"Champagne Problems" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). Taylor wrote the song with Joe Alwyn, who used the name William Bowery, and Aaron Dessner helped produce it. The song has a simple and calm style, with music from a piano and guitar.
The lyrics tell the story of a girlfriend who says no to her partner's serious marriage proposal because she feels unprepared. She takes blame for ending the relationship and expresses sadness about what has happened. Critics praised the song for showing emotions and struggles in a relationship, especially the part of the song called the bridge. The track reached the top 25 in eight countries and the Billboard Global 200 chart.
Background and release
On July 24, 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Taylor Swift released her eighth studio album, Folklore, without warning. The album received a lot of praise from critics and was very successful commercially. In September 2020, Swift and her co-producers and co-writers for the album, Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff, gathered at Long Pond Studio, a cabin in upstate New York, to film the documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions. Swift wrote the song "Champagne Problems" during these sessions.
On December 10, 2020, Swift announced her ninth studio album, Evermore, which is a related album to Folklore. The album was released at midnight, and she shared its track listing, which included "Champagne Problems" as the second song. Kitty Committee Studio was also credited as a location where the song was recorded. In the announcement, Swift shared images of several tracks, including "Champagne Problems," which she described as a song about two college sweethearts. Lyric videos for each song on the album were posted to Swift's YouTube channel. As of July 2023, the video for "Champagne Problems" has been watched more than 42 million times. In the video, the lyrics appear over a glass of champagne. The song was also included in The "Dropped Your Hand While Dancing" Chapter, a streaming compilation released by Swift on January 21, 2021, which featured four other songs from Evermore and one from Folklore. The song was included in the setlist for Swift's sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour (2023–2024).
Composition and lyrics
"Champagne Problems" is a ballad with simple, low-energy music that includes piano chords, guitar notes played in a pattern, and choir vocals. The piano also has a unique sound that resembles a rhythmic "oom-pah." Pitchfork critic Sam Sodomsky described the song's structure as "spacious," meaning it feels open and has plenty of space between musical elements. The lyrics tell the story of a girlfriend whose personal challenges affect her relationship, causing her to refuse her lover's sincere marriage proposal during a Christmas party. Maura Johnston of Entertainment Weekly noted the song's emotional tone, calling it "weepy." In the second verse, the narrator mentions that the person proposing was so confident about the answer that they shared the news with their family before the proposal because they "couldn't keep it in." The song shows the narrator taking responsibility for causing sadness and reflecting on the loss of the relationship while watching her former lover move forward. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard described the story as "a quiet sense of hurt growing louder as the song's tale of a fading romance becomes more urgent." The narrator speaks to her former lover using a second-person perspective throughout the song.
Critical reception
The song "Champagne Problems" received a lot of praise from critics. Alexis Petridis from The Guardian said the way the song shows madness in its bridge is similar to Taylor Swift's 2014 song "Blank Space." Hannah Mylrea from NME believed the song shares more themes with Swift's 2008 song "Love Story." Jon Pareles from The New York Times described the song's music as "elaborate." Brodie Lancaster from The Sydney Morning Herald, Tom Breihan from Stereogum, and Helen Brown from The Independent praised Swift's ability to create detailed characters in her lyrics. Brodie Lancaster also said "Champagne Problems" is an example of Swift's skill in carefully describing characters in her songs.
Several critics, including Patrick Ryan from USA Today, Mikael Wood from the Los Angeles Times, and Bobby Olivier from Spin, called "Champagne Problems" one of the best songs on the album Evermore. Annie Zaleski from The A.V. Club said the song shows how well the album's sounds work together. Jason Lipshutz from Billboard and Chris Willman from Variety praised Swift's storytelling skills and how the song highlights them. The song was also praised compared to Swift's other works. According to Consequence, "Champagne Problems" has the best bridge on Evermore, with Swift's strongest lyrics and performance on the album. Critics from Clash named it one of Swift's 15 best songs, noting its use of metaphor and "brutal honesty."
Commercial performance
When the album Evermore was released, all 15 songs entered the top 75 of the Billboard Global 200 chart at the same time. The song "Champagne Problems" reached number 12 on this chart. In the United States, the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 21 and reached number 3 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, where it remained for 22 weeks. In Canada, it reached number 6 on the Canadian Hot 100. Globally, "Champagne Problems" appeared on multiple single charts, reaching the top 25 in Ireland (6), Australia (12), Malaysia (15), Singapore (16), and New Zealand (24). It also charted in Portugal (75) and Switzerland (92). In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart.
In popular culture
Inspired by a song, the French luxury hotel Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa created a new guest package named "Champagne Solution." This package includes a bottle of Dom Pérignon, a famous champagne brand referenced in the lyrics of the song.
Credits and personnel
Credits based on Pitchfork.
- Taylor Swift − vocals, songwriting, production
- Aaron Dessner − production, recording, piano, synthesizer, acoustic guitar, synth bass
- William Bowery − songwriting
- Jonathan Low − vocal recording, mixing, recording
- Greg Calbi − mastering
- Steve Fallone − mastering
- Logan Coale − upright bass