Taylor Swift dropped her ‘Delicate’ music video: who is telling her she can dance?

swift delicate

When I was up bright and too-early this morning, I went on YouTube to look for clips and highlights from Indian Wells. That’s how I came across Taylor Swift’s “Delicate” music video, which dropped last night at the IHeartRadio Awards. What I’m saying is that I went into cold, with no background, having barely even heard the song before, but having seen all of the other music videos from Taylor’s Reputation. The other music videos were over-produced nonsense for the most part, so I had no expectations for “Delicate.” And… um… you guys? Who in the Snake Fam keeps telling her she can dance? Here’s the video:

Whoops sorry, wrong video, here we go.

Nope, still the wrong one! My bad. Here’s the real video.

A few thoughts:

GIRL YOU NEED TO STOP WITH THOSE BANGS. I mean, at this point, I accept that she wants to have bangs and so be it, but does she have to do those awful, thick, ‘80s bangs that start halfway up her crown?

Also: did she really go to a red carpet event wearing a simple, limp ponytail??

She is a terrible actress at every point of this – and every – music video.

She’s probably going to sue Singin’ In the Rain for copyright infringement.

swift delicate2

Screencaps from ‘Delicate’.

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106 Responses to “Taylor Swift dropped her ‘Delicate’ music video: who is telling her she can dance?”

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  1. the better bella says:

    Taylor dances like a white girl.

    Who cares when she sleeps on a pile of snake money.

    • Anna says:

      I don’t think her bad dancing was supposed to be a part of the concept. To me it seems like she took some lessons and actually thinks she can dance, but thought she would be quirky and weird (and thus relatable) because the dancing involved weird movements. I’m pretty sure someone came up with that idea of dancing in the ballroom from that Spike Jonze video (look at the comparisons made on twitter).

      Also, it was pointed out that after months of silence from Taylor and joe, we suddenly get some pictures of them together and then days later a music video drops……..

    • TwoPac says:

      I like goofy “can’t dance” dancing. I’m with it for her.

      • still_sarah says:

        @ TwoPac : I get the impression that her dancing is supposed to be awful. It’s part of the “adorkable” quality they are striving for in the video – I think.

      • FLORC says:

        I’m not on board with her dancing was suppose to be awful. Dorky, sure. Awful? No.
        You can do something intentionally far leaning, but execute it well. Like so many of those older movies had skilled dancers appearing to trip over their own feet, but it was all great to watch. This is just Taylor dancing poorly. Not intentionally bad. Just bad.

    • Hazel says:

      Bless her heart.

    • Cat'sMeow says:

      Lots of white girls can dance.

  2. Seraphina says:

    I rarely, if ever watch award shows. Don’t have the time and I would rather sleep. That said, I’m also not a Swift fan, although I have one song of hers in my iPhone and now two. I liked the song (I need intervention) but the video was no bueno.

    I found the funniest part of the whole thing when they panned the camera as they announced her name for winning, everyone’s look said: over it.

  3. Carol says:

    I thought her whole persona was that she wants to be awkward/nerdy/cute but all dressed up like a perfect step ford wife? Hence, the bad dancing – seemingly done on purpose to make her look cute and awkward and relatable but still beautiful and unattainable??

    It appeals to her demographic of little girls I guess

    • Broken halo says:

      I thought she was spoofing herself

      • noway says:

        She was, and she does this a lot. She may be a lot of things, but I think she has a pretty good sense of humor about herself and she knows she isn’t the greatest dancer. I didn’t like the first few releases from this album, but the last couple I kind of like. Don’t get me wrong they aren’t masterpieces, but they are catchy.

      • Windswept Hair says:

        ITA

    • Patricia says:

      Yeah I’m not one to defend Taylor but I think the whole idea is that she sucks at dancing but feels free to do it anyway when she realizes she’s invisible.
      It’s uncomfortable to watch anyway though, and her styling in this is terribllllllle.

      • Cali says:

        This is what I thought, too. She was being her awkward self since she was invisible – the whole “dance like nobody is watching” thing. I didn’t like the video, though. It could’ve been so much better if that was the theme she was going for – and that song didn’t fit. But I still like her music. Not sorry.

    • Chaine says:

      I thought it was intended to be comedic, too. Note I said “intended.”

    • Louise177 says:

      I think Taylor does think she can dance. Otherwise she wouldn’t do it so often. She’s doing full choreography not moves to just get by. She and the director probably thought it was cute but she looks ridiculous.

      • jetlagged says:

        That was the impression I got. This is not a spoof routine, I think she is absolutely serious about the choreography, and probably worked hard on it, but Taylor simply doesn’t have the skill to pull off Britney or Beyonce level dancing. Let’s be honest, sometimes she struggles to just walk and lip-synch at the same time, so the routine was built around what she can do. Essentially her “dancing” is striking a few dramatic poses (which she is an expert at), running/skipping a few feet while waving while her arms and pointing her toes, then stopping dead in her tracks and doing a few more dramatic poses.

  4. Runcmc says:

    WOW

    that tweet about Maddie Ziegler was spot on, it’s like Taylor wanted her own version of Chandelier but obviously she doesn’t *neeed* a professional dancer because she can flail it out herself. Oh, Taylor.

    Legit though I’d love to see this with an actual professional dancer. Now that would be cute.

  5. Talie says:

    Most people are pointing out that it looks like the Kenzo commercial with Margaret Qualley, and honestly, that was my first thought too.

    • T.Fanty says:

      I thought it was also a parody of the Fatboy Slim video, the one with Christopher Walken.

    • Léna says:

      That’s what I told myself when watching it. Couldn’t finish it, though.

      • T.Fanty says:

        Me either. I flipped over to YouTube and rewatched Walken. It was a much better use of four minutes.

    • senna says:

      I immediately thought of this as well! The Kenzo commercial is so much weirder and far better because of it. Taylor’s weird faces in the mirror don’t equal the unhinged dance moves of a woman no longer trying to move in a pretty way.

      • Beapancake says:

        I’m obsessed with the Kenzo commercial and this is def inspired off that. But Spike Jonze apparently was inspired by the Christopher Walken / Fat Boy Slim video.

    • Slowsnow says:

      It made me think of Emma Stone dancing in the videoclip of Will Butler’s Anna, but a failed attempt.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QFvgHIJrEQ

    • SK says:

      Except that Margaret Qualley was a ballerina for years and is a damn good dancer.

  6. Caity says:

    I agree the video is terrible, and doesn’t match the song at all which is super frustrating cos I love this song. But I think she’s aiming for adorkable, the kind of dancing most people do if they’re home alone etc
    Girl has no rhythm, just like me.

    • H says:

      Yeah, I got nothing nice to say. Girl can’t even fake dance.

    • Belle Epoch says:

      She dances like she was a cheerleader in high school. I also think she is spoofing herself but not to the point of actually looking ridiculous- she could not live with that!

      • magnoliarose says:

        I think that is the problem. She didn’t go for the full dork. She didn’t commit!!
        So it is some strange in between.

  7. elephant says:

    I don’t mind the bad dancing, she is literaly dancing like no one is watching – she is invisible in the video. I am sure she knows she is not the best dancer, yet she likes to dance, so she dances. You know, for fun. What is wrong with that?

    • Lola says:

      Taylor Swift isnt allowed to have fun!!

    • the better bella says:

      Clearly everything Taylor does is wrong no matter what.

      • MoAnne says:

        Haha, better bella. I agree.

        And, the video is really blah! But, it’s like some game–spot how many awful things Taylor does in 3 minutes. The video isn’t much at all…

    • Lucy2 says:

      That’s how I took it to, dance like no one is watching. I think she know she’s a bad dancer and just sort of leaned into it for this video, knowing how it was going to look.
      There’s no way THAT was intended to be serious and skilled dancing, I’m kind of amazed anyone thinks it was.

      • Millennial says:

        Agreed. She’s dancing crazy because she’s “invisible” – she’s aware she’s a bad dancer. Taylor deserves a fair amount of criticism for other things but not this.

    • Goats on the Roof says:

      Yeah, the video took pains to say “hey, she’s invisible!” She’s clearly dancing in a silly way because no one can see her.

    • LilLil says:

      Yeah, the bad dancing is obviously intentional. I like it. These kinda videos suit her so much better and they remind me of her old videos.

  8. laulau says:

    She should have hired Karlie to do the video, just them making cupcakes or whatever is was they were always Martha Stewert-ing before the squad implosion of 2016.

  9. CidyKitty says:

    Her messages are getting all tangled up in this piece. Also her dancing has me snort laughing into my oatmeal this morning. Laughter is the best medicine. Also can we use that first picture of her for everything?

    • Apple Hat says:

      It definitely has an angle of “It’s sooooo haaaaard to be meeeeeee”, as most Taylor videos do. Outside of that I don’t see how it relates to the rest of the song, which I presume is about Gorgeous Joe.

  10. Coz' says:

    We already knew she can’t dance nor act. But apparently she’s not even capable of walking normally. WTF
    Is it the most boring video clip ever? Probably. I couldn’t even make it past the 1’30 mark

    • SK says:

      The thing that gets me is her TERRIBLE posture. My posture isn’t amazing and I know a lot of tall girls slump their shoulders, but if I was Taylor-level famous I would get lessons and learn how to stand up straight and have good posture a la Rosie Huntington Whitely. It would make such a difference.

  11. DiligentDiva says:

    The ponytail was suppose to be reminiscent of her Red era hair. She use to wear her hair up in ponytails to events like that.
    And second, the whole point was that she was awkward and can’t dance. Taylor doesn’t think she’s a good dancer, that’s the point. It was to show she is awkward. I don’t get how nobody realizes this by now. She admitted to this when Shake it Off was released.

    • Abby says:

      Exactly. I think she was “for real” in Bad Blood, but that wasn’t dancing, that was play fighting. She’s never ever pretended to be a good dancer. She always plays the awkward.

    • Jayna says:

      Agreed.

    • Some of the first dance moves she did reminded me of the dance scene in Napoleon Dynamite. Did anyone else get that? Anyway, it did seem like it was supposed to be awkward.

  12. grabbyhands says:

    I’m not going to put myself through watching the video, but looking at that still-is that her Whitesnake moment? Is Joe Alwyn sitting in the car while she does gymnastics on the hood?

  13. Lahdidahbaby says:

    Um, kind of ungainly and tryhard.

  14. Nicole says:

    I saw some clips late last night and nearly choked from laughing so hard. Yikes.
    She’s just a walking cringe moment at this point. And I’ve never heard this song. So either she’s backed off the saturation or no one cares about this album.

  15. Digital Unicorn says:

    Looks like she’s also ripped off a few JLO videos as well as copying Sia. I have never ever seen a performer consistently look awkward and insecure ever time they perform. She really is someone who is so not comfortable in her body.

  16. Liberty says:

    I am assuming this is a field study example of mock dancing.

    Because otherwise it looks like a seven-year-old with an earache.

  17. RBC says:

    So I want to know who Taylor is smiling at in the bar at the end of the video? Seems like a strange ending

    • Chickadee says:

      So if you look closely at the Bar scene — the person sitting in the 5th seat is a Karlie lookalike (and Delicate is the 5th Track on the album). Also, the guys sitting at the bar all have beards. Oh, one more thing, apparently the scene where she is doing a split in the car? Behind her in the video is a sign that says “Joe’s Deli.” However, that shot is now being sold as a still from the Taylor Swift Merch store and the “Joe” is removed — which the Kaylor fandom theorizes is b/c she does not want him as a permanent part of her art.

      • TaraT3 says:

        Well the Joe’s Deli sign is in the video, as well as his name being “hidden messages” plastered all over her other videos… So I’d say she made the conscious decision to make him part of her art and the WAAAAAY more logical explanation is that the frame of her on the shirt just didn’t have the CGI added in before it went to print.

        Seriously, this Kaylor BS is getting way too loony.

      • Polly says:

        In the video, she walks right past the boarded up Joe’s Deli store and straight (I mean gay) into a bar where in fifth position there is a Karlie look-alike. And the merch is a lithograph which is a still from the video that does not include Joe on the sign in the background. The rest of the sign is there, just not Joe’s name. His name has been intentionally edited out.

      • I love a good Kaylor conspiracy. I just went back to view the vid again but it’s been taken down? Off to google.

  18. Jayna says:

    Spike Jonze did it first for a perfume commercial he directed.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABz2m0olmPg

    • bread says:

      Wow, that was really cool. I liked pretty much everything about it: the performance, the music, the editing. Now the Swift video looks even worse.

    • Carol says:

      well that was 10000x better than Taylor’s version. Too bad Taylors director didn’t go in a more creative direction with her video.

    • Kitten says:

      She completely stole the concept from Jonze. Too bad Jonze did it far better than she did.

    • Trying Again says:

      omg. That video is GREAT! Taylor definitely copied it. The moves, the concept.

    • magnoliarose says:

      I see it. Even the color of the dress.

    • virginfangirl says:

      Thanks for sharing that link. Never saw it, but wow, that was really good. Can’t figure out why Taylor would even attempt to remake something where the original was so amazing.

  19. Lotusgoat says:

    She’s making goofy faces at herself in the mirror, and then dancing like nobody’s watching. And she’s likely heard people mocking her for being awkward already. This is obviously her having fun and not taking herself too seriously.

  20. lightpurple says:

    A frog. She reminds me of a frog.

  21. Abby says:

    Eh. She always pretend dances. I don’t think she’s trying to be a “real dancer” she’s just dancing silly like she always does. This video doesn’t bother me. It’s kind of a fun concept.

  22. Beth says:

    Ugh! Everytime I’ve seen or heard one of her songs and videos, it reminds me how much I dislike this genre of “music. ” That was so cheesy and lame

  23. Monsy says:

    I liked the song. I think she knows she can’t dance and she went for the ” look how adorkable i am” persona in this video, which i found weird since it’s very different from her reputation persona aka mother of all snakes.
    This video reminded me of the “old taylor”. Maybe she’s rebranding before her tour begins.

  24. C says:

    I get that she’s dancing like no one is watching and she’s intentionally dancing like a goofball. However, regardless of intention it stills looks bad and I think there’s a way of dancing silly without it looking so jarring.

  25. bread says:

    I think that both the song and the video are fine, you know, but nothing special. But they don’t go together at all. There were several points where Swift goes into a big, jumpy dance move and the music didn’t fit the feeling or the movement, not even a little bit.

    And I really felt the dance was awkwardly placed somewhere between “modern dance” and “intentionally bad”. Like, she wants people to go, “OMG, Taylor’s such a good dancer, we never knew!” but if people make fun of her, she can pretend that she was in on the joke all along.

  26. Naddie says:

    Is anything wrong with this video? I find it pretty nice and harmless. As ladies already said here, she’s dancing in her own ungainly way, not intending to be a real dancer.

  27. Summer says:

    I thought it was obvious she was making fun of herself. Look at her at past videos, this one is very different to anything she’s done before. She new when she’s was making those faces that they where not pretty, definitely very different vibe then bad blood. But not a good video at all.

  28. Vox says:

    Yeah, I think the point was to be dancing badly because nobody could see her, like the bad silly faces. It was a boring song and video to me. I thought there’d be something actually interesting to laugh at given the negative reactions.

  29. Green Is Good says:

    Who told Taylor bangs were a good idea?

  30. Anon says:

    The song is fine and the video is fine but they are a total mismatch with one another. When she started pulling those bizarre faces while she was singing about the love of her life – what?

  31. anna222 says:

    She’s not good dancer – that’s okay, but she needs a director who can work with that. Her videos all look like big budget versions of high school drama projects and that worked when she was still a teenager. She’s an adult now and she wants an adult audience so FFS start bringing in better directors.

  32. Inas says:

    I think the idea she’s not good at it. she,s imitating other people dance and fails.

  33. Veronica says:

    I got the sense watching it that the bad dancing is intentional for the most part. I’m more surprised at the actual story choice for the video. “Delicate” is actually one of my favorites off the album. That’s not at all what I’d expect from a music video based on it, lol.

  34. Shannon says:

    I’m not the Tay-hater most others here seem to be, but I was totally underwhelmed by this. The song – forgettable. The hair – awful. The video – just weird and dumb, didn’t like it at all. Her dress was cute, and that’s about all I can say that’s good. Fail.

  35. OG Cleo says:

    Well, someone’s recently discovered Kate Bush.

    I actually liked it! I thought it was fun and playful. It’s the only video I’ve remotely enjoyed from “reputation.”

  36. Happy21 says:

    Okay. The video does not match the song. TS is a guilty pleasure of mine through and through since Day 1. Not necessarily HER as a person, but her music.
    That being said, no, she cannot dance. However, I felt that in the video she was trying to be slightly goofy and I like the goofy Taylor. So that is how I will take it. That she wasn’t being super serious while trying (very hard) to dance 🙂

  37. I'm confused says:

    I don’t think her dancing is that bad. It’s actually okay and I kinda like the video

  38. Persistent Cat says:

    Everything just seemed so cheap and like everyone decided to not try. Dancing barefoot in a subway station was bad enough but she crawled onto a subway. Is there a more disgusting surface? And the alley looked like a cheap set. Her jumping up and down in a puddle and doing a spin while barefoot on what I’m supposed to believe is a road was so distracting.

  39. Boodiba says:

    That was a really funny video.

  40. Krissy says:

    That was my first thought!! who keeps telling this poor child she can dance!?!? hahaha! and why is she dancing barefoot outside and in the train station!! ewwwwwwww

  41. No Doubtful says:

    Nice try Taylor, but I don’t feel sorry for you or your “tough” life in the spotlight. The concept of the video didn’t go with the theme of the song or the “edginess” that she has been going for with this album.

  42. DaisyFlower says:

    I think you have to be able to dance decently in the first place to be able to dance badly as a joke. Yeah she’s making fun of herself but it’s just as awkward and stiff as if she were really trying and what’s with the hands in the air part? There’s no underlying grace to make the performance a joke rather than cringe worthy.

    But it is generating conversation. She’s really good at that.

  43. Lilith says:

    😂😂😂 omg! I was cracking up watching her Lurpy White girl dance!! But I mean.. she flails around with certain confidence right…? so there’s that.

  44. Missy says:

    Hey, all you fans of The OA, Taylor discovered the secret 6th movement!

  45. Sara says:

    I am NOT a Taylor Swift fan. I cannot stand how calculating she is or that it’s only “feminism” for her if it affects her but it’s cool for her to take down other women. HOWEVER, I agree that the whole point of the video is that no one can see her so she’s just acting silly and letting go of inhibitions. It’s not supposed to be serious choreography. It goes with the whole “you like me for me” theme that she can act goofy and weird and the person still likes her.

  46. Bishg says:

    Sorry, but I don’t find her or the video funny and self-deprecating. It’s just extremely cringey. She comes off as completely out of place.
    I got a bad case of second-hand embarrassment by watching it.
    She can’t dance, she’s a terrible actress. Why would anyone put up with such a bad representation of themselves? It’s not about having self-irony, because that’s not what I’m seeing here. I see someone trying too hard to build her “reputation” back and making it look like she doesn’t care. You DO care, Taylor. You care way too much for us to buy what you’re selling.
    She should just embrace her real self, or try to change focus, so that people won’t always be reminded of her try-hardness.
    Also, as other people have mentioned, the song and the video are completely disconnected. The concept for the video is unoriginal and lazy. I can’t believe she still chooses that Khan guy to direct her videos.

  47. Kelly says:

    It is a cute video and she isn’t trying to dance well, she is just goofing off and having fun.

  48. Libby says:

    Who else wants to yell at her to stand up straight and fix that posture?

  49. jammypants says:

    This and Katy Perry’s Hey Hey Hey just shows how they’re aging out of their demographic and losing touch. Neither seemed to have grown as artists, which just signals, they better enjoy their last bits of fame before it evaporates and gets swallowed up by other run of the mill, image curated popstars.

  50. It’s SIA, Whitesnake and Poison video had a baby.

  51. raincoaster says:

    It was really, truly, shockingly bad. Has she always sounded like Autotune and Kpop had a baby? If it weren’t for the dress, there’d be no organic, graceful movement at all in that. It was just First Year Theatre Kid Bad.

  52. virginfangirl says:

    If I wanted to watch some bad dancing, I’d go to my local bar.

  53. Anare says:

    Looks like she stole her dance idea from the Kenzo perfume ad. Right down to the green dress.