"Welcome To New York" is the first track from the standard edition of American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's fifth studio album, 1989, released on October 20, 2014, through Big Machine Records. The song became a promotional single on October 20, 2014. It is also the first track from her fourth re-recorded album, 1989 (Taylor's Version), released on October 27, 2023, through Republic Records.
Background[]
The song was released to digital download on iTunes and with the CD on October 20, 2014. The song is the opening track on the album, 1989. Prior to the digital release Swift released a 30-second sampler of the song on YouTube.
When discussing the song with E! Online, Swift stated that: "The inspiration that I found in that city is kind of hard to describe and hard to compare to any other force of inspiration I've ever experienced in my life." She continued on by stating, "I approached moving there with such wide-eyed optimism and sort of saw it as a place of endless potential and possibilities. You can kind of hear that reflected in this music and this first song especially." When discussing the song's placement on the album Swift stated the reason she wanted the track to be the first song on the album was "because New York has been an important landscape and location for the story of my life in the last couple of years. You know, I dreamed about living in New York, I obsessed moving to New York and then I did it." The lines "And you can want who you want / Boys and boys and girls and girls" has been viewed as Swift's way of supporting LGBT equality.
Re-recording[]
"Welcome To New York (Taylor's Version)" was released on October 27, 2023, for 1989 (Taylor's Version), though it was believed to be teased during an NFL game, which was later proven false.
Chart performance[]
The song performed well in Oceania, peaking at number 6 and 23 in New Zealand and Australia, respectively. In Hungary, the song peaked at number 16 on the Association of Hungarian Record Companies Top 20 Singles chart, number 19 on the Canadian Hot 100, number 21 in Spain, number 27 in Denmark, and 39 on the UK Single Charts.
Hidden message[]
Hidden message: We begin our story in New York.
'Explanation: As Swifties on Twitter instantly noted when the song was first released, this tune is a perfect finish to a nice little trilogy that began with Taylor Swift's "A Place in this World" where she sang about -- you guessed it! -- looking for where she belonged in the world, and continued on Speak Now's "Mean", where she sang/promised, "someday I'll be living in a big ol' city."
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Walking through a crowd, the village is aglow
Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats
Everybody here wanted something more
Searching for a sound we hadn't heard before
And it said
[Chorus]
Welcome to New York
It's been waiting for you
Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
It's been waiting for you
Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
It's a new soundtrack
I could dance to this beat (Beat)
Forevermore
The lights are so bright
But they never blind me (Me)
Welcome to New York
It's been waiting for you
Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
[Verse 2]
When we first dropped our bags on apartment floors
Took our broken hearts, put them in a drawer
Everybody here was someone else before
And you can want who you want
Boys and boys and girls and girls
[Chorus]
Welcome to New York
It's been waiting for you
Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
It's been waiting for you
Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
It's a new soundtrack
I could dance to this beat (Beat)
Forevermore
The lights are so bright
But they never blind me (Me)
Welcome to New York
It's been waiting for you
Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
[Bridge]
Like any great love, it keeps you guessing
Like any real love, it's ever-changing
Like any true love, it drives you crazy
But you know you wouldn't change anything, anything, anything
[Chorus]
Welcome to New York
It's been waiting for you
Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
It's been waiting for you
Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
It's a new soundtrack
I could dance to this beat (Beat)
Forevermore
The lights are so bright
But they never blind me (Me)
Welcome to New York
It's been waiting for you
Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
Taymoji pack[]
 Taylor chose Welcome to NY to be the first song on 1989, because the city had a profound influence on her life during the recording of the album.  When we first dropped our bags on apartment floors, took our broken hearts and put them in a drawer.  Only about 60% of New York’s subway system is underground.  There are roughly 13,000 taxis in NYC.  April 26 is National Pretzel Day.  Coffee is one of Taylor’s favorite drinks.  Sorry, ketchup. Mustard is the most popular hot dog topping in America.  Taylor moved to the Big Apple in 2014.  Box |
Live performances[]
"Welcome To New York" was performed on May 5, 2015, in Tokyo, Japan to December 12, 2015, in Melbourne, Australia on The 1989 World Tour, as the first song on the setlist.[4] "Welcome To New York" was also performed as a surprise song in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 20, 2018 on the Reputation Stadium Tour.
"Welcome To New York" was performed three times as a surprise song on The Eras Tour: on May 28, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey as the first surprise song, on May 18, 2024 in Stockholm, Sweden mashed-up with "Say Don't Go" and "Clean". in honor of the 89th show, and on October 26, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana mashed-up with "Hits Different".
References[]
- ↑ https://www.vulture.com/2014/10/album-review-taylor-swift-1989.html
- ↑ https://www.techtimes.com/articles/18268/20141020/taylor-swift-new-york-songs.htm
- ↑ https://slate.com/culture/2014/10/taylor-swift-welcome-to-new-york-new-song-from-1989-is-a-pro-gay-synth-pop-anthem.html
- ↑ https://genius.com/Taylor-swift-1989-tour-setlist-lyrics
| 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" | ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
|