Born in West Reading, Pennsylvania, Swift relocated to Nashville, Tennessee in 2004 to pursue a career in country music. She broke into the country music scene with her eponymous self-titled debut studio album, Taylor Swift in 2006, which included the singles "Teardrops on My Guitar" and "Our Song". Swift also released the holiday album, Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection, later titled as The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection in October 2007.
Swift rose to mainstream prominence with her sophomore studio album, Fearless (2008), a country pop record with crossover appeal. Aided by the top-five singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", Fearless was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Swift's third studio album, Speak Now (2010), blended country pop with elements of rock and featured the top-ten singles "Mine" and "Back to December".
Drawing inspiration from various pop, rock, and electronic genres, Swift's fourth studio album Red (2012) saw her transcending her country roots. She completely moved to pop with her synth-pop fifth studio album, 1989 (2014), and expanded the electropop sound on her next two studio albums, reputation (2017) and Lover (2019), which respectively embraced urban and retro styles. The four albums spawned a string of international top-five singles, including "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", "I Knew You Were Trouble", "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", "Bad Blood", "Look What You Made Me Do", "ME! (feat. Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco)", "You Need to Calm Down", and "Lover".
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift experimented with folk and alternative rock on her eighth and ninth studio albums, folklore and evermore (both 2020), whose lead singles "cardigan" and "willow" topped charts around the world. She also released the critically acclaimed documentaries Miss Americana and Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions that year. Swift's tenth studio album, Midnights (2022), marked her triumphant return to pop after two folk albums. The album set the record for biggest first day and first week ever on Spotify, spawned the hits Anti-Hero and Lavender Haze, and sold over 1.5 million copies in its first week becoming not only the biggest debut of the decade but also Swift's biggest debut ever. She would make history by becoming the first artist to occupy the entire top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 with tracks from Midnights.
Additionally, Swift began re-recording her back catalog in November 2020 as a result of a publicized dispute with talent manager Scooter Braun and her former label Big Machine, regarding the acquisition of the masters of her back catalog. In April 2021, Swift released a re-recorded issue of her 2008 album Fearless, titled Fearless (Taylor's Version). It debuted at number one in the US. Swift continued releasing re-recorded versions of her back catalog in November, 2021 with the release of Red (Taylor's Version), a 30 track re-issue of her 2012 critical smash. The album debuted at #1 in the US, spawned the #1 hit All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault), and broke the record at the time for biggest first day for a female album on Spotify. Red (Taylor's Version) was a critical and commercial hit, and proved that Swift's ambitious plan to re-record her first 6 albums was well worth it.
Along with the release of Red (Taylor's Version) came All Too Well: The Short Film (2021), Swift's filmmaking debut. The 15 minute romantic drama was based on the lyrical content from Swift's 2012 fan favorite "All Too Well" starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien. It had a limited theatrical release in major cities, and Swift held special screenings of the film throughout 2022 at various film festivals. In December, 2022 Taylor announced that she would be making her feature directorial debut with Oscar-winning studio Searchlight Pictures.
Following the release of Midnights, Swift would embark on her first tour in five years, The Eras Tour.
Swift has released several songs for film soundtracks. She co-wrote two songs for the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack— "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" and "Crazier", and contributed two songs to the Valentine's Day soundtrack, including the single "Today Was a Fairytale", which was her first number one on the Canadian Hot 100, and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. She also contributed two original songs to The Hunger Games soundtrack album: "Safe & Sound - from The Hunger Games Soundtrack", co-written and recorded with The Civil Wars and T-Bone Burnett, and "Eyes Open". "Safe & Sound" won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. In 2013, Swift recorded "Sweeter than Fiction", a song she wrote and produced with Jack Antonoff for the One Chance film soundtrack, which received a Best Original Song nomination at the 71st Golden Globe Awards. Swift and English singer Zayn Malik, mononymously known as Zayn, released a single together, "I Don't Wanna Live Forever", for the soundtrack of the film Fifty Shades Darker (2017). She also recorded an original song called "Beautiful Ghosts", which she wrote with Andrew Lloyd Webber for the Cats's soundtrack (2019). In 2020, Swift's documentary Miss Americana featured the song "Only the Young" which was written after the 2018 United States elections. In 2022, she released an original song titled "Carolina" for Where The Crawdads Sing (2022) inspired by the novel written by Delia Owens.
With sales of over 200 million records worldwide, Swift is a best-selling music artist. Her accolades include 12 Grammy Awards (including three Album of the Year wins), two Brit Awards (including a Global Icon award), an Emmy Award, 28 [https://guinnessworldrecords.com/]Guinness World Records, 32 American Music Awards (the most wins by an artist), and 23 Billboard Music Awards (the most wins by a woman). She ranked eighth on Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists Chart (2019) and was listed on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time (2015). Swift has been included in various power rankings, such as Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world (2010, 2015 and 2019) and Forbes Celebrity 100 (placing first in 2016 and 2019). She was named Woman of the Decade (2010s) by Billboard and Artist of the Decade (2010s) by the American Music Awards.
Forever
Taylor Swift Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And we caught onto something
I hold onto the night, you looked me in the eye and told me you loved me
Were you just kidding?
'Cause it seems to me, this thing is breaking down
We almost never speak
I don't feel welcome anymore
'Cause one second it was perfect, now you're halfway out the door
[Chorus]
And I stare at the phone, he still hasn't called
And then you feel so low you cant feel nothing at all
And you flashback to when he said forever and always
Oh, and it rains in your bedroom
Everything is wrong
It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone
'Cause I was there when you said forever and always
Was I out of line?
Did I say something way too honest, made you run and hide
Like a scared little boy
I looked into your eyes
Thought I knew you for a minute, now I'm not so sure
So here's to everything coming down to nothing
Here's to silence, that cuts me to the core
Where is this going? Thought I knew for a minute, but I don't anymore
[Chorus]
You didn't mean it baby, I don't think so
Oh back up, baby, back up
Did you forget everything?
Back up, baby, back up
Did you forget everything?
'Cause it rains in your bedroom
Everything is wrong
It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone
'Cause I was there when you said forever and always
Oh, I stare at the phone, he still hasn't called
And then you feel so low you cant feel nothing at all
And you flashback to when we said forever and always
And it rains in your bedroom
Everything is wrong
It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone
'Cause I was there when you said forever and always
You didn't mean it baby,
You said forever and always, yeah.
“Forever and Always” is a song by Taylor Swift that was included in her second studio album Fearless which was released on November 11, 2008. The song was written by Swift herself and produced by Nathan Chapman. The song is about the pain of a breakup with someone you thought you would spend forever with. It starts with the memory of a perfect beginning in a relationship that quickly turned sour and led to heartbreak.
The song’s first verse starts with a nostalgic tone where Taylor Swift reminisces how she met her love interest on a Tuesday, which becomes the day she caught his eye. Then the second verse marks the beginning of the end of their relationship where she wonders about her partner’s love for her. She can’t help but think, "Were you just kidding? 'Cause it seems to me, this thing is breaking down We almost never speak, I don't feel welcome anymore, baby what happened? Please tell me". This lack of communication and the distance between them leads to a painful breakup.
The chorus is an emotional outburst where she admits to feeling low and going through flashbacks of the times when her lover promised to be “forever and always”. The melancholy mood is also reflected in the metaphor of rain which runs throughout the song. Her bedroom is her safe space, but now even being there makes her feel wrong and sad. Finally, the bridge of the song reiterates her love for her partner but also notes her confusion and sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a time, I believe it was a Tuesday when I caught your eye
I remember the exact moment we met, it was on a Tuesday
And we caught onto something
We felt a connection right away
I hold onto the night, you looked me in the eye and told me you loved me
I cherish the memory of when you expressed your love for me
Were you just kidding?
I wonder if your love for me was sincere or just a joke
'Cause it seems to me, this thing is breaking down
I feel like our relationship is falling apart
We almost never speak
We hardly communicate anymore
I don't feel welcome anymore
I don't feel included in your life like I used to
Baby what happened? Please tell me
I'm pleading with you to explain what went wrong
'Cause one second it was perfect, now you're halfway out the door
Our relationship turned sour quickly and you seem to be leaving me
And I stare at the phone, he still hasn't called
I keep waiting for your call, but it never comes
And then you feel so low you cant feel nothing at all
I'm so depressed that I can't feel anything anymore
And you flashback to when he said forever and always
I think back to when you promised me forever and always
Oh, and it rains in your bedroom
The atmosphere in your room feels sad
Everything is wrong
Everything feels like it's falling apart
It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone
The mood is always damp and sad in your room
'Cause I was there when you said forever and always
I remember when you promised me forever and always
Was I out of line?
Did I say something wrong?
Did I say something way too honest, made you run and hide
Maybe I was too truthful and it scared you away
Like a scared little boy
You left like a frightened child
I looked into your eyes
I used to think I knew you so well
Thought I knew you for a minute, now I'm not so sure
Now I'm not so certain that I understand you anymore
So here's to everything coming down to nothing
Everything we had is now gone
Here's to silence, that cuts me to the core
The silence between us is painful
Where is this going?
I'm unsure about the future of our relationship
Thought I knew for a minute, but I don't anymore
I used to be certain about us, but now I'm not
You didn't mean it baby, I don't think so
I don't believe you really meant it when you promised forever and always
Oh back up, baby, back up
You need to take a step back
Did you forget everything?
Do you not remember our love anymore?
And it rains in your bedroom
The mood in your room is always sad
You said forever and always, yeah.
You promised me forever and always
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TAYLOR SWIFT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
han
Once upon a time, I believe it was a Tuesday when I caught your eye
And we caught onto something
I hold onto the night, you looked me in the eye and told me you loved me
Were you just kidding?
'Cause it seems to me, this thing is breaking down
We almost never speak
I don't feel welcome anymore
Baby what happened? Please tell me
'Cause one second it was perfect, now you're halfway out the door
And I stare at the phone, he still hasn't called
And then you feel so low you cant feel nothing at all
And you flashback to when he said, "Forever and always"
Oh, and it rains in your bedroom
Everything is wrong
It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone
'Cause I was there when you said, "Forever and always"
Was I out of line?
Did I say something way too honest, made you run and hide
Like a scared little boy
I looked into your eyes
Thought I knew you for a minute, now I'm not so sure
So here's to everything coming down to nothing
Here's to silence, that cuts me to the core
Where is this going? Thought I knew for a minute, but I don't anymore
And I stare at the phone, he still hasn't called
And then you feel so low you cant feel nothing at all
And you flashback to when he said, "Forever and always"
Oh, and it rains in your bedroom
Everything is wrong
It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone
'Cause I was there when you said, "Forever and always"
You didn't mean it baby, I don't think so
Oh back up, baby, back up
Did you forget everything?
Back up, baby, back up
Did you forget everything?
'Cause it rains in your bedroom
Everything is wrong
It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone
'Cause I was there when you said, "Forever and always"
Oh, I stare at the phone, he still hasn't called
And then you feel so low you cant feel nothing at all
And you flashback to when we said, "Forever and always"
And it rains in your bedroom
Everything is wrong
It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone
'Cause I was there when you said, "Forever and always"
You didn't mean it baby,
You said, "Forever and always", yeah.
Clau
This version sounds like she’s reading an old entry of her diary. Less angry, more mature and just reminiscing old memories. Pure perfection
jankova0013
I kinda liked the anger in the song tho
Dyana Rivera
SOOO TRUE ,SAME FEELING IN THE OG YOU CAN FEEL THE ANGER
jankova0013
@Dyana Rivera yes, the original is more intense - more angry, sassy and confused which kinda makes the song. Like I like this version but the original is better in my eyes 🙈
Michael Wood
@jankova0013 and that's okay to prefer or like the original! (hopefully you have the CD or the downloaded song already.) That's the risk Taylor took by these re-recordings. She has to make them sound as similar as possible in the hopes the fans will love and accept the songs more than their originals..... which would be very hard for any artist. And if by chance all the fans said NAH to the re-recordings and ONLY preferred the originals, that would make those original albums that much more "special" to obtain. So it's awesome the fans seem to be enjoying the new recordings as much as the originals! Almost every track made the top 50 on Spotify!
jankova0013
@Michael Wood yes, it's really great that lot of fans actually prefer the new version. I think some songs sounds even better and makes more sense when she sings them at 31 (for example Fifteen). But of course if she wrote a song herself and recorded it while she was still in that situation it's way more intense than when she's reminiscing 12 years later...
Taengoo
Her voice improved so much😭and also she seems calmer singing this song now compared the original one you can really feel her anger at Joe that time😂
Sitat Hossain Farheen
Uhm her voice was beautiful before and is now
Lina M.
@Sitat Hossain Farheen they never said it wasn't 😐
navillera
@Sitat Hossain Farheen they just got less shakey and strainy which is natural and normal as u age