time can't stop me quite like you did
And my flight was awful, thanks for asking
I'm unglued, thanks to you
[Taylor Swift & Lana Del Rey]:
And it's like snow at the beach
Weird but fuckin' beautiful
Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful
You wanting me tonight feels impossible
But it's comin' down, no sound, it's all around
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow, ah
The scene feels like what I once saw on a screen
I searched 'aurora borealis green'
I've never seen someone lit from within
Blurring out my periphery
My smile is like I won a contest
And to hide that would be so dishonest
And it's fine to fake it 'til you make it
'Til you do, 'til it's true
Now it's like snow at the beach
Weird but fuckin' beautiful
Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful
You wanting me tonight feels impossible
But it's comin' down, no sound, it's all around
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow, ah
I (I) can't (Can't) speak, afraid to jinx it
I (I) don't (Don't) even dare to wish it
But your eyes are flying saucers from another planet
Now, I'm all for you like Janet
Can this be a real thing, can it?
Are we falling like snow at the beach? (Snow at the beach)
Weird but fuckin' beautiful
Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful (Flying in a dream)
You wanting me tonight feels impossible (You wanting me)
But it's comin' down, no sound, it's all around
Like snow on the beach (Snow on the beach)
Like snow on the beach (Flying in a dream)
Like snow on the beach (You wanting me)
Like snow, oh
But it's coming down, no sound, it's all around
[Taylor Swift]:
Like snow on the beach (It's coming down, it's coming down, it's coming down, it's coming down)
Like snow on the beach (It's coming down, it's coming down, it's coming down, it's coming down)
It's coming down, it's coming down, it's coming down, it's coming down
It's coming down, it's coming down, it's coming down, it's coming down
"More Lana Del Rey" version[]
[Taylor Swift]:
One night, a few moons ago
I saw flecks of what could've been lights
But it might just have been you
Passing by unbeknownst to me
Life is emotionally abusive
And time can't stop me quite like you did
And my flight was awful, thanks for asking
I'm unglued, thanks to you
[Taylor Swift & Lana Del Rey]:
And it's like snow at the beach
Weird but fucking beautiful
Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful
You wanting me tonight feels impossible
But it's coming down, no sound, it's all around
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow, ah, ah
[Lana Del Rey & Taylor Swift]:
This scene feels like what I once saw on a screen
I searched "aurora borealis green"
I've never seen someone lit from within
Blurring out my periphery
My smile is like I won a contest
And to hide that would be so dishonest
And it's fine to fake it 'til you make it
'Til you do, 'til it's true
[Taylor Swift & Lana Del Rey]:
And now it's like snow at the beach
Weird but fucking beautiful
Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful
You wanting me tonight feels impossible
But it's coming down, no sound, it's all around
Like snow on the beach (Mmm)
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach (Mmm)
Like snow, ah, ah
I (I) can't (Can't) speak, afraid to jinx it
I (I) don't (Don't) even dare to wish it
But your eyes are flying saucers from another planet
Now, I'm all for you like Janet
Can this be a real thing? Can it?
Are we falling like snow at the beach? (Snow at the beach)
Weird but fucking beautiful
Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful (Flying in a dream)
You wanting me tonight feels impossible (You wanting me)
But it's coming down, no sound, it's all around
Like snow on the beach (Snow on the beach) (Mmm)
Like snow on the beach (Flying in a dream)
Like snow on the beach (You wanting me) (Mmm)
Like snow, ah
But it's coming down, no sound, it's all around
[Lana Del Rey]:
Like snow on the beach
Like snow, like snow, uh-huh, yeah
Credits[]
Personnel
- Taylor Swift — songwriting, production, vocals
- Jack Antonoff — songwriting, production, engineering, programming, percussion, synthesizer [Juno 6], background vocals, drums, Mellotron, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass
- Lana Del Rey — songwriting, vocals
- Bobby Hawk — violin
- Dylan O'Brien — drums
- Şerban Ghenea — mixing
- Bryce Bordone — mixing assistance
- Laura Sisk — engineering
- Dave Gross — engineering
- Evan Smith — engineering, synthesizer
- Megan Searl — engineering assistance
- Jon Sher — engineering assistance
- John Rooney — engineering assistance
- Jacob Spitzer — engineering assistance
- Randy Merrill — mastering
Technical
- Recorded at Rough Customer Studio, Brooklyn, New York City / Electric Lady Studios, New York City, New York / Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California / Blue Plate Records, Hayworth, New Jersey / Pleasure Hill Recording, Portland, Maine
- Mixed at Mixstar Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Mastered at Sterling Sound, Edgewater, New Jersey