All You Had to Do Was Stay

"All You Had to Do Was Stay" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). Swift wrote the song with Max Martin, who produced it with Shellback and Mattman & Robin. The lyrics were inspired by a dream where Swift asked an ex-lover to stay when he was leaving, and the track's refrain incorporates her high-pitched voice shouting "stay". Musically, the synth-pop song incorporates an electronic groove consisting of dense synths, drum pads, and processed backing vocals.

In reviews of 1989, some critics praised the production of "All You Had to Do Was Stay" as catchy, but some others found the track weak and generic. Billboard included the song in their 2017 list of the "100 Best Deep Cuts by 21st Century Pop Stars". Commercially, the track charted in Australia and Canada, and it received certifications in both countries and the United States. Following a 2019 dispute over the ownership of her master recordings, Swift re-recorded the song as "All You Had to Do Was Stay (Taylor's Version)" for the re-recorded album 1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023).