The Tortured Poets Department is *finally* here and personally, I’ve had the album on repeat since it was released (and I don’t plan on turning it off anytime soon). While I’m currently the no.1 “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” stan, there’s another song that has really caught my attention, and that’s “Clara Bow.”
Swift is, IMO, one of the best storytellers of our generation, and she’s proving that with “Clara Bow.” If you don’t know who Bow is, allow me to introduce you to her. Clara Bow was an American actress recognized for her work during the silent film era of the 1920s. She made the transition to “talkies” in 1929. She is best known for her role as the original “It Girl” f in the 1927 film, It.
It’s not a surprise that Swift would be inspired by the OG “It Girl,” in her work, and “Clara Bow” makes that very clear.
In the first verse, Swift sings “You look like Clara Bow /In this light, remarkable / All your life, did you know /You’d be picked like a rose?” Born in 1905 in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, Bow had a difficult upbringing. Her mother reportedly struggled with her mental health and was later institutionalized. But despite this, Bow persisted and pursued a career in film in her late teens.
In the pre-chorus, it seems Swift pays homage to one of her most iconic songs, “Mean.” She sings, “I’m not trying to exaggerate / But I think I might die if it happened / Die if it happened to me / No one in my small town thought I’d see the lights of Manhattan.” The last line gives major “Mean” energy: “Someday, I’ll be livin’ in a big, ole city / And all you’re ever gonna be is mean.”
Things start to pick up in the chorus, when Swift sings about being the real thing. “This town is fake but you’re the real thing / Breath of fresh air through smoke rings / Take the glory, give everything / Promise to be dazzling,” she sings.
The lyric, “Breath of fresh air through smoke rings,” could refer to “blowing smoke” as the people in the town around her could be exaggerating their potential but she became the real thing.
Maybe this is also why Swift plays homage to Bow. She’s showing that, despite being in the news constantly for her personal life and romantic history, she’s the real thing.
In verse 2, Swift credits an iconic “It Girl” in the music industry. She sings, “You look like Stevie Nicks in ’75 / The hair and lips / The crowd goes wild at her fingertips / Half moonshinе, a full eclipse.”
In 1975, Nicks was that girl, and she still is (and forever wil be!). Something about Nick’ look that’s unforgettable are her bangs, which have drawn comparisons to Taylor herself as well as Sabrina Carpenter.
Fast forward to Verse 3 where Swift honors one of her saddest tracks, “Nothing New” from Red (Taylor’s Version). She sings, “The crown is stained, but you’re the real queen/ Flesh and blood amongst war machines/ You’re the new god we’re worshiping/ Promise to be dazzling.”
While she doesn’t directly pull lyrics from the song, it does reference Swifts’ “song “Nothing New” from her Red album, and resonates with statements she made on her Miss Americana documentary,” according to Genius.
The outro is really what makes this song incredible. Swift sings, “You look like Taylor Swift/ In this light, we’re loving it/ You’ve got edge, she never did/The future’s bright, dazzling.” The lyric “You look like Taylor Swift” seems like it could be a callback to the previous lyric about Stevie Nicks. Swift is reflecting on how “she was once the shining star paralleling a previous woman of renown but better.”
“Clara Bow” is just more proof that Taylor is, has been, and always will be one of the most influential “It Girls” to ever live.