I Don't Wanna Live Forever

## *Fifty Shades Darker Soundtrack* Chronology

**I Don't Wanna Live Forever** is a song by Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift. It is featured on the *Fifty Shades Darker* movie soundtrack and was released on December 8, 2016. *Fifty Shades Darker* was released on February 10, 2017.

The single was released on December 09, 2016 by Universal Music Group.

## Background

Taylor Swift and former One Direction member Zayn Malik have redeemed 2016 for their fans, releasing a surprise new song together for the soundtrack to *Fifty Shades Darker*.

The release, per Swift’s partnership with Apple Music, was released on iTunes and the streaming service. However, the musician posted a clip of the song on her Instagram account. Malik promoted the song as well by posting a photo of himself and Swift with the hashtag #IDontWannaLiveForever.

"I Don’t Wanna Live Forever" unexpectedly appeared in the US iTunes Store just before midnight Friday US eastern time. iTunes described it as “two of pop’s brightest stars [teaming up] for a passionate duet”.

The song, the first to be released from the soundtrack for the upcoming *Fifty Shades Darker* film, is a suitably smokey mid-tempo number that sees Malik and Swift swapping verses.

Malik takes the chorus in trademark falsetto: “I don’t want to live forever, ‘cause I don’t want to be living in pain/I don’t want to fit wherever, I just want to keep calling your name/’Til you come back home.”

Swift shared news of the single with her 82.2 million Twitter followers, with only the obtuse comment: “Z | T | 50”.

It had been retweeted nearly 15,000 times in an hour.

It is the first new music Swift has released in 2016, though the star featured prominently in headlines due to her high-profile breakup with Calvin Harris and short-lived relationship with Tom Hiddleston.

## Lyrics

**[Zayn]**

Been sitting eyes wide open behind these four walls, hoping you'd call

It's just a cruel existence like there's no point hoping at all

Baby, baby, I feel crazy, up all night, all night and every day

Give me something, oh, but you say nothing

What is happening to me?

I don't wanna live forever, 'cause I know I'll be living in vain

And I don't wanna fit wherever

I just wanna keep calling your name until you come back home

I just wanna keep calling your name until you come back home

I just wanna keep calling your name until you come back home

**[Taylor Swift]**

I'm sitting eyes wide open and I got one thing stuck in my mind

Wondering if I dodged a bullet or just lost the love of my life

Baby, baby, I feel crazy

Up all night, all night and every day

I gave you something, but you gave me nothing

What is happening to me?

**[Zayn & Taylor Swift]**

I don't wanna live forever, 'cause I know I'll be living in vain

And I don't wanna fit (fit, babe) wherever (wherever)

I just wanna keep calling your name until you come back home

I just wanna keep calling your name until you come back home

I just wanna keep calling your name until you come back home

I've been looking sad in all the nicest places

Baby, baby, I feel crazy

I see you around in all these empty faces

Up all night, all night and every day

I've been looking sad in all the nicest places

Give me something, oh, but you say nothing

Now I'm in a cab, I tell 'em where your place is

What is happening to me?

**[Zayn]**

I don't wanna live forever, 'cause I know I'll be living in vain

And I don't wanna fit wherever

I just wanna keep calling your name until you come back home

I just wanna keep calling your name until you come back home

I just wanna keep calling your name until you come back home

I just wanna keep calling your name until you come back home

I just wanna keep calling your name until you come back home

**[Taylor Swift & Zayn]**

I just wanna keep calling your name until you come back home

Until you come back home

## Music Video

The official music video of the song was released in January 26, 2017, through both Zayn and Taylor's official Youtube account at the same time. It was later uploaded through Fifty Shades account, too. It was directed by Grant Singer and was produced by Saul Germaine. Combined, the music video has more than 370 million views on YouTube as of July 2017.

### Sypnosis

The video starts with Zayn emerging from his car as the paparazzi take photos. Zayn enters a hotel and as the chorus begins he reaches the elevator with red lights and then pans over to another elevator with Swift proceeds to her hotel room. Zayn in his room sings the chorus and Swift pours some champagne in a glass. The rest of the video is Zayn and Swift throwing objects like glasses, lamps, pillows across their rooms in anger with flashing blue and red lights. Zayn and Swift are seen standing together facing backs and singing the chorus together and looking at each other. The video ends with Swift on her bed singing the last part of the song.

 **Length**
 **Director**
 **Production Co**
 **Choreographer**

## Behind the scenes

Just a few hours after the music superstars premiered the official music video for "I Don't Wanna Live Forever," new behind-the-scenes footage had surfaced where fans got a greater sense of the pair's dynamic.

"I've known Zayn for a really long time," Taylor shared with fans. "I think his voice is one of those that is really rare and I think he's really special and wonderful and it's really, really amazing to get to work together."

"It's amazing when you get to work with people you hang out with," Taylor explained. "The question of will we get along is already answered. Yah, We're going to sing and hang out. It's fine."

She continued, "He's also incredibly talented and I feel really lucky to get to do this song that I'm really proud of."

## Reception

Nolan Feenery of *Entertainment Weekly* gave it a B+ rating, noting that, "in a year with plenty of headlines and no shortage of blows to her public image, [Taylor Swift] is putting out her first new song since 2014 in conjunction with one of the biggest, blockbusteriest movie franchises around. Perhaps she’s trying to change the conversation around her, and she certainly succeeds on that front: Welcome to Taylor Swift’s Sexy Side." He also praised the vocals of both artists. Lucas Villa of *AXS* thought the song was not as sexy as Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do" or The Weeknd's "Earned It", writing, "Despite the neutered lyricism, Zayn saves the day and manages to maneuver his most magnificent performance to date."

## Commercial Performance

The song upon release was available only on iTunes and Tidal. It was not serviced on Spotify upon launch but was later added the following week. It sold 188,000 in its first week, in addition to a 25 million radio audience and 3 million US streams. It debuted at number 6 on the *Billboard* Hot 100. It is Zayn's second top 10 single and Taylor Swift's 20th top 10, making her the 16th artist and sixth woman to do so.

It debuted at number-one on the Digital Songs chart, as Zayn's second song and Swift's 11th song to top the chart, tying Swift with Katy Perry for the second-most in the chart's history, behind Rihanna. It is also Zayn's second number-one on the chart in 2016, making him one of only two artists to top the chart with two songs that year, along with Drake.

Across European charts, the song debuted at number-one in Spain and Sweden, becoming Swift's first number-one single in both countries. It's also reached the top 10 so far in Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Norway and Scotland, as well as the top 20 in Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

## References

1. ↑ Taylor Swift and Zayn Malik surprise-drop new collaboration
2. ↑ Taylor on Twitter