#reputation analysis

[whatiwillsay]

submission:

Reputation is about more than one relationship; a thesis by anon

Hello! I am that anon who thinks Rep is about more than one relationship and this is a hill I am very much willing to die on. I believe there are (at least) two relationship stories told in detail on this album.

One is the relationship between two very famous women (*cough*Kaylor*cough), who are struggling to make it work because of the public pressures. The other is between Taylor and someone who is out of the public eye, or at least someone she is able to keep the relationship completely private. I’m not going to speculate on whether that’s Lily or Joe (lol so full disclosure I don’t think it’s Joe but someone else might) or maybe someone else we don’t know much about. All I know is that there is more than one relationship being discussed. Let’s dive into this analysis, shall we?

The first explicit mention of the public relationship - let’s actually just refer to it as Kaylor from here on out - is on End Game.

Big reputation, big reputation Ooh, you and me, we got big reputations Ah, and you heard about me Ooh, I got some big enemies (yeah) Big reputation, big reputation Ooh, you and me would be a big conversation Ah, and I heard about you (yeah) Ooh, you like the bad ones, too

Tay’s lover on here is someone with a big reputation, and being with the person would be a big conversation. Endless Kaylor analyses have discussed this as ‘proof’ that it’s not about Joe. Which, yes, obviously. But equally obviously, any woman in a relationship with Tay would be a big conversation so once we exclude Joe as a possibility, as we rightfully should, we wind up with plenty of other options.

Later in the song we do hear more explicit Karlie lines like “it’s like your body is gold”. We all suspect Karlie is gold (I tend to agree), so let’s call it a Kaylor anthem. Cool. Then, what can we learn about their relationship from this song?

I don’t wanna touch you, I don’t wanna be Just another ex that you don’t wanna see I don’t wanna miss you (I don’t wanna miss you) Like the other girls do I don’t wanna hurt you, I just wanna be Drinking on a beach with you all over me I know what they all say (I know what they all say) But I ain’t tryna play I wanna be your end game (End game) I wanna be your first string (First string) I wanna be your A-Team (A-Team) I wanna be your end game, end game

The lyrics explicitly suggest Tay’s begging the lover to make it work. It’s “I wanna be” not “I am”. She’s craving affirmation, she’s wanting to be chosen; we can pick that up from the repetitive nature of the song. First string, A-team, end game… She just wants for her to be the one. Some might say that would be fun. She’d love for them to wind up together - but there is no clear sign in the lyrics that it’s an actual possibility. It’s what she wants. She’s trying to convince her lover that she is committed, but they never resolve that commitment in the song. It’s never fully requited. No matter how many times she offers what she ‘wants’, there is no response.

Later, she sings:

I hit you like bang We tried to forget it, but we just couldn’t And I bury hatchets, but I keep maps of where I put ‘em Reputation precedes me, they told you I’m crazy I swear I don’t love the drama, it loves me And I can’t let you go, your hand prints on my soul It’s like your eyes are liquor, it’s like your body is gold You’ve been calling my bluff on all my usual tricks So here’s the truth from my red lips I wanna be your end game (End game) I wanna be your first string (Me and you) I wanna be your A-Team (Be your A-Team now) I wanna be your end game, end game I wanna be your end game (oh, I do) I wanna be your first string (first string) I wanna be your A-Team (A-Team) I wanna be your end game, end game

I’ve referenced part of this above, because it’s where the Kaylor-ness of it all gets more explicit (drinking/liquor/intoxication, gold, handprints/footprints). But again, this isn’t a happy ‘in love’ song. It’s Taylor actively trying to convince Karlie that her feelings are real. “Here’s the truth” she says - that doesn’t sound romantic, it sounds like they’re fighting and wanting to make things work but it’s all proving to be incredibly challenging.

When we add Taylor’s tone of voice in - and the almost forlorn “I wanna be your end game” at the start - my reading makes a lot of sense. It’s definitely a Kaylor song; Kaylor songs are always steeped in anxiety.

Our next clear Kaylor song is ‘Don’t Blame Me’ which (importantly) Taylor didn’t write, but which clearly picks up on themes she finds relatable. Apparently it’s similar to Hozier’s Take Me To Church (I don’t know much about Hozier, but from a quick glance at those lyrics that’s not a wildly happy song either).

Something happened for the first time In the darkest little paradise. Shaking, pacing, I just need you. For you, I would cross the line, I would waste my time, I would lose my mind. They say, “She’s gone too far this time.” Don’t blame me. Love made me crazy. If it doesn’t, you ain’t doing it right. Lord, save me. My drug is my baby I’ll be using for the rest of my life.

We’re going back to that same theme from End Game - Tay is begging her lover to make it work. “For you” she says, “I” would do just about anything. Cross the line, waste time (a biggie when you’re Taylor fucking Swift), even lose her mind. Love has made her crazy, unstable - it’s almost a play on the satire of Blank Space. True love seems to have actually made her into that mad woman she laughed at on the previous album. She’s shaking and pacing, craving the physical release of her drug of choice. (The shaking and pacing in a darkened room comes up later on the album again, by the way - it’s clear that Tay is super into Karlie and I do get it, she’s so gorgeous it’s nuts).

Then comes this gayness:

My name is whatever you decide, And I’m just gonna call you mine.

I’m gonna pause here because these call me by your name vibes are just. So. Damn. Gay. But that’s neither here nor there. Tay continues:

I’m insane, but I’m your baby (your baby). Echoes (echoes) of your name inside my mind. Halo, hiding my obsession. I once was poison ivy, but now I’m your daisy. And, baby, for you, I would fall from grace Just to touch your face. If you walk away, I’d beg you on my knees to stay.

Again, we’re picking up those same recurrent themes: she’s asking her to stay, she is willing to risk it all for love. The daisy is a Kaylor inside joke, we all know about Big Sur, so I’m not going to dwell on that.

The name thing is more interesting, as is the ‘halo, hiding my obsession’. To me, both gesture towards the public nature of the relationship that first started in End Game and picks up steam in later songs. “My name is whatever you decide” she says, but the other woman’s name keeps echoing in her mind, possibly because of her lover’s big reputation? I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s fascinating. I think Tay’s got a thing about names - lol Betty and James but also later in this album; bear with me - so I think this whole name bit is of interest. I think Tay likes the idea of the symbolism of names and the concept often comes up in her lyrics…

Then we get the line which suggests one or both of them have a (public) halo, that they use to hide the desperate love Tay feels for her lover. To be honest, that screams glass closeting phase to me. We go straight from ‘hiding my obsession’ to the daisy references. “Glass closeting with me is fun!” cries Tay, “Please stay with me, please please please.”

But once again, there’s no answer.

And then we switch gears and go into Delicate. What we’ve established in the two songs above is Tay is very invested and wants to make it work, and that she’s dealing with someone who is also famous, and that there are complications. One of those complications is that she’s insecure in the relationship.

Delicate opens with:

This ain’t for the best My reputation’s never been worse, so You must like me for me…

It sets a different tone and attitude to the last two songs. For the first time, we’re hearing an analysis of her lover’s feelings. She’s not begging, she’s not urging. She’s shocked that this person wants her for her. The big reputations and the shaking, quaking and pining are suddenly gone.

We can’t make Any promises now, can we, babe? But you can make me a drink…

Here the lover is more involved than she was previously. Taylor has gone from asking for something to saying that this is what’s happening. This is chilled, low key. This isn’t an obsession. This isn’t her ‘hitting like bang’. It’s two people starting something very… delicate. It’s not love at first sight, it’s an exploration of possibilities. They’re going to a dive bar, they’re hanging out. It’s calm and peaceful. Her anxiety here is a gentle, delicate, romantic one. It’s not dramatic like on the Kaylor songs.

Come here, you can meet me in the back Dark jeans and your Nikes, look at you

The theme of secrecy comes in strong on the lines above. They’re hiding, and they’re private. This is not “I would fall from grace just to touch your face” - the stakes are markedly lower. It’s the start of something new, something beautiful. She’s starting over again. And she’s doing so with someone who is willing to hide with her.

This is in sharp contrast to our Kaylor anthems, as we’ve already seen above. Ready for another Kaylor song? So It Goes (again, not by Tay but thematically linked) is peak Kaylor.

See you in the dark All eyes on you, my magician All eyes on us You make everyone disappear, and Cut me into pieces Gold cage, hostage to my feelings Back against the wall Trippin’, trip, trippin’ when you’re gone

Okay, here we have a gold cage imprisoning Tay and a ‘lightning strikes every time she moves’ woman stealing the attention of everyone who sees her. She’s got Tay backed up with nowhere to go and tripping when she’s gone. That’s the same insecurity from before.

'Cause we break down a little But when you get me alone, it’s so simple

She’s explicitly acknowledging their problems, but the problems fall away when they’re in bed or having a romantic interaction.

'Cause baby, I know what you know We can feel it… And all the pieces fall Right into place Getting caught up in a moment Lipstick on your face So it goes… I’m yours to keep And I’m yours to lose You know I’m not a bad girl, but I Do bad things with you So it goes…

The above doesn’t need much additional analysis, there are Kaylors who’ve done it and I recommend going to read those (or just looking up times Tay ended up with smudged lippy around Karlie).

Here’s the really relevant bit:

Met you in a bar All eyes on me, your illusionist All eyes on us I make all your grey days clear and Wear you like a necklace I’m so chill, but you make me jealous But I got your heart Skippin’, skip, skippin’ when I’m gone

Does that sound the same as the ‘dive bar on the East Side where you at?’ Because to me, while describing similar situations - dates in bars - they are explicitly different in mood, tone and atmosphere. In Delicate, Tay and her lover were hiding out in the back, having a heart to heart. Here, the bar has ‘all eyes’ on them. Kaylor both have big reputations and Karlie makes Tay anxious and jealous. She’s not ever sure where she stands with her. The best she can come up with (and you must listen for the high-pitched, uncertain tone with which this line is sung) is that Karlie’s heart skips when Tay’s gone. That’s hardly explicit confirmation of deep, requited feelings.

You did a number on me But, honestly, baby, who’s counting? I did a number on you But, honestly, baby, who’s counting? You did a number on me But, honestly, baby, who’s counting? Who’s counting? 1, 2, 3

This once again acknowledges the difficulties in the relationship. It is not ‘Delicate’. It is not always happy. It’s a proper fucking mess.

Cool now let’s take a look at another Kaylor anthem:

I, I loved you in secret First sight, yeah, we love without reason

I hear the naysayers point to the ‘in secret’ as paralleling Delicate (which so far has been the only one that’s not about Karlie). The thing, though, is that this is about love at first sight/physical attraction/lust - not about the meaningful emotional connection we glimpsed in Delicate. Delicate is explicitly not about love ar first sight or love without reason. It’s about embarking on something new and beautiful but having trepidation along the way. It’s about careful connection.

My, my love had been frozen Deep blue, but you painted me golden

I’m including this as further evidence this is about Kaylor. As I said Karlie = gold. We’ve heard this image in every Kaylor song. You know what didn’t feature in Delicate? Gold. Spoiler: it won’t feature in CIWYW and KOMH either.

I could’ve spent forever with your hands in my pockets Picture of your face in an invisible locket You said there was nothing in the world that could stop it I had a bad feeling And darling, you had turned my bed into a sacred oasis People started talking, putting us through our paces I knew there was no one in the world who could take it I had a bad feeling

In this verse we have people talking and noticing this couple. She’s describing a well-known, public relationship. It isn’t a secret, not really, despite the actual love being kept somewhat secret. Their locket may be invisible but despite that, this relationship is something well known. Furthermore, we already know she has had a bad feeling. That’s kind of the premise of many of her other Karlie anthems - she’s begging Karlie to stay and trying to convince her that they have something real and serious. She is constantly trying to convince Karlie of the seriousness of her feelings. And, well, the song ends with her saying she’d like to dance with Karlie again but there’s no real way forward, seeing as their hands are tied. The whole thing is quite sad.

Let’s look at the other very very Kaylor song (like there’s literally no other way to read it):

Our secret moments In a crowded room They got no idea About me and you There is an indentation In the shape of you Made your mark on me A golden tattoo All of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation My hands are shaking from holding back from you (ah, ah, ah) All of this silence and patience, pining and desperately waiting My hands are shaking from all this (ha, ha, ha, ha)

We have the familiar desperation, the shaking, the gold, and the secret moments in plain view. And again, they’re both very famous:

Everyone thinks that they know us But they know nothing about All of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation

We also get this bit:

Say my name and everything just stops I don’t want you like a best friend

There’s the name thing again and after that the gayest, most glass closety line I’ve ever witnessed. “I don’t want you like a best friend”, she says. I want your body. I want your love. I want us. I want this relationship to be real.

You know what that clarification is in sharp contrast to:

(Call it what you want, call it what you want, call it) So call it what you want, yeah Call it what you want to

Tay didn’t want to call it what you want with Karlie. She wanted to call it end game, first string, A team. She didn’t want to be friends. People talking about them caused her anxiety and lead to the breakup described in DWOHT. CIWYW has that renewed joyful tone that she had in Delicate. It’s hopeful and optimistic. It’s all about about connection and meaningful interactions:

I want to wear his initial on a chain round my neck Chain round my neck Not because he owns me But 'cause he really knows me

This is not an invisible locket, this is not about sex and getting clothes off in bathtubs, this is about a really deep emotional connection which we first heard on Delicate. Notably, it’s the third time she speaks of necklaces on the album, but it’s the first that it’s not sexual. It’s also - importantly - not invisible. It’s not comparing the lover to a necklace (like before, which makes it a physical connection) or saying their relationship can be entirely symbolized by one. She’s saying she’d actually love to actually have tangible physical proof of the relationship. She wouldn’t have said that about Karlie because she wasn’t expressly convinced the feelings were fully mutual. Also, this song is missing that desperate pining and longing that she experiences for Karlie in the Kaylor songs.

I know people hear “Karlie” instead of “Call It” but honestly it makes more sense as one of the non-Kaylor songs. I think maybe the rhyme is her trolling Karlie - call it what you want, which is certainly not what she had with Karlie. This would also kind of explain the laugh in Miss Americana. If someone sang me a song about how things are good between us, and added in a dig at her ex, I’d laugh too. And let’s be honest discussing exes - especially exes in the same social circle (Tay, Lily and Karlie) - is peak lesbian culture.

One more thing:

Cause… My baby’s fit like a daydream Walking with his head down I’m the one he’s walking to

Karlie has never had her head down. She is super active on socials, as a model, and as a philanthropist. Karlie has never been quietly walking “to” Tay. She’s been stunting and traveling and being extraordinarily visible. And all the Kaylor songs deal with that very public nature - with rumors and discussions and everyone’s eyes being on Karlie and the anxiety that causes Tay. I know some Kaylors think they just went underground after being caught making out but that’s just not what’s being described in CIWYW. It’s a different person.

My baby’s fly like a jet stream High above the whole scene Loves me like I’m brand new So call it what you want, yeah

She’s explicitly saying her baby doesn’t form part of “the scene” but rather floats above it. How does that fit Karlie going on vacation with Scooter? Or anything about Karlie, actually? This is obviously about someone very private or not particularly famous. Or both.

Bonus lyric from a non love song that points to an actively private relationship is “and here’s to my baby, he ain’t reading what they call me lately” - why would Karlie not read stuff? She is calling the paps on herself and Josh regularly but she’s not following Tay’s PR game? Make it make sense?

Anyhow back to CIWYW. In that song, her baby loves her - a source of anxiety that never gets stated explicitly resolved in the Kaylor songs. Those songs have her begging for love, not stating it’s existence matter of factly. The difference is palpable.

And I know I make the same mistakes every time Bridges burn, I never learn At least I did one thing right I did one thing right I’m laughing with my lover Making forts under covers Trust him like a brother Yeah, you know I did one thing right

I’m including this because of the chilled out atmosphere, the “brother” simile (which to me is kind of the opposite of “not wanting you like a best friend”) and the insistence that this is “right” which is absent in the Kaylor songs.

KOMH keeps with that same quiet, calm, positive energy.

I’m perfectly fine, I live on my own I made up my mind, I’m better off being alone We met a few weeks ago Now you try on calling me, baby, like trying on clothes Salute to me I’m your American Queen And you move to me like I’m a Motown beat And we rule the kingdom inside my room 'Cause all the boys and their expensive cars With their Range Rovers and their Jaguars Never took me quite where you do

“Try on calling me” like “trying on clothes” is that same idea from Delicate. Things are early, and uncertain. They’re exploring this and seeing where it goes.

This is not a public relationship, it’s entirely “inside her room”. And it doesn’t feature expensive cars and the visibility her - or Karlie’s - stunts had. (Kinda interesting that she drove Lily in the Toyota, don’t you think? And also drives her/someone in Miss Americana?)

This relationship is super secret:

Late in the night, the city’s asleep Your love is a secret I’m hoping, dreaming, dying to keep Change my priorities The taste of your lips is my idea of luxury

But what’s secret? Not Tay’s love of this person like before. “Your love” is the secret. As I’ve pointed out that affirmation of requitedness never happens in the Kaylor anthems and hiding out in the dark. Additionally “idea of luxury” is very different to her drug imagery from the Kaylor songs, by the way. This is not addictive, this is just nice.

And all at once, you are the one I have been waiting for King of my heart, body and soul, ooh whoa And all at once, you are all I want, I’ll never let you go

I believe the “all at once” contrasts the love/lust at first sight feelings she expressed for Karlie. This didn’t “hit her like bang” - it surprised her after a few weeks. And it’s not just a physical connection. This person rules her heart, body and soul.

And what do they do together? Well it’s less ripping off clothes and more chilled hangouts with someone who makes her happy:

Is this the end of all the endings? My broken bones are mending With all these nights we’re spending Up on the roof with a school girl crush Drinking beer out of plastic cups Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff Baby, all at once, this is enough

This is very cute. It’s very much lacking anxiety. She’s happy with her new person; it is finally “enough”. That’s not true for her relationship with Karlie. “School girl crush” is a very cutesy image - and is in stark contrast to the craving, shaking, pining, and bedpost carving that came with “not wanting you like a best friend”. Notice how the second relationship uses constant friendship/platonic imagery and how that type of imagery is not expressly disavowed in the Kaylor songs.

I also think it’s worth contrasting the “beer out of plastic cups” on the roof with “I’m spilling wine in the bathtub” and “eyes like liquor”. All three references are about drinking - but only one is peppy, cute and upbeat and the others are full of lustful desperation.

Now the other possible reading - implicitly favored by the Kaylor community - is that KOMH, CIWYW, and Delicate are set at a different point in the relationship to the sex songs. Unfortunately that doesn’t really hold water because, as I’ve pointed out, the origin story described is different. Kaylor “hit like bang” and fell in love at first sight. The other relationship started out slow and cautious, but quickly settled into something quietly special. These other songs are about a connection that’s chilled out and very emotional and cerebral. The Kaylor songs are about how much she wants to sex up Karlie and leave scratches down her back (which, I mean, fair). The other songs are about tentative emotions and cutesy intersections.

Also KOMH, CIWYW and Delicate are the three songs that feature British/foreign imagery. (This is why I think they’re about Lily or maaaaaybe Joe but again I doubt that and the scene in MA where a woman laughs during CIWYW contradicts it and I also have further lyrical evidence it’s not him which I’ll address below). In KOMH she says “you fancy me” and describes herself as “an American queen”, in CIWYW her baby’s “fit like a daydream” and in Delicate she asks about the “girls back home”. Also East side and West side in Delicate make more sense as being about London. Dive bars in the East End are a vibe. But that’s neither here nor there.

Why is this analysis important? To me it shows that contrary to the rosy Kaylor depictions, the Kaylor lyrics consistently show they always had massive issues (not dissimilar to her issues with Di actually).

Very quickly on why Joe’s not the muse: he’s referenced in Dress in a verse makes no sense lyrically or musically or thematically in the song and I think is only there to make it slightly less gay because otherwise the song is making Kaylor Facebook official. But the “wake up by your side” doesn’t fit in with the pining and anticipation and drunken bath time fun. It’s just thrown in there as deflection. It doesn’t actually fit the other relationship on the album - it’s very romantic but “my one and only, my lifeline” is not the cutesy tone of the other songs. This verse is just made up and slapped in to feed the hets. The musical accompaniment is so markedly different that it is clear it literally doesn’t belong in the song. The other song that makes reference to him, I believe, is “Ready for it”. I think “I keep him forever, like a vendetta” is very much about her plans for him. But it’s a very different thought to “is this the end of all the endings?” because that’s a far less certain emotion. She’s only 100% sure about Joe because it’s… not real.

And final note: Getaway Car is obviously a satirical piece about Hiddlestunt obviously. And I think New Year’s Day is a general love song about the type of relationship she wants, similar to some of her early songs, not about Karlie or Di or Lily/whoever else. It’s missing any of the imagery associated with either relationship except “don’t ever become a stranger” but it might be written from diary entries (which she has shown us she does). Final final note: I don’t know for sure who Gorgeous is about. It could just be a song about hot girls more generally.

If anyone is interested in further thoughts, I’m happy to do this for Lover and folklore too. I think we need to challenge the myth of Kaylor being perfect. And I think we should listen closely and let the lyrics speak for themselves.

*********************************************

thanks for taking the time to write all this up! let’s discuss!!!

[wonderstruckwillow]

how did i JUST notice the connection between

“you laugh when you lie” (lwymmd) and

“here’s to you, ‘cause forgiveness is a nice thing to do,,,, aHAHAHHAH” (tiwwchnt)

[tedbecca]

thinking about songs on reputation with the context that cruel summer/lover has given us...

“late night the city’s asleep / your love is a secret i’m hoping, dreaming, dying to keep / change my priorities” in komh + “I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you” in cruel summer... she has feelings for him but she feels like she has to keep those feelings a secret in order to keep him, but her priorities are Changing bc she wants him to be her loooover!!! 

“picture of your face in an invisible locket” in dwoht with the context of cruel summer makes your third eye open and realize not only did she have a picture of him in an invisible locket to hide it from the world but also initially to hide it from HIM until she screamed “for whatever it’s worth i love you ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard” like theoretically had she worn a locket the world would have never known what was in it but he could have found out due to the nature of their relationship so it had to be an INVISIBLE LOCKET

[kaleid-tay-scope]

Panic At The Disco's "girls/girls/boys"

& "reputation" parallels:

I don't want to hear you got a boyfriend

Sometimes you're better off alone

But if you change your mind you know where I am

Yeah, if you change your mind you know where to find me

But I don't ever want to be your boyfriend

And never did I think that I

Would be caught in the way you got me

Push another girl aside and just give in

Girls love girls and boys

Sophisticated

Manipulated

Girls love girls and boys

Sophisticated

Manipulated

And never did I think that I

Would be caught in the way you got me

But girls love girls and boys

And love is not a choice

Pose, you've gotta save your reputation

They're close to finding out about your girlfriend

But if you change your mind you know where I am

Yeah, if you change your mind you know where to find me

But I don't want to save your reputation

And never did I think that I

Would be caught in the way you got me

Push another girl aside and just give in

Girls love girls and boys

Sophisticated

Manipulated

Girls love girls and boys

Sophisticated

Manipulated

And never did I think that I

Would be caught in the way you got me

But girls love girls and boys

And love is not a choice

I'm just a villain vying for attention from a girl

A girl who can't decide

And here's the reason why

Girls love girls and boys

Girls love girls and boys

Girls love girls and boys

Sophisticated

Manipulated

Girls love girls and boys

Sophisticated

Manipulated

And never did I think that I

Would be caught in the way you got me

But girls love girls and boys

And love is not a choice

[good-girlfaith]

Does anyone think Taylor is talking about two different guys in Getaway Car?

Like she uses He and You, and that's bound to be intentional

"He was the best of times, the worst of crimes"

""I wanted to leave him"

"He poisoned the well, I was lyin' to myself"

"You were drivin' the getaway car"

"There were sirens in the beat of your heart"

"But you weren't thinkin"

I kinda see it as her partner in crime and the getaway car driver being two separate people. The partner in crime "he" seemed to be a worse person. She wants away from him, but doesn't have a reason to, until she meets the getaway car driver "you" who in terms of the crime, is fairly innocent. All he's doing is driving them away.

"But with three of us, honey, it's a side show

And a circus ain't a love story

And now we're both sorry (we're both sorry)"

But she knows her relationship with the getaway car driver is doomed from the start too, because three is a crowd and a getaway car isn't the place to be falling in love. They have a fling, and in the end they're both sorry for hurting the other.

"I knew it from the first old fashion, we were cursed

It hit you like a shotgun shot in the heart"

First of all, let me define an "old fashion" as according to Google: The Old Fashioned is a cocktail made by muddling sugar with bitters, then adding alcohol, such as whiskey or brandy, and a twist of citrus rind.

Three ingredients for three people?? Is that a coincidence?? Probably not. Taylor is the sugar, the bitter is her partner in crime, and the alcohol is the getaway car driver. "My drug is my baby" and alcohol is technically a type of drug, shoutout to AP psych for helping me analyze Taylor Swift songs.

But she knows that they're cursed, them being her and the getaway car driver. She knew they were cursed from the moment all three of them met. But then the getaway car driver realizes that it isn't going to work out too and that kills him. (Just figuratively)

"It's no surprise I turned you in

'Cause us traitors never win"

BUT THEN SHE DECIDES TO LEAVE HIM!!! PLOT TWIST!!! SHE LEAVES A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP BEFORE IT BECOMES TOXIC!!! Also by turning the getaway car driver in, she's probably incriminating herself too, because no one else would know about him except for the people riding in the getaway car.

"I was flyin' in a getaway car

I was cryin' in a getaway car

I was dyin' in a getaway car

Said goodbye in a getaway car"

She left BOTH of her ex lovers in the dust and she's running off with her newfound freedom and she has the windows rolled down and she's breaking all the speed limits and she knows she'll eventually be caught for her crimes but right now she's just living life and I think that's beautiful.

And I know Taylor is talking about the media analyzing songs to figure out who they're about, and how she really doesn't want that so I'm not going to say who I think it's about but I have an opinion.

[whatiwillsay]

is Endgame about Dianna Agron? (ok maybe)

today my co-host dancing convinces me that Endgame is about dianna

episode two of the pod is here!

y’all check it out!

thank you to my co-host @dancingwithholyground for coming on and chatting about who endgame might be about!

we had some fun, we had some laughs, we talked about pussy bandit, and some minds were maybe changed!

[kaleid-tay-scope]

"Delicate" Music Video Analysis:

Here's what I saw and the connections I found. I was going to use pictures but there were too many. This list is in order so you could read it while watching, pausing in between notes. 😘😘

The first two seconds shows a black screen with lowercase letters spelling "delicate" and on the third second we see Taylor Swift's forlorn face close-up with bright lights shining on her and she slowly comes out of her depressed dream stare instantly with a smile when she sees the camera flashes and hears the crowd and reporter.

Next we see Taylor standing on the red carpet and the camera focuses in on someone handing her a folded note. The man who hands the note is the same height as Taylor wearing in heels. We see Taylor's face up close lit in a more soft and defused light and her eyes are looking in wonder and curiosity.

Taylor walks into the Millennium Biltmore Hotel (known for serving alcohol during prohibition in the Gold Room, being of great lgbt importance, as well as having a security guard to turn people away who were only trying to meet celebrities.)

Millennium Biltmore Hotel hosted a very gay-friendly bar through both World Wars and was the site of an early milestone in gay rights advancement. In 1971, the Biltmore hosted the International Psychologists & Psychiatrists conference, which was going to declare electroshock therapy as the “cure” for homosexuality. The meeting was disrupted by the Gay Liberation Front, which effectively forced one of the first dialogues between mental health professionals and the gay community. Within two years of that incident, “homosexuality” was removed as a mental disorder after decades of stigma and official misclassification.

We immediately see that the same people in the crowd outside are now inside waiting. On the right side there is a statue of a female angel with what looks like a mermaid tail.

We see Taylor walking through the lobby surrounded by four guards and we see that some of the people have taken out their phones to record her. As Taylor walks by one of the guards is motioning to blonde woman wearing a dress with stars all over.

We see her taking selfies with her younger fans (as shown with their lollipop t-shirt, baby doll length sequined dress, and a crinolin tutu) but as soon as she's grabbed by a guy they seem to only care about how their selfies were ruined. They aren't looking at Taylor or asking if she's OK but instead they seem only disappointed they were interrupted.

The man who attacked her and tried to push her down is dressed as a service professional; a bellboy.(There's an incredibly gay film called the "Bellboy" where a man named Jake discovers gay sex and an erotica lifestyle at the hotel he works at.

After this altercation we see Taylor look between her fans not caring about her wellbeing and to the bellboy being carried away. We see Taylor's upper lip curled in a display of disgust at her fans behavior.

One of her bodyguards is taking her away while looking forward and Taylor is looking up in resigned annoyance.

We see Taylor next walking in the middle of four men who appear to be security guards. We see that they each have a full beard or a goatee. There are four but reflected in the mirrors (mirrored door the mirror in the cabinet) there are 8 men and 2 Taylors.

Every step forward means a few steps backwards if Taylor decides it so and we see Taylor testing her ability to control them by moving this way and that while they do the same thing each time. Eventually we see Taylor sigh upwards in resignation again. Taylor also stops right in front of a large bouquet of white flowers including lilies.

We next see Taylor examining herself in a mirror at the Los Angeles Theater's ladies room. We are shown that she feels like a puppet with strings

(In Pinocchio we have Geppeto wish on a fallen star to have his puppet be real and come to life. The blue fairy helps him grant this wish and Pinocchio becomes real. Pinocchio ends up at a pleasure island after being lead astray by Honest John.

When Taylor gets "pulled" like a puppet into looking foolish it doesn't quickly go away as seen with the same expression no matter how she's moving her head.

Knocked out of her focus she sees three pretty women and coyly smiles - they weren't there to see her faces in the mirror she's relieved but doesn't realize yet that they can't see her. Even though she's alone and it's not a work thing she'd hope that they'd at least say hi.

After she sees the women is when she becomes invisible but she's in disbelief. She looks at the sparkling note but leaves it on the dressing room counter.

Taylor gets up and motions her arms in front of the women but they don't respond, they aren't seeing her so she exits the dressing room and appears back at the Millennium Baltimore Hotel carrying her shoes down to the lobby she flings them away.

Snapping her fingers and waving in front of the four guards she discovers that not even the four men can't see her and her motions get larger and more dramatic with less inhibition.

After seeing that the guys are more interested in looking forward and or talking intimately with each other, Taylor finally smiles.

Taylor realizes she's finally in charge of all of her actions and rips off the bottom of her dress so she can not be confined anymore (Dress vibes) and starts to dance but before she exits the area she makes sure to check left and right just one more time.

We see Taylor quickly move past two men and one women to dance between two women for "do the girls back home touch you like I do." During this dance between the two women Taylor shimmys and touches her body including her breasts. (In January 2017, protesters took to Mike Pence's neighborhood:

‘Queer Dance Party’ shakes and shimmies to send a message to Mike Pence “We want to send a strong message to Pence that we’re a united queer community,” Firas Nasr, an organizer, told the Washington Post. “We’ve always stood united. There’s always space to dance.”)

Then we see Taylor dancing more elaborately and she shows the camera her left hand with a ring on her ring finger.

she is reaching out to someone and her expression is showing loss and like that she's suddenly in another room. (I feel like this is a pattern symbolizing Taylor's tendency of running after she starts to have feelings.)

Taylor walks backwards and then we see her try to shake off her bad mood she sashays (chases) and pivots (changes directions) but she's in the same 3 feet of space.

(This is another pattern of Taylor being able to shake off her angry or sad emotions but being able to do that doesn't mean she's not feeling the negative emotions.)

As the song continues about her bad reputation Taylor is seen grabbing her head in distress, again she's showcasing her hurt feelings.

It should be noted that again we see the same people from the beginning scene.

Hopping up to be in ballet fifth position arms (without first in preparatory) we see her legs in passe/retire positions interchanging and then again (after frustration) we see Taylor happy again in front of an island themed mural.

Next she quickly bourrees (double-time) off screen.

As Taylor pops up on top of the check-in counter to march, the first thing seen is her knee (CIWYW gif from on the roof vibes) seemingly to her own beat and then she hops left and right. The front desk clerk seems to be checking-in a man with a closed duffel bag.(Getaway Car vibes)

Quickly she's seen hopping again side to side in front of a stone fountain when she shakes her fist at the bellboy who is seen being carried off by one of her security guards. The bellboy is seen shouting as the guard carries him off stage. It should be noted that he does not move his legs at all while he's yelling (CH Twitter rant symbolism?)

After the bellboy is off screen we see Taylor fouetté pivot into miming drinking tea with a saucer for a quick moment until again we see Taylor's emotions changing suddenly ("so happy then I turn back to sad" -Gorgeous) Taylor seems annoyed when a couple walks past and then holds her head with one hand and walks away grudgingly pushing against an invisible wall.

The invisible wall manifests into a real wall (wooden toy puppet into a real boy symbolism?) of the Millennium Biltmore ballroom and we see Taylor disoriented and giving into feeling sorry for herself for a beat. Falling against and sliding slightly down the dark mahogany paneling she pauses and then realizes that it's useless to just mope we see a resolute Taylor shrugging off the wall and pushing away to get back up and dance.

The next scene we see Taylor dancing with a Latin flare leading with her hips and heels as she playfully circles her arms and fingers around her body.

She's shown feeling free and smiling when suddenly she's tied down again with her arms behind her and her legs again in more reserved choreography and then she screams.

After she screams she looks like she's shocked that the confinement bothered her so much and her expression shows that she's not sure how she feels about any of it. Taylor runs forward off camera.

Next we see Taylor sprinting in the elevator lobby to leap into an open elevator where there is a woman Taylor thinks can see her.

We see Taylor smiling at a smiling woman and then realizing that the other woman is actually using the elevator mirror to apply her lipstick and doesn't actually see Taylor even though Taylor seems to be coming to terms with her emotions.

The next scene Taylor stays in the elevator and is genuinely sad and then she looks like she's made a decision to get out of the hotel and go somewhere, anywhere. (Running away again seems to be her MO)

We see Taylor at crossroads inside the 7th Street Metro center where she seems to switch between hip-hop and power-step dancing and then again loses the hold onto her distraction and holds her head but this time it's with both hands.

Next we see Taylor choosing a direction by instinct (with her eyes covered by her hands) we see Taylor enter an open Metro Rail car.

Taylor falls into the open rail car which considering her destination to 417 W 8th St Los Angeles, she shouldn't actually take the rail but the bus.

We see Taylor fall to her knees on the floor of the rail car and then as she's slowly rising we see her walk her fingers suggestively from her hips over her chest to her shoulder and then finally we see that she's pretending someone else is doing the touching. With one hand on her shoulder and her other covering the hand again in fantasy we see a satisfied smile.

When Taylor inhales/gasps quickly we see the rail line door close.

After Taylor mimed being physically satiated in the rail car she's shown in the next scene soaking wet in an alley hopping over obstacles. I feel like Taylor taking the rail line (which has a map of its lines in a dot of rainbow colors) and not the rail bus (which was the direct route to her final destination) shows that Taylor has had to go out of her way to get where she is now.

After hopping over the obstacles she has her feet in the air and then when she's past the obstruction signs she leaped over she gives herself a "well-done" bow.

Next we see Taylor playfully dancing with no regard to style, hand poses, or beat and she hops from the sidewalk to the street over puddles in front of graffiti writing out "Reputation" (with a capital letter) and she bows more deeply, showing her back, letting the camera focus on the phrase "Choose Your Pitstops." (Karlie has used 2x the word pitstop in her insta of the girls' road trip as well as the word pit 1x in the tweet she wrote defending Taylor saying she'd always have her back.)

We then see Taylor dancing a bit similar to the beginning of this adventure but this time including he her signature flamingo poses as she makes her way forward. We never see Taylor's expression change back to sad (Gorgeous) like we have for this entire music video.

She's seems ready to take on the world and follow through with her decisions. She dances now on top of the roof of a stopped car with its headlights on on, reaching for the stars. Next we see Taylor sliding down from the roof into the splits and seems to emphasize that Taylor still feels happy with this journey even though she's not as high up.

The next scene shows Taylor calmly walking into the Golden Gopher, a gay bar in Los Angeles that survived the prohibition and was once owned by former president, Teddy Roosevelt. (Taylor's a history nerd)

We see that Taylor has arrived inside the bar and is somehow holding the note again showing us that not every action of hers is on display even if recorded you will not know all the facts.(Making Of A Song)

Out of breath and slightly shivering Taylor stops focusing on the magical note and as soon as she does it changes to a regular piece of paper with no magic.(Dumbo vibes where Dumbo feels like he needs the feather in order to make it across the tightrope but he realizes that he doesn't; his strength and talent is within himself and has been all along.)

Now we see the patrons and bartender looking back at Taylor but they don't have their phones out and they aren't looking at her like she's something but someone; someone regular, in fact.

She seems to look around past the first four, the fourth patron seems to be blocking the fifth patron from Taylor's eyeline at first, she continues to search until she looks in recognition and smiles the genuine smile of knowing (Dress vibes "I know what you know") .

The final shot shows Taylor smiling with brightest of lights behind her with soft diffused light on her face as she looks forward. (Are we seeing her last big hurrah?)

And then the screen is black with "delicate" the only thing on display, just like the beginning. The beginning and ending also parallel with close-up shots of Taylor with three different expressions on her face.

[kaleid-tay-scope]

Flamingos + "reputation"