Taylor Swift's “Electric Touch” (Feat. Fall Out Boy) Is a Whimsical Pop-Punk Playground

July 8, 2023 ndowd

In one of the buzziest “From the Vault” tracks off her latest album re-recording Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Taylor Swift teamed up with old friend—and Fall Out Boy frontman—Patrick Stump for a classic but clever nostalgia play. The result is “Electric Touch (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) [feat. Fall Out Boy],” a pop-punk playground that echoes the Swiftian hits of yore, elevated with the maturity of both Swift’s and Stump’s impressive vocal range. Swift hasn’t sounded this 2010 since—well, the 2010s.

The song itself keeps its meaning vague, serenading an unidentified new flame with hope that, this time, the narrator might have stumbled upon love that won’t end in heartbreak. Still, these wouldn’t be Swift lyrics without a strong dose of skepticism when it comes to relationship longevity. Wistful yet whimsical, “Electric Touch” also features a few Easter eggs for sharp Swifties: an obvious one, of course, being the inclusion of the timestamp “8:05,” which adds up to “13,” the singer’s lucky number.

Swift had announced on June 5 that Fall Out Boy would join Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) as a featured artist on “Electric Touch.” At the time, she wrote, “Since Speak Now was all about my songwriting, I decided to go to the artists who I feel influenced me most powerfully as a lyricist at that time and ask them to sing on the album.” Nor was this the first time Swift and Fall Out Boy have collaborated: They performed together during the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and Stump made an appearance onstage during Swift’s Red Tour.

Read the full lyrics to “Electric Touch” below.

Just breathe, just relax, it’ll be okay
Just an hour ’til your car’s in the driveway
Just the first time ever hangin’ out with you tonight
I’ve got my money on things goin’ badly
Got a history of stories ending sadly
Still hoping that the fire won’t burn me
Just one time, just one time

All I know is this could either break my heart or bring it back to life
Got a feelin’ your electric touch could fill this ghost town up with life
And I want you now, wanna need you forever
In the heat of your electric touch, mmm

I’ve been left in the rain lost and pining
I’m tryin’ hard not to look like I’m trying
’Cause every time I tried hard for love, it fell apart (Woah)
I’ve gotten used to no one callin’ my phone
I’ve grown accustomed to sleepin’ alone
Still, I know that all it takes is to get it right
Just one time, just one time

All I know is this could either break my heart or bring it back to life
Got a feelin’ your electric touch could fill this ghost town up with life
And I want you now, wanna need you forever
In the heat of your electric touch, mmm

I was thinking just one time (Just one time)
Maybe the stars align (Just one time)
And maybe I call you mine
And you won’t need space
Or string me along while you decide
And just one time (Just one time)
Maybe the moment’s right (The moment’s right)
It’s 8:05 and I see two headlights

All I know is this could either break my heart or bring it back to life
Got a feelin’ your electric touch (Ooh)
All I know is this could either break my heart or bring it back to life
Got a feelin’ your electric touch could fill this ghost town up with life (life)
And I want you now, wanna need you forever
In the heat of your electric touch, mmm

Culture Writer

Lauren Puckett-Pope is a staff culture writer at ELLE, where she primarily covers film, television and books. She was previously an associate editor at ELLE.