Behind the Wall: Taylor Swift's Identity in Song

[ilookbehindthewall]

Taylor Swift's new album is about herself

I only hear, "It's about Matty!" "It's about Travis" "She sings about Joe!" No, no... I think she's singing mostly about herself. Who says "he" directly refers to a lover?

I'm pretty sure many songs are about her internal and public identity. I believe none of us can imagine what life must be like as Taylor Swift. The most successful singer currently with probably the largest fan community. She's probably often told she has to pretend.

"They said, 'Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it' and I did" (Song: I Can Do It With a Broken Heart)

I think Taylor's true self has something to hide... something most people won't understand/accept.

Why do I think it's about Taylor herself? There are many clues in her lyrics that I'll list shortly. But first, let me show you something else.

Taylor Swift wrote the following on Tumblr: "When I was writing the Fortnight music video, I wanted to show you the worlds I saw in my head that served as the backdrop for making this music. Pretty much everything in it is a metaphor or a reference to one corner of the album or another. For me, this video turned out to be the perfect visual representation of this record and the stories I tell in it."

So, the Fortnight video reflects the stories she tells in TTPD. So, let's take a very close look at the music video 👀

Right at the beginning, you can see Taylor taking a Forget Him pill. The number on the bottle starts on her birthday (December 13, 1989) and ends on the release date of her new album (April 19, 2024). How can people still think it's about specific lovers? She literally tells us it's not about a man here. Did she know Joe/Matty/Travis since birth? No, I don't think so. I think it's about her forgetting "him," her true self.

Because she's Taylor Swift, she has to be perfect as everyone wants her to be without flaws, right?

April 19, 2024, represents the date the album comes out, as she's now telling us the complete story about "him." About her inner true self, because she's not taking the pill anymore. Her last sentence from the whole album in The Manuscript is "But the story isn’t mine anymore."

In fortnight, she sings about how she and he were together for 14 days. So, for 14 days, she was herself, her true self. However, something happened as it's not the case anymore.

In "Down Bad," it becomes even clearer. "For a moment I knew cosmic love. Now I'm down bad crying at the gym"

She briefly found herself but is back to square one, wearing a mask. Another line would be a hint that she's singing about herself.

"They'll say I'm nuts if I talk about the existence of you"

Why would people think she's crazy if she talks about the existence of a lover?

"I loved your hostile takeovers"

That's very literal. She loves it when she's her true self and shows that to the public.

"I'll build you a fort on some planet. Where they can all understand it"

I think Taylor's true self has something to hide... something most people won't understand/accept.

"This cage was once just fine. Am I allowed to cry?I dream of cracking locks. Throwing my life to the wolves. Or the ocean rocks. Crashing into him tonight" (Song: Guilty as Sin?)

She's trapped in a cage; she wants to break free and show her true self to everyone. But showing her true self would have consequences. She describes it very well here. Her true self has something to hide that apparently many people don't acknowledge?

"What if I roll the stone away? They're gonna crucify me anyway. What if the way you hold me. Is actually what's holy?If long-suffering propriety. Is what they want from me. They don't know how you've haunted me. So stunningly.I choose you and me... Religiously"

She hints at religion in several songs.It could be that her true self has something to hide in a religious context.

There are more clues that could be interpreted this way.But I believe that would exceed the scope.

Thanks for reading :)

~Hanna

[ilookbehindthewall]

Taylor Swift's 'Fortnight' and the Quest for Authentic Self-Determination and Identity

As someone analyzing Taylor Swift's new album, I want to emphasize that this analysis is not about the men in her life. For me, Taylor Swift isn't a "man eater," as some label her, but rather a person with feelings, problems, and her own identity. Taylor is creative with her lyrics; who says "he/him" has to directly refer to a lover?

I'm just a regular German girl who faces similar issues herself and can identify with them through her music. I don't want to claim that everything I analyze was her intention; I just want to share my feelings.

I also think that some things can be understood as queer. As I said, I identify a lot with the song myself. So these are my personal impressions. I'm not directly claiming that Taylor Swift is queer. It's more about the content here. Because their inner self is often symbolized as male, one might think that the public Taylor represents the unouted personality, while the male figure symbolizes the outed one.

Like each of us, she goes through a process of self-discovery and self-acceptance. In "Fortnight," she seems to struggle with accepting herself and showing her true self. I won't dissect every single sentence, as that would take too long. Instead, I'll focus on the lines that are most meaningful for my interpretation.

"I was supposed to be sent away but they forgot to come and get me"

This suggests that Taylor tried to break away from her public image or others' expectations and instead become her true self, but ultimately, this process was interrupted or incomplete. The phrase "but they forgot to come and get me" may imply that although she had intended to distance herself from her public image or redefine herself, there was no supportive framework to help her successfully complete this process.

"I was a functioning alcoholic till nobody noticed my new aesthetic."

The term "functioning alcoholic" usually refers to someone who consumes alcohol but still fulfills their daily obligations or keeps their life together. In this context, it might mean that Taylor tried to hide or compensate for her inner struggles by consuming alcohol. The mention of her "new aesthetic" could indicate that she also tried to change her outward appearance or behavior, possibly aiming to create a new image of herself or distance herself from her former self. The word "till" in this line might suggest that she stopped being a "functioning alcoholic" once nobody noticed her change or once nobody perceived her as such.

"And for a fortnight there, we were forever"

This suggests that for a brief but intense period, Taylor Swift fully identified with or was aware of her inner self, giving her a sense of eternity or timelessness. It could symbolize a phase of self-awareness or self-acceptance.

"Run into you sometimes, ask about the weather"

These lines might indicate that after this phase of self-awareness or revelation, Taylor Swift sometimes comes into contact with this inner self or becomes aware of it, but she tries to treat it lightly or superficially by talking about everyday things instead of delving deeper. It could suggest that even in moments when they feel intense and happy, the conversation remains superficial, or that they have difficulty addressing deeper issues. This could be part of their dynamic or relationship dynamic, where they struggle to fully open up or understand each other, even in moments of closeness or connection. Likely because she has never really dealt with her inner self.

"Now you're in my backyard, turned into good neighbors Your wife waters flowers, I wanna kill her"

Now she talks about it being over with the fortnight. The "now" stands for the present, the here and now. Here, the mention of the backyard and the neighbors could metaphorically represent the immediate proximity of the inner self in the back of the head.

The mention of the wife and the desire to kill her could symbolize the frustration or conflict that Taylor feels when trying to adapt to a conventional or heteronormative environment while still confronting her inner conflicts and identity issues.

"All my mornings are Mondays stuck in an endless February"

These lines could suggest that Taylor Swift feels trapped in an endless phase of discomfort or stagnation stemming from past experiences or identity conflicts. The metaphor of "mornings that are like Mondays" could imply that she faces each day with a feeling of emptiness or frustration, similar to the feeling of being on a Monday morning, where the week lies ahead and everything feels cumbersome and tiresome.

"Took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary"

Here, Taylor Swift could describe how she tried to break free from these past experiences or identity conflicts by using some kind of "miracle drug" to move on or progress. The metaphor of the "move-on drug" could suggest an attempt to leave the past behind and move forward, but the mention that the effects were only temporary suggests that she still struggles with the effects of these experiences and that these coping methods are not sustainable.

"And I love you, it's ruining my life / I love you, it's ruining my life / I touched you for only a fortnight / I touched you, but I touched you"

These lines could reflect the ambivalence of Taylor's feelings and the complexity of her relationship with her inner masculine self. The repetition of "I love you, it's ruining my life" suggests a deep emotional bond but also pain and conflict. The brief touch for a "fortnight" could symbolize that this bond was temporary but still had a strong impact on her.

"Thought of callin' ya, but you won't pick up / 'Nother fortnight lost in America / Move to Florida, buy the car you want / But it won't start up 'til you touch, touch, touch me"

Here, Taylor might describe her attempts to break free from past experiences or identity conflicts, but she still feels influenced or trapped by them. In this line, Florida could have a metaphorical meaning, representing a place where Taylor Swift can find or accept herself, especially in terms of her true identity. The purchase of the desired car could symbolize her efforts to allow her inner self to take control of her life to live her true identity without being restricted by societal expectations.

The line "But it won't start up 'til you touch, touch, touch me" could suggest that Taylor's true journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance can only begin when she touches or accepts herself. This could mean that she first needs to learn to accept herself before she can live her true identity.

In the music video of the song, we see Taylor taking a pill called "forget him" at the beginning, which she has been taking since her birthday. This is indicated by the date on the pill packaging. In my opinion, this is the biggest hint that the song is not about a lover but about herself.

I love music and it is art. And art has many sides and everyone interprets it differently

~ Hanna