Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans… Read Full Bio ↴Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her narrative songwriting, which is often inspired by her personal life, has received widespread media coverage and critical praise.

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. Following Midnights, Taylor Swift announced her upcoming eleventh studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department” (2024) which is set to be released on April 19, 2024. She announced this record at 66th Annual Grammy Award Show accepting the award for Best Pop Vocal Album for her previous album, Midnights (2022) in honour of receiving her 13th Grammy.

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 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 [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, Artist of the Decade (2010s) by the American Music Awards, and Person of the Year (2023) by Time Magazine.

Macavity
Taylor Swift Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Macavity′s a mystery cat, he's called the Hiddenpaw
For he′s the master criminal who can defy the law
He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair
For when they reach the scene of crime, Macavity′s not there

Macavity, Macavity, there′s no one like Macavity
He's broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare

But when they reach the scene of crime, Macavity′s not there

Macavity's a ginger cat, he′s very tall and thin
You would know him if you saw him for his eyes are sunken in
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed
He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake
And when you think he's half asleep, he′s always wide awake

Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity
For he's a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square
But when a crime′s discovered, then Macavity′s not there

He's outwardly respectable, I know, he cheats at cards
And his footprints are not found in a-any files of Scotland Yard′s
And when the larder's looted and the jewel case is rifled
Or when the milk is missing or another peke′s been stifled
Or the greenhouse glass is broken and the trellis past repair
There's the wonder of the thing, Macavity′s not there

Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity
There never was a cat of such deceitfulness and suavity
He always has an alibi, and one or two to spare
What ever time the deed took place, Macavity wasn't there
And they say that all the cats whose wicked deeds are widely known
I might mention Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, Griddlebone
Are nothing more than agents for the cat who all the time
Just controls the operations, the Napoleon of Crime
Macavity, Macavity, there′s no one like Macavity
He′s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square
But when a crime's discovered, then Macavity, Macavity
Macavity, Macavity

When a crime′s discovered, then
Macavity's not there

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Taylor Swift's "Macavity" are about a mystery cat called Macavity, who is known as the Hiddenpaw, as he is the master criminal who can easily defy the law. Macavity is a notorious criminal, and he is the bafflement of Scotland Yard and the Flying Squad's despair, as they can never seem to catch him. Whenever there is a crime committed, Macavity is nowhere to be found, leaving investigators puzzled and helpless. As the lyrics suggest, Macavity has broken every human law, and his powers of levitation would make a fakir stare. Even though when they reach the scene of the crime, he vanishes without a trace.

Line by Line Meaning

Macavity's a mystery cat, he's called the Hiddenpaw
Macavity is a cat whose identity is unknown, and he is known as the Hiddenpaw.

For he's the master criminal who can defy the law
Macavity is a criminal mastermind who can break any law.

He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair
Macavity's crimes are so puzzling and hard to solve that even the best authorities like Scotland Yard and Flying Squad are unable to catch him.

For when they reach the scene of crime, Macavity′s not there
Macavity is always able to escape the crime scene before the authorities arrive.

Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity
Macavity is a unique cat who is one-of-a-kind.

He's broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity
Macavity is a cat who can defy the laws of physics, particularly gravity, and can seemingly fly or levitate.

His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare
Macavity's ability to levitate is so impressive that even a fakir (an ascetic who practices meditation and contemplation) would be amazed.

Macavity's a ginger cat, he′s very tall and thin
Macavity is a tall and thin cat with a coat of ginger.

You would know him if you saw him for his eyes are sunken in
Macavity's eyes are noticeably sunken in, making him easily recognizable.

His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed
Macavity's forehead has deep furrows caused by contemplation, and his head is highly domed or rounded.

His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed
Macavity's coat is unkempt and covered in dust, and his whiskers are tangled and uncombed.

He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake
Macavity moves his head in a swaying motion like a serpent or snake.

And when you think he's half asleep, he′s always wide awake
Macavity may appear to be half asleep or relaxed, but he is always alert and aware of his surroundings.

For he's a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity
Macavity is a malicious and evil creature in the form of a cat.

You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square
Macavity can be found anywhere in the city, whether it's a quiet street or a public square.

But when a crime′s discovered, then Macavity′s not there
Whenever a crime is discovered, Macavity is nowhere to be found, having escaped the scene without a trace.

He always has an alibi, and one or two to spare
Macavity always has an excuse or explanation for his whereabouts, and he often has multiple alibis ready to use.

What ever time the deed took place, Macavity wasn't there
No matter when a crime was committed, Macavity can always provide an alibi for his absence from the scene.

And they say that all the cats whose wicked deeds are widely known
Some believe that all cats who commit wicked deeds are working for Macavity, serving as his agents or henchmen.

I might mention Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, Griddlebone
These are specific cats named by the artist who are believed to be working for Macavity.

Are nothing more than agents for the cat who all the time
These cats are merely working for Macavity, who is the real mastermind behind their criminal activities.

Just controls the operations, the Napoleon of Crime
Macavity is compared to Napoleon, a military leader and emperor who was also known as a master strategist. In this case, Macavity is the mastermind behind all the criminal operations, just as Napoleon led his armies into battle.

Writer(s): Andrew Lloyd-webber, Thomas Eliot

Contributed by Gabriel W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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