Master of Spin

If you know me, like at all, you would have seen this coming. However, if you're new I will gladly explain the depths of my liking (severe, consuming, and unconditional love) for Taylor Swift.

There are so many avenues in which I could delve into the swiftverse (universe... but for swifties... was that obvious?) but I'll choose to dig into one of the things she does best: easter eggs.

For Taylor Swift fans (coined swifties), Taylor leaves behind a trail of hidden messages hinting to future projects, reminiscing her past work, and everything in between. They are often so discrete, to the untrained eye they would easily go unnoticed. But for her true fans and followers, they are in screaming color.

Taylor Swift has garnered a lot of attention, with fans around the world waiting on pins and needles to see what kind of tricks she has up her sleeve. Fame is something that typically ebbs and flows, so for Taylor to obtain this magnitude of interest and have the ability to keep it is an art within itself.

So, how does she do it? The key to keep captivating eager fans: convince them exactly what they should be looking forward to. Going great lengths, and likely a copious amount of planning, Taylor guides her fans exactly where she wants them to go. For me personally, there's no greater honor than being a pawn in one of Taylor's games.

WHO LIKES GOING WITH GRACE ANYWAY?

It was no secret that Taylor had intentions of re-recording her previous work so she can own the rights to her music. (which... sigh... is an entire story within itself) In short, it was a bad time. Bad-man-not-worth-naming sold the rights to her previous recordings to another bad-man-not-worth-naming without giving Taylor the opportunity to purchase them herself.

how we feel about bad-men-not-worth-naming

To reclaim her work, Taylor is in the process of re-recording her first six records and releasing them as Taylor's Version's. (Simplified from this point forward as TV) So far, we have gotten Fearless (TV), Red (TV), and as of recently, Speak Now (TV). While still pending 1989 (TV), Reputation (TV), and her self-titled debut album, Taylor Swift (TV).

SHE IS CRYPTIC. SHE IS MACHIAVELLIAN. BUT SHE CARES.

In the midst of her re-releases, Taylor dropped her tenth studio album Midnights in October 2022. Midnights has received uncharted levels of praise, with success that will surely going down on a history book page. But Midnights wasn't a complete detour from her re-recording journey. In fact, Taylor harnessed the attention she was receiving from Midnights as a means to catapult more interest for upcoming re-recordings.

[Bejeweled music video] Featuring the most forehead Taylor has revealed to date.

In the realm of Taylor Swift, nothing is a coincidence. The Bejeweled music video sent swifties into a spiral over the amount of easter eggs left behind hinting towards Speak Now (TV). From an instrumental version of "Enchanted" (a track from Speak Now) playing in the background at the start of the music video, to a brief flash of a "SN" clip in Taylor's hair, her fans knew what she was trying to say: Speak Now (TV) was coming. So, as fans started putting two and two together, it was clear these hints weren't speculation, but rather a full-on unspoken announcement. It was so obvious it might as well be listed in red, underlined.

[Bejeweled music video] In order, and color-coordinated, all 12 of her existing albums have a floor to match up with... with one extra purple 13th floor hinting towards the release of Speak Now (TV).

[Bejeweled music video] For a brief moment (shown in the bottom photo) the clip in Taylors hair changes from "TS" to read "SN", undoubtedly referencing Speak Now.

SHE KNOWS HOW TO DIRECT AN AUDIENCE'S FOCUS

Although it was still a "surprise" when she finally and formally announced Speak Now (TV) in May 2023, her fans were quite literally not thinking of anything else.

The clues, hints, and hidden messages suggesting (but still not outright confirming) Speak Now (TV) had not only peaked everyone's excitement, but also subconsciously eliminated the anticipation of any other album. There was no opportunity for letdown. Her audience was too busy losing their ever-loving minds over the prospect of Speak Now, that they couldn't even consider the possibility of hoping for another re-release, such as1989 or Reputation.

After the release of Fearless (TV) and Red (TV) in 2021, there was no promised order of what re-recorded album would follow. Yet, because Taylor was able to communicate exactly what was coming next without actually saying anything, fans had their sights set singularly on Speak Now. She ingeniously manipulated *positive connotation* our focus. She laid the groundwork, and just like clockwork, the dominoes cascaded in a line. (Too on the nose? I'm not sorry.)

Taylor Swift withholds enough information to remain "illusive" to the masses, but in her own secret language, she keeps a constant line of communication with her true fans. Although it can be cryptic, and also Machiavellian, it is ours.

A compilation of every song referenced subtly (& not subtly) in this blog:

mad woman (album: folklore)

Out Of The Woods (album: 1989)

cowboy like me (album: evermore)

my tears ricochet (album: folklore)

long story short (album: evermore)

Mastermind (album: Midnights)

Long Live (album: Speak Now)

Bejeweled (album: Midnights)

Enchanted (album: Speak Now)

Look What You Made Me Do (album: Reputation)

Ours (album: Speak Now)

Please make note this is only scrapping the surface of the appreciation and admiration I have for all things Taylor Swift. Future blogs on the swiftverse to come xx