Thursday, October 19, 2023
Taylor Swift can't stop, won't stop. The
Republic megastar surprised her fans on Wednesday night (10/18) with the live tour version of "Cruel Summer" and an accompanying remix by producer
LP Giobbi, packaged, along with the original single, as
The Cruelest Summer. Swift explained in an
Instagram post that she was so moved by the response to
The Eras Tour film that she felt it was only right to reward her ever-loyal Swifties.
All three cuts from the mini-release (maxi-single?) occupy the top three positions at
iTunes as of this writing.
"I’ve been watching videos of you guys in the theaters dancing and prancing and recreating choreography, creating inside jokes, casting spells, getting engaged, and just generally creating the exact type of joyful chaos we’re known for," reads her post. "One of my favorite things you’ve done was when you supported Cruel Summer SO much, I ended up starting The Eras Tour show with it."
Written by Swift,
St. Vincent and
Jack Antonoff, the original version of "Cruel Summer" arrived in 2019 as part of the
Lover album and quickly became its signature track.
Reports of
Travis Kelce singing background vocals on the live version have yet to be confirmed. In the meantime, listen to all three versions below.
