Taylor Swift Sings ‘Soon You’ll Get Better’ for ‘One World’ Special

Taylor Swift joined the star-studded lineup of One World: Together at Home on Saturday, performing her incredibly personal ballad “Soon You’ll Get Better” from her most recent album, Lover. Seated at a piano in front of a wall painted with flowers, Swift delivered an emotional performance of the simply produced song, which is about her mom Andrea’s battle with cancer.

“The buttons of my coat were tangled in my hair / In doctor’s-office-lighting, I didn’t tell you I was scared,” Swift sang. “That was the first time we were there / Holy orange bottles, each night I pray to you / Desperate people find faith, so now I pray to Jesus too.” The special was the first time Swift has performed “Soon You’ll Get Better,” a song she previously said she might never sing live. “That’s a song I don’t know if I’ll ever play it live,” she said during a SiriusXM Town Hall in 2019. “It’s just really difficult for me. It was hard to write. It’s hard to sing. It’s hard to listen to for me. But sometimes, music is like that. Sometimes it’s not just about stuff that was pleasant to feel.”

Swift’s song choice on Saturday came as a surprise to many fans and earned a glowing review from Lady Gaga, who curated the special and praised Swift for her bravery. “This is so beautiful, Taylor,” Gaga said while watching the broadcast on Instagram Live. “Thank you for sharing this vulnerable moment with us. You’re really, really even so much braver in this moment.”

Other performers during the special included Gaga, Elton John, Celine Dion, Lizzo, the Rolling Stones, John Legend, Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban and more. One World: Together at Home was not a fundraiser but raised almost $128 million in support of health care workers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the artists featured during the special have had their own touring schedules affected due to the pandemic including Swift, who recently canceled all of her planned concerts and appearances for 2020.

“Fighting COVID-19 is an unprecedented challenge for our global community and the safety and wellbeing of fans should always be the top priority,” a statement on Swift’s social media accounts began. “Health organizations and governments around the world have strongly discouraged large public gatherings for an undetermined period of time.”

The affected shows include Swift’s planned Lover Fest in the United States, shows in Brazil and a series of European concert dates. The statement shared that Swift’s planned United States and Brazil shows will be rescheduled for 2021 on dates to be announced later this year. Tickets for those shows will transfer to a new date without any action required by ticketholders.