#illicit affairs

[marcieswift]

Pick one, kick one (folklore's Version)

illicit affairs

exile (feat. Bon Iver)

Remaining time: 8 hours 53 minutes

Round 2, Duel 4 🩶

[taylorswiftmicrofic]

July 15 - dwindling

Inspired by illicit affairs Rules & FAQs

[taylorswiftmicrofic]

July 8 - hood

Inspired by illicit affairs Rules & FAQs

[moonyisnotonfire]

Don't call me "kid"

Don't call me "baby"

Look at this idiotic fool that you made me

You taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else

And you know damn well

For you, I would ruin myself

A million little times

[theinkbleeds]

Taylor Swift, illicit affairs

[leclercsainzz]

i absolutely loved illicit affairs omg 😭😭

ah, thank youuu

[badthingtosayinasong]

21/05/2026: "illicit affairs"

My history with this song:

For some reason I think of this as a "slow burn" because it took me like three days to get into. lmao. In the meantime I've sort of stopped listening to it much for no particularly good reason.

BUT: I have ALWAYS connected this song to "august" so her performing both together on tour truly vindicated me. Also that live version rules.

Thoughts:

"illicit affairs" is a sad guitar piece, lamenting the tragedy of having to completely hide a love affair to the point you erase yourself ("Leave the perfume on the shelf / That you picked out just for him / So you leave no trace behind / Like you don't even exist"). On release, I was really reminded of "classic Taylor" in that the song felt like it could have been on Red.

The use of the second person is highly effective: it creates a sense of universality, matching the title line "And that's the thing about illicit affairs", and also complements the critical self-assessment tucked into the subtext of the song ("Tell yourself you can always stop"; "A drug that only worked / The first few hundred times").

There's an expectation vs. reality motif woven throughout the lyrics: "What started in beautiful rooms / Ends with meetings in parking lots." The contrast to "august" – another song about a secret relationship (possibly built on infidelity) – deepens this. Where "august" romanticizes, "illicit affairs" problematizes: the nostalgia is confined to the very first meeting: "It's born from just one single glance / But it dies, and it dies, and it dies / A million little times." In this sense, "illicit affairs" is about a loss of innocence – it depicts Taylor's disillusionment with the relationship as a whole.

In the truly outstanding bridge, she indicates that this affair has pushed her past a point of no return: "You taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else." Just before, she scorns the you for calling her "kid" and "baby" – "Look at this idiotic messed that you've made me." After having been fooled into this affair, she resents being patronized to: Taylor was forced to grow up and the least you could do is recognize that fact.

And of course the "august" parallels and contrasts are another example of folklore's tendency towards self-adaptation; similar circumstances take on opposite tones simply by shifting the narrator's perspective.

Favourite lyric: "You showed me colours I can't see with anyone else" is just so Taylor, such a simple gutpunch

Favourite melodic line: "And you know damn well / For you I would ruin myself / A million little times" – fantastic coda, but I must say, I like the melody for this bit even more in the live version

Favourite production element: I love the sort of howly, flutelike synths you can hear quite well in the second verse.

[delulu-archives]

"And you know damn well for you, I would ruin myself a million little times"