Welcome To New York

Album

1989

Label

Big Machine Records

Genre

Synthpop

Media Type

CD

Duration

3:32

Composer(s)

Ryan B. Tedder;Taylor Alison Swift

Entered Chart

Nov 8, 2014

Peak Date

Nov 8, 2014

Released

October 20, 2014

Recorded

Studio Conway Recording (Los Angeles)

Catalog #

Big Machine Digital

This is the first track on 1989, an album that finds Swift tossing away the Nashville elements of her previous three records in favor of a new city and new pop sound. "I wanted to start the album with this song because New York has been an important landscape and location for the story of my life in the past couple of years," Swift explained. The song finds Swift singing the praises of the Big Apple. "I dreamt about moving to New York, I obsessed about moving to New York and then I did it," she said. "The inspiration I found in that city is kind of hard to describe and hard to compare it to any other force of inspiration I've ever experienced in my life. It's like an electric city." The synth-laden track reflects the electric city. "I approached moving there with such wide eyed optimism and sort of saw it as a place of endless potential and possibilities," Swift explained, "and you can kind of hear that reflected in this music and this first song especially." Swift wrote the song with Ryan Tedder. The OneRepublic frontman also produced the track with Noel Zancanella, who has penned hits for Ellie Goulding, Demi Lovato and Maroon 5. Taylor Swift donated her portion of proceeds from the song's single release to New York City public schools.

Walkin' through a crowd, the village is aglow
Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats
Everybody here wanted somethin' more
Searchin' for a sound we hadn't heard before
And it said

Welcome to New York, it's been waitin' for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
Welcome to New York, it's been waitin' 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 waitin' for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York

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

Welcome to New York, it's been waitin' for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
Welcome to New York, it's been waitin' 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 (New York), it's been waitin' for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York

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

Welcome to New York, it's been waitin' for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
Welcome to New York, it's been waitin' for you
Welcome to New York, welcome to New York
It's a new soundtrack, I could dance to this beat
The lights are so bright, but they never blind me
Welcome to New York (new soundtrack), it's been waitin' for you
Welcome to New York (the lights are so bright but they never blind me)
Welcome to New York (so bright, they never blind me)
Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York