#i knew you were trouble gifs

[themoon-andtosaturn]

melbourne cricket ground

[emails-i-cant-send]

like i'd never known

"The red relationships. The ones that went from zero to a hundred miles per hour and then hit a wall and exploded. And it was awful. And ridiculous. And desperate. And thrilling. And when the dust settled, it was something I’d never take back. Because there is something to be said for being young and needing someone so badly, you jump in head first without looking. And there’s something to be learned from waiting all day for a train that’s never coming. And there’s something to be proud of about moving on and realizing that real love shines golden like starlight, and doesn’t fade or spontaneously combust. Maybe I’ll write a whole album about that kind of love if I ever find it."

[cherryslips]

💕💕💕

[soaheadofthecurve]

so scarlet, it was maroon.

[spellbooking]

favorite lyrics ➝ taylor swift | red (taylor’s version) pt. 1

[andichoseyou]

he's long gone when he's next to me

and i realize the blame is on me

[ohkate]

And the saddest fear Comes creeping in That you never loved me Or anything

[daeneryssansa]

And the saddest fear comes creeping in - that you never loved me, or her, or anyone, or anything...

[wangxian-the-zhijis]

I Knew You Were Trouble x WangXian

[foxes-that-run]

Taylor said she got the idea for IKYWT and wrote it with Max Martin six months before they were supposed to write together for Red. So this was the first song they wrote together. And WANGBT was released as a single in August 2012. Let's say they finished this song in June. If June is the month they were supposed to start writing together then IKYWT would have happened in December 2011. The whole Harry cheating on Taylor thing happened in April. Six months from April is October, the Red release month. Pretty sure they weren't about to write and release an album the same month. And if Harry and Taylor saw each other in 2011, I don't think harry did anything that could inspire the song. So how did IKYWT happen? Am I missing something?

IKYWT, is one of the few songs Taylor has been direct about the muse for:

When she performed it at the Brits and Harry was front row, so close he could touch the catwalk, she said "It's not hard to access that emotion when the person the song is about is standing by the side of the stage watching."

The music video, has a guy has his Love tattoo.

It's been on her Red, 1989 and Era's mainset lists, but not Reputation, when it was the surprise song in Manchester.

Also Harry owns it, he has a leak called Trouble that refers to it.

Firstly, the timeline is largely unknown

And I think she wants it that way. The secret message "when you saw me dancing" is super vague, vague like it's written about a 17 year old.

In the Red Listening Party she said IKYWT:

"was an idea that I got almost 6 months before I was scheduled to write with Max Martin, and I emailed it to him and said "I just got this idea, I can't wait to bring it to you, I know that we're not ready for a couple of months, but I need you to know that I thought of this thing and I can't wait for you to hear it."

I think it's ambiguous if she did met with Max 'almost' 6 months later or they met sooner because of the email. She was in Conway Studio in April, but we don't know if that was first and that's a bit odd with the timing of MIAB TBH. So, the timeline for these Max Martin Red songs is a bit iffy. Something Max commented on, when asked about their first meeting he said "Again, there's so many stories about these songs" I think he's getting at how much lore has seeped in about Red.

Max also says the first song was "something else", he 'thinks it was their first meeting' and tells the story of the guy from Maroon 5 / WANGBT. It's kind of assumed Maroon 5 was there April 24 because Taylor was, and I think also assumed it was their her first meeting with Max. That Maroon 5 Album came out 57 days later, the lead single was already out. Remember it needs to go to distribution and marketing, so I don't think her first meeting with Max was in April 2012, so I don't think we know when IKYWT was drafted TBH.

We do know she was to work with more producers in January 2012, so the Max Martin date was probably set then. That gives a vague timeline of January - April 2012, but not certainty.

But what you really asked is what event is it about

The Harry/Taylor 2011 timeline/Early 2012 timeline is opaque, and unclear if they were flirting, dating or when it may have changed. Also remember he was 17 and they lived in different countries so I think whatever it was then was quite immature.

The song is mostly about falling for someone who loses interest and 'took a step back', which is also shown in the MV. I ponder if “never loved her” was in the first draft or when it was recorded. My guess is it could have been drafted in late February 2012. They kept being in the same city/some connections November 2011 - first week of February 2012, then suddenly nothing till the Kids Choice Awards late March. February is also when Holy Ground was written, and could fit with the 'almost 6 months' till an unknown date with Max Martin. And I think his transgression was acting like a 17 year old boy bander.

There’s also opportunity for it to be drafted in fall 2011, there were sad arm lyrics there, but I don’t think that works with the max martin story.

But others may have different opinions!

Music video

There are so many references in the video, this is nowhere near all of them. The guy gets Harry's love tattoo, with Taylor watching. He wears a flannel shirt, very 2012/2013 Harry, they kiss on a balcony like the Z100 Jingle Bell Ball. He's driving like a kid in a convertible.

[swiftieinbrazil]

That you never loved me or her or anyone or anything

Taylor Swift performing I Knew You Were Trouble at The 1989 World Tour in 2015 - (x)

[themoon-andtosaturn]

sofi n1

[cinnamon-notes]

and to anyone tempted to sing ikywt tonight, please don't chip your tooth

[cherryslips]

Flew me to places I'd never been

[mytearsrichochet18]

[friendsdontlieokay]

The feminine urge to shock everyone at school by singing I knew you were trouble on stage while hitting THAT high note doing the iconic Taylor pose is unbeatable.