If you love music, chances are you've heard a Jack Antonoff song. He's the songwriter and producer behind some of the music industry's biggest names. His most recent hit is Lorde's "Solar Power," which has been slowly but surely climbing up music charts. It's Antonoff's experience, friendliness, and creativity that makes him a tour de force of collaborative partners, and the genius behind some of music's greatest moments.
Jack Antonoff was born and raised in New Jersey. After commuting to Manhattan every day to attend the performing arts-focused Professional Children's School, he and his friends played in a punk band called Outline. After years of working with other bands and musicians - including Antonoff's own band called Bleachers - he now has a Golden Globe nom, five Grammys, and his very own music festival, Shadow of the City.
Listed below are just ten of the many great songs Antonoff has had a role in creating. Let's take a look. Prepare to be surprised!
1. "Some Nights" - fun.
We're kicking off this list with the band Jack Antonoff played in before he created Bleachers. In 2008, Nate Ruess asked Antonoff to join him and Andrew Dost in a band. Their team-up would lead to the creation of fun., and many hit songs during the early 2010s.
One of those hits was "Some Nights," which talks about sacrifices in order to succeed. Besides "Some Nights," which Antonoff wrote with the other members of the band, he also co-wrote the hit "We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe)".
2. "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" - Taylor Swift & ZAYN
The signature song created for Fifty Shades Darker, this sensual track was produced by Antonoff and co-written by him, Taylor Swift, and Sam Dew.
Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift are known for their frequent collaboration on Swift's tracks. Antonoff co-wrote and co-produced three songs on Swift's 1989: the single "Out of the Woods," "I Wish You Would," and the bonus track "You Are In Love." 1989 would go on to become the biggest album of 2014, winning the Grammys for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album.
Antonoff has also been a key contributor to Swift's albums Reputation, Lover, and the Grammy-winning Folklore. As Antonoff told The New York Times, "Taylor's the first person who let me produce a song. Before Taylor, everyone said: 'You're not a producer'. It took Taylor Swift to say: 'I like the way this sounds.'"
3. "holy terrain (feat. Future)" - FKA Twigs
Antonoff only has one credit on FKA Twigs' critically acclaimed album Magdalene, and that's on "holy terrain." Antonoff wrote the song with Twigs, Poo Bear, Nicholas Jaar, Koreless, Future, Skrillex, and more.
The song has FKA Twigs searching for a strong, confident lover who will treat her right. Her vocals, as well as the music production, are gorgeous to the ears. Thanks to "holy terrain" and other beautiful songs like "cellophane" and "home with you," Magdalene is a certified classic.
4. "Peach" - Kevin Abstract
Nothing beats the sweet summery sounds of "Peach" by Kevin Abstract. This song, as well as ten of the songs off Abstract's recent album ARIZONA BABY, were co-written by Antonoff. Jack Antonoff contributed to some of the album's production as well, but that was mostly taken care of by Abstract's Brockhampton pals Romil Hemnani and Jabari Manwa.
It makes sense Abstract called Antonoff to help him out on ARIZONA BABY, since Abstract wanted the album to have a similar sound to Lana Del Rey's "Venice Bi***." (We'll talk more about her later.) "Peach" was released as a single in April 2019 and featured a cameo by Dominic Fike.
5. "Green Light" - Lorde
Like Taylor Swift, Lorde and Jack Antonoff are frequent songwriting partners. He co-wrote ten of the eleven songs off her 2017 album Melodrama. For "Green Light," he also worked with New Zealand producer Joel Little. We can't wait to see what Lorde and Antonoff release next for her Solar Power album!
Lorde and Jack Antonoff have been seen around each other so much, Lorde took to Instagram Live in 2018 to dispel rumors the two were dating. Antonoff's current partner is actually model Carlotta Kohl. Before that, he had a relationship with Girls creator Lena Dunham. We only wish we had the strong creative kinship Antonoff and Lorde have, #friendshipgoals.
6. "Brave" - Sara Bareilles
Did you know Jack Antonoff is behind one of Sara Bareilles' greatest hits? Her and Antonoff wrote the power ballad "Brave" together and released the song as part of Bareilles' 2013 album The Blessed Unrest.
The two were introduced by their mutual friend Sara Quin of the band Tegan and Sara. Bareilles told Billboard, "We met for breakfast one day, and I was just so enamored with him and his personality ... The first day we sat down together was the day we wrote 'Brave.'"
Bareilles revealed in her memoir that "Brave" was actually written for a friend of hers who struggled to come out as gay to friends and family. She went on to explain the song's message was something she needed for herself as well, “we could try to be stronger than our weaknesses, and a shine a light on something better.”
7. "Blouse" - Clairo
Clairo's most recent single "Blouse," a sad tune about experiencing unwanted sexualization in the workplace, was produced by Antonoff. He worked as the mixing engineer, string arranger, and recording engineer.
On June 11, Clairo performed "Blouse" on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. The acoustic single is expected to be the fifth track on Clairo's upcoming album, Sling. It's unclear if Antonoff helped produce or co-write any more tracks on the project. We'll find out when the album is released July 16!
8. "Masseduction" - St. Vincent
In 2019, Antonoff won a Grammy for writing this title track off St. Vincent's fifth studio album. Antonoff also produced all the music for the record, and Masseduction went on to receive nearly universal acclaim from critics.
Masseduction's title track features the lyrics "I can't turn off what turns me on," which St. Vincent has claimed is the thesis statement for the album. "The words to all the verses and everything just came out in a torrent," she said, "and I sent them to Jack. I was like, ‘Is this too oblique?’ Jack, who is the ultimate cheerleader, just said, ‘No, this is really interesting. Keep going.’"
9. "Chemtrails Over the Country Club" - Lana Del Rey
Jack Antonoff co-produced Lana Del Rey's sixth studio album Norman F---ing Rockwell! and co-wrote a majority of the songs, including the singles "Mariners Apartment Complex" and "Venice Bi***." The album received critical praise, and NME's Rhian Daly even noted that the "bohemian folk" sound of the record was a departure from Antonoff's "brand of crystalline euphoria."
With the success of Norman, Antonoff teamed up with Lana Del Rey again for her seventh studio album Chemtrails Over the Country Club. We love the serenity of the title track, and Antonoff's precise production certainly adds gusto to Lana's beautiful vocals. He also co-wrote the song with Lana.
10. "Strawberries & Cigarettes" - Troye Sivan
Created for the Love, Simon soundtrack, this song was written and produced by Antonoff. "Strawberries & Cigarettes" won a Satellite Award in 2018, and received lots of critical acclaim. It's considered one of Sivan's best numbers, and definitely one of the standout songs on the Love, Simon soundtrack.
In "Strawberries & Cigarettes," Sivan reminisces on a relationship he hasn't quite gotten over. The song was originally intended for Sivan's 2015 album Blue Neighborhood before being passed over to the Love, Simon soundtrack.
On working with Jack, Troye said, "He’s an amazing producer that I absolutely adore. 1989 had just come out and Alex Hope and I were geeking out over it so hard, and then we got told that Jack wanted to get into the studio and work with us. And we were so nervous! But we wrote really cool lyrics and stuff like that."
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Article Image: Jack Antonoff at the "Love, Simon" Special Screening at Westfield Century City Mall Atrium in 2018. (Jean_Nelson via DepositPhotos.)
