Everything Has Changed

Background and composition

It was reported that English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran would appear as a guest artist on American recording artist Taylor Swift's then-upcoming album Red. On October 18, 2012, "Everything Has Changed" by Swift featuring Sheeran was leaked online. The song was written by Swift and Sheeran in Swift's backyard. "Everything Has Changed" is a guitar ballad, blending folk-pop genres. Written in the key of G-flat major, it has a moderate tempo of 84 beats per minute. The duo's vocal range spans from G♭₃ to D♭₅. Lyrically, the track talks about "wanting to get to know a new lover better". Swift further explained the song's theme, "Everything looks different to you because of this one person, because one new person came into your life. It’s really cool".

Reception

"Everything Has Changed" received generally lukewarm reviews from music critics. A writer from Billboard gave the song a mixed review, criticizing its composition yet complimenting Sheeran's appearance. Robert Cospey of Digital Spy gave the song a three stars out of five rating, praising the song's musical style as "cutesy" but felt that "their exchanges leave us with a warm and fuzzy feeling that is all too rare these days". Sian Rowe, a writer from NME provided "Everything Has Changed" a negative review, writing that the track is "disappointing in every way".

In the United States, "Everything Has Changed" peaked at number 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart; it eventually charted at number eight on the Adult Pop Songs, number 11 on the Adult Contemporary and number 14 on the Mainstream Top 40. On the Canadian Hot 100, the single peaked at number 28. "Everything Has Changed" was more commercially successful in several European territories, peaking at number five in Ireland, number seven in Sheeran's native United Kingdom, and number eight in Belgium (Flanders region). It was certified gold by the Recorded Music NZ, and Recording Industry Association of America, and double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association.

Music video

A music video for "Everything Has Changed" was released on Swift's VEVO channel on YouTube on June 6, 2013. It was directed by Philip Andelman and filmed in Oak Park, California and San Antonio. The video begins with two children who initially appear to be Swift and Sheeran when they were much younger, meeting each other on a bus to elementary school. Young Taylor is played by Ava Ames. Throughout the video, the two children have their "youthful play" including painting their faces with crayons, pretending to be a princess and knight, and dancing with each other in the empty school gym. At the end, Swift and Sheeran appear and we realize that they are actually two different parents, arriving at the school to pick up their kids and take each of the children back to their respective homes. Jason Lipshutz from Billboard labelled the video as "impossibly adorable", while Ray Rahman from Entertainment Weekly compared the video's synopsis to Forrest Gump, but "much more gentle than that". To date, it has 209 million views on YouTube.

Live performances

On June 8, 2013, Swift and Sheeran performed "Everything Has Changed" together on season finale of the seventh series of Britain's Got Talent. Swift also sang the song on her Red Tour (2013).

Track listing

1. "Everything Has Changed" (featuring Ed Sheeran) – 4:06

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from liner notes of Red.