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.
Viva La Vida
Taylor Swift Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand
I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you go there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world
It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?
I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
The song "Viva La Vida" by Taylor Swift is a cover of the original song by Coldplay, which was released in 2008. The lyrics describe the rise and fall of a king or ruler who went from a position of power and authority to being alone and forgotten. The opening lines "I used to rule the world, seas would rise when I gave the word" portrays the power and control the ruler had over their kingdom. However, the next line "now in the morning I sleep alone, sweep the streets I used to own" reveals the current state of loneliness and insignificance. The juxtaposition between the two verses emphasizes the loss of power and privilege that the ruler once had.
The chorus of the song, which includes the repeated lines "I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing, Roman Cavalry choirs are singing, be my mirror, my sword and shield, my missionaries in a foreign field", echoes the sense of longing for power and control that the ruler once had. The lyrics express a desire for a sense of security and protection, represented by a "mirror, sword and shield". Additionally, the idea of "missionaries in a foreign field" could be interpreted as a metaphor for outsiders who can provide support and guidance during times of crisis.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of regret and longing for the past. The line "For some reason I can't explain, I know Saint Peter won't call my name" suggests an acknowledgement of past mistakes and a fear of facing judgment in the afterlife. In the end, the song portrays the fall of a once-great ruler and their desperate desire to reclaim what they had lost.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to rule the world
I used to have all the power and control.
Seas would rise when I gave the word
People would do anything I said, no matter how difficult or impossible.
Now in the morning I sleep alone
I feel lonely now that I've lost everything.
Sweep the streets I used to own
I have lost everything and now am forced to do menial tasks.
I used to roll the dice
I used to make risky decisions.
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
My enemies were afraid of me.
Listen as the crowd would sing
The people celebrated my power and success.
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"
The people's allegiance has shifted to a new ruler.
One minute I held the key
I used to have the ability to control everything.
Next the walls were closed on me
I lost everything suddenly and unexpectedly.
And I discovered that my castles stand
I realized that my success was built on unstable foundations.
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand
My success was built on illusions that crumbled away.
I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
I hear reminders of the past that I can't revisit.
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
I hear reminders of the past that I can't revisit.
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
I need someone to help me face my challenges.
My missionaries in a foreign field
I need help from people who are not like me to overcome my problems.
For some reason I can't explain
I don't understand why things have turned out the way they have.
"Once you go there was never
Now that I have lost everything, no one speaks honestly to me.
Never an honest word
Now that I have lost everything, no one speaks honestly to me.
And that was when I ruled the world
I had everything, but it was all built on illusions.
It was the wicked and wild wind
I was at the mercy of uncontrollable forces.
Blew down the doors to let me in
I was able to succeed due to lucky circumstances.
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
My success was achieved despite destruction and chaos.
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Others were surprised by my success.
Revolutionaries wait
There are people who want to overthrow me.
For my head on a silver plate
They want my downfall at any cost.
Just a puppet on a lonely string
I am helpless and lonely, at the mercy of others.
Oh who would ever want to be king?
Being a king may seem great, but it is actually lonely and dangerous.
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
I don't expect to be saved or forgiven.
Contributed by Victoria F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Breauna Grace
this is such an amazing cover, Taylor's voice is BEAUTIFUL
Jess
the way she sings this song so slowly, and calmly makes me sad about growing up and stuff, I don't know, im weird I guess, it just gives me so many flash backs to when I was littler... Plus It brings me back to when taylor was just starting out, now she is so big, and has grown so much! <3 xoxo Jess
Suze
ikr
Akhilesh Sajwan
😖😖
Holly Perry
Aw u got me in my feels..and i agree..time flies fast💕😢
RoseWood Productions
Jess Taylor has a magical ability to do that tbh
Major Shipper
I really like that she doesn't use auto-tune.
Not Ella
These people should be appreciated more, they make lyric videos for songs so we can listen to them when there's not a MV
Dem0nic h0urs UwO
There is one just not one for her cause she didn’t make the song
hazeyhanna101
She should record an album of all of her covers.