About the 1

"The 1" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, for her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020), which was released on July 24, 2020, through Republic Records. The song was promoted to German contemporary hit radio on October 9, 2020. As the opening track of the album, the song was written by Swift and Aaron Dessner, with production from the latter. "The 1" is a minimally produced, bouncy, soft rock tune with electronic elements, indie folk textures, and indie-pop instrumentals. Written from the perspective of one of Swift's friends, the song describes the narrator's newborn positive approach to life and past romance, in a sad but humorous tone, using numerous one-liners. Upon release, "The 1" received praise from music critics, who commended its stripped-back nature and witty lyricism.

The song debuted at number one on the United States Spotify chart with 4.175 million streams, becoming the biggest song debut by a female artist in the platform's history, and the second biggest of 2020 globally with 7.420 million streams, only behind "Cardigan", the lead single of Folklore. On the Billboard Hot 100, "The 1" arrived at number four, constituting Swift's record-extending 28 top-10 entries and 18 top-10 debuts in the US; accompanied by "Cardigan" at number one and "Exile" at number six in the same week, Swift became the first ever act in history to debut two songs in the top four and three songs in the top six, simultaneously. "The 1" also reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.