"This Is Really Happening" is an unreleased song by Taylor Swift. It was written around November 2004 with Blu Sanders and then sold to country singer Britni Hoover who released it in her 2007 album, Country Strong. The Acoustic Version of it is in possession by The Inner Circle and is owned by Sony/ATV. The first line of the song is a sample taken from Midnight Show by The Killers.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Beneath the chandelier of stars and atmosphere
Tangled like the roots on the ground
The windows opened up
The wind is blowing and we're both not making a sound
It’s like I’m melting on into you
Give me a reason why we should ever move
And
[Chorus]
Tell me
You’ll never leave me
And I’m not crazy and
This is really happening
That this is really happening
[Verse 2]
Could this be better?
You write me letters
Though you see me every day
You tend to treat me like
My name is up in lights
It really blows me away
Lock me up in a dark room
And I still can’t take my eyes off you
[Chorus]
Tell me
You’ll never leave me
And I’m not crazy and
This is really happening
That this is really happening
[Bridge]
All those kisses up against your car
For all those wishes on planes
We thought were stars
Memories, like photographs
Oh, baby, here we are
[Chorus]
Tell me
You’ll never leave me
And I’m not crazy and
Oh, this is really happening
Oh, oh, baby
[Chorus]
Tell me
You’ll always need me
That I drive you crazy
And this is really happening
Oh, that this is really happening
[Outro]
Tell me, oh
You’ll always need me (need me, tell me)
(Baby) That I drive you crazy
(Oh) That this is really happening
Quotes about the song[]
One of her many admirers was Blu Sanders, a local songwriter who - taking a proactive approach - propelled himself to the front of the queue. "She was writing with someone else and I stuck my head in the room and told her I wanted to write with her," Blu revealed to the author of that first meeting. "In songwriting, everyone's looking for someone young and good to latch on to in hope that they do well and you can be part of it as it grows. Taylor was writing around town, so people knew about her and that she had something happening."
By the time they first started working together, Taylor hadn't even reached her 15th birthday. However, her reputation was already beginning to precede her. Blu had high expectations - in fact, she had him feeling "intimidated" by her lyrical prowess from the first verse.
"If I Remember correctly, she came in with the first couple lines which I thought were some pretty heavy lyrics for a 14-year old," Blu recalled incredulously. "I was a bit intimidated, frankly. Guy in mid-thirties with confident teenage co-writer. People like to bash young, successful artists. Attribute it to their label, marketing, the target market, but Taylor was the real deal. I know first-hand that the girl at a young age, before her first record ever came out, was more driven and focused that I've probably ever been. When I was 15, I was kicking the soccer ball around, not writing songs!"
Despite their differences in age, they soon found a winning formula with which to work together. Taylor offered the first few lyrics of the track, while Blu began to experiment with some alternative tunings and the pair also collaborated on suitable melodies, until eventually the framework of a song came together.
However, Taylor knew what she wanted in some regards from the outset. "I remember throwing chorus ideas to her and she was certainly not afraid to say no to things she didn't like," Blue explained.
When the track took shape, it was called 'Is This Really Happening?' and it became an ode to a love affair that seemed almost too good to be true. "It's about being in a relationship or a moment with someone and it's amazing and you sort of have to pinch yourself and wonder if it could be as good as it seems," he added. However, while Blu connected instantly to her as a writer, he wasn't so sure how to relate the teenage optimism that flowed through her work. "The challenge in writing with someone else is making [the lyrics] mean something to two different people with completely different lives," he revealed. "I'm a jaded 30-something. If I had to guess, I'd say a teenager has more of those moments than I do. Maybe I need to rethink my approach!"
Despite spending several hours on the track, it was never recorded in the studio with a band - instead it seemed destined to remain an acoustic demo forever. The irony was that, just like the song Taylor had been picturing, the love affair was more of a fantasy than a reality and never really got off the ground.
"I still think the song stands up on its own," Blue declared. "I love the lyrics and I love the melody and I actually thought it was going to make her first album. But then I'd be [speaking to you] from my beach house, instead of my brother's air mattress, if it did."