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"I Knew You Were Trouble" (stylized as "I Knew You Were Trouble.") is the fourth track from American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's fourth studio album, Red, released on October 9, 2012, through Big Machine Records. The song became the third single from the album on December 10, 2012. A remix version featuring the rapper Sammy Adams was released on November 2012. It is also the fourth track from her second re-recorded album, Red (Taylor's Version), released on November 12, 2021, through Republic Records.

Background[]

The song is rumored to be about Swift's ex-boyfriend, John Mayer.

On October 8, 2012, Swift previewed the song on an episode of Good Morning America. Swift said of the song: "The song is about being frustrated with yourself because here you are heart-broken and you knew when you first saw that person you saw all these red flags and you just went for it anyway, so shame on me."

In an interview with Billboard, published on December 4, 2014, Swift said of the song: "'I Knew You Were Trouble' was a big signal flare. When I did something like that, that I thought people were going to be freaked out over, and it ended up spending seven weeks at No. 1 on the pop charts, it felt like I had tried on something new that fit really well."

Music video[]

The music video began filming on November 18, 2012, in Los Angeles, California. Two days later, pictures from the set surfaced online showing Swift with a more rocker look and pink tipped hair. The video (directed by Anthony Mandler) premiered on December 13, 2012, on MTV as part of the channel's week long celebration for the singer's birthday. Taylor's love interest in the video is played by Reeve Carney who starred in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. A twenty-five second preview was released prior to the video's released on the same day to MTV.com. The video was compared to "Ride" by Lana Del Rey, which also was directed by Mandler and had a "confessional voice over". Rolling Stone magazine highlighted the similarities between the music video and the music video for the Rihanna single "We Found Love".

Hidden message[]

Hidden message: When you saw me dancing.

Lyrics[]

[Verse 1]
Once upon a time, a few mistakes ago
I was in your sights, you got me alone
You found me, you found me
You found me-e-e-e-e
I guess you didn't care and I guess I liked that
And when I fell hard, you took a step back
Without me, without me
Without me-e-e-e-e

[Pre-Chorus]
And he's long gone when he's next to me
And I realize the blame is on me

[Chorus]
'Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So, shame on me, now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Till you put me down, oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So, shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Now I'm lying on the cold, hard ground

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh-oh
Trouble, trouble, trouble
Oh, oh-oh
Trouble, trouble, trouble

[Verse 2]
No apologies, he'll never see you cry
Pretends he doesn't know that he's the reason why
You're drowning, you're drowning
You're drowning-ing-ing-ing-ing
And I heard you moved on from whispers on the street
A new notch in your belt is all I'll ever be
And now I see, now I see
Now, I see-e-e-e-e

[Pre-Chorus]
He was long gone when he met me
And I realize the joke is on me

[Chorus]
'Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in (Oh)
So, shame on me, now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Till you put me down, oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I've never been (Yeah)
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh-oh (Yeah)
Trouble, trouble, trouble (Yeah, trouble)
Oh, oh-oh
Trouble, trouble, trouble

[Bridge]
And the saddest fear
Comes creeping in
That you never loved me
Or her, or anyone
Or anything, yeah

[Chorus]
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So, shame on me, now
Flew me to places I'd never been (Never been)
Till you put me down, oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in (Knew it right there)
So, shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been (Ooh)
Now I'm lying on the cold, hard ground

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh-oh
Trouble, trouble, trouble (Oh)
Oh, oh-oh
Trouble, trouble, trouble

[Outro]
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
Trouble, trouble, trouble
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
Trouble, trouble, trouble

[Verse 1: Taylor Swift]
Once upon a time, a few mistakes ago
I was in your sights, you got me alone
You found me, you found me
You found me-e-e-e-e
I guess you didn't care and I guess I liked that
And when I fell hard, you took a step back
Without me, without me
Without me-e-e-e-e

[Pre-Chorus: Taylor Swift]
And he's long gone when he's next to me
And I realize the blame is on me

[Chorus: Taylor Swift]
'Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So, shame on me, now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Till you put me down, oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So, shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Now I'm lying on the cold, hard ground

[Post-Chorus: Sammy Adams & Taylor Swift]
Oh, oh-oh (You know what?)
Trouble, trouble, trouble (You know what?)
Oh, oh-oh (You know what? Uh)
Trouble, trouble, trouble
Oh, oh-oh (I told you obvious, hours)
Trouble, trouble, trouble
Oh, oh-oh
Trouble, trouble, trouble

[Verse 2: Sammy Addams]
Double platinum wherever she go
Shout to French Torino
Met her out in Vegas
I'm not in no casino
Red lips so hard to miss
What's wrong with being promiscuous?
And I can teach you bad bad things
If you into it
Don't need to get intimate (Just yet)
Slow down I know that you're thinking you and me (Just met)
But girl I got the remedy
Most important the chemistry
Good girl gone bad
Too much for a Kennedy
So, some say some say they sold their souls for a couple hits
I'd rather live the life of gold with the perfect chick
Cause that one moment so breathless and you're hoping
That you'll feel the same way same way
Sparks glowing off that cute face and that sharp smile (Oh man!)
I haven't crushed this hard in quite awhile (Oh dang!)
And I could care less that you famous
We gon' make the perfect couple
Cause my first name Big
And last name Trouble, yeah

[Chorus: Taylor Swift]
'Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in (Oh)
So, shame on me, now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Till you put me down, oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I've never been (Yeah)
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground

[Post-Chorus: Sammy Adams & Taylor Swift]
Oh, oh-oh (Yeah) (You know what?)
Trouble, trouble, trouble (Yeah, trouble) (You know what?)
Oh, oh-oh (You know what? Uh)
Trouble, trouble, trouble

[Bridge: Taylor Swift]
And the saddest fear
Comes creeping in
That you never loved me
Or her, or anyone
Or anything, yeah

[Chorus: Taylor Swift]
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So, shame on me, now
Flew me to places I'd never been (Never been)
Till you put me down, oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in (Knew it right there)
So, shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been (Ooh)
Now I'm lying on the cold, hard ground

[Post-Chorus: Taylor Swift]
Oh, oh-oh
Trouble, trouble, trouble (Oh)
Oh, oh-oh
Trouble, trouble, trouble

[Outro: Taylor Swift]
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
Trouble, trouble, trouble
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
Trouble, trouble, trouble

Lyric video[]

Taymoji pack[]

Expand/collapse gallery

Critical reception[]

The song received generally positive reviews from critics, who complimented its mainstream appeal though many noted Swift's experimentation with dubstep was relatively limited. The New York Times critic Jon Caramanica praised the song, calling it "one of the year's great pop songs" and noting that the dubstep element "arrives halfway through like a wrecking ball, changing the course not just of the song but also of Ms. Swift's career." Spin compared the song positively to lead single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", calling it "peppy, uber-catchy pop" and "a far cry from traditional country." The article also commented that "yes, 'Trouble' shows some wub... But as dubstep breakdowns have increasingly become just another feature of the ever-changing pop landscape, like Auto-Tune or 2 Chainz guest spots, what emerges here is merely another sharply crafted Swift kiss-off, in post-David Guetta dance-pop clothing." Ray Rahman of Entertainment Weekly commented in a short review that I Knew You Were Trouble "has the same kind of defiant pop-radio oomph that made her fourth albumā€™s other big breakup banger, 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,' a number one." MTV.com described the track as "chaotic" commenting on how "the song touches on all genres of music, with moments of straight-up Top 40 pop, country and even dance, with its grinding effects, especially on the bumping chorus." The review echoes one of Swift's own comments about the song; during the GMA preview she stated: "Itā€™s a song thatā€™s one of my favorite songs on the album because it sounds just as chaotic as the feeling was when I wrote it." Idolator was conflicted but hopeful about the departure from Swift's typical sound, remarking that "the hook isnā€™t quite as immediate as 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,' but Martinā€™s stamp is still all over 'Trouble,' from the bright, sparkly instrumentation to the keen, radio-friendly melody. There might be a little part of us that misses Swiftā€™s very personal and idiosyncratic songcraft, but itā€™s already clear that itā€™s elsewhere on the album ā€” and the introduction of these all-star producers into the mix is giving Swift a chance to show that sheā€™s way more versatile than just a girl with a guitar."

Chart performance[]

The song debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 with 416,000 copies having been sold in its first week, Swift's second largest first week singles sales. It became Swift's 14th top 10 hit and her 11th song to debut inside the top 10.[18] With sales of 416,000 from "I Knew You Were Trouble", Taylor Swift became the first artist in digital history to have two songs that debuted with sales of 400,000 or more copies. It eventually peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 being blocked by Locked Out Of Heaven By Bruno Mars. It also hit #1 on the Billboard Pop Songs Chart and stayed #1 for 7 weeks total, it also got to #1 on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs Chart where it stayed for 1 week and it was a top 5 hit on the Adult Contemporary Chart peaking at #5.

Live performances[]

  • On November 18, 2012, Swift performed the song at the 40th American Music Awards.
  • On November 25, 2012, Swift performed the song on the Australian program Today.
  • On November 29, 2012, Swift performed the song at the ARIA Music Awards.

Awards and nominations[]

"I Knew You Were Trouble" received five awards from nine nominations.

Year Organization Award Result
2013 Australian Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Aussie's Fave Song Won
MTV Video Music Awards Video of the Year Nominated
Best Female Video Won
Teen Choice Awards Choice Single by a Female Artist Nominated
YouTube Music Awards Response of the Year Nominated
YouTube Phenomenon Won
2014 American Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Song Nominated
BMI Pop Awards Award Winning Songs Won
Publisher of the Year Won

Release history[]

Region Date Format Label Ref.
United Kingdom December 10, 2012 Single Big Machine Records [citation needed]
United States October 9, 2012 Promotional single
November 27, 2012 Contemporary hit radio
December 10, 2012 Single
December 13, 2012 CD single

Cover versions[]

  • Michelle Chamuel performed the song on season four The Voice.
  • On an episode of The X Factor that aired on November 27, 2013, Alex & Sierra performed a cover of the song.

Trivia[]

  • The Taylor's Version of this song is also registered with GEMA and other copyright societies known as "AUA!", and both have the same writers and track length as well as GEMA work no.: 13191984-003. Because the title is a cover for this song in a German singing contest that is only under Taylor's name because they released it on streaming.

References[]

RED
"State of Grace" ā€¢ "Red" ā€¢ "Treacherous" ā€¢ "I Knew You Were Trouble" ā€¢ "All Too Well" ā€¢ "22" ā€¢ "I Almost Do" ā€¢ "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" ā€¢ "Stay Stay Stay" ā€¢ "The Last Time" ā€¢ "Holy Ground" ā€¢ "Sad Beautiful Tragic" ā€¢ "The Lucky One" ā€¢ "Everything Has Changed" ā€¢ "Starlight" ā€¢ "Begin Again"
Deluxe Edition
"The Moment I Knew" ā€¢ "Come Back...Be Here" ā€¢ "Girl at Home" ā€¢ "Treacherous" (demo) ā€¢ "Red" (demo) ā€¢
"State of Grace" (acoustic)
Taylor's Version
"Ronan" ā€¢ "Better Man" ā€¢ "Nothing New" ā€¢ "Babe" ā€¢ "Message in a Bottle" ā€¢ "I Bet You Think About Me" ā€¢ "Forever Winter" ā€¢ "Run" ā€¢ "The Very First Night" ā€¢ "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)"
The More Red (Taylor's Version) Chapter
"Safe & Sound" ā€¢ "Eyes Open"
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