aligned Swift with the 1970s singer-songwriter tradition of mentioning their profession as a songwriter in their own songs. Live performances "Hey Stephen" was part of the regular set list for Swift's first headlining tour, the Fearless Tour (2009–2010). The song was part of the mid-show acoustic session; midway through the performance, Swift went down the aisle to greet and hug her fans. The song was also part of Swift's set list for the Florida Strawberry Festival she headlined in February 2009. On September 18, 2018, during Swift's St. Louis performance on the Reputation Stadium Tour, she performed "Hey Stephen" as a "surprise song". Critical reception In Fearless album reviews, Rob Sheffield of Blender and Chris Richards of The Washington Post picked "Hey Stephen" as a highlight. Richards called it a track that "beams its irresistible smile before permanently lodging itself in your hippocampus". Jody Rosen from Rolling Stone selected the song as an example of Swift's songwriting on the album: "Her music mixes an almost impersonal professionalism — it's so rigorously crafted it sounds like it has been scientifically engineered in a hit factory — with confessions that are squirmingly intimate and true." In Slant Magazine, Jonathan Keefe wrote that "Hey Stephen" was one of the album's two most charming cuts, the other being "The Best Day". Although Keefe praised the song's emotional sentiments that resonated with Swift's main audience of teenagers, he deemed it lacking in sophistication. In retrospective reviews of the song, Sheffield and Nate Jones from Vulture complimented its catchy melody. Jones wrote: "Swift is in the zone as a writer, performer, and producer on this winning deep cut." Hazel Cills of Pitchfork was not as complimentary, deeming the song's overt confessionalism a step too far on an already personal album. Perone commented although the lyrics are "generally conventional [...], Swift's performance and her melodic writing make the song enjoyable and engaging anyway". Mary Siroky in Consequence called "Hey Stephen" a catchy song, but its "repetitive melody" makes it the album's least compelling. In a 2021 article for Gigwise, Kelsey Barnes noted "Hey Stephen" as a parallel to Swift's artistic evolution and personal life; her youthful innocence on the track reflected her desire to be "seen, loved, and accepted by those she's daydreaming about", a recurring theme on many of her later songs. Barnes also commented that the track offered a glimpse into Swift's life before her