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16 Jack Antonoff Songs That Prove He's Got The Golden Touch
If you're the type of music fan who reads the liner notes, you've seen Jack Antonoff's name a lot. Antonoff is one busy music maker with plenty of awards and accomplishments under his belt. Whether fronting the rock band Bleachers or playing the drums of Fun., he has also played a big part in writing and producing some of the biggest songs of the 2000s.
Ever since the release of Taylor Swift’s Grammy Award-winning LP 1989, she and Antonoff have had a close working relationship, including the highly-anticipated The Tortured Poets Department. Antonoff has also given a helping hand on material for the likes of Lorde, St. Vincent, Florence + The Machine, Lana Del Rey, and The 1975, to name a few. To date, he has won 10 Grammys, including Producer of the Year three times. As his back catalog of hits continues to grow, here are the tracks that prove he’s got the golden touch to make a perfect song.
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127 VOTESCruel Summer
Who Sings It: Taylor Swift
Why It's Pure Gold: Swift's songs are usually an open diary to her life, but "Cruel Summer" seems to hit differently for listeners. Singing about the uncertain emotions she felt at the beginning of her relationship with Joe Alwyn, Swift and Jack Antonoff appear to have written a song that effortlessly keeps re-peaking in interest. There's a reason why it's the first full song she sings on The Eras Tour.
Standout Lyric:
And I screamed for whatever it's worth
‘I love you,’ ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?
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217 VOTESGreen Light
Who Sings It: Lorde
Why It's Pure Gold: Serving as the lead single from her highly-anticipated second album Melodrama, New Zealand singer Lorde kicked off the era with a bang. “Green Light,” which details Lorde's first major heartbreak, has Jack Antonoff's bombastic, pulsing production touches all over it. To this day, the song remains a classic and reinforces Lorde's reputation as one of her pop generation's most unpredictable artists.
Standout Lyric:
All those rumors, they have big teeth
Hope they bite you
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325 VOTESWe Are Young
Who Sings It: fun. and Janelle Monae
Why It's Pure Gold: “We Are Young," featuring Janelle Monae, served as fun.'s breakthrough single in 2012 and put them on the map. The anthemic chorus stands out as one of the most memorable melodies of the early 2010s, perfectly composed for an epic night on the town or a booming stadium setting. For that reason, it's no surprise that the track won Song of the Year at the 55th Grammy Awards.
Standout Lyric:
My friends are in the bathroom getting higher than the Empire State
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420 VOTESOut of the Woods
Who Sings It: Taylor Swift
Why It's Pure Gold: Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift have proven to be the perfect partnership on many occasions. A good example of this is one of their first song's, Swift's single “Out of the Woods” from her 1989 album. Capturing the essence of anxiety and the butterfly feelings of a past relationship, the song is the proof of concept for a collaboration that continues across so many of Swift's era.
Standout Lyric:
Remember when you hit the brakes too soon?
20 stitches in a hospital room
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512 VOTESI Wanna Get Better
Who Sings It: Bleachers
Why It's Pure Gold: After making a splash with fun., Jack Antonoff started to make noise as the frontman of his band Bleachers. Released in 2015, “I Wanna Get Better” remains one of the band's finest moments. While the original version lasts as an indie rock classic, Antonoff also produced an alternate version of the song with R&B singer Tinashe singing the vocals, which only highlights the track's versatility.
Standout Lyric:
I didn't know I was broken 'til I wanted to change
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613 VOTESAnti-Hero
Who Sings It: Taylor Swift
Why It's Pure Gold: As Swift faces her insecurities, she lets listeners in on a side she rarely displays. Singing about some of her personal failures and things she doesn't like about herself or her life, the singer delivers a chorus in which fans are able to let out their inner demons.
Standout Lyric:
It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me
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79 VOTESRollercoaster
Who Sings It: Bleachers
Why It's Pure Gold: Filled with nostalgic touches, Bleacher's song “Rollercoaster” tells the story of a crush that becomes an obsession. With so much adrenaline rushing throughout the track, it's hard not to get swept up in the song, pumping your fist harder harder each time the chorus comes back.
Standout Lyric:
You are such a rollercoaster
And a killer queen you are
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89 VOTESSupercut
Who Sings It: Lorde
Why It's Pure Gold: Lorde's Melodrama is a fan favorite and the album track “Supercut” is regarded as one of the many highlights. Detailing the positive moments from a previous relationship, Lorde realizes that her actual relationship isn't what she hoped it would be. The genius of the song is that the production makes you want to dance while the lyrics are relatable enough to make you cry just as hard.
Standout Lyric:
Cause in my head, in my head, I do everything right
When you call, I'll forgive and not fight
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913 VOTESSome Nights
Who Sings It: fun.
Why It's Pure Gold: After the monstrous hit that was “We Are Young,” fun. knew they had to follow up the release with something worthy. “Some Nights,” arguably, is the more “fun” song from their sophomore album. Like “We Are Young,” its chorus stays in your head on a loop, as many of the best pop songs do.
Standout Lyric:
So this is it?
I sold my soul for this?
Washed my hands of that for this?
I miss my mom and dad for this?
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106 VOTESI Don't Want To Live Forever
Who Sings It: Zayn and Taylor Swift
Why It's Pure Gold: Written and released for the Fifty Shades of Grey sequel, Fifty Shades Darker, Zayn and Taylor Swift collaborated for the steamy “I Don't Wanna Live Forever,” which highlights how well their voices sounded once blended. The sultry number was the perfect fit for the movie soundtrack, but as a standalone song, it still remains a collaboration worth streaming on repeat.
Standout Lyric:
I've been looking sad in all the nicest places
Give me something, oh, but you say nothing
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111 VOTESMasseduction
Who Sings It: St. Vincent
Why It's Pure Gold: The title track of St. Vincent's 2017 album Masseduction is so clever lyrically that it can be perceived as a play on multiple words, such as mass seduction, the seduction of masses, or my seduction. In a Facebook press conference, St. Vincent gave more of an insight, asking the question, “Am I being seduced, or am I the seducer?” This shows Jack Antonoff's versatility as a producer, winning a Grammy award for Best Rock Song in 2019.
Standout Lyric:
Lolita is weeping
The bride is beautiful
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121 VOTESVenice B*tch
Who Sings It: Lana Del Rey
Why It's Pure Gold: Del Rey's sixth studio album Norman F*cking Rockwell! saw the American singer earn some of the best reviews of her career. The second single chosen to promote the record was the blissful “Venice B*tch,” which takes fans on a psychedelic trip with soft-rock elements. Singing in her signature dreamy vocals, Del Rey lives her best life as she reminisces over her lover and the highlights of their relationship. The nostalgic feel of the song is what makes the song most special.
Standout Lyric:
Give me Hallmark
One dream, one life, one lover
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131 VOTESNorman F*cking Rockwell
Who Sings It: Lana Del Rey
Why It's Pure Gold: On the title track of Del Rey's sixth studio album, the singer writes about a pretentious poet. In the chorus, she sarcastically accepts his behavior and blames it on the poor nature of men. Ultimately, though, she concedes that despite it all, he "colors [her] blue."
Standout Lyric:
You act like a kid even though you stand six foot two
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143 VOTESNew Year's Day
Who Sings It: Taylor Swift
Why It's Pure Gold: For the closing track of reputation, “New Year's Day,” Swift and Jack Antonoff paint the perfect picture of what a New Year's party can represent and how certain memories are attached to them, both as a new beginning and the closing of a chapter.
Standout Lyric:
There's glitter on the floor after the party
Girls carrying their shoes down in the lobby
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153 VOTESbetty
Who Sings It: Taylor Swift
Why It's Pure Gold: On the folklore album cut “betty,” Swift writes the aftermath of "August," which is about a summer affair. What makes the song special for fans is its production which is reminiscent of her early albums Fearless and Speak Now, a sound that listeners fell in love with Swift for.
Standout Lyric:
But if I just showed up at your party
Would you have me?
Would you want me?
Would you tell me to go f*ck myself?
Or lead me to the garden?
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163 VOTESA&W
Who Sings It: Lana Del Rey
Why It's Pure Gold: Sitting as track four on Del Rey's album Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, “A&W” takes the singer on a 7-minute epic seemingly across her discography. The lyrics balance Del Rey's signature point of view reflecting on her path as an artist, while the music backing her up pushes in surprising directions. Split into two, the first four minutes sound like a typical track from Del Rey before Antonoff and the song's production take listeners on an unexpected, trippy ride.
Standout Lyric:
It's not about havin' someone to love me anymore
No, this is the experience of bein' an American wh*re
