"I Forgot That You Existed" is the first track from American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's seventh studio album, Lover, released on August 23, 2019, through Republic Records.
Background[]
This song’s beginning stages were recorded on the piano and released on the deluxe editions of Lover as a voice memo, placed as the 19th track on the CD. A notable difference between this and the final cut is that the second line in the chorus used to be "I thought that I would miss you but I didn’t." This was later replaced by “I thought that it would kill me but it didn’t.” This song is rumored to be about either Calvin Harris or Kanye West.
Taylor Swift - I Forgot That You Existed (Piano-Vocal - Official Voice Memo)
Spotify storyline[]
Swift discussed several topics within the storyline that accompanied this song on Spotify.
“ With the first song on this new album I wanted to bring us out of the 'reputation' album era. / 'reputation' for me was about grieving the loss of your reputation and all of the phases you go through. / The song closes the book on 'reputation' in resolving that whole conflict with a shrug. / 'Well, I guess I'm over it now, because I forgot that you existed.' ” —Taylor's Spotify story, each slide separated by a slash
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
How many days did I spend thinking
'Bout how you did me wrong, wrong, wrong?
Lived in the shade you were throwing
Till all of my sunshine was gone, gone, gone
And I couldn't get away from ya
In my feelings more than Drake, so, yeah
Your name on my lips, tongue-tied
Free rent, living in my mind
[Pre-Chorus 1]
But then, something happened one magical night
[Chorus]
I forgot that you existed
And I thought that it would kill me, but it didn't
And it was so nice
So peaceful and quiet
I forgot that you existed
It isn't love, it isn't hate, it's just indifference
I forgot that you
[Verse 2]
Got out some popcorn
As soon as my rep started going down, down, down
Laughed on the school yard
As soon as I tripped up and hit the ground, ground, ground
And I would've stuck around for ya
Would've fought the whole town, so, yeah
Would've been right there, front row
Even if nobody came to your show
[Pre-Chorus 2]
But you showed who you are, then, one magical night
[Chorus]
I forgot that you existed
And I thought that it would kill me, but it didn't
And it was so nice
So peaceful and quiet
I forgot that you existed
It isn't love, it isn't hate, it's just indifference
I forgot that you
[Bridge]
Sent me a clear message
Taught me some hard lessons
I just forget what they were
It's all just a blur
[Chorus]
I forgot that you existed
And I thought that it would kill me, but it didn't
And it was so nice
So peaceful and quiet
I forgot that you existed
I did, I did, I did
It isn't hate, it's just indifference
It isn't love, it isn't hate, it's just indifference
So, yeah
Live performances[]
The song made its live debut as a surprise song at The Eras Tour on August 24, 2023, in Mexico City. A mashup of the song and "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" was performed as an Eras Tour surprise song on June 18, 2024, in Cardiff, Wales.
| Lover | ||
|---|---|---|
| "I Forgot That You Existed" • "Cruel Summer" • "Lover" • "The Man" • "The Archer" • "I Think He Knows" • "Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince" • "Paper Rings" • "Cornelia Street" • "Death By A Thousand Cuts" • "London Boy" • "Soon You'll Get Better" • "False God" • "You Need To Calm Down" • "Afterglow" • "ME!" • "It's Nice To Have A Friend" • "Daylight" | ||
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