This week, Taylor Swift has been teasing her fourth single from her soon-to-be-released album, Reputation. I can’t remember any previous albums where Taylor was hyping so many singles before the actual album drop? My anti-snake take is that the reaction to the first three singles was not what Taylor hoped it would be, and Taylor has had to really hustle for the first time in a long time. “Look What You Made Me Do” is a terrible song and video, and the single got easily dethroned by Cardi B. “Ready For It” was easily the strongest single released thus far, but Taylor f–ked it all up with a terrible video. “Gorgeous” is juvenile trash. So what is this next song? “Call It What You Want,” which is sort of a romantic ballad. Before I get to the song, let’s talk about the hype around the song. This was the first teaser:
The rocks. The ocean. Her Rhode Island mansion. Seagulls. Many people were like “OH YES HERE IS THE TIDDLES SONG.” The teaser definitely reminded me of the first photo op for Tom Hiddleston and Taylor, the now-infamous Tiddles-On-the-Rhode-Island-Rocks photos in The Sun. But then the other teaser or whatever made it seem like it was just a love song Taylor sang to herself:
“Call It What You Want” available now. @applemusic
Pre-order #reputation: https://t.co/oExj2XFGvH pic.twitter.com/EWxoTpSzIT— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) November 3, 2017
So what is this song and is it about Tom Hiddleston? Lyrically, it seems like it’s more about Joe Alwyn, but I’ll let you interpret it how you want.
I hate some of these lyrics so much, my God. “My baby’s fit like a daydream” is… bad. Also bad? “They took the crown but it’s alright/All the liars are calling me one” and “All the drama queens taking swings/All the jokers dressing up as kings” – can we have one song that’s not about Kim and Kanye, for the love of God? It’s supposed to be a love song and she’s still bitching about KIMYE! It’s hilarious.
As for whether this is about Tom or Joe, and whether “Gorgeous” is about Joe or Tom or what this whole album is about… my take is that Taylor started writing the album last year, as her relationship with Calvin Harris was fading out and she was starting up with Tom. That’s when she started writing, but then she finished the bulk of the album while she was with Joe. Meaning, the songs probably started out as inspired by Tom but she changed up some of the lyrical references to make them more about Joe. Also: there’s a male vocal on this song, right? Is that Joe’s voice?
Photos courtesy of Taylor Swift, Getty.
To me, this is about Joe. Because she says the word “brother” 😀
The lyrics are so cringeworthy. I mean, “and I’m the one he’s walking too”, “It’s not because he owns me”.
Her brother. ahaha
He surely could be, based on his looks.
Based on his new photos for Prada, forget brother. Joe looks more like Taylor than her own brother ever will. Yikes!
The Prada photos photoshopped/flattened his baggy eyes. Prada never, ever picked good looking models, gross.
All the drama queens taking swings. Jokers dressing up as kings. Are lyrics to the song.
Croatian what you’ve listed are not in those lyrics. That’s when you know the lyrics are fire when the drama queens have to twist them in order to make fun of them. This song is getting critical acclaim. Of course the drama queens and kings are still at it but “call it what you want”.
haha. Your comment made no sense but a lot of sense at the same time. Like a good beat poem when you listen to it backwards.
Umm, A Croatian is right. Those are actually lyrics in the song. https://genius.com/Taylor-swift-call-it-what-you-want-lyrics
@modelt The song is getting critical acclaimed?? Yikes, thank you for the laugh today.
@modelt:
Hi Taylor!! 👋🏻😂👋🏻 😂👋🏻
@KLO
Omg you’re right.
lol
This is going to be so embarrassing when they break up.
Reptilian mating calls. Meh
*republican
Ha ha. Both work.
Yawn. I usually avoid posts about her but for some reason I clicked this. Remember now why I avoid them! Ha!
it’s catchy-ish but pretty generic, she seems to have lost her midas touch for writing unique tunes. This is something I feel like I’ve heard a thousand times before
Still can’t stop whining about people being mean to her. Seriously?
She’s the pop star version of Trump. ” Wah! They’re all meanies! Nobody likes me! They’re all jealous of me! Wah!”
She really is. The perpetual victim
Clear indication she’s a Narcissist
Really? During everything that’s been going on you compare the two of them? She has the power to destroy a whole planet? She grabbed people by their genitals? She made homophobic and rasists slurs?
Get a grip, she may be blonde, but she’s just a woman, in men’s world. I keep coming to her posts to remind you that women should stick together until proven otherwise.
Good work Milla! Things get ridiculous
There’s no proof she did or didn’t vote for trump. Having republican parents ? thats the extent of her connection with him. Ivanka is friends with Wendi deng who has a lot of friends, so there’s a long list of celebs with a closer connection to trump than Taylor swift . Her lawyer denounced the aryan princess shit, no?
Imma let you finish but Taylor Swift is the most oppressed woman of all time.
LOL
Ahahahahaha!!!
Well…… they kind of are.
I really hope that if Taylor Swift’s latest album flops, she will take it as a learning experience and focus in avoiding making the same mistakes. She should keep her personal life out of her music making decisions. I truly believe Swift is a talented artist and if only she mustered her efforts in creating beautiful ballads without referencing ex-boyfriends. She should ignore her detractors like Madonna did back in her day.
I thought she was talented as well and she’s definitely not UNtalented but … limited maybe? She knows how to bring the catchy pop songs but that’s really it, no? I look at other female artists and they all have something unique and she just doesn’t beyond catchy songs by a leggy blonde.
Or maybe my expectations have changed. I still like my bland pop from time to time but right now, it feels like it’s not enough. I saw an interview with Nina Simone on IG last night (I think) and she describes what she thinks an artist’s job is. To reflec the times. She says it’s an artist’s choice of course but how can you not. I think that’s exactly what’s missing from Swift’s work. It doesn’t feel current or relevant, not this year.
In the broad sense it’s music. It’s fun to dance or sing to her pop songs and cutesy love ballads. There’s lots of music like this, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Basically all Taylor’s music is generic, corporate produced music. It’s like big budget, Hollywood action movies. They entertain us. They’re dazzling and fun to watch. They can almost feel like being on a roller coaster ride. But it’s all tried and true gimmicks to elicit the exact adrenaline/endorphin responses. Same with generic pop music.
It’s not that TS isn’t talented. It’s that her succes$ is grossly overrated in comparison to her talent level and music relevance over all.
She’s also not evolving. Even One Direction evolved (some). I think that’s what made me say maybe she’s limited. She’s good at what she does but even if her new music sounds different at first, it’s really more of the same. Re-invention is not her thing but as one of the biggest female popstars, I expect more.
I keep thinking about Pink. She’s never re-invented herself, has she? She still feels authentic and maybe that’s why I don’t mind in her case. I don’t know. I still enjoy 1989 but this new music feels a bit disappointing.
I think limited is a good word for it. Her music is very top 40, mass market, all about volume sales. There’s a place for that, sure, but it’s not going to change lives or be influential. She seems to fancy herself a deeper artist though, and it doesn’t jive with what she produces.
Well you’re going to be disappointed. It already has preorders of over 400k. This album is not flopping. You’d be better off ignoring it because she and it will be around for two years. Then you’ll see her earn 200+ million from all the revenue. You’ve got a long few years ahead that’s why U simply ignore people I don’t like. Taylor is just to irresistible even to her haters.
It’s called unmerited success. It’s been around a long time, and it’s absolutely alive and well in 2017 USA.
It will sell well, but I don’t think it will even come close to what her previous albums have sold. Interest is waning.
@modelt:
Hi Taylor!! 👋🏻😂👋🏻😂👋🏻
Is the hate getting to ya? Awww…
Going by radio play alone, the first single has been disappointing. It’s dropping like a rock after only ten weeks. If the other songs perform along those lines, it will be very easy to ignore her.
The album has 400k preorders because her fans have bought multiple copies to get in with a chance of concert tickets (which IMO is exploitative). It doesn’t look good for the 2nd week sales.
i love the latest songs. Its like a cathartic moment almost. I never ever listened to her before but now I do. And I love her new videos. Guess I am a basic bitch.
You need to listen to more music. That’s all. There’s no catharsis going on here.
If she were capable of introspection these songs wouldn’t all include petty revenge lyrics. She’s not capable of evolving. She got fame at what age? 16? She’s got a bad case of arrested development. Forever the victim, forever 16 years old.
Her album will not flop. Aside from the fact that look what you made me do has an abuser connection the album looks to be geared to teens and younger and is appropriate for them. Those are the people who have time to use YouTube and many have parents who’ll be happy to pay for an album if not more (tickets etc.) It may flop critically but I’d be amazed if it flops financially. The first four songs aren’t weak by pop standards and two are decent work out songs
I have surrendered to the idea that 2017 is going to be a epic disappointment. So Taylor Swift seems like the perfect soundtrack for it.
I’m a vocal critic of Taylor. I don’t like her music but what really gets me is her overall image. I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that she’s in her mid to late 20’s and she still behaves like a teenager. What also is equally confusing to me is that people like her basic music. I would give her a pass if it was decent . Her voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard too me.
co-sign. this album makes it clear she’s embracing the fact that she can’t sing for shit with all these “talky” verses with no melodies. her image is beyond obnoxious.
+1
I’ve been trying to solidify my thoughts and you are genius. Exactly, the perfect 2017 sound, that I’ll never listen to. 🙂 I change music in the car whenever she comes on, it’s completely annoying. So just what I do with tiny hands and hearing or seeing it. I hate that this happens, but Justin Bieber I get caught up in his songs and sing along! Shhhh… don’t tell. Plus I give him more of a pass since the Manchester gig, he was truly amazing. Taylor is all Taylor all the time. The only middle of the road person I give a pass to, i.e. won’t say one way or the other on issues to keep fans, is Dolly Parton.
I listened to the song this morning and I liked it. It is her best song so far. Shame on me. And yes, I do think that the song is about Tom.
I’m super basic when it comes to Taylor Swift. Maybe it is residual good will- maybe I have bad taste. But I like the songs. Not as much as 1989.. but I will still buy the album.
I do not understand why you have to feel ashamed for liking her song.
Because Taylor Swift is so problematic.
The song is whatever. Can take it or leave it, doesn’t matter to me. On whole I don’t find it offensive to the ears. If it’s playing on the radio, I’m fine with listening to it. Maybe it will get in my head a bit, but I wouldn’t miss it if I never heard it again either.
I know Celebitchy keeps referring to Gorgeous as juvenile trash, but I actually like it, better than this and better than LWYMMD. I like Ready for It, as well. I guess I’m just basic af when it comes to Swifty. I will say, so far, reputation is not as strong as 1989, which I genuinely loved as far as pop music goes.
Ugh, I’m so exhausted on her behalf: she’s got soo much to learn. I’ve said it before but after that groping court case she had so much potential to write a really wicked anthem about women and strength and now she’s just back to her ‘everything falls away as long as I’ve got ma man’ songs. Bored
She dealt with a difficult, dehumanizing situation with strength and intelligence. it’s crafting someone else’s narrative to tell them what to do with their survivorhood. Victims don’t owe us anthems.
Enough already, yes. Thank you.
It would be like expecting Amber Heard to portray a domestic abuse role in her next film.
No but she can show some personal growth that could easily reflect her true personality. Clearly she is not a victim, she’s very much in control. Part of growing up in owing who you are and being confident in it. Yet here we are again with victimhood lyrics.
She’s had 2 defining moments since her last album: her mother battling cancer and winning the case against that DJ. But what does she choose to bring up? Bad press thanks to reality stars. Girl is still so butthurt about the media not licking her ass 24/7 for not 1 but 2 whole months (gasp!) that she chose to REGRESS in her career and image with these juvenile love lyrics and ‘haterzzz’ references.
Nobody is asking to write about about the assault or cancer, people are wondering why this ‘feminist’ is still all about herself/fame, ha man, her coins and her victimhood when damn near turning 30 and clearly living her best life and not being a stranger to cheating on her partners herself. It’s played out.
And ha new man Joe is legit her worst muse, she sucks at writing love songs (it’s not genuine, she met him when still being with Calvin and her writing process started long before she was officially with Joe). Her victimhood is played out so these narratives she’s trying to sell, are boring and obsolete.
We know she can write good pop but this album shows she’s out of her depth and lost the ability to self-regulate her artistry. She’s not Britney Spears, this type of pop is not for Taylor.
@Enough already:
Amber repped hard for DV victims and fought all the bad press by public speaking. One doesn’t have to literally use it to advance their career, there are so many ways people can reflect and use a bad time to show personal growth.
Taylor is clearly a badass who is not a naive heartbroken girl but chooses to focus on the negative and acts like it’s a ‘us vs them’ situation when she creates public situations herself and then hates any criticism when it backfires. All that money and luxury lifestyle and she still cannot bring more to the table than getting a new man and hating her critics.. She went true real-life issues in the past 3 years but her focus is on the fake superficial stuff she helps create, that is nothing compared to her real-life situations….flippin’ hell.
Taylor’s album is a fail because she won’t sing about her mom’s cancer battle? This is disturbing. As for the alleged cheating, virtue signal much?
This album was written, recorded, and probably near completion construction-wise when the court case was heard.
Have you heard the new album? If you haven’t then how do you know she hasn’t written a song about it?
Rihanna sung about abuse (after CB incident) with Eminem and got shit for the wrong tone, no? Can’t win after being touched by toxic masculinity.
Well… I thought every single was about Karlie. So who knows. 😀 and like everyone else is predicting, every pop stah is doing a ballad- country album so I guess swifty and Katy will be next after their albums kinda fail. I think Taylor best song is blank space.
That “home made” video is ridiculous. It looks like a middle school art project. Everything about this album is incredibly juvenile and I think people realize that which is why it appears to be flopping.
Her music is equivalent to soggy saltine crackers.
She is 30 or close to and does act like a middle schooler. I don’t recall any other artist her age with such a desperate desire for revenge against anyone who doesn’t play her game. She will regret this nonsense later in life, rich or not. The fact that I’m almost a decade older than she, it makes me just as bad. Think this should be my last taylor post. #trumperablues
Those home made videos are part of the appeal for a lot of her fans. They die to figure out how her lyrics related to her so called private life. Thats why she invites fans to her actual homes.
It’s not true that this is the first time that she releases so manumy songs before the album.
She released 4 before Fearless in 2008, 4 before Speak Now in 2010, 5 before Red in 2012, 3 and 2 previews in commercials in 2914 before 1989
Yh a lot of people are making that mistake, as a fan I personally prefer this approach she’s doing for Rep . 1989 was too much Taylor.
She seems to cry her little sad kitty tears over the shortest lasting hook ups. Oops, forgot they all are short lived. Poor dat. Btw, he seems like a nice enough guy, what was HE thinking??? lol
Are the tears real, though?
It’s helpful to remember that these relationships are, to some degree, curated for public consumption. And Taylor’s music isn’t so much her unfiltered artistic expression as it is a savvy marketing strategy that uses her “personal” life to tell stories that resonate emotionally with a young, female audience.
That strategy may create an image of her as juvenile, but it has worked incredibly well for her career.
I’m just wondering how long it can last before it all starts to feel mind-numbingly repetitive to people.
Curated is a good word. I’m almost convinced she writes non-specific songs that could be about anyone, and then the marketing department decides who a particular song should be about based on fan feedback (her team monitors social media better than a cadre of Russian hackers). A few lyrics get tweaked during recording, some clues are dropped into the album artwork, and viola – Generic Song #27 becomes about Boyfriend Insert Name Here.
Yaas! Absolutely xo and jet.
I try to give TS the benefit of the doubt that perhaps now she writes much of her lyrics. After all they’re pretty basic. Still, I’ve always thought that she’s being carried by the underwriter musicians that create and arrange her songs and prompt her for catchy Taylor-esque hook phrases. I think she knows enough now to do much of it on her own. But I agree that her team of writers, producers and marketing strategists are not going to leave anything to chance. They are hands-on manufacturing her songs and “sound” to manipulate and encapsulate every aspect of her persona.
Why is she Baby Whispering through all of her songs on this CD? She’s not singing. Now I’ve never thought she had much musical talent compared to other songwriters but this is bad. Really BAD.
She must think that “baby whispering, ” makes her sound sexy. Her whisper singing voice just makes her sound exhausted and out of breath, like someone who just finished running a marathon
Her vocals are shockingly weak, that’s why she baby shispers.
Because she’s a rubbish singer, and she’s written herself a bunch of songs with a lot of key changes. That’s why we’re getting a lot of talk singing, she’s not capable of switching gears like that when she’s properly singing.
I don’t know what she’s going to do for the tour. She won’t be able to sing a lot of this live, not half-decently anyway, but she’s also a crappy physical performer so she can’t lip-sync and rely on dancing to build energy. The sound so far doesn’t really lend itself to big gimmicky set pieces that’ll distract either. It’s going to be awkward.
Because she’s trying a new sound?
I feel like she’s putting a hell of lot of pressure on a 1yr long relationship. Seems like a hell of a lot of this album is about Joe, or at least we’re meant to imagine it’s all about Joe. And she was gushing about him to her fans and sending them all out to talk him up. If they break up tomorrow she’ll look crazier than usual.
Anyway, another crappy single. This one at least has a decent Taylor-ish sound, but, oof, those lyrics. She’s pathetic with the Kimye stuff, and that ‘not because he owns me’ bit is so cringy.
I thought she said “making farts under covers” and then laughed hysterically for the rest of the song.
Her flops have broken two records so I guess she’s okay. I am lmao at the victim – y stance but as for her love life making its way into her music there seems to be a double standard. I can binge listen to James Taylor’s discography and trace nearly every single song to an ex-wife. I can do the same for Marvin Gaye. Not too far in the distance are Ed Sheeren, Bruno Mars, Curt Cobain and on and on. And for those who think the difference is her dumb blind items, well, Carly Simon anyone?
@Enough Already Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” is one song in a 40+ year career that talked about her former flings. Yes, she also wrote about her marriage to James Taylor, but Carly continued to grow as a songwriter and until recently didn’t name names on who the song was about.
I see no growth from Taylor album to album, except maybe 1989, and I can’t see her growing in her 30s given her past behavior. If she wants her audience to age with her she needs to stop with the fueds (Kimye bs) and move into a more mature period of songwriting.
Even Sir Paul McCartney grew as a songwriter from catchy pop tunes at the beginning of The Beatles to the mastery of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the themes of revolution and change of the White Album. Sorry, but Taylor’s got none of that talent or self-reflection.
“You’re So Vain” is not Carly Simon’s only song about her personal relationships, far from it. And in concert, she goes into some rather graphic, intimate details explaining who and what her songs are about. I really didn’t need to know why she was changing the sheets for Jesse Winchester
Even Sir Paul McCartney? One of the greatest songwriters of all time. I actually think some of the Beatles earlier stuff is brilliant, and some (a small proportion) of the later stuff rather pompous and pretentious. Never undestimate the power and value of a catchy pop tune.
I think it’s everything that goes along with those songs. If she just sang about those relationships without the antics I don’t think people would roll their eyes.
They would, lol, but that’s okay. She’s no victim but I just don’t lime double standards.
H
But I was not talking about personal growth. I was talking about how Swift is criticized for writing about her love life. There aren’t a lot of singers who write about anything else. I completely agree with lightpurple.
Most all musicians draw from their personal life and relationships, and might even include personal specifics in songs too. It doesn’t mean those songs are an accurate disclosure of the musician’s love life. Ever hear of creative license? Get real folks.
98% of country songs are personal and I’d bet at least 85% are about love. Everyone forgets that it might be in pop packaging but she’s still a country lyricist.
Geez she took such a step back from 1989 (the only album of hers that is good IMO). Maybe her not aging past 15 and immature is affecting her writing. This song is so stupid.
People were freaking out (and by people that means stans) because it’s connected to Love story.
Yawn
my message to taylor is taken from melvin udall in the movie as good as it gets:
“people who talk in metaphors ought to shampoo my crotch”
I do not understand how that immature woman became the most famous popstar in the world. Like how??? Her much-talked about songwriting abilities are laughable at best, her voice barely existent, her dancing abilities non existent, her stage presence lacking. Some of her songs can be catchy but except for that, she is not bringing much to the table.
I completely agree. She has some catchy songs but so do Katy Perry and Selena Gomez. I honestly believe that she (and her parents) have bought her hype. That, and if she didn’t sell her relationships with other Hollywood men like she does, she would be nowhere as popular as she is. She is not talented at all to me.
Young, rich, white, slim, decently pretty, gossip-worthy relationships, commercial/radio friendly music and image.
Young white rich and daddy bought her a record label. Next question please
“I trust him like a brother”
Ew.
Ew from me too.
I like it, I can’t lie. It’s catchy. I like Ready for It a lot too.
I’ve been wondering what day she’ll actually release the album next week because there has to be some mad chess going on with her and the Kardashians right now. I’ll put money on getting bump pictures of Kylie next week. Taylor is probably prepared for that and will release it before 11/10.
And another fun thing: All the Kanye fans are going to be streaming him all day on 11/10. They say it’s to honor Kanye’s mother but they’ve also been very open that it’s to get back at the Snek queen. Some petty drama is coming up. It’ll be a nice distraction.
I like the song but it’s nothing special. Out of all 4 songs released, none of them are memorable besides LWYMMD. I am a huge Taylor fan and so not getting the vibes from this album.. While with 1989/RED/Speak Now I can easily play them over and over again and they never get boring. Wow, Joe Alwyn really killed Taylor’s song writing ability. I think she is in-love to the point where she doesn’t care about her career anymore, expect her to marry Alwyn soon…
Make no mistake, she’s NOT an artist. She’s a gossip tabloid set to music. Using that term loosely. 🐍
check.
Unashamedly love this song , and actually really enjoy how this album is being presented. I didn’t like any of 1989 promo songs , but so far I like all from Rep.
Taylor releases a song which “may” be about Tom right as Tom’s movie comes out in the US….. petty.
Still I think you got it wrong, it’s not that she had to change the songs. She met Joe earlier then people think. She was cheating on Calvin and Tom with Joe. Joe was at the Met Gala in 2016. She’s been with him this entire time. Honestly her songs all proudly proclaim how she cheated on both Calvin and Tom with this guy. She had no song about Tom, he wasn’t important to Taylor. He was someone to use. The only reason she had Tom has a “boyfriend” was to make sure Joe didn’t become tarnished. Tom was an attention wh0re at the time and really wanted the Bond role, plus I imagine he wanted King Kong to do well (as all his other films bombed) in the US.
So yea this song is about him, she specifically has a line about “November” which is around the time he and Taylor got together officially.
Very petty isn’t it?
Extremely petty. Taylor wants all attention her, all the time. She didn’t care for Tom, not even enough to write some revenge song but she sure is h3ll won’t let him have the spotlight without it being about her.
Assuming this theory is correct, petty is an awfully genteel way of describing something that sounds conniving enough to be borderline sociopathic.
@DiligentDiva, if Tom was only in it for the attention, why oh why would he agree to be her “boyfriend” knowing Taylor was about to experience a PR sh*tstorm of epic proportions and by standing next to her he’d get tainted by it too. Unless she didn’t tell him why she wanted to be so public, in which case she has absolutely no humanity at all.
You keep saying Taylor didn’t care about Tom even a little bit, and I agree with you there, but you say it like you are proud of her for using another human being as a pawn to save herself and her true beloved. That is not an admirable act, it’s disgusting.
Who’s to say Tom knew about the shitstorm. Maybe he just thought a summer fling with Taylor would bring him some status. Taylor might have left out the part where she was completely gonna be gutted that summer. I think you need to remember people don’t always act with 100% info nor do they make the best decisions.
Tom f*cked up dating her, he’s gotten better since dating her, far more private, less cringy in interviews. But before that, he was looking for fame or at least status. All his movies bombed in 2016/2015. He might not have thought the consequences or read the fine print, just saw this super famous woman could give him a boost.
I’m not proud of Taylor, I hate her for the most part. But what I’m trying to get at is what Taylor did. She did use Tom. It was a clever PR trick, in my opinion, what’s clever is clever. Taylor is good at PR, she knows how to play the media.
People’s negative opinion of Taylor comes from her relationship with Tom (which her fans can defend her on non-stop) not her actual problems. Which is a brilliant strategy on her part.
I’m not saying what Taylor did was right, what I’m saying is it was a strategic move to ensure her career survived the Kimye drama.
I definitely agree that Taylor used Tom as a human shield, but I go back and forth about why Tom got involved with her. If it was purely for PR, then he deserves the backlash he got. Lesson learned. Part of me thinks he may have been at least a little charmed by her at the Met Gala and wanted to have a little no-strings summer fun before diving back into work, but had little or no idea what was in store. Who knows at this point,
Taylor and her team are masterful at deflection, but I’m not sure their strategy has actually served her well. In their efforts to distract from negative stories and paint herself in the best light, the first instinct always seems to be to toss someone else under the bus. If you do that enough times, the cumulative backlash becomes too much to overcome.
Like jetlagged says. Yes Taylor used Tom as a human shield cause she was too scared to be a single woman when Kimye-gate hit (regardless if she was hiding her real bf). No, I don’t think Tom really understood what was coming down the pipe. If he was told anything it was probably in very undefined, unspecific terms. He would not have had any idea about her petty celebrity wars because Tom doesn’t pay attention to all that. He might have known her music and that she’s very famous, but he, like me, was too busy to know these things and wasn’t interested anyway. He just really likes music and dancing of course.
It’s exactly because he’s not savvy about celebrity PR marketing and how social media is used to push narratives and image, that he made the mistake of getting involved with TS. I truly think his agents let him down. They must have know that he didn’t understand the risks very well. I think Tom can be naive and think too positively of people and life in general. Usually that’s a good thing, and it’s better to be a positive person than negative. Not in this case though.
I think Tom looked at it as part of the job. Sure he could most certainly be interested in a pretty, successful, American woman like Taylor. But it was all image perception. At that time I think Tom was happy to be set up with a pretty companion even if it wasn’t a full, authentic ‘ship. He was single and had been traveling away from friends and family for over 2 yrs. I think he thought it would be taking care of two birds with one stone if he did what was being suggested to him as a sure way to get better known in US before his final film, SI, was to be released and before the Emmys/GG.
Will no one think of Tommy, Fassbender, Cumberbatch and all the other poor men-children lured to their doom by these manipulative, wanton, scheming harpies? Clearly Hiddleston had no personal agency or responsibility in that relationship. He is above all of that because reasons. And Shakespeare.
@Enough Already,
Difference between Taylor and other celebrities, male or female, is that she has an entire PR/ marketing brigade scheming to sell her image and her narrative. They ENDLESSLY push these narratives to her standom minions to reinforce and protect her brand even at the cost of others. This is her business model.
This is why she is criticized more than others and more than Tom even if he did agreed to it. No, in this case, as with many other Taylor situations, she doesn’t deserve to be treated as any one else would be imo. Not with the $$$ she’s accrued from “scheming” and capitalizing on a disingenuous product (herself). If you’re going to COMPLETELY hand over your personal and creative soul to The Machine for $, then you’ll be treated like a machine, with little human compassion.
In Fassy’s case, didn’t she turn out to be unreliable? IDK – didn’t follow close enough. Btw I had never cast dispersion on any of those women.
Cranberry
Without trying to sound disrespectful, your language makes you sound skewed at best and over-invested at worst. Individuals are responsible for what individuals do and there’s only so much we can know or guess at about tbe private lives of celebrities. We argue on gossip sites while they happily cash tbe checks. We would all do well to remind ourselves of this from time tontime.
@AEnough Already
Sorry I’m my use of metaphor isn’t up to your standard. I was addressing why TS is criticized so much more than her exes. You just equate her to women that were dogged for being involved with favorite male celebs. I’m not damning her soul to hell, but as I said, her business model is soul deadening and deserves to be discredited amap. Imo TS is the ‘symbolic’ embodiment of everything that’s wrong with the music industry, although she is Not the only one.
I can’t think of another songwriter whose fans scour their songs, videos, interviews for clues as to who the song is about, and almost always the songs are putting the subject in a bad light. I mean rs end because sometimes we are not a good fit, but why is she always so bitter & feeling she’s been done terribly wrong. Her fans cringe when she goes to an event because they feel Taylor will be so uncomfortable around this person, that person, etc. She dislikes a lot of people. Some are justified, but the shear number leaves reason to believe she takes offense easily and looks for revenge.
The Bond role was not open.
Tom said repeatedly last year the role is not up for grabs, nor has he been asked, and that he wished the questions would stop. Yet, no one listened and somehow the rumors continued because they conveniently fed into him dating an actual famewhore.
At the time there was speculation and I’m sure Tom was trying for it.
When asked, he repeatedly said the role was not open and he twice said, very publicly, that he wished people would stop it.
@DilignentDive, Tom got pretty fed up with all the Bond speculation. He has tremendous composure and endured it as well as anyone could. But he did slip a few times and let it show that he was very annoyed with it all. He recovered quickly because he probably considers it rude to express annoyance and aggravation in public.
Anyway if TS and Joe were involved all that time that’s pathetic. I think maybe they knew each other and maybe were even interested in each other, but it seems quite a stretch even for immature Taylor to be leading a double life for so long having two fake bf while in a real relationship with another. My point being when anybody dose that kind of crap, it means that the quality of the so called “real relationship” is distorted.
This song may very well be about Joe. I wouldn’t doubt it. But I don’t think most of the songs she writes are authentic to her life even though she claims they are. Basically she doesn’t know much about real life. She plays games and has been raised in a bubble of celebrity and infantile sm. As I said up string, these songs could be about any or all of her relationships. Or maybe none; They’re so generic.
There’s a lyric that says “I’m laughing with my lover making forts under covers trust him like a brother”, which is an interesting choice. I feel like it’s awkward to compare a lover to a brother when the guy you’re dating looks like he could be your brother.
lmao you’re right they do look similar! i didn’t notice until you pointed it out.
@Connie haha “forts under covers” does NOT sound NOR look good as a lyric. 😛
This is a faux pas similar to Beyonce naming her album BDay (it sounds like “bidet” and 2 British radio DJs pointed it out to her and she was so embarrassed, it was cute and hilarious)
Or maybe Taylor is a hilarious troll and well aware of the “forts” I think the truth is somewhere in between..
The lyric is ridiculous. I feel like reading a 13 year-old girl diary. Her post on her bestfriend myspace page that leaked online was better than this. She was like 14 or 15 yead old at the time. What happened to her?
Catering to the targeted audience. That, and she never grew past teenage drama.
love this one. it’s only one i truly liked of this new album so far.
Well I like this song. Other three -meh. I don’t like Mr kardasian so don’t care about the jibe. The beach windy vibe is actually good. And I think it is about tom.
Funny that you think that Taylor needs to “hustle” to make fans excited about this album release when fans have been freaaaaaaaking out about reputation! All of the singles released so far have been SO STRONG and the numbers are not low so idk where you’re getting all of this from
That is because her little fans are nuts.
So much spite in every song. Although the tunes are good as usually. But it’s just so small of a soul.
Swift doesn’t only write for 13 yr old….she is one. This song combines her two muses: gripes and guys. She was always going to be profitable- with her AT & T & UPS deal- but she is incapable of writing anything substantive. She is a star of this era- completely coddled and undeserving. Someone should have the guts to ask her: why did you dress up like Katy Perry in a car accident? She is so creepy.
*sigh* Another song that I found boring listening too. I was thinking when I heard it, do you think she pre-releasing all these songs before the album drops next week as it could be a predicted flop? And she trying to get her squad into a frenzy so they buy her album? There doesn’t seem to be as much hype as when 1989 or Red came out.
I actually really like this one. I hope the album is musically more along these lines rather than that horrible first single.
There is a meme going around where the chorus of LWYMMD is superimposed over Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy”. It is a perfect match!
She reminds me of that one dorky homeschooled kid who finally comes out and tries to fit in with the “cool kids”. Just perpetually awkward and trying way too hard. She makes me cringe.
I guess the same could be said for me. Some of us are just awkward. Glad our social ineptitude makes you cringe. 🙂
@gatorbait “KLO snorts through nose and nods in approval”
I haven’t heard a single song from this album cycle that’s a true love song. Every single song has managed to spite someone from her past. That’s tainted love imo. Perhaps that’s why things never work out for her relationships. She’s always focused on the previous one. Right now her target is Tom. When she was with Tom, her target was Calvin. When she was with Calvin, her target was Harry. Just let it go girl. Be a woman. You can’t move forward if you let the past hold you back. All this said, I roll my eyes at how her world is so small that all she can focus on is herself. Hello, there are so many human problems and all you can do is sing about crying in your man’s arms in your mansions that people aren’t kissing your ass anymore 🙄
IMO, this song is definitely about Joe. No question.
I don’t like Gorgeous but I like this better. I feel like with this album she’s catering to her super fans rather than a wider audience? Compared to 1989, it feels like she’s kind of phoning it in musically but knows they’ll support her. The songs released aren’t terrible (okay, Gorgeous kinda is, the lyrics make me cringe a bit lol) but they’re not super catchy like 1989’s singles (except Ready For It, I really enjoy that one).
I just listened to this song…ugh. Her music is so bad, basic,and boring. It’s amazing that so many of her videos on YouTube actually have billions of views each. Why are there so many views?
Much of her success is gossip and social media driven. That’s why her demographic is the jackpot in the industry, It’s not about the music so much as it is about peer identity.
She has a huge standom.
Standom. Great word. I’ve got to remember that one.
Lyrically the song is cringe. Musically it’s better than the other ones. Vocally it’s very weak. I actually think instead of low talk singing, it needed to be sung in higher register. If you’re going for whispery, go soft falsetto. The vocals are completely mismatched with the music. The song is meant to be dreamy, instead it sounds like someone reading over background music.
I agree! Musically this is much better than the other singles and I like the melody! It’s kind of soft and not too overproduced. Her lyrics are just too bad this record though, people must have really gotten under her skin last year! She’s overpushing the “Look how happy and successful and great I am now much better than before” narrative.
Somewhere Harry Styles is thanking his lucky star he’s not her most recent ex anymore haha.
Harry is feeling blessed at this point.
The video was generally nice. I think it made her look more like she really is, a young, somewhat innocent girl. I don’t think TS is a terrible person, mostly immature and does some pretty petty things on a very public level like some of her juvenile lyrics. These kind of things makes her problematic as a roll model for young girls and young women.
I don’t care who it’s about. As I said above her music is pretty generic as is her lyrics. It could be about any and all her relationships. It sounds like things she’s done before. Most songs, no matter how personal they might seem are not, in total, an accurate deposition. A song may refer to specific events or people, but the ‘truth’ of music or a song is not some hidden Easter egg or verifiable diary entry.
ahh. I meant “role model”. lol
Now I can picture her in a bakery being a roll model!
I’ll have a cinnamon-swifty roll please, with extra frosting.
I am laughing at how her revenge album has her worst music todate on it. If she had grown up and got over herself, this would not be an issue.
Eh, I like her. Unashamedly at that. I have liked all her songs so far except Gorgeous. She’s also not struggling so not sure where that note is coming from. Just because you don’t like her doesn’t mean she’s doing bad. I hate country music and heavy metal but they manage to do just fine without me. To each their own, love.
LMAO
I absolutely despise country and pop music. Those 2 genres don’t deserve to be in the same sentence as rock or heavy metal, but everyone has different opinions. It was painful to listen and watch Taylors new songs and videos, but I see that millions out there are keeping her going easily with or without us
I’m so sick of Taylor Swift. That’s all I’ve got.
Really love this one and I like the lyric video with the behind the scene footage! I think it’s like Gorgeous – originally about Tom but maybe was tweaked after for Joe. (There wasn’t a post about it but a BTS video revealed the OG lyric for ‘in the club doin I don’t know what’ was actually ‘I haven’t seen him in a couple of months’ such delicious gossip) For some reason I look at Tom and think I bet he’d be a hot lover. Looking at Joe I don’t get the same feeling he’s very vanilla for my personal tastes.
I really don’t care about what other people think of the music I like. Music snobs are gonna music snob. That’s why there are so many different artists and genres so we can all have something to listen to that we enjoy. I don’t feel the need to make myself look cool by trashing other people’s music tastes.
IMO none of the singles released off 1989 were the best tracks on the album (maybe New Romantics but that wasn’t really a single) so while RFI is still my #1 of these 4 I’m really excited to hear what else is on the album. According to the secret sessions info (which I take with a grain as they all signed NDAs) #5 is also a Rhode Island song (this song is track 14), so maybe that is the Tiddles track.
I’m not a fan of the talk singing. It’s offputting. Imo, she sounds better in higher registers, even if it comes of whiny. I don’t care for IDWTLF, but at least she made an effort to sing differently and it worked.
Brace yourself – I’m about to say something nice about Taylor. I really enjoyed the video of the song-writing for Gorgeous. I’m a sucker for watching creative people create so that was a fun glimpse into the process.
Bravo to you for liking what you like, and not caring who knows. Taylor’s music isn’t my taste, and how she promotes it makes me cringe, but I do understand why people find it fun to listen to.
Are you referring to the “Gorgeous” video? Or the video this CB thread is about . . (“Call It What You Want” ?) ?
The “making of a song” video that AT&T has for Gorgeous.
Don’t you just love the deafening silence from her “revengees”?
Good. I prefer she keep screeching and trying hard, telling everyone she has an amazing life, while everyone is silently living their best lives not giving a fvcks. Shows how attention starved she is.
Yes, basically it is saying “we are over you, you should be over us by now”
It’s the best part of this era – she was not expecting KimYe to ignore her. She has tried so hard to provoke them and they haven’t said a word – for the very first time in their obnoxious existence.
I liked this song. Wish it was the first song off the album. And that the other songs didnt exist.
It’s definitely not her worse song off this album. It’s better than Look What You Made Me Do and Gorgeous. I think the best single so far has been Ready For It. This is probably the second best. It’s generic and uninspired, but catchy and will likely get a good amount of radio time. I see this song really appealing to teens and 20-somethings, which is still her target audience. I was looking forward to a bit more growth on this album. Even though she’ll sell a lot of albums, I predict it won’t sell as well as Red and 1989, and the reviews won’t be nearly as good either. If she keeps going down this track, her next album might do worse. If she wants to do better, she should take the criticism of her new album to heart and produce something better for her next album several years from now.
She had so much time to observe the world around her. But instead, she only focused on herself. For an entire year and a half. It’s quite hard to take her seriously when she writes self absorbed, woe is me music when people are literally going through hell all around. It comes off completely out of touch.
I would love to have seen her write a song related to her sexual harassment trial and female empowerment. Wouldn’t that have been a very timely song at this time? She missed the boat on that opportunity. She would have gotten praise for writing an album about a stronger woman facing the world and taking down the patriarchy both in her love life and in her career. That would have made an awesome album.
Honestly, I’d give her kudos if she did, and I’m far from a fan.
kibbles – have you heard the entire new album? if not, please take several seats because you have zero clue if she did or didn’t write a song about that experience.
So one of her fans is claiming a song about Tom on her album. When asked if it was a good or bad song about him, she responded “not bad, just honest”. So brace yourselves Tom fans, because Taylor’s truth is typically that her bf treated her like shit and did her wrong, so I’m guessing she’ll pitch he’s a fame whore or something to free her of that title and put the blame on him.
It’s weird but this is the first Taylor album that has me comparing her with Madonna. I’m old enough to have experienced Madonna as a teen, and it used to make my eyes roll when she tried to take on more of the songwriting herself. You could always tell which lyrics were M’s, because they were so painfully ameuturish and lame.
You simply can’t compare your lover to your brother in a love song that also speaks how “fit and fly” your lover is. Because now I have images in my head that I don’t want there.
Yep, pretty much.
The lyrics are so mediocre. She’s so boy obsessed lol like does she ever actually go through anything in life without a boy holding her hand? It’s like, you all can talk trash about me but I got a hot dude so whatever…umm, what kinda logic Tay?
I feel like Max and all those other men she went up on stage with to receive her grammies , just write her melodies and she’s told ok write up the lyrics. Any lyrics, we’ll make it work. Scott B tells her, if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it, dumb lyrics appealing to kids is our thing.
This is Tay’s last album on this contract. She half-assed it and relies on the Goodwill of fans now. Shell then disappear for a minute but not before posting pics of a grand proposal or a fancy wedding. She’ll then go away and have two kids then come back after five years. (I wish! 😂)
I wish she’d go back to the days of “Our song” and “Tim McGraw”. Her first album was lit! I loved her in Country though 1989 was also hotcakes.
I think this song is about Tom but the lyrics are so cringey. He’s walking with his head down – Tom wearing caps when going for walks while shooting Thor Ragnarok in Australia or wherever he’d gone with her. Call it what u want to – everyone said the relationship was for publicity, he’d been paid by her management to date her and such; I don’t see that tag applying to Joe coz no one knows him nor gives a crap enough to decipher her relationship with a D-Lister. The line on Kimye abt Jokers n such, she was revealed for a snake back in July 2016 and at the time she was with Tom. Don’t let the November line fool you.
I like it better than the last one, but by God these lyrics. C’mon girl, we all know you can do better. This is just phoning it in.
Making forts under covers. Or making farts under covers? Lol I like the second one better.
A few years ago this stuff was watchable/listenable laughable. Now, it’s the kind of cringe you just look away from because it’s crossed the line into, ‘oh dear, I think she might need some professional help.’
She’s the basic bitch of music.
I listened to this and… Eh. I have a lot of good will for Taylor. I defended her attitude even.
The question is:
New Taylor, why can’t you be halfway as good as New Lorde, who is so much younger than you?