London Boy
Lover (2019)
Background and Production
Clay was contacted by Taylor’s team in June 2019, prior to Lover‘s release, when he was on tour in Bergen, Norway. Taylor wanted to interpolate the rhythm of Clay’s 2018 song “Cold War” into “London Boy”, which Clay happily accepted. This makes him only the second artist ever to be interpolated on one of Taylor’s songs (after Right Said Fred on “Look What You Made Me Do”). He told Rolling Stone: “I don’t know anything about her, really, so, to me, that she would feel it was appropriate to include that interpolation is just pretty surreal.”
Lyrical Theme
«With this song, I wrote about what it was like to say, ‘Bye guys, I’m gonna be here [in London] for a long time.’ There’s a voice that you’ll hear in the beginning of [the song] and it’s Idris Elba’s talking about London. In the bridge, there’s a name check of Stella McCartney. I went over to her place, played her the song and she was like, ‘Oh my God, let’s do something!’ And I was like, ‘Okay!’ And that’s why we have a merch collaboration.»
Live Performances
Critical Reception
Commercial Performance
Lyrics
[Intro: Idris Elba]
We can go driving in, on my scooter
Uh, you know, just riding in London
Alright, yeah
[Verse 1: Taylor Swift]
I love my hometown as much as Motown, I love SoCal
And you know I love Springsteen, faded blue jeans, Tennessee whiskey
But something happened, I heard him laughing
I saw the dimples first and then I heard the accent
They say home is where the heart is
But that’s not where mine lives
[Chorus: Taylor Swift]
You know I love a London boy
I enjoy walking Camden Market in the afternoon
He likes my American smile
Like a child when our eyes meet
Darling, I fancy you
Took me back to Highgate
Met all of his best mates
So I guess all the rumors are true
You know I love a London boy
Boy, I fancy you (Ooh)
[Verse 2: Taylor Swift]
And now I love high tea, stories from Uni, and the West End
You can find me in the pub, we are watching rugby with his school friends
Show me a gray sky, a rainy cab ride
Babe, don’t threaten me with a good time
They say home is where the heart is
But God, I love the English
[Chorus: Taylor Swift]
You know I love a London boy
I enjoy nights in Brixton, Shoreditch in the afternoon
He likes my American smile
Like a child when our eyes meet
Darling, I fancy you
Took me back to Highgate
Met all of his best mates
So I guess all the rumors are true
You know I love a London boy
Boy, I fancy you
[Bridge: Taylor Swift]
So please show me Hackney
Doesn’t have to be Louis V up on Bond Street
Just wanna be with you, wanna be with you
Stick with me, I’m your queen
Like a Tennessee Stella McCartney, I’m the heat
Just wanna be with you (Wanna be with you)
Wanna be with you (Oh)
[Chorus: Taylor Swift]
You know I love a London boy
I enjoy walking SoHo, drinking in the afternoon (Yeah)
He likes my American smile
Like a child when our eyes meet
Darling, I fancy you (You)
Took me back to Highgate
Met all of his best mates
So I guess all the rumors are true (Yeah)
You know I love a London boy (Oh)
Boy (Oh), I fancy you (I fancy you)
[Outro]
So please show me Hackney
Doesn’t have to be Louis V up on Bond Street
Just wanna be with you (I, I fancy you)
Stick with me, I’m your queen
Like a Tennessee Stella McCartney, I’m the heat
Just wanna be with you (Ooh)
Wanna be with you
I fancy you (Yeah)
I fancy you (Ooh)
Album | Lover | |||
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Released | August 23, 2019 | |||
Written | 2018-2019 | |||
Genre | Bubblegum Pop | |||
Length | 3:10 | |||
Label | Republic Records | |||
Songwriters | Taylor Swift Jack Antonoff Sounwave Cautious Clay | |||
Producers | Jack Antonoff Taylor Swift | |||
LOVER CHRONOLOGY | ||||
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