Taylor Swift Delivers Emotional 'New Year's Day' Performance On Fallon
The pop superstar paid tribute to the host's mother as she debuted the 'Reputation' track...
Warning: this Taylor Swift performance will make you cry.
Last night the Reputation superstar made a last-minute unscheduled appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform a moving rendition of 'New Year's Day'.
The grieving host returned to his late night show after his mother recently passed away and Taylor tailored the performance to become a tribute to her.
Wonder how many girls he had loved and left haunted
But if he's a ghost, then I can be a phantom
Holdin' him for ransom
Some, some boys are tryin' too hard
He don't try at all, though
Younger than my exes but he act like such a man, so
I see nothing better, I keep him forever
Like a vendetta-ta
I-I-I see how this is gon' go
Touch me and you'll never be alone
I-Island breeze and lights down low
No one has to know
In the middle of the night, in my dreams
You should see the things we do, baby
In the middle of the night, in my dreams
I know I'm gonna be with you
So I take my time
Are you ready for it?
Me, I was a robber first time that he saw me
Stealing hearts and running off and never saying sorry
But if I'm a thief, then he can join the heist
And we'll move to an island-and
And he can be my jailer, Burton to this Taylor
Every lover known in comparison is a failure
I forget their names now, I'm so very tame now
Never be the same now, now
I-I-I see how this is gon' go
Touch me and you'll never be alone
I-Island breeze and lights down low
No one has to know
(No one has to know)
In the middle of the night, in my dreams
You should see the things we do, baby
In the middle of the night in my dreams
I know I'm gonna be with you
So I take my time
Are you ready for it?
Ooh, are you ready for it?
Baby, let the games begin
Let the games begin
Let the games begin
Baby, let the games begin
Let the games begin
Let the games begin
I-I-I see how this is gon' go
Touch me and you'll never be alone
I-Island breeze and lights down low
No one has to know
In the middle of the night, in my dreams
You should see the things we do, baby
In the middle of the night, in my dreams
I know I'm gonna be with you
So I take my time
In the middle of the night
Baby, let the games begin
Let the games begin
Let the games begin
Are you ready for it?
Baby, let the games begin
Let the games begin
Let the games begin
Are you ready for it?
Before the performance, Fallon shared a heartbreaking story about his mother always squeezing his hand three times to say "I love you" and then him squeezing hers in hospital, which then became more emotional when he heard the lyrics of the song.
The second verse of 'New Year's Day begins with Taylor singing "You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi," making for an incredibly real moment.
Mike DiCenzo - one of the show's producers - took to Twitter to explain that Swift had been asked to perform "on a whim" as she was still in New York following Saturday Night Live.
"She sang "New Year's Day." No one had heard it. Suddenly she sings the line," he said. "I think everyone in the audience started sobbing."
"I could see Jimmy silhouetted at his desk dabbing his eyes with a tissue. It was a beautiful coincidence in a beautiful performance."
Taylor embraced Jimmy immediately after the performance, which was a very sincere and tender moment for everyone watching, and definitely left us speechless.
Wow. What a star.
Words: Ross McNeilage
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WATCH TAYLOR SWIFT'S 'LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO' VIDEO BELOW
Don't like your tilted stage
The role you made me play of the fool
No, I don't like you
I don't like your perfect crime
How you laugh when you lie
You said the gun was mine
Isn't cool, no, I don't like you
But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time
Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time
I got a list of names, and yours is in red, underlined
I check it once, then I check it twice, oh!
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me-
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me do
I don't like your kingdom keys
They once belonged to me
You asked me for a place to sleep
Locked me out and threw a feast (what?)
The world moves on, another day another drama, drama
But not for me, not for me, all I think about is karma
And then the world moves on, but one thing's for sure
Maybe I got mine, but you'll all get yours
But I got smarter
I got harder in the nick of time (nick of time)
Honey, I rose up from the dead
I do it all the time (I do it all the time)
I got a list of names, and yours is in red, underlined
I check it once, then I check it twice, oh!
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me-
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me do
I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me
I'll be the actress starring in your bad dreams
I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me
I'll be the actress starring in your bad dreams
I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me
I'll be the actress starring in your bad dreams
I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me
I'll be the actress starring in your bad dreams
(Ooh, look what you made me do)
(Look what you made me do)
(Look what you just made me do)
I'm sorry
But the old Taylor can't come to the phone right now
Why? Oh, 'cause she's dead (oh)
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me-
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me do
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me-
Ooh, look what you made me do
Look what you made me do
Look what you just made me do
Look what you just made me do