Taylor Swift Wasn't Supposed To Appear On This Late Night Talk Show, But Her Last Minute Appearance
Highlights
- Taylor Swift surprised Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show and performed the emotional song "New Year's Day" following his mother's passing.
- The performance brought the audience to tears, especially when Swift sang the added line "Squeeze my hand 3 times in the back of the taxi."
- This wasn't the first time Swift had fans in tears with a surprise performance, as she also surprised a couple at their wedding with a heartfelt performance of "Blank Space."
Despite her incredible level of fame, Taylor Swift is always looking out for others. Heck, she even saved Dave Grohl at Paul McCartney's party.
In truth, Swift would go out of her way to be there for others. That was the case during a particular appearance on The Tonight Show withJimmy Fallon. Swift agreed to the appearance at the last second, and it was for a deeper reason as Fallon's mom had passed away.
We'll take a look back at the behind the scenes details leading up to the interview. We'll also reveal how the performance went, and why Jimmy Fallon was especially moved by certain lyrics added by Taylor Swift.
The Tonight Show Producer Revealed Taylor Swift's Tribute To Jimmy Fallon's Mom Was Arranged At The Last Second
Throughout her outstanding career, Taylor Swift has taken on several late night talk show appearances. However, her most emotional of the bunch was alongside Jimmy Fallon, playing the song, New Year's Day. The performance was extra emotional given that Fallon had just returned to the show following his mother's passing.
Swift surprised Jimmy Fallon and the audience with the debut of the single. According to show producer Mike DiCenzo, Swift was never scheduled to appear on the show. Instead, she was just in town because of SNL.
The producer explains, “She was not scheduled to do our show today. But we wanted something special for this first show back, so we asked her on a complete whim, since she had been in town doing SNL. She said yes with zero hesitation,” DiCenzo wrote on X.
DiCenzo continues, revealing that things got emotional because of lyrics that were added in by Swift.
“She sang ‘New Year’s Day.’ No one had heard it. Suddenly she sings the line, ‘Squeeze my hand 3 times in the back of the taxi.’ I nearly gasped. Tears. I think everyone in the audience started sobbing. I could see Jimmy silhouetted at his desk dabbing his eyes with a tissue. We all lost it. It was a beautiful coincidence in a beautiful performance. ‘Hold on to your memories, they will hold on to you,’ Taylor sang.”
The two shared an emotional hug after the performance. There was a deeper meaning behind the added lyrics by Swift, "squeeze my hand 3 times."
Taylor Swift's Added Lyrics Of "Squeeze My Hand 3 Times" Were Extra Emotional For Jimmy Fallon
During his return to The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon was holding back tears as he talked about his mother's passing. During his touching words, Fallon discussed the significance of his mom squeezing his hand three times.
“When we were little, my mom would walk us to this store, me and my sister, and she would squeeze my hand three times and say, ‘I love you,’ and I would squeeze back, ‘I love you, too.’”
He continues, “And … last week I was in the hospital and I grabbed her and squeezed I love you. I just knew we were in trouble, you know? I feel so grateful to be able to do this every single night and I’m very appreciative of all the support from all of you that my family received over the past week.”
“We’re going to continue to work really hard to bring some light and some laughter into the world. Thank you for watching, thank you for helping me and my family recover from this loss. Mom, I’ll never stop trying to make you laugh. I love you.”
A touching story by Fallon. Taylor Swift made it a moment Fallon won't ever forget. However, it wasn't the only time that Swift had fans in tears during a surprise performance.
It Wasn't The First Time Taylor Swift Agreed To A Performance That Had Fans Emotional
Taylor Swift is full of surprises, and that held true during a certain wedding. Swift surprised fans with a special performance of Blank Space. According to People, Swift appeared at the wedding after getting an emotional letter from the groom's sister.
People wrote, "Back in April, Ali reached out to the “Shake It Off” singer, about the death of her and Max’s mother in a touching letter, telling Swift how her brother had wed his wife in the hospital so their mom wouldn’t miss out on one of the biggest days of her son’s life."
"Max and his late mother even danced to the newly single singer‘s hit “Blank Space” for their mother and son dance before she passed away."
It was another brilliant performance and one that had the entire room in tears. Despite her fame and fortune, Swift continues to give back. She remains among the more genuine artists of our time - always willing to give others a boost.
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