Okay so I have a lot of Thoughts about the new @taylorswift song but I’ve mostly been wracking my brain trying to figure out why (WHY) she sampled Right Said Fred. Like it’s such an odd and specific choice and I figured that there had to be a reason behind it other than it’s weird enough to catch your attention.
Anyway I think @johngreener and I have figured it out.
First off, I think we all know that this album has a strong connection to Blank Space. I mean it’s being released on the third anniversary of the Blank Space video. The song’s secret message on the 1989 album was “there was a girl known by everyone and no one.” This new album is called Reputation, pretty obviously a piece on the public’s perception of her; with Blank Space, it was a crazy, serial dater and now it’s, well, a snake. A symbol she’s used pretty liberally i promo so far because it’s become so recognizably associated with her. And so we have another confession made by the girl known by everyone and no one.
I think we all know that Blank Space was a satirical piece, which brings me to Right Said Fred. “I’m Too Sexy” is a parody song, written from the perspective of shirtless dudes at the gym.
So if Blank Space is a parody…and I’m Too Sexy is a parody…does that make Look What You Made Me Do…a parody?
I mean that makes sense to me. Like this all feels like the set up of a new character: different sound, different look, the “Death of Taylor Swift” concept. Look What You Made Me Do was the kind of response from Taylor that her critics were expecting: the whole “but I didn’t do it! It’s not my fault! Karma will get you all in the end!” But what I think was unexpected is the villain role she takes on?
People have mostly been taking that as “if you want me to be the bad guy then fine I’ll be the bad guy” which isn’t exactly wrong but when you add the tune of I’m Too Sexy it’s way more silly than threatening and scary which I think is totally the point.
Like the diss track has become such a thing lately? I’m not saying it’s anything new or that Taylor hasn’t done one before but it’s become kind of expected now that artists will address their public beefs with other celebrities in their next album and that the two involved will just like go back and forth until the end of time in a Battle of the Disses? Which in of itself is so ridiculous?
So like Taylor released Bad Blood and then Katy released Swish Swish and it’s all like “how’s Taylor gonna respond to that???” And when the Kimye thing happened everyone was like “what kind of song is Taylor gonna release as a clap back???”
Everyone was expecting her to make her latest contribution to the endless diss cycle so that’s exactly what she did. And by pairing it with I’m Too Sexy it becomes a joke. A joke that’s like “oh noooo you got me soooo bad I can’t take that lying down I had no choice but to say something back now look what you made me do ://///////” and idk I like that so much better than the whole Suicide Squad (2016) Welcome To My Twisted Mind make over y'all think it is.
My point is that we’re taking this all too seriously. So whether you heard the song and thought “wow how typical a Taylor Swift revenge song where she’s playing the victim” or “yes queen Mother of Snakes taking none of your shit” idk I kind of think you’ve both been played?
