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Taylor Swift has written song after song that would be good to listen to on a first date. She once named her favorite first date song. Notably, the tune is in a style that Swift has never dabbled in herself.

Taylor Swift loves a 1st date song that’s emo

During a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, Swift named some of the songs that inspired her. Her list included Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain,” a predecessor to her many breakup songs, Faith Hill’s “This Kiss,” a predecessor to her country-pop crossover hits, and Ed Sheeran’s “Lego House,” a predecessor to the folk love songs from her albums Folklore and Evermore. One of the rock songs on the list was “Hands Down” by Dashboard Confessional.

“My high school experience was marked by memories of house-party singalongs of ‘Hands Down’ and driving around with my best friend screaming the words to it,” she said. “It’s the best recounting of an unforgettable first date I’ve ever heard.” That’s a big deal considering so much of Swift’s catalog revolves around romance. It’s also interesting that she connected so much to an emo tune even though that’s never been her musical style.

A real 1st date inspired Dashboard Confessional’s ‘Hands Down’

In a 2020 interview with Billboard, Dashboard Confessionals’ Chris Carrabba reflected on “Hands Down” and the date that inspired it. He said he wasn’t sure why the tune had become such an “anthem” and he didn’t want to know. Regardless, he described “Hands Down” as “ferociously potent.”

“It’s like having an emotionally supercharged shared moment,” he opined. “I think a surprising fact I would learn as I had more and more life experiences as the years go by, you have plenty more best dates. It’s impossible to choose the one. 

“But it is sort of a measuring stick by which I can compare other best dates,” he added. “And so, sometimes when I’m singing that song, it really is about that day, that night, that party, that walk to her house, and the literal inspiration and experience for that song. And sometimes it’s about who she and I are now, and how many incredible moments we’ve had.”

How the song performed on the charts

While “Hands Down” is one of Dashboard Confessional’s most famous songs, it never charted on the Billboard Hot 100. So far, the group has never had a top-40 hit. On the other hand, “Hands Down” was popular on the Alternative Airplay chart. There, it reached No. 8. The track spent a total of 21 weeks on the Alternative Airplay chart.

The tune appeared on a hit album: A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar. That record reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and spent a total of 35 weeks. It was both the band’s highest-charting album and their longest-charting album. A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar proved even more popular on the Independent Albums chart. There, it was No. 1 for two weeks and charted for 71 weeks altogether. 

“Hands Down” is one of the most well-remembered songs in the history of the emo subgenre and Swift is one of the many people who looks back on it fondly.

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