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, yet ongoing 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—a retrospective tour covering the entirety of her discography. During her ongoing tour, Swift would release her next two re-recorded albums, Speak Now (Taylor's Version) in July and 1989 (Taylor's Version) in October of 2023. The former of which would land Swift as the woman with the most number-one albums (12) in Billboard 200 history, surpassing Barbra Streisand. The latter was her sixth album to sell one million copies in a single week in the US, her largest album sales in a week span. “Is It Over Now? (Taylor's Version)”, the lead single for 1989 (Taylor's Version), would peak at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
At the 66th annual GRAMMY Awards, Taylor Swift surprised viewers by announcing her eleventh studio album, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. On April 19, 2024, the album was released globally, breaking records: it became the first ever to amass 1 billion Spotify streams in a week and sold 2.6 million units in its first week in the US. Swift dominated the charts, monopolizing the top 14 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 and securing the top 10 positions on Australia’s ARIA Singles Chart. The lead single, Fortnight, featuring Post Malone, quickly soared to the number-one position on the Hot 100. Additionally, just two hours after the album’s release, Swift surprised fans with a reissue titled THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY, which included 15 extra songs.
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 14 Grammy Awards, including four Album of the Year wins, which makes Swift the artist with the most awards for that category in history, two Brit Awards (including a Global Icon award), an Emmy Award, 28 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, Artist of the Decade (2010s) by the American Music Awards, and Person of the Year (2023) by Time Magazine.
I Can See You
Taylor Swift Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You brush past me in the hallway
And you don't think I, I, I can see ya, do ya?
I've been watchin' you for ages
And I spend my time tryin' not to feel it
But what would you do if I went to touch you now?What would you do if they never found us out?
What would you do if we never made a sound?
'Cause I can see you waitin' down the hall from me
And I could see you up against the wall with me
And what would you do, baby, if you only knew?
That I can see you
Uh-uh, uh, uh
And we kept everything professional
But something's changed, it's somethin' I, I like
They keep watchful eyes on us
So it's best that we move fast and keep quiet
You won't believe half the things I see inside my head
Wait 'til you see half the things that haven't happened yet
But what would you do if I went to touch you now?
What would you do if they never found us out?
What would you do if we never made a sound?
'Cause I can see you waitin' down the hall from me
And I could see you up against the wall with me
And what would you do, baby, if you only knew? Oh, oh, oh
That I could see you throw your jacket on the floor
I could see you make me want you even moreWhat would you do, baby, if you only knew?
That I can see you
Uh-uh, uh, uh
I could see you in your suit and your necktie
Passed me a note saying, "Meet me tonight"
Then we kiss, and you know I won't ever tell, yeah
And I could see you being my addiction
You can see me as a secret mission
Hide away and I will start behaving myself
Uh-uh, uh, uh
Oh-oh, oh, oh
I can see you waitin' down the hall from me
And I could see you up against the wall with me
And what would you do, baby, if you only knew? Oh
And I could see you throw your jacket on the floor
I could see you make me want you even more
What would you do, baby, if you only knew?
That I can see you, oh, I can see you
Oh, I see you, I see you, baby
I see you
(Uh-uh, uh, uh) I see you, I see you, baby
Oh, baby
In Taylor Swift's song "I Can See You," the lyrics tell a story of unrequited love and hidden desires. The singer is aware of someone's presence and their every move, even though the person may think they are unnoticed. There is a sense of longing and yearning as the singer watches from a distance, unable to act on their feelings.
The first verse sets the scene of the singer observing the person they are infatuated with in a school hallway. They are trying to suppress their emotions and not let their feelings show. The chorus reveals the singer's fantasies of what could happen if they were to make a move and if their relationship were to go unnoticed. It showcases the desperate desire for a secret connection and the consequences of their imagined actions.
The second verse suggests that there might be some professional boundaries between the singer and the person they are fascinated by. There is an underlying tension and a need for secrecy due to the watchful eyes around them. The singer's thoughts become more vivid and they express how the other person won't believe what they are envisioning. The bridge further demonstrates the singer's anticipation, imagining the person in different scenarios and hinting at a potential affair.
Throughout the song, there is an element of danger and forbidden attraction. The singer sees the other person as their addiction and as a secret mission. They are willing to hide and behave in order to have a chance with them. The lyrics capture the intensity and hidden desires of a love that cannot be openly pursued.
Line by Line Meaning
You brush past me in the hallway
You casually walk by me in the hallway
And you don't think I, I, I can see ya, do ya?
And you underestimate that I can actually notice you, don't you?
I've been watchin' you for ages
I've been observing you for a very long time
And I spend my time tryin' not to feel it
And I dedicate my time trying to suppress my emotions
But what would you do if I went to touch you now?
But how would you react if I were to make a move on you right now?
What would you do if they never found us out?
What would you do if nobody discovered our secret?
What would you do if we never made a sound?
What would you do if we remained completely silent?
'Cause I can see you waitin' down the hall from me
Because I can notice you standing at the end of the hallway from where I am
And I could see you up against the wall with me
And I can envision you pressed against the wall together with me
And what would you do? Baby, if you only knew
And what would you do, my dear, if you were aware of what I can see?
That I can see you
That I have the ability to observe you
And we kept everything professional
And we maintained a strictly business relationship
But something's changed, it's somethin' I, I like
But now something has shifted, and it's something that I enjoy
They keep watchful eyes on us
Others closely monitor our actions
So it's best that we move fast and keep quiet
Therefore, it's advisable for us to act swiftly and maintain secrecy
You won't believe half the things I see inside my head
You would be astonished by the vivid images in my mind
Wait 'til you see half the things that haven't happened yet
Just wait until you witness all the moments that are yet to occur
That I could see you throw your jacket on the floor
That I am able to witness you throwing your jacket onto the floor
I could see you, make me want you even more
I can imagine you, which intensifies my desire for you
I can see you in your suit and your necktie
I can envision you dressed in your suit and necktie
Passed me a note saying, 'Meet me tonight'
You discreetly handed me a note that said, 'Let's meet tonight'
Then we kissed and you know I won't ever tell, yeah
Then we kissed, and rest assured, I will never reveal our secret
And I could see you being my addiction
And I can envision you becoming my addiction
You can see me as a secret mission
You perceive me as a covert mission
Hide away and I will start behaving myself
Conceal yourself, and I will begin to act more appropriately
I see you, I see you, baby
I notice you, I notice you, darling
I see you (Uh-uh, uh, uh) I see you, I see you, baby
I observe you, I see you, I notice you, darling
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Taylor Swift
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vibemusic.
Where do YOU live?
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🇺🇸
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Phillippines
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Türkiye 🇹🇷
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India 🇮🇳
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1415 Lorence St. Sacremento New Mexico
@preppy_princess001
It’s dangerous how many times I’ve listened to this version
@ginaharris-franke4706
me too
@sheronspencer3752
same!
@pinepineapple2644
how could she still be so popular, from my age of 13 to 28. Amazed