Peak
53
Weeks
1
Score
121
Chart Year
2023
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Taylor explained this song's meaning on her website: "This song is about my band, and my producer, and all the people who have helped us build this brick by brick. The fans, the people who I feel that we are all in this together, this song talks about the triumphant moments that we've had in the last two years. We've had times where we just jump up and down, and dance like we don't care how we're dancing, and just scream at the top of our lungs, 'How is this happening?' And, I feel very lucky to even have had one of those moments, nonetheless all the ones that I got to have. 'Long Live' is about how I feel reflecting on it. This song for me is like looking at a photo album of all the award shows, and all the stadium shows, and all the hands in the air in the crowd. It's sort of the first love song that I've written to my team." Rolling Stone included Swift on their 2012 "Women Who Rock" list, which detailed "50 of the fiercest albums that female rock & rollers have given the world." Speak Now came #45 in the list, while the magazine called this track, "the best Bon Jovi song Bon Jovi never wrote." Taylor Swift, fueled by a fresh contract with Republic Records, dove headfirst into re-recording her first six studio albums starting November 2020. Released on July 7, 2023, "Long Live (Taylor's Version)" is part of Speak Now (Taylor's Version), Swift's third re-recorded album. Let's take a moment to reflect on the original release. Back then, some might argue that Swift's move to drop "Long Live" seemed a tad premature. It was a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported her throughout her rise to stardom, yet it also carried an air of retrospective nostalgia. Fast forward a decade and "Long Live (Taylor's Version)" arrives at the right time to celebrate Swift's extraordinary journey to megastardom.
I said remember this moment In the back of my mind The time we stood with our shaking hands The crowds in stands went wild We were the kings and the queens And they read off our names The night you danced like you knew our lives Would never be the same You held your head like a hero On a history book page It was the end of a decade But the start of an age Long live the walls we crashed through How the kingdom lights shined just for me and you I was screaming, "Long live all the magic we made" And bring on all the pretenders One day we will be remembered I said remember this feeling I passed the pictures around Of all the years that we stood there on the sidelines Wishing for right now We are the kings and the queens You traded your baseball cap for a crown When they gave us our trophies And we held them up for our town And the cynics were outraged Screaming, "This is absurd" 'Cause for a moment, a band of thieves In ripped up jeans got to rule the world Long live the walls we crashed through How the kingdom lights shined just for me and you I was screaming, "Long live all the magic we made" And bring on all the pretenders, I'm not afraid Long live all the mountains we moved I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you I was screaming, "Long live the look on your face" And bring on all the pretenders One day we will be remembered Hold on to spinning around Confetti falls to the ground May these memories break our fall Will you take a moment? Promise me this That you'll stand by me forever But if, God forbid, fate should step in And force us into a goodbye If you have children someday When they point to the pictures Please tell them my name Tell them how the crowds went wild Tell them how I hope they shine Long live the walls we crashed through I had the time of my life with you Long, long live the walls we crashed through How the kingdom lights shined just for me and you And I was screaming, "Long live all the magic we made" And bring on all the pretenders, I'm not afraid Singing long live all the mountains we moved I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you And long, long live the look on your face And bring on all the pretenders One day, we will be remembered
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 22, 2023 | 53 | 73 |