Many fans were shocked when The National announced that Taylor Swift would be a part of their comeback album, "First Two Pages of Frankenstein," as they didn't expect the pairing of the pop star and the alternative/indie band. However, they managed to pull it off and produce the song titled "The Alcott." Find out below the story behind the track.
According to Vulture, Aaron Dessner gave the song, which was in its early stages at the time, to frontman Matt Beringer. He later wrote the lyrics for the vocals and sent it to the "Midnights" hitmaker.
At first, the vocalist was anxious as it took her 20 minutes to reply and he was thinking if he might have put her in a spot where she would have turned him down.
However, Beringer was surprised as Swift literally sent a voice note with her own contribution, vocals, and new lyrics to change the track's angle.
The National went on to agree with the pop star's newly-formed track and built up an arrangement from her revision.
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'The Alcott' Meaning: Taylor Swift, The National's Latest Collaboration
In a conversation with the outlet, Aaron Dessner revealed that "The Alcott" was his version of a Leonard Cohen or a Nick Cave song, and at first, they didn't intend the track to be a part of their album because they had been working on a lot of things and ideas.
However, when Matt Beringer wrote the lyrics, they felt the urge that it could be the song they wanted to share with Swift.
Initially, they had no plans of featuring the pop star to be a collaborator on their new album because he didn't want to "put pressure on anybody unless it really makes sense," but he followed his instincts as there was something in the track that he thought she would respond to.
The female superstar, who's currently in the middle of her "The Eras" tour, re-worked the track and made it seem like a conversation between two lovers.
Not the First Time The National, Taylor Swift Worked on a Collaboration
This is not the first time Swift and The National had collaborated on something as they also worked on her album "Folklore."
Beringer's vocals were featured in the song "coney island" and she was also featured on Dessner's other band Big Red Machine's track in 2021.
The National's latest album, "First Two Pages of Frankenstein," is now available for streaming on major music platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
Aside from Taylor Swift, other featuring musicians include Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens.
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