Wikipedia

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (2024). Produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, it is a synth-pop song featuring pounding drums and elements of new wave. The lyrics are about being abandoned by a love interest, using metaphors and from the perspective of a toy.

"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album The Tortured Poets Department
ReleasedApril 19, 2024 (2024-04-19)
Studio
GenreSynth-pop
Length3:23
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
  • Taylor Swift
Producer(s)
Lyric video
"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" on YouTube

Some critics praised the song's catchiness while others were critical of its lyrical structure. The track peaked at number six on the Billboard Global 200 and reached the top 10 on charts of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United States.

Background

edit

Swift developed her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, "for about two years" after finishing her previous album Midnights (2022). She reflected on The Tortured Poets Department as a "lifeline" for her,[1] and its conception took place amidst media reports on Swift's personal life and her relationships with Joe Alwyn, Matty Healy, and Travis Kelce.[2] The album was released on April 19, 2024, via Republic Records.[3]

Music and lyrics

edit

"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" is track number three on the standard edition;[4] it is one of the two tracks solely written by Swift, the other being "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?".[5] Swift produced "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" with Jack Antonoff, who programmed the track and played instruments including bass, drums, electric guitar, and synths; Swift herself played the piano on the song.[4] The track was recorded by Laura Sisk and Oli Jacobs, assisted by Jack Manning and Jon Sher, at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles and Electric Lady Studios in New York. Mixing was conducted by Serban Ghenea and engineered by Bryce Bordone at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, and mastering was handled by Randy Merrill.[6] Musically, "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" is a mid-tempo synth-pop song with pounding drums.[7][8][9] Maria Sherman of the Associated Press described the production as "new wave-adjacent".[10]

Swift told Amazon Music that "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" was about "being somebody's favorite toy until they break you and then don't want to play with you anymore". She elaborated that the song was about being in denial: "[...] you could live in this world where there's still hope for a toxic, broken relationship."[11] The lyrics describe Swift's character from the stance of a toy being abandoned by her deleterious partner, who avoids rather than addresses his problems.[12][13] Swift yearns to revisit a failed romance before a breakup. The pre-chorus, "But you should've seen him when he first got me," she sings about her former partner fascinated by her but later lost enthusiasm. In the lyrics, "There was a litany of reasons why we could've playеd for keeps this time, I know I'm just repeating mysеlf, put me back on my shelf," Swift suggests the pair were previous lovers and they were giving their relationship another attempt.[14][15] Swift sings in the chorus, "My boy only breaks his favorite toys, toys, oh, I'm queen of sandcastles he destroys", describing their unhealthy relationship.[16] The lyrics "'Cause he took me out of my box, stole my tortured heart" alludes to Swift's love interest being a rebound after a recent breakup.[17] The song also references Barbie in the lyrics: "I felt more when we played pretend than with all the Kens, 'cause he took me out of my box."[10]

Reception

edit

In Billboard, Jason Lipshutz ranked "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" 17th out of all 31 songs on the double album The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, saying that the song "deserves the stadium treatment" and describing it as a "big, booming song".[9] The Hollywood Reporter's Ryan Fish described the song as a "poppy earworm".[18] Vulture's Nate Jones wrote that the song was "sadder than you'd think".[19] Cosmopolitan's Courtney Young ranked it twenty-sixth in her ranking of the top thirty breakup songs by Swift.[20] In her initial review, Business Insider's Callie Ahlgrim said the track was sonically reminiscent of the vault tracks from Swift's 2023 re-recorded album 1989 (Taylor's Version), "so this isn't necessarily a knock in my book". She added that the song failed to stand out because it relied on a "fast-dulling formula".[21] In her post-review article published a week after her initial review, Ahlgrim recategorized the song from "background music" to "worth listening to".[22] John Wohlmacher of Beats Per Minute said it was one of the "strongest songs" from the album's first half, highlighting its "singalong refrain that plays with up-and-down movements".[23]

In negative reviews, an anonymous Paste journalist opined that the song "features another low-point in Swift's lyrical oeuvre" and added that Swift was "capitalizing on the Barbenheimer mania that none of us could escape",[24] while Alex Hudson from Exclaim! said the song was "yet another mid-tempo synthpop plodder".[7]

Commercial performance

edit

Upon the release of The Tortured Poets Department, its songs claimed the top 14 positions on the Billboard Global 200. "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" debuted and peaked at number six.[25] In the United States, it debuted at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. The song reached the top ten in charts of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Philippines and Singapore, attaining peaks of five, six, ten, seven, nine, and seven, respectively. The track also occupied the top 25 positions in Belgium (17), Denmark (17), Greece (11), India (14), Luxembourg (12), Malaysia (11), Portugal (15), South Africa (17), Sweden (13), and the United Arab Emirates (14). Swift performed the song live during the surprise song set at the second night of the Eras Tour show in Paris on 10 May.[26] A limited digital variant of the parent album contained the Eras Tour live recording of "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys".[27]

Personnel

edit

Credits adapted from the album liner notes[6]

  • Taylor Swift – lead vocals, piano, songwriter, producer
  • Jack Antonoff – producer, programming, drums, electric guitar, bass, Moog, Juno, M1
  • Laura Sisk – recording
  • Oli Jacobs – recording
  • Jon Sher – assistant engineering
  • Jack Manning – assistant engineering
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Bryce Bordone – mix engineering
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Ryan Smith – vinyl mastering

Charts

edit
Chart performance for "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Argentina (Argentina Hot 100)[28] 80
Australia (ARIA)[29] 6
Belgium (Billboard)[30] 17
Brazil (Brasil Hot 100)[31] 50
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[32] 6
Denmark (Tracklisten)[33] 17
France (SNEP)[34] 49
Global 200 (Billboard)[35] 6
Greece International (IFPI)[36] 11
India (IMI)[37] 14
Ireland (Billboard)[38] 10
Luxembourg (Billboard)[39] 12
Malaysia International (RIM)[40] 11
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[41] 7
Norway (VG-lista)[42] 29
Philippines (Billboard)[43] 9
Portugal (AFP)[44] 15
Singapore (RIAS)[45] 7
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[46] 39
South Africa (Billboard)[47] 17
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[48] 43
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[49] 13
Swiss Streaming (Schweizer Hitparade)[50] 18
UAE (IFPI)[51] 14
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[52] 88
UK Streaming (OCC)[53] 10
US Billboard Hot 100[54] 6

Certification

edit
Certification for "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[55] Gold 35,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

edit
  1. ^ Dailey, Hannah (April 16, 2024). "Everything We Know About Taylor Swift's New Album The Tortured Poets Department So Far". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  2. ^ Sisario, Ben (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Arrives With a Promotional Blitz". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  3. ^ "As The Tortured Poets Department drops, here's all Taylor Swift's albums ranked by sales". Music Week. April 19, 2024. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Monroe, Jazz; Strauss, Matthew (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift Releases New Album The Tortured Poets Department, Plus 15 More Songs: Listen and Read the Full Credits". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  5. ^ Sheffield, Rob (April 19, 2024). "Come for the Torture, Stay for the Poetry: This Might Be Taylor Swift's Most Personal Album Yet". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  6. ^ a b The Tortured Poets Department (The Manuscript edition vinyl liner notes). Taylor Swift. Republic Records. 2024. 602458933314.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ a b Hudson, Alex (April 22, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department Is Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  8. ^ Martin, Rachel (April 19, 2024). "Album Review: The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift". Notion. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Lipshutz, Jason (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department: All 31 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Sherman, Maria (April 18, 2024). "Music Review: Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department is great sad pop, meditative theater". Associated Press News. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  11. ^ Perez, Lexy (April 22, 2024). "Taylor Swift Details Meaning Behind The Tortured Poets Department Songs". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  12. ^ Chiu, Melody (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Lyrics Detail Fury and Heartbreak in Joe Alwyn, Matty Healy Relationships". People. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  13. ^ Platt, Poppie (April 22, 2024). "Taylor Swift's double album: all the Easter eggs you may have missed". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  14. ^ Earl, William; Willman, Chris (April 19, 2024). "Which New Taylor Swift Songs Are About Matty Healy, Joe Alwyn or Travis Kelce? Breaking Down Tortured Poets Department Lyric Clues". Variety. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  15. ^ Nicolaou, Elena; Brockington, Ariana (April 18, 2024). "What Taylor Swift seemingly reveals about relationship with Matty Healy on The Tortured Poets Department". Today.com. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  16. ^ Kerns, Hannah (April 23, 2024). "Fans Think These The 1975 Songs Are About Taylor Swift". Elite Daily. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  17. ^ Gularte, Alejandra (April 19, 2024). "Is The Tortured Poets Department Really About Matty Healy?". Vulture. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  18. ^ Fish, Ryan (April 22, 2024). "Every Song on Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department, Ranked". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  19. ^ Jones, Nate (May 20, 2024). "All 245 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked". Vulture. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  20. ^ Young, Courtney (April 26, 2024). "The 30 Best Taylor Swift Breakup Tracks, Ranked". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  21. ^ Ahlgrim, Callie (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department is the messiest, horniest, and funniest album she's ever made". Business Insider. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  22. ^ Ahlgrim, Callie (April 26, 2024). "Taylor Swift new album The Tortured Poets Department is getting mixed reviews—here's what critics are saying". Business Insider. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  23. ^ Wohlmacher, John (April 23, 2024). "Album review: Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  24. ^ "Taylor Swift Strikes Out Looking on The Tortured Poets Department". Paste. April 19, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  25. ^ Dailey, Hannah (May 2, 2024). "The Tortured Poets Department: All the Records Taylor Swift's New Album Has Broken (So Far)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  26. ^ Paul, Larisha (May 10, 2024). "Taylor Swift Debuts 'My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys' Live at Paris Eras Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  27. ^ Hernandez, Brian Anthony (May 24, 2024). "Taylor Swift Is Selling Live Versions of 3 Tortured Poets Department Surprise Songs for a Very Limited Time". People. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  28. ^ "Taylor Swift – Chart History (Argentina Hot 100)" Billboard Argentina Hot 100 Singles for Taylor Swift. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  29. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 29, 2024. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  30. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Belgium Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  31. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Brasil Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  32. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  33. ^ "Track Top-40 Uge 17, 2024". Hitlisten. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  34. ^ "Top Singles (Week of 26 April 2024)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  35. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  36. ^ "IFPI Charts". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  37. ^ "IMI International Top 20 Singles for week ending 29th April 2024 Week 17 of 52". IMIcharts. Archived from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  38. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Ireland Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  39. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Luxembourg Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  40. ^ "TOP 20 Most Streamed International Singles In Malaysia Week 17 (19/04/2024-25/04/2024)". RIM. May 4, 2024. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024 – via Facebook.
  41. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 9, 2024. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  42. ^ "Singel 2024 uke 17". VG-lista. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  43. ^ "Philippines Songs - Week of May 4, 2024". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 2, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  44. ^ "Taylor Swift – My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  45. ^ "RIAS Top Charts Week 17 (19 - 25 Apr 2024)". RIAS. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  46. ^ "Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna". IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  47. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (South Africa Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  48. ^ "Taylor Swift – My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  49. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 17". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  50. ^ "Streaming Top 100". Schweizer Hitparade. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  51. ^ "UAE: 2024 - W17 - 04/19 to 04/25". The Official MENA Chart. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  52. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  53. ^ "Official Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  54. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  55. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_Boy_Only_Breaks_His_Favorite_Toys&oldid=1238888371"