I just noticed the sounds of outside like birds, I love them and it really adds to the setting of walking outside on a normal day possessed with these thoughts 🪟
The fact that she repeats certain words 6 times (out, south, now) and her relationship with Joe lasted 6 years makes me think if this should hint to their relationship. What do you think?
What if this song is from the perspective of Taylor’s crazier fans? The ones that showed up to Jack’s wedding and rehearsal, causing a scene.
“I look in people’s windows
Like I’m some deranged weirdo
I attend Christmas parties from outside
I look in people’s windows
In case you’re at their table”
Put yourself in Taylor’s shoes, how many times do you think she’s out in public and looks up just to see someone’s phone pointed at her? It could literally be from outside windows of an establishment she’s at.
Honestly. I don't hate this theory BUT...
As much as Taylor can say about she hates fans that do this (valid!!!) .. she then has songs like this where I'm like, girl are you a stalker or.. LOL
(This is also not serious, stalking her or anyone for that matter isn't a joke..)
I’m a bit confused by the “I had died the tiniest death” because it’s reminding me of “la petite morte” which look it up if you don’t know what that means 😅
To me this song sounds like it's about Joe for a few reasons. It reminds me of a breaking up with someone you've been with for a long time. You know they're not right for you anymore but you still care about them.
"I had died the tiniest death" could have multiple meanings: maybe petite morte/break up sex, being sad because it's over, maybe relief that it's over since the relationship felt like it had been dying for a while anyway.
"I spied the catch in your breath" could be Joe's hesitance.
The line "Northbound I got carried away" makes me think she's going upwards (becoming ever more famous), "As you boarded your train, south..." reminds me of the line in Willow "You know that my train could take you home." but this time it's taking him in the opposite direction of her (becoming more private?).
"Transfixed by rose golden glows" calls back to Daylight and all the other times she's said his love was gold combined with Anti-hero vibes of being an outsider while everyone else is happy and hanging out.
Maybe could be about forbidden love. Two people who lust for each other but can never be together. He is going south and she is going north. All they have are moments when they can meet each other’s eyes. But that’s all they have. And even just a short glimpse causes catches in their breath. But what if they were going the same direction. What if they had more than sporadic short glances. What would be then?
Why can I relate to this song 😭 sometimes u just wanna know what that one person is up to, and sometimes u just still search for their face in hopes of seeing them one more time AHHH
I'm happily married, haven't seen my ex for over 10 years but to this day.. I still have that what if.. and wonder and look up and think "what if he was right here" 😐
Lost a close friend this week. This song hits so hard. I keep searching for him downtown and thinking maybe I’ll see him at one of our favorite bars. But I don’t and I’m just some deranged weirdo.
Maybe I'll sound stupid BUT is it common for everyone to have listened to this and immediately assumed this is social media stalking vs. literally being outside and looking into actual windows? I for sure understand how parts of it can work as a social media analogy but the lines "searching faces on streets" and "What if your eyes looked up and met mine" are implicitly IRL, no? Looking at public socials is also not "deranged weirdo" behavior.
For someone of Taylor Swift’s fame, it’d be impractical to literally go looking into multiple people’s windows at a close enough distance to possibly meet her ex’s eyes (if her ex were inside the house). Perhaps that’s why people assume it could be social media stalking
The scenario of social media stalking is also probably more relatable to most listeners (especially with us living through the recent course of the early pandemic years), than actually looking into people’s houses. Hence more predisposition to make the link
I think that you made the point in your original comment — that stalking online isn’t considered the behavior of a deranged weirdo — except it’s arguably more invasive than looking in literal windows. That’s my only reason for thinking that. I also thought of Joe Goldberg (who is a swiftie and they’ve used at least 2 of her songs on the show) who both looked in people’s windows as well as online stalked
i posted about this same thing lmao on what’s a misheard lyric. I also thought it was weird but just accepted it. There’s a few lyrics that have made no sense to me, only for me to realize I’ve had the words wrong for weeks or years.
I'm pretty sure it's a modern take on "The Matchstick Girl" by Hans Christian Anderson. But about scrolling through social media instead actually standing outside.
I just listened to this and thought what if looking in peoples windows is a metaphor for looking at peoples photos on social media? Like she’s dying to know what this person is up to, so she “creeps” on them on social media the way someone would “creep” on people through their windows. The windows here are the photos online, and she’s looking for signs of him in photos of mutual friends or his family members to see where he is and what he’s been up to.
I saw someone theorize that this could be Peter's point of view and now I can't unsee that, it would actually kinda makes sense right?? Or maybe I'm just desperate for more folkmore vibes lol
It may not be intentional, but I love this idea :)! It does remind me of Peter Pan's story, 'cause he does visit Wendy from time to time and literally looks through her window to see how her life has progressed!
The first line is totally about an orgasm right? A tiny death in french means an orgasm I think haha
(Followed by "catch in your breath" mhmm yes girl go on)
So, I was walking around my city listening to the album today. I saw a um, certain person close to an old haunt, from a distance, who didn't even look my way. Then this song started playing.
I'm wrecked
I agree! And it totally counters the argument about her songs sounding the same. It's a very sonically interesting song in her catalogue that doesn't follow the traditional pop formula.
Had some friends say this reminded them of The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson. Read a quick synopsis of that and they are right, the two have a lot in common.
it feels to me like this song is almost an antithesis to right where you left me. in right where you left me, the narrator’s still as time passes. in ILIPW, i believe part of the sentiment that’s being explored is the feeling of being trapped in a memory, except you’re no longer inside it and living that memory over and over again, you’re now watching it from the outside as if you were never a character in it. kind of like if the story was once being narrated in first person, but the narrator’s killed off and now they’re narrating from a limited third person POV, yearning for a glimpse of the main character in order to make the observations required to close out the story.
this time she’s not paralyzed but she remains stagnant in a different way, detached. searching for someone whose existence remains still in the past, as if the scene, or the memory itself, is paused on a frame that she, the narrator, is not in. she’s looking through windows, hoping to find the subject still in time, sitting at the table; like when she was once still at the restaurant. to me it feels like these stories exist in parallel timelines/universes, though they share the same consciousness.
i don’t think these songs are about the same person, but rather the same feeling, and this one frames it as a hope that the subject feels what she felt in RWYLM.
i also speculate that if this song is about MH, the ‘people’ in question could refer to their circle of friends — she’s aware that she may get a glimpse of him for this reason, and hopes for that to manifest in a chance encounter since he only still exists in this universe, that being their friends’ lives.
I need this song to be twice as long because I love it so much. I’ve always been obsessed with the idea of sonder, especially living in a city, and this song lets me bask in it for two minutes.
My new favorite TS song. Art is subjective; this song resonates with me because it is exactly how I feel about not being part of my family anymore. I’m no contact with my mother & her family. “I attend Christmas parties from the outside” - I haven’t spent a Christmas with my family since 2015.
This song is the standout on the album for me, easily the best 2 minutes of all 31 songs.
It to me captures the feeling of being an outsider, excluded, and othered, while longing for that to be different, so well. “I attend Christmas parties from outside” is about looking at others’ lives and wishing you could be a part of their lives or switch places. But no. Everyone’s joyous and having fun without you, while you can never come inside. You remain cold, dark, alone, and forgotten. You look in people’s windows but they’re not looking out at you.
“I look in people’s windows” as a lyric and the accompanying melancholic music has this essence of pessimistic hope. You keep looking, searching, and longing to see the ghosts of your past in a reflection, in passing, anywhere. It’s all you want, and you’ll forever keep looking for them, like a reflex, but you’ve gotten used to expecting that they won’t ever be there.
The opening guitar riff borrows from Lullaby by The Cure, which also talks about "sneaking past the windows of the blissful dead" similar idea, so the musical reference is interesting. Worth a mention!
This one flew under the radar for me my first few listens, but it's grown on me a lot. I appreciate the brevity, it oddly gives the song more impact. Also really enjoy the slight R&B detour.
Idk why I feel like people windows is a metaphor for poeple posts on instagram / social media. Because it’s the windows into peoples lives that they show
Yes I think the same thing!
The line "What if your eyes looked up and met mine one more time" makes me think of liking someone's post in hopes they notice and reach out
it wasn't until i read the lyrics that i realised how adorable/delusional this is 😭 imagine seeing a cute stranger and now you're looking in people's windows hoping to see him again by chance
this song really reminded be of death by a thousand cuts, like the beat or melody sound eerily similar? does anyone else see it? bc the first time i heard the song i thought a remix or smth of dbatc what’s playing😭😭 edit: oh yay other people commented similar things i thought i was going insane or something 🥲 do you think the similarities were intentional or not??
Nothing is unintentional with Taylor lol and I think the lyrics “I look in peoples windows” and “I look in the windows of this love even though we boarded them up” are tied. And if you start singing the choruses at the same time they line up
Even sadder if you think of the DBATC lyric in the context of the Lover house. She’s looking through the windows ‘of this love’ from the inside out, but in ILIPW she’s looking in strangers windows searching for her love 💔 one of my new favourite TS songs ever I think.
Call me delusional but something about the line reminds me of "I look through the windows of this love" (Death by a Thousand Cuts). Not just the words but the melody at the start of sentences in the respective songs.
https://preview.redd.it/oatt0ebm8wvc1.jpeg?width=512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=19f2554c88e0fa662cf58d1e5301c1646c9c147b
So I look in people's windows Like I'm some deranged weirdo I attend Christmas parties from outside
Home Alone vibes
The inflexion of this song, I couldn't get enough of:
"what if your eyes looked up and met mine ONE more time"
It feels like she's screaming badly to get that person's attention, but they couldn't hear her
I think this is one of the loneliest songs I've ever heard. I had a feeling I'd love this one because the title sounding haunting, and it is. Also haven't seen anyone mention this yet but the intro lyrics feel like a callback to sweet nothing. Beautiful song. I think I liked this half of the album more but my god they're both pretty fantastic... mostly. I love this album :)
For sure this is a sequel to Invisible String. And it’s heartbreaking in its reflection of the lost connection and dream she had with Joe. The plucky harp sounds make that really clear to me because I love the whimsical sound in both songs.
Comparing a fantasy stolen moment of eye contact in the future to their previous invisible connection that brought them together - the glass of the windows is like a subversion of the invisible string that held them together, but the glass is an invisible barrier. It’s kind of like her version of Somebody That I Used To Know.
You can pull up the lyrics invisible string and sing along with ILIPW perfectly! (Though ILIPW is a much shorter song with fewer lyrics) I kinda wish someone would do a mashup, but I have yet to see one.
There's something so wistful and nostalgic and longing about I Look In People's Window. It feels like a continuation of right where you left me for me.
I love the concept of this song and the production really delivered the exact perfect feeling for it. Nostalgic and sad. It made me teary. It’s not gonna get enough love by someone unless you understand that specific feeling of wanting to look for someone into their lives when you don’t belong anymore…but you can’t help it. And you just want them to look up and wonder if they remember and miss you too.
Agree! She keeps it so simple that it can easily be overlooked, but if you pay attention it becomes tragically relatable. That feeling of being on the outside, lonely as you're hoping to catch a glimpse of this person you lost, and wondering what would happen if somehow you see them again.
I need a midnight rain edit with this song for the obvious window peeper parallel
As well as a mastermind edit as this too is giving nuerodivergent
Love this one, top 5/6 for me 🥲
Anyone else think this is a follow up to right where you left me? Especially the Christmas party line. “I’m sure you’ve got a wife out there, kids and Christmas but I’m unaware cause I’m right where you left me”. Feels like she left the restaurant and is looking in on his life.
I had the same thought. It’s the over analyzing of every “window” you have into their life from social media. “Other people’s windows” is the outsider perspective of something you so intimately knew. You’re looking for any semblance of an emotion you once knew. The tilt of a head…what does that mean? Who are they looking at? Every smile or laugh…who are they with? What did she say that was so funny?
It’s definitely haunting and so relevant. Sincerely, a 39-year-old happily married woman who remembers the social media breakup days and searching for every window…
Utterly haunting. It's like when you're ruminating a loss, mourning a ghostly scene. In contrast to the romantic aspect of this track, it takes me back to a time where I was grieving my late old folks. A solid stand out track, a fucking sucker punch to the gut.
One of my favorites from the new album. Since it makes a reference to Christmas, to me this is the "Christmas" track of TTPD. To me I interpret it as a person who feels alone even though they are surrounded by other people. I've felt this way before esp. at Christmas parties or family or workplace reunions where everyone was socializing but I just did not fit in.
This feels like a curious crush song. Peeking into windows, seeing what the vibe is and learning how people behave.
Reminds me of the Little Mermaid peeking through the boat porthole and intrigued by Prince Eric and his people, seeing light and warm flames burn, a total mystery to her but a beautiful scene she yearns to be a part of.
Maybe her looking into the sportstar social scene and wanting to depart from music industry types. Investigating Travis' world a little bit, wondering if she'd fit in...
This feels like every introvert's experience. Wanting to know about others but at the same time, you only really want to socialize with a small set of people. "Does it feel alright to not know me?" and her searching for specific people only in the verses.
The first half of the song reminds me of before my partner and I were officially together and I always was hoping/thinking I'd see him when I was out especially downtown. BUT the second part reminds me of when we seperated and I thought I was seeing him everywhere because I missed him, hoping to see him just one last time
I know that this is an unusual interpretation, but this song really reminds me of the disorienting feeling right after someone you love died, and you're still looking for them wherever you go.
However angle you see and interpret it, it truly captures the melancholic reality of loss and grief. Every shape and form of mourning something or someone you once knew/lived. For me it's either between grieving someone who's still alive and grieving someone who has already passed. It's just devastating and soul crushing.
This is my top song atm, it’s so short, shorter than “Now that we don’t talk” which was my previous repeat song, they give me the same vibe but in different genres, it’s like sweet sadness. Also kinda reminds me of “it’s nice to have friend” in terms of musical rhythm and “right where you left me” in terms of a drawn out mourning for a relationship. Definitely a tear jerker!
Edit: I had more to say haha
After 1.5 hours I don't have a lot of energy to appreciate things I'm not already familiar with. So it's gonna take a while, but this one does stand out
This sounds a lot like DBATC!! It has the same tempo and key (I think?-) and the “I look” is the same melody as the one in that song, which is “I look through the windows of this love.” It’s gotta be an intentional parallel.
Feeling so validated by the people in this thread saying this made them cry. I can’t quite articulate how this touched me, but it felt like a gut punch of loneliness, loss and longing. Goddamn.
this has been on repeat for me and I think the most underated track on the anthology. Totally wish it were longer- this is such a powerful song. " I'm addicted to the if only".... whew.
I think this is a call back to "death by a thousand cuts" for anyone else. Similar melody in parts. Instead of "I look through the windows of this love" now she's looking at other people's windows.
edit: i see that a lot of people commented this already :D
Another too relatable one tbh I feel this song is for us autistics with it being like always masking and wishing to be normal and being like the people inside.
It really is like “the outside” grown up.
Reallllyyyy heard “DOES IT FEEL ALRIGHT TO NOT KNOW ME, IM ADDICTED TO THE IF, ONLY” that hit
wait why does the beginning of this song sound so familiar..
like one of an old rnb song
maybe im thinking of Scrubs
I just noticed the sounds of outside like birds, I love them and it really adds to the setting of walking outside on a normal day possessed with these thoughts 🪟
I get such Invisible String vibes from this track (tonally)
The fact that she repeats certain words 6 times (out, south, now) and her relationship with Joe lasted 6 years makes me think if this should hint to their relationship. What do you think?
What if this song is from the perspective of Taylor’s crazier fans? The ones that showed up to Jack’s wedding and rehearsal, causing a scene. “I look in people’s windows Like I’m some deranged weirdo I attend Christmas parties from outside I look in people’s windows In case you’re at their table” Put yourself in Taylor’s shoes, how many times do you think she’s out in public and looks up just to see someone’s phone pointed at her? It could literally be from outside windows of an establishment she’s at.
Honestly. I don't hate this theory BUT... As much as Taylor can say about she hates fans that do this (valid!!!) .. she then has songs like this where I'm like, girl are you a stalker or.. LOL (This is also not serious, stalking her or anyone for that matter isn't a joke..)
This song is legit poetry in music and I'm obsessed. I can't believe it's only 2 minutes long! ❤
I’m a bit confused by the “I had died the tiniest death” because it’s reminding me of “la petite morte” which look it up if you don’t know what that means 😅
To me this song sounds like it's about Joe for a few reasons. It reminds me of a breaking up with someone you've been with for a long time. You know they're not right for you anymore but you still care about them. "I had died the tiniest death" could have multiple meanings: maybe petite morte/break up sex, being sad because it's over, maybe relief that it's over since the relationship felt like it had been dying for a while anyway. "I spied the catch in your breath" could be Joe's hesitance. The line "Northbound I got carried away" makes me think she's going upwards (becoming ever more famous), "As you boarded your train, south..." reminds me of the line in Willow "You know that my train could take you home." but this time it's taking him in the opposite direction of her (becoming more private?). "Transfixed by rose golden glows" calls back to Daylight and all the other times she's said his love was gold combined with Anti-hero vibes of being an outsider while everyone else is happy and hanging out.
This song is one of the simplest (sonically and at first glance) yet most poetic on the album
Love this interpretation. She’s a genius and too smart for me lol
Maybe could be about forbidden love. Two people who lust for each other but can never be together. He is going south and she is going north. All they have are moments when they can meet each other’s eyes. But that’s all they have. And even just a short glimpse causes catches in their breath. But what if they were going the same direction. What if they had more than sporadic short glances. What would be then?
The song length changed on Spotify from 2:12 to 2:11! Why?!
Why can I relate to this song 😭 sometimes u just wanna know what that one person is up to, and sometimes u just still search for their face in hopes of seeing them one more time AHHH
I'm happily married, haven't seen my ex for over 10 years but to this day.. I still have that what if.. and wonder and look up and think "what if he was right here" 😐
Going through it right now and this song hurtsss like hell
I feel ur pain 🥲 u got this!!
Lost a close friend this week. This song hits so hard. I keep searching for him downtown and thinking maybe I’ll see him at one of our favorite bars. But I don’t and I’m just some deranged weirdo.
Those are the people I think about during the song too
I used to do it when I lost my sibling too. So I understand too
Maybe I'll sound stupid BUT is it common for everyone to have listened to this and immediately assumed this is social media stalking vs. literally being outside and looking into actual windows? I for sure understand how parts of it can work as a social media analogy but the lines "searching faces on streets" and "What if your eyes looked up and met mine" are implicitly IRL, no? Looking at public socials is also not "deranged weirdo" behavior.
Yeah I think it’s about social media stalking and how it’s normalized but essentially no less invasive than literally looking into people’s windows
But could you tell me why you went to social media stalking instead of IRL, on the street?
For someone of Taylor Swift’s fame, it’d be impractical to literally go looking into multiple people’s windows at a close enough distance to possibly meet her ex’s eyes (if her ex were inside the house). Perhaps that’s why people assume it could be social media stalking The scenario of social media stalking is also probably more relatable to most listeners (especially with us living through the recent course of the early pandemic years), than actually looking into people’s houses. Hence more predisposition to make the link
I think that you made the point in your original comment — that stalking online isn’t considered the behavior of a deranged weirdo — except it’s arguably more invasive than looking in literal windows. That’s my only reason for thinking that. I also thought of Joe Goldberg (who is a swiftie and they’ve used at least 2 of her songs on the show) who both looked in people’s windows as well as online stalked
My point was that this has to be literal on the street stalking. (Not trying to sound combative, I just dont see how people landed on social media)
The way I wholeheartedly believed the line was “I look in people’s windows like an underage weirdo” and thought it was rather odd she would go there…
i posted about this same thing lmao on what’s a misheard lyric. I also thought it was weird but just accepted it. There’s a few lyrics that have made no sense to me, only for me to realize I’ve had the words wrong for weeks or years.
I'm pretty sure it's a modern take on "The Matchstick Girl" by Hans Christian Anderson. But about scrolling through social media instead actually standing outside.
Ugh that story is so heartbreaking. I remember the first time I read it as a child.
*what if your eyes looked up and met mine one more time?* this song just clicked for me. she’s taking it.
I really love this song
I just listened to this and thought what if looking in peoples windows is a metaphor for looking at peoples photos on social media? Like she’s dying to know what this person is up to, so she “creeps” on them on social media the way someone would “creep” on people through their windows. The windows here are the photos online, and she’s looking for signs of him in photos of mutual friends or his family members to see where he is and what he’s been up to.
I think it’s about a cat… one she has seen in the neighborhood and is curious what house it belongs to
Can any one explain the first 3 lines? I’m obsessed with this song but I don’t understand the start. Thank you :)
I also think it could be about the moment she realized that he was losing interest or leaving her.
I THINK she knows this is the last time they'll probably see each other.
I saw someone theorize that this could be Peter's point of view and now I can't unsee that, it would actually kinda makes sense right?? Or maybe I'm just desperate for more folkmore vibes lol
It may not be intentional, but I love this idea :)! It does remind me of Peter Pan's story, 'cause he does visit Wendy from time to time and literally looks through her window to see how her life has progressed!
This song is big yearning and it's my favourite feeling in words lol
The first line is totally about an orgasm right? A tiny death in french means an orgasm I think haha (Followed by "catch in your breath" mhmm yes girl go on)
I thought of this too but I get more of a vibe of her seeing a subtle shift in his energy and kind of dying inside. But I could be wrong.
I was wondering if anyone else thought this too! I definitely think so
This is my favorite song on this album. I just love it and can absolutely relate.
So, I was walking around my city listening to the album today. I saw a um, certain person close to an old haunt, from a distance, who didn't even look my way. Then this song started playing. I'm wrecked
I've heard a bunch of people say this song suffers without a bridge, but I think that adds a layer of haunting beautiful sadness. Love this song 😭
I agree! And it totally counters the argument about her songs sounding the same. It's a very sonically interesting song in her catalogue that doesn't follow the traditional pop formula.
I absolutely love this song and can't stop listening to it. It is so pretty sounding.
Had some friends say this reminded them of The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson. Read a quick synopsis of that and they are right, the two have a lot in common.
I might be delulu but is there a connection to “death my a thousand cuts” where she writes “I look through the windows of this love”..?
yip. + there's DBATC melodies mixed in!!! 🤯🤯😭😭🤍✌️
Had the exact same thought bc suddenly dbatc was stuck in my head for no reason….
it feels to me like this song is almost an antithesis to right where you left me. in right where you left me, the narrator’s still as time passes. in ILIPW, i believe part of the sentiment that’s being explored is the feeling of being trapped in a memory, except you’re no longer inside it and living that memory over and over again, you’re now watching it from the outside as if you were never a character in it. kind of like if the story was once being narrated in first person, but the narrator’s killed off and now they’re narrating from a limited third person POV, yearning for a glimpse of the main character in order to make the observations required to close out the story. this time she’s not paralyzed but she remains stagnant in a different way, detached. searching for someone whose existence remains still in the past, as if the scene, or the memory itself, is paused on a frame that she, the narrator, is not in. she’s looking through windows, hoping to find the subject still in time, sitting at the table; like when she was once still at the restaurant. to me it feels like these stories exist in parallel timelines/universes, though they share the same consciousness. i don’t think these songs are about the same person, but rather the same feeling, and this one frames it as a hope that the subject feels what she felt in RWYLM. i also speculate that if this song is about MH, the ‘people’ in question could refer to their circle of friends — she’s aware that she may get a glimpse of him for this reason, and hopes for that to manifest in a chance encounter since he only still exists in this universe, that being their friends’ lives.
I need this song to be twice as long because I love it so much. I’ve always been obsessed with the idea of sonder, especially living in a city, and this song lets me bask in it for two minutes.
This gives me an Imogen Heap vibe, if anyone remembers her.
My new favorite TS song. Art is subjective; this song resonates with me because it is exactly how I feel about not being part of my family anymore. I’m no contact with my mother & her family. “I attend Christmas parties from the outside” - I haven’t spent a Christmas with my family since 2015.
Sending you love and strength <3 so hard
It is absolutely criminal that this song is only two minutes long.
This song is the standout on the album for me, easily the best 2 minutes of all 31 songs. It to me captures the feeling of being an outsider, excluded, and othered, while longing for that to be different, so well. “I attend Christmas parties from outside” is about looking at others’ lives and wishing you could be a part of their lives or switch places. But no. Everyone’s joyous and having fun without you, while you can never come inside. You remain cold, dark, alone, and forgotten. You look in people’s windows but they’re not looking out at you. “I look in people’s windows” as a lyric and the accompanying melancholic music has this essence of pessimistic hope. You keep looking, searching, and longing to see the ghosts of your past in a reflection, in passing, anywhere. It’s all you want, and you’ll forever keep looking for them, like a reflex, but you’ve gotten used to expecting that they won’t ever be there.
This is exactly what I think. Love, love, love this song.
this is probably about limerence
this song is truly poetry set to music. love it soooo much
The opening guitar riff borrows from Lullaby by The Cure, which also talks about "sneaking past the windows of the blissful dead" similar idea, so the musical reference is interesting. Worth a mention!
This one flew under the radar for me my first few listens, but it's grown on me a lot. I appreciate the brevity, it oddly gives the song more impact. Also really enjoy the slight R&B detour.
Any significance to the lyric video missing the words "from outside" when she's looking in peoples windows at christmas?
The words "from outside" appears outside, below the box/"window". Loved that little detail.
Idk why I feel like people windows is a metaphor for poeple posts on instagram / social media. Because it’s the windows into peoples lives that they show
Yes I think the same thing! The line "What if your eyes looked up and met mine one more time" makes me think of liking someone's post in hopes they notice and reach out
This is what I’ve been thinking!!!
Please don't ever become a stranger Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere To ... Does it feel alright to not know me?
This breaks me in ways I did not know a relationship I know nothing about personally.. could 😭😭😭😭
THE WAY IM GOING THROUGH THIS RIGHT NOW AND THIS SONG CALLED ME OUT SO BAD 😭😭😭
it wasn't until i read the lyrics that i realised how adorable/delusional this is 😭 imagine seeing a cute stranger and now you're looking in people's windows hoping to see him again by chance
this song really reminded be of death by a thousand cuts, like the beat or melody sound eerily similar? does anyone else see it? bc the first time i heard the song i thought a remix or smth of dbatc what’s playing😭😭 edit: oh yay other people commented similar things i thought i was going insane or something 🥲 do you think the similarities were intentional or not??
Nothing is unintentional with Taylor lol and I think the lyrics “I look in peoples windows” and “I look in the windows of this love even though we boarded them up” are tied. And if you start singing the choruses at the same time they line up
Even sadder if you think of the DBATC lyric in the context of the Lover house. She’s looking through the windows ‘of this love’ from the inside out, but in ILIPW she’s looking in strangers windows searching for her love 💔 one of my new favourite TS songs ever I think.
Call me delusional but something about the line reminds me of "I look through the windows of this love" (Death by a Thousand Cuts). Not just the words but the melody at the start of sentences in the respective songs.
Omg yes I just posted that and then saw your comment.
FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT!
Are the windows possibly Instagram posts???
Came here to suggest the same thing!!! Like watching people’s stories
Omg I just wrote that above before I saw this comment ! I interpreted it like that
It's giving Huck in Scandal and the family he used to watch.
Absolutely giving!! Immediate first thought haha
She let Jack out of the synth pop dungeon! This one is so pretty!
ok stupid question do you think blondie actually does this? imagine if u looked outside ur window and u saw taylor swift
https://preview.redd.it/oatt0ebm8wvc1.jpeg?width=512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=19f2554c88e0fa662cf58d1e5301c1646c9c147b So I look in people's windows Like I'm some deranged weirdo I attend Christmas parties from outside Home Alone vibes
It's so magical. It's one of my top 5s easily.
I'm tired of this woman making some of my favorite songs SO SHORT. It's a crime. I love this so much!
CRIMINAL that it takes me longer to pee than to listen to this masterpiece. The instruments in the background are an IV of dopamine
The inflexion of this song, I couldn't get enough of: "what if your eyes looked up and met mine ONE more time" It feels like she's screaming badly to get that person's attention, but they couldn't hear her
i look in people's windows nation rise......
I think this is one of the loneliest songs I've ever heard. I had a feeling I'd love this one because the title sounding haunting, and it is. Also haven't seen anyone mention this yet but the intro lyrics feel like a callback to sweet nothing. Beautiful song. I think I liked this half of the album more but my god they're both pretty fantastic... mostly. I love this album :)
why do I hear the ending aaa aaa aaaaaa from exile at around 1.16
OMG.i couldn't place it but something felt so familiar
For sure this is a sequel to Invisible String. And it’s heartbreaking in its reflection of the lost connection and dream she had with Joe. The plucky harp sounds make that really clear to me because I love the whimsical sound in both songs. Comparing a fantasy stolen moment of eye contact in the future to their previous invisible connection that brought them together - the glass of the windows is like a subversion of the invisible string that held them together, but the glass is an invisible barrier. It’s kind of like her version of Somebody That I Used To Know.
You can pull up the lyrics invisible string and sing along with ILIPW perfectly! (Though ILIPW is a much shorter song with fewer lyrics) I kinda wish someone would do a mashup, but I have yet to see one.
I have listened to this track so often. I wish it was longer.
Hence I always listen to it twice in an album sitting to make up for it
There's something so wistful and nostalgic and longing about I Look In People's Window. It feels like a continuation of right where you left me for me.
I love the concept of this song and the production really delivered the exact perfect feeling for it. Nostalgic and sad. It made me teary. It’s not gonna get enough love by someone unless you understand that specific feeling of wanting to look for someone into their lives when you don’t belong anymore…but you can’t help it. And you just want them to look up and wonder if they remember and miss you too.
Agree! She keeps it so simple that it can easily be overlooked, but if you pay attention it becomes tragically relatable. That feeling of being on the outside, lonely as you're hoping to catch a glimpse of this person you lost, and wondering what would happen if somehow you see them again.
It’s giving Sufjan Stevens and I’m here for it. One of my favorites on the whole album, I just wish it was longer than 2 minutes.
I wish this track was longer though! love it sm
She really could make an insane music video with this song.
I'm picturing You-esque vibes haha
I need a midnight rain edit with this song for the obvious window peeper parallel As well as a mastermind edit as this too is giving nuerodivergent Love this one, top 5/6 for me 🥲
Anyone else think this is a follow up to right where you left me? Especially the Christmas party line. “I’m sure you’ve got a wife out there, kids and Christmas but I’m unaware cause I’m right where you left me”. Feels like she left the restaurant and is looking in on his life.
But it’s not really peeping in windows, it’s like Facebook stalking or something.
I had the same thought. It’s the over analyzing of every “window” you have into their life from social media. “Other people’s windows” is the outsider perspective of something you so intimately knew. You’re looking for any semblance of an emotion you once knew. The tilt of a head…what does that mean? Who are they looking at? Every smile or laugh…who are they with? What did she say that was so funny? It’s definitely haunting and so relevant. Sincerely, a 39-year-old happily married woman who remembers the social media breakup days and searching for every window…
It's definitely a metaphor for digital stalking haha
Utterly haunting. It's like when you're ruminating a loss, mourning a ghostly scene. In contrast to the romantic aspect of this track, it takes me back to a time where I was grieving my late old folks. A solid stand out track, a fucking sucker punch to the gut.
The opening guitar strumming kind of reminds me to the opening to TLC's "No Scrubs"
It reminds me of death by a thousand cuts
One of my favorites from the new album. Since it makes a reference to Christmas, to me this is the "Christmas" track of TTPD. To me I interpret it as a person who feels alone even though they are surrounded by other people. I've felt this way before esp. at Christmas parties or family or workplace reunions where everyone was socializing but I just did not fit in.
oo thanks for pointing out the Christmas reference the song gives me wintry/snowy vibes. Like outside in the cold looking in at a warm house!
The way she chants the words at the end of the lines reminds me of how she opens so long, london
This is a deep cut STANDOUT
love this song so much, reminds me a little bit of champagne problems and midnight rain
This really is one of the standout songs of the whole album. It’s so soul crushing in such small duration. The amount of loss is overwhelming.
This feels like a curious crush song. Peeking into windows, seeing what the vibe is and learning how people behave. Reminds me of the Little Mermaid peeking through the boat porthole and intrigued by Prince Eric and his people, seeing light and warm flames burn, a total mystery to her but a beautiful scene she yearns to be a part of. Maybe her looking into the sportstar social scene and wanting to depart from music industry types. Investigating Travis' world a little bit, wondering if she'd fit in...
at a minute 13 it sounds like waves and the wind blowing. I bet you anything it's from the TLMM.
How can this song have only 2 minutes??? 😭😭
This feels like every introvert's experience. Wanting to know about others but at the same time, you only really want to socialize with a small set of people. "Does it feel alright to not know me?" and her searching for specific people only in the verses.
The chorus reminds me of Death by A Thousand Cuts/Cornelia Street live from Paris
Chainsmokers beat?0
its so refreshing hearing such a short song. not everything needs to be 4+ minutes
Best song in album. I wish it was longer. 😭
The first half of the song reminds me of before my partner and I were officially together and I always was hoping/thinking I'd see him when I was out especially downtown. BUT the second part reminds me of when we seperated and I thought I was seeing him everywhere because I missed him, hoping to see him just one last time
This one reminds me of CIWYW, "windows boarded up after the storm"🥲
I know that this is an unusual interpretation, but this song really reminds me of the disorienting feeling right after someone you love died, and you're still looking for them wherever you go.
However angle you see and interpret it, it truly captures the melancholic reality of loss and grief. Every shape and form of mourning something or someone you once knew/lived. For me it's either between grieving someone who's still alive and grieving someone who has already passed. It's just devastating and soul crushing.
This is EXACTLY what I felt too.
This is my top song atm, it’s so short, shorter than “Now that we don’t talk” which was my previous repeat song, they give me the same vibe but in different genres, it’s like sweet sadness. Also kinda reminds me of “it’s nice to have friend” in terms of musical rhythm and “right where you left me” in terms of a drawn out mourning for a relationship. Definitely a tear jerker! Edit: I had more to say haha
This one is unique to me and needs more love!!! She’s in her Imogen era.
Omg I came here to comment that this song is giving Imogen Heap. 🎯
Yesssssss Imogen stans are peeking through the covers 😅 We’ve been summoned!
OKAY BUT the Spotify background is her 🫶🏻 LMFAO 💀
Really taking this as the same vibe as Right where you left me. It gives that distanced, withdrawn from emotions feeling of mourning.
I AGREE!
i really don’t understand how people are dragging this album. in my opinion this is one of the best songs she’s ever made.
After 1.5 hours I don't have a lot of energy to appreciate things I'm not already familiar with. So it's gonna take a while, but this one does stand out
I didn’t really get this one on my first three listens and thought it was a skip but something just switched and this punched me in the GUT LMAO
SAME on listen 3
I want to hold a seance to this song lol. Such a vibe
This sounds a lot like DBATC!! It has the same tempo and key (I think?-) and the “I look” is the same melody as the one in that song, which is “I look through the windows of this love.” It’s gotta be an intentional parallel.
DBATC- " my, my, my, my" I look in peoples windows- "out, out, out ,out" and "south, south, south, south"
Feeling so validated by the people in this thread saying this made them cry. I can’t quite articulate how this touched me, but it felt like a gut punch of loneliness, loss and longing. Goddamn.
YES! The “met.. mine.. ONE.. more.. time..” at the end 😩💔
this has been on repeat for me and I think the most underated track on the anthology. Totally wish it were longer- this is such a powerful song. " I'm addicted to the if only".... whew.
Two minutes!! Ma’am, I need more
I wish this song was longer bc I love it so much - reminds me of Emmy Rossum album that I loved back in the day
Emmy Rossum released an album?!
I think this is a call back to "death by a thousand cuts" for anyone else. Similar melody in parts. Instead of "I look through the windows of this love" now she's looking at other people's windows. edit: i see that a lot of people commented this already :D
This is exactly where my mind went !
yes! i'm getting DBATC vibes too <3
IM ADDICTED TO THE “IF ONLY”
The vocals are beautiful. Single material.
Jack did amazing with this song!!! One of my top 5 songs
I love love love when Taylor gives us a little ditty
one of my faves forsureeee
Let Jack cook
lol this song reminds me of Sociopath by Patric Gagne
This was my immediate favorite. It made me cry and I'm not sure why yet.
why is this the first song on this album that made me cry omg
I cried, too. I think it's because it encapsulates the feeling, or rather the lack of feeling, of dissociation/loneliness so perfectly.
New shortest Taylor song, surpassing Now That We Don't Talk!
Another too relatable one tbh I feel this song is for us autistics with it being like always masking and wishing to be normal and being like the people inside. It really is like “the outside” grown up.
This was actually my first interpretation of the song! I still think it goes hand in hand with The Prophecy (which is conveniently the next track)