Taylor Swift has finally returned to the award show circuit, and there's no better album to come back with than Lover. While the singer opted out of interviews and many of the major award shows following the release of reputation, Swift made up for lost time with a performance of not one, but two songs from Lover to kickoff the 2019 MTV VMAs: "You Need To Calm Down" and "Lover."
"I have something VMAs related to tell you, and that thing is that I'm not just gonna be opening up with one song. I get to do two!" she said on her Instagram story on Monday. "One of the songs I'll be performing is one that I've never performed live before, so wish me luck. I just wonder which one it's gonna be. Which one's it gonna be?"
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While Swift got some of the music video gang back together for her wild 3D performance of "You Need To Calm Down" featuring text bubbles that popped a number of drag queens, she went back to her roots for a stripped-down performance of "Lover," featuring nothing but Swift and her guitar.
The whole crowd, including celebrities like DJ Khaled, couldn't help but sing along to the soulful, intimate bop:
DJ Khaled already remixed that Taylor Swift joint in his head #VMAs pic.twitter.com/am0uMDOeBw
— B E A N Z | Hot Boy Summer Loading... (@PhotosByBeanz) August 27, 2019
Camila Cabello's face was like looking into a literal mirror:
Girls support girls! #VMAs @taylorswift13 @Camila_Cabello pic.twitter.com/qjJuFJvDXP
— Purebreak Brasil (@PurebreakBrasil) August 27, 2019
But Gigi Hadid dancing with her drink was perhaps the ultimate mood:
? | Gigi Hadid during Taylor’s performance #VMAs pic.twitter.com/SQsQ8MxukG
— Taylor Swift News (@TSwiftNZ) August 27, 2019
The song is about Swift's boyfriend Joe Alwyn and prompted a number of engagement rumors when it first dropped thanks to the marital bridge:
"Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand?
With every guitar string scar on my hand
I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover
My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue
All's well that ends well to end up with you
Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover."
With every guitar string scar on my hand
I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover
My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue
All's well that ends well to end up with you
Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover."
However, it's clear the single resonates with more than just Swift, and I can't help but secretly hope that when Hadid was singing, it was for Tyler C.
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