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I Think He Knows

Lover (2019)

“I Think He Knows” is track six song on Taylor’s seventh studio album, Lover (2019). The uptempo love song talks about the beginning of a potential relationship, with Taylor crushing on her potential boyfriend’s every move.
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Background and Release

Taylor released Lover on August 23, 2019. Describing the album as a “love letter to love itself”, it explores the “full spectrum of love”, inspired by the connections she felt with her fans during her “reputation Stadium Tour” (2018). The track list of Lover consists of 18 songs. “I Think He Knows” was written and produced by Taylor and Jack Antonoff, who worked with her on most of the album.

Taylor first teased “I Think He Knows” in the music video for “You Need to Calm Down” during a scene when the camera shows the entrance of a neighborhood with a street sign for “16th Avenue.”

Lyrical Theme

This song finds Taylor singing about the beginning of a relationship. She is seemingly admiring minute details about her lover from afar, as in not stating her love forthrightly. She is in complete control, as their relationship is moving at a pace she has established. She also appears convinced that “he knows” of her feelings and intentions and is going along with the game. When talking about the song, Taylor said:

«Basically, I was playing around with the idea of quiet confidence. There's something so sick about quiet confidence; somebody who, they're not arrogant, they're not cocky, like, that's obnoxious. But, there are certain people who just walk in and they don't need to be arrogant because there's something beaming from within them that they probably aren't even in control of. And when you meet a person like this, you're like, 'Why do I want to walk over there and talk to that person?' I can't explain it, but I think it's this quality. It can be a really shy person, it's not like you gotta be loud. Some people just seem like they know who they are, they don't need to brag about it. And I think that's such an intersting quality because I can't really explain it. And I wrote a song about that. I mention a street called 16th Avenue, and that's a street in Nashville where I used to write songs. The songwriting/publishing houses are on that street, so if you're wondering if I just picked a random number, I didn't.»

Live Performances

Taylor first performed “I Think He Knows” during her sixth headlining concert tour, “The Eras Tour” (2023), four years after its release. It was the first surprise song during her show on May 21, 2023, in Foxborough. The recording was officially released on January 16, 2025, as a bonus track of Lover (Live From Paris). Before singing it, she said:

«This is a song that I have never played live before. It’s a song that was just so fun to make, I remember being in the studio with Jack and just bopping to that one. It’s from Lover and it’s called 'I Think He Knows'.»

On “The Eras Tour”, she performed the song again on May 17, 2024, in Stockholm as a mashup with “Gorgeous” (2017). On August 3, 2024, she paired it with “Today Was A Fairytale” (2010) in Warsaw.

Commercial Performance

Upon the release of Lover, during the week ending September 7, 2019, “I Think He Knows” peaked at  No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
I think he knows
His footprints on the sidewalk
Lead to where I can’t stop
Go there every night
I think he knows his
Hands around a cold glass
Make me wanna know that
Body like it’s mine

[Pre-Chorus 1]
He got that boyish look that I like in a man
I am an architect, I’m drawing up the plans
It’s like I’m seventeen
Nobody understands
No one understands

[Chorus]
He got my heartbeat
Skipping down 16th Avenue
I got that uhh, I mean
Want to see what’s under that attitude
I want you
Bless my soul
But I ain’t gotta tell him
I think he knows
I think he knows

[Verse 2]
I think he knows
When we get all alone
I’ll make myself at home
And he’ll want me to stay
I think he knows
He’d better lock it down
Or I won’t stick around
‘Cause good ones never wait (Ha!)

[Pre-Chorus 2]
He got that boyish look that I like in a man
I am an architect, I’m drawing up the plans
He’s so obsessed with me and, boy
I understand
Boy, I understand

[Chorus]
He got my heartbeat (Heartbeat)
Skipping down 16th Avenue
I got that uhh, I mean (I mean)
Want to see what’s under that attitude
I want you
Bless my soul
But I ain’t gotta tell him
I think he knows
I think he knows

[Post-Chorus]
I want you
Bless my
I want you
Bless my
I want you
Bless my
I want you
Bless my soul

[Bridge]
Lyrical smile
Indigo eyes
Hand on my thigh
We could follow the sparks, I’ll drive
Lyrical smile
Indigo eyes
Hand on my thigh
We could follow the sparks, I’ll drive
“So where we gonna go?”
I whisper in the dark
“Where we gonna go?”
I think he knows

[Chorus]
He got my heartbeat (Heartbeat)
Skipping down 16th Avenue (Baby)
I got that uhh, I mean (I mean)
Want to see what’s under that attitude like (Yeah)
I want you
Bless my soul
But I ain’t gotta tell him
I think he knows
I think he knows

[Post-chorus]
I want you
Bless my
I want you
Bless my
I want you
Bless my (Oh, baby)
I want you
Bless my soul (He got my heartbeat)
I want you
Bless my (Skipping down 16th Avenue, baby)
I want you
Bless my soul
I want you
Bless my soul
But I ain’t gotta tell him
I think he knows

General Information
ArtistTaylor Swift
AlbumLover
ReleasedAugust 23, 2019
Written2018-2019
StudiosElectric Lady (New York City)
Conway (Los Angeles)
GenreSynth Pop
Electro Pop
Length2:53
LabelRepublic Records
SongwritersTaylor Swift
Jack Antonoff
ProducersJack Antonoff
Taylor Swift
LOVER CHRONOLOGY
The ArcherI Think He KnowsMiss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince
Single Certification
"Platinum" certification by the Recording Industry Association of America. Signifying 1,000,000 units sold.
Song Artwork
Live Performance
Lyric Video (Fan made)
Official Audio
Acoustic Live Audio