Far be it from me to properly critique Taylor Swift’s music videos, but all I can say is that the videos from Reputation have left me largely befuddled. If someone – preferably someone from the Snake Fam – can explain the “Ready For It” video, I would still be eternally grateful. But earlier this month, Tay released the Joseph Kahn-directed video for “Delicate” and some of us are still scratching our heads over it. First of all, the video didn’t seem to have much to do with the song. Second of all, it was widely seen as a rip-off of a Spike Jonze-directed ad for Kenzo. Third of all, Taylor really thinks she can dance, and… um… well, okay.
All in all, I’m not sure the “Delicate” video release went as well as Swift hoped. So what did she decide to do? Release a second music video! Sort of. I mean, this looks like it was shot in my backyard on someone’s old iPhone, but I actually enjoy that kind of aesthetic. The video is being streamed exclusively on Spotify, and here are the teasers:
Vertical video for #Delicate out now. Only on @Spotify ✨ https://t.co/ZHvrH7k1PN pic.twitter.com/nhcfIv97gR
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) March 30, 2018
.@taylorswift13’s new video for #Delicate is out now only on Spotify 🙌 Watch it now on This Is: Taylor Swift Playlist https://t.co/Lam89692xh pic.twitter.com/uVCiNx7wfg
— Spotify (@Spotify) March 30, 2018
I’m sure this will get taken down from Twitter, but someone in the Snake Fam put the whole video side-by-side with the OG Delicate video:
Taylor Swift | Delicate 2.0 & Original Music Video Side by Side. Very thankful that my favorite song from the album has two completely different videos. Love them both! #TaylorSwiftDelicate #DelicateOnSpotify pic.twitter.com/vqpshctvcF
— ZAIN (@IAmZSwizzle) March 30, 2018
Delicate 2.0 was shot in one take and at first I thought Taylor was like “oh they don’t like my dancing, I’m just gonna take my iPhone out to the backyard and shoot a video all by myself, selfie style.” But you can see her hands at various points, so someone else is shooting it, or maybe there’s some kind of selfie stick attached to her waist? My money is on Olivia Benson the Cat directing this.
YOU CAN WATCH DELICATE HERE!!! https://t.co/GeXLeMpZ5H
— TSwift Malaysia (@tswiftMY) March 30, 2018
Photos courtesy of Taylor Swift, Getty.
Since I can’t bring myself to watch it-did she just try and Timberlake her look by getting woodsy and wearing something sheepskin?
I think so…
And yes selfie waist stick?
I like both vids.
Whatever it is, I am pretty sure it’s better than the previous one.
I have watched it (the first video) and if she wanted to look goofy she should have taken a lot of lesson from Christopher Walken.
did she have a cold filming the second video or why was her mouth open the whole time O_o
So awkward.
Awkward and corny, that’s all she is to me. Mostly corny. The kind of corny where being awkward is cool. 🌽
My first thought was “how very Kanye of her”. It made me LOL. He did the same video for his song about his mom/North…”Only One”? Like even the coats are similar.
Selena Gómez and others have done the same, it’s not only a Kanye thing to be fair
So did Alessia Cara.
Omg you’re right… I love that! Total Kanye move.
Her hair looks good, I’m surprised!
She’s been a celebrity for like 10 years, yet she is still just so incredibly awkward in front of a camera. It’s crazy.
I find her head movement so odd. She raises her neck and then moves her head to the sides. Is it supposed to mean she is interacting with the person shooting it?
This had to be done after all the backlash she received for the first video. When even your music video director – who is known for stealing ideas left and right – won’t defend it, you’re eff’d. Remember how he went out guns blazing after people critiqued Look what you made me do and even said Beyoncé had copied Taylor (heh!). Why the silence now? Guilty! And he just left Tay to fend for herself.
But just why is LWYMMD so heavily criticized? Can someone please explain.
Aside from not liking the song very much, I thought the video was epic in every sense of the word. Seriously, every freeze-frame of the video had so many things worth discussing and analysed.
Ugh! There are probably a million “think pieces” on the LWYMMD video, but one of the things that triggered the director (who is a vile person, if I ever I saw one) was that people accused her of copying the aesthetic of Beyoncé’s Formation performance during the scene where Tay is “dancing” dressed in black. He then said Beyoncé had copied Tay’s Bad Blood and that’s when I checked out, cos I’m not 12.
On a personal level, I think LWYMMD is sh*t in shiny wrapping. It’s so petty and basic and contrived; which is how I would describe Tay and her director. The lyrics themselves are on a juvenile level, so the video would reflect that, of course. It’s like Avatar, a shitty remake of another story obscured by “pretty” CGI.
I have zero respect for Tay (if it wasn’t obvious), but I think she needs to get a new director for her next video.
Because that’s all it is, a pile of references slapped together.
A smart, well done video references things while telling a stand-alone story.
This is tied with Don’t Blame Me for my favorite song off the album (then Dress, then TIWWCHNT), but the videos are just…weird.
I actually like this song. .This song should have have been the first song released from the album instead of that childish burn book-esq song.
I agree! I think her voice is better suited for this kind of song too, not rapping or trying to sing songs that require more toughness from her voice. This is sweet and she sounds good on it.
I think I don’t like the new video. And I’m a fan. Wait, am I a fan? I don’t like her maturity but I like most of her songs and videos.
I really like this song but neither video is how I pictured. I’m disappointed.
The video does not match the song AT ALL. It’s completely cognitively dissonant. I’m seriously baffled at what they were thinking with the planning that went into it.
There was a Spotify glitch so the video was put up an hour later. Fans were freaking out, which made the video seem so much more of a letdown. The concept could have been nice: a back-to-basics dose of literal fresh air. But it was so dull? Her hand-and-head choreography was more awkward than the dancing in the original video IMO. And when she dramatically touched the necklace with J’s initial I full-body cringed.
On the plus side trying to find her vid made me watch the Weeknd’s new one, which was awesome. Sasha Lane is amazing in it, as always.
Didn’t watch it but only read the song title, then felt the need to listen again to the Des’ree -Terence Trent d’Arby duet. The only ‘Delicate ‘ song for me.
So thanks at least for this.
Terence Trent D’Arby is back!?! Now I have Wishing Well in my head.
Sadly not. The song I mentioned was released 25 years ago.
Her original video for this was lovely. This is totally unnecessary. I’m surprised she didn’t have Apple sponsor this instead. Shot on an iPhone, lol.
It’s probably some sort of deal Taylor worked out with Spotify. She gives them exclusive content and in exchange they feature her songs on a few of their most popular playlists. Streaming is now a huge part of what moves a song up the charts so she needs them in her corner. Having two different videos also means more plays for the song on its own, which also improves its ranking on the charts. Win-win.
Well, that got boring fast.
How many times will Fatboy Slim will be plagiarized???? :-\
https://youtu.be/wCDIYvFmgW8
I love the song “Delicate” but the videos are boring.
Soooo…she used a go-pro attachment or something? Shoulda just stuck with the first video. She’s trying real hard to make this song catch on, but it’s not a great single. Getaway Car is the best song on the album and would make the most interesting video. Dunno why she keeps putting out the duds instead.
Kaylor alert: There are references to Karlie Kloss in this video. Taylor is wearing a jacket that looks exactly like the jacket Karlie wore on their big sur road trip. She is also wearing that special made 2014 Victoria’s Secret ring that only the Angels get. She also wore that in promos for the album. Oh and the rainbow nail polish again, I mean, rainbows everywhere this album cycle.
Also,Karlie posted on twitter a photo of her holding flowers the exact minute the video was supposed to appear (but didn’t given Spotify’s spottiness). It’s a pattern — every time Taylor Swift has something big about to drop, Karlie posts something the exact same time or sometimes 13 minutes beforehand (TS superstitious about the number 13).
As for RFI video, the song and the video are all about bearding and glass closeting. When she sings the versus as the robot /PR/Taylor those verses are all about bearding and the chorus is about Karlie or a secret love. The non-PR Taylor (aka the “real” Taylor) is in the glass box (glass closet). She tries to come out by various means but only can do it by using her voice (first by singing “jailor” to PR Taylor, the only word she sings the whole time, and then next by doing a harmonizing high note thing, that shatters the glass and sets her free, destroying the fake PR Taylor, which I think she is going to do for real at the end of the tour).
I mean, yes! None of the videos or choices related to this album lake sense UNTIL you look at it through the “Kaylor” lens and thorn it’s like holy crap, can’t unsee it.
I’m not really a fan of this song, but the second video is definitely better than the first; the only thing I liked about the first was he dress lol. Otherwise, it just seemed silly and not in a good way. The ‘Ready for It’ video also annoyed and confused me – I didn’t get the reference, because I’m not into anime. But I thought it was dumb regardless; I’d really thought it was going to have more of a sports angle. I liked LWYMMD and End Game was the best imo. I thought it was honestly really cute and fun, reminded me of my younger years, just having fun. I haven’t been to a NYE party in quite a while, but it used to be a big tradition for my friends and I.
That makes it two dull videos that should have never been made. Keep going, Taylor, you’re on a winning streak, fer suuuure.
Something nice: I think she looks very pretty in this new video. Hair looks nice, make up looks very pretty.