"This Love" is the eleventh track from the standard edition of American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's fifth studio album, 1989, released on October 27, 2014, through Big Machine Records. It became the second promotional single from the re-recording 1989 (Taylor's Version) on May 6, 2022.
Background[]
Swift wrote "This Love" on October 17, 2012 in Los Angeles, only five days before the release of her fourth studio album, Red. It was initially written as a poem, that ended up as a song. This makes it the earliest song written for 1989, as proper works on the record began later in 2013. "This Love" was produced by Nathan Chapman, and it is the final song released in collaboration between him and Swift.
| “ | It’s about an experience I’ve had where, if you truly care about someone and you know they’re not fully ready to be in a relationship, you will let them go. And it sucks to be the one who has to let something go and cut someone loose when you don’t want to, but I think you have to be selfless in relationships when you know that that is not the right time. And if you make that decision and that person is supposed to be in your life, they’ll come back. And this was the way that I felt when that came back around. | ” |
Taylor's Version[]
Due to her dispute with Big Machine Records in 2019 over the ownership of her original six albums, Swift began re-recording her old work, to then release it under Republic Records. "This Love (Taylor's Version)" debuted on the May 5, 2022 episode of Prime Video's The Summer I Turned Pretty, and was then released as a promotional single a day later.
Hidden message[]
Hidden message: Timing is a funny thing.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Clear blue water
High tide came and brought you in
And I could go on and on
On and on and I will
Skies grew darker
Currents swept you out again
And you were just gone and gone
Gone and gone
[Pre-Chorus 1]
In silent screams and wildest dreams
I never dreamed of this
[Chorus]
This love is good, this love is bad
This love is alive, back from the dead, oh-oh, oh
These hands had to let it go free and
This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
[Verse 2]
Tossing, turning
Struggled through the night with someone new
Baby, I could go on and on
On and on
Lantern, burning
Flickered in my mind, only you
But you were still gone, gone, gone
[Pre-Chorus 2]
Been losing grip on sinking ships
You showed up just in time
[Chorus]
This love is good, this love is bad
This love is alive, back from the dead, oh-oh, oh
These hands had to let it go free and
This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
This love left a permanent mark
This love is glowing in the dark, oh-oh, oh
These hands had to let it go free, and
This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh
[Post-Chorus]
(This love, this love, this love, this love, oh-oh, oh)
(This love, this love, this love, this love, oh-oh, oh)
(This love, this love, this love, this love, oh-oh, oh)
(This love, this love, this love, this love)
[Bridge]
Your kiss, my cheek, I watched you leave
Your smile, my ghost, I fell to my knees
When you're young, you just run
But you come back to what you need
[Chorus]
This love is good, this love is bad
This love is alive, back from the dead, oh-oh, oh
These hands had to let it go free and
This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
This love left a permanent mark
This love is glowing in the dark, oh-oh, oh
These hands had to let it go free, and
This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh
[Post-Chorus]
(This love, this love, this love, this love, oh-oh, oh)
(This love, this love, this love, this love, oh-oh, oh)
(This love, this love, this love, this love, oh-oh, oh)
(This love, this love, this love, this love)
[Verse 1]
Clear blue water
High tide came and brought you in
Skies grew darker
Currents swept you out again
In silent screams and wildest dreams
I never dreamed of this
[Chorus]
This love is good
This love is bad
This love is alive
Back from the dead, oh
These hands had to let it go free
And this love came back to me
[Verse 2]
Twisting, turning
Tried to keep warm with someone new
Lantern, burning
Flickered through the night for only you
Through losing grip, on sinking ships
You showed up just in time
[Chorus]
This love is good
This love is bad
This love is alive back from the dead, oh
These hands had to let it go free
And this love came back to me
This love left a permanent mark
This love is glowing in the dark, oh
These hands had to let it go free
And this love came back to me, oh
[Bridge]
Your kiss, my cheek
I watched you leave
Your smile, my ghost
I fell to my knees
When you’re young, you just run
But you come back to what you need
You’re what I need
[Chorus]
This love is good
This love is bad
This love is alive back from the dead, oh
These hands had to let it go free
And this love came back to me
Audio[]
Taymoji pack[]
 The moon waxes and wanes, but my love does not.  Sparkle power, activate!  Love glows in the dark.  Found it!  Clear blue water, high tide came and brought you in  Drip... drip... drip...  Never to return again...  You float my boat.  Box |
Live performances[]
Swift performed "This Love" as part of the main setlist of The 1989 World Tour. The song was also the surprise song in Atlanta, Georgia, on the Reputation Stadium Tour on August 10, 2018, and the second surprise song in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the Eras Tour on May 13, 2023. It was performed as a surprise song a second time on the Eras Tour on March 4, 2024, in Singapore, mashed-up with "Call It What You Want".
-Remastered 4K- This Love - Taylor Swift - 1989 World Tour 2015 - EAS Channel
Trivia[]
- On October 28, 2014, Starbucks announced "This Love" as their “Pick of the Week” and offered a free iTunes promotional single download of it to customers.[4]
- The "This Love" journal entry can be found in the Lover Deluxe Version 2. The entry features some different lyrics than what appears on the final version.
References[]
| 1989 | ||
|---|---|---|
| "Welcome To New York" • "Blank Space" • "Style" • "Out Of The Woods" • "All You Had To Do Was Stay" • "Shake It Off" • "I Wish You Would" • "Bad Blood" • "Wildest Dreams" • "How You Get The Girl" • "This Love" • "I Know Places" • "Clean" | ||
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