Yes, we feel a lavender haze creeping up on us alright. On Jan. 26, Taylor Swift announced the release of a music video for the fan-favorite song “Lavender Haze.”
Teasing the project through a snippet over her social media accounts, the Grammy Winner artist invited her listeners to tune in at — you guessed it — midnight to see the highly anticipated production. Although surprising, the announcement wasn’t entirely unexpected by Swifties. The premiere came on the heels of fan theories that “Lavender Haze” would be the next track to get a music video, since Swift previously stated that Midnights would rely on visual projects and this track was reportedly included among the album visual promotions. And besties, it’s finally here.
Following acclaimed singles “Anti-Hero” and “Bejeweled,” “Lavender Haze” is the third song on the 2022 album to get a music video of its own. Ever since its release, “Lavender Haze” has been charting on the Billboard Hot 100 and Spotify, amassing over a million streams daily as it solidifies Midnights as one of the biggest successes in Taylor’s career. Prior to the release of the music video, fans suspected that it would include her ever iconic easter eggs — and, as they theorized, it might even spoil which album will be rerecorded next. The bet was that it was going to be Speak Now, especially because in the “Bejeweled” music video, hints like the “Enchanted” instrumental were also dropped and referenced her 2010 release — but let’s see if that’s true.
- Midnight rain
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Sharp-eyed Swifties were quick to identify references to “Midnight Rain,” another song on the Midnights album. You can spot two “Midnight Rain” easter eggs throughout the video. First, if you look closely at the weather channel, you’ll see that the meteorologist is covering the forecast for midnight. Can you guess what the weather will be like then? Yep, rain. At a later point, when we see Swift cuddling with this music video’s love interest, you might notice there’s a sun on his shirt sleeve. Could this be a nod to the lyrics (“He was sunshine, I was midnight rain…”)? Could the “melancholic” cloud in the beginning also allude to these lyrics? Fans are thinking yes.
- Vinyls
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Swift has mastered the art of product placement. The most obvious reference to one of Swift’s vinyls is at the beginning of the video, with the camera cutting to an album titled Mastermind. Does that name sound familiar? It should, since “Mastermind” is one of the tracks on Swift’s latest album. Now Swifties are under the impression that “Mastermind” might be the next song to get a music video. A more subtle easter egg that appears at the same point in the video is the Midnights record itself. You might’ve spotted the lavender edition spinning in one of the first shots.
- Constellations
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In the same shot of the “Mastermind” vinyl, you’ll see two constellations on the cover. This might be the sweetest easter egg in the video: These constellations are of Sagittarius and Pisces, Swift’s and SO Joe Alwyn’s (respective) astrological signs.
- Incense
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Did you catch the incense at the start of the video? If you did, you were probably reminded of the “Maroon” lyrics: “When the morning came we were cleaning incense off your vinyl shelf.” Could this be hinting at an upcoming “Maroon” music video? I guess time will tell.
- Koi fish
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Swifties have many interpretations as to what the koi fish represent. It’s hard to miss the fish, as they appear both on the TV screen and in the space scene at the end. One theory is that the koi fish might, again, symbolize Alwyn’s zodiac sign. But if you remember Swift’s Speak Now world tour, she also played a guitar with koi fish decals on it. The same guitar made an appearance in the “Anti-Hero” music video, though it was violently smashed.
- Eiffel Tower
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Blink and you could miss the Eiffel Tower lamp in the bedroom. Could that have something to do with “Paris,” the 16th track on Midnights? Should we be prepared for a vinyl release of Midnights (3am Edition)? Let’s cross our fingers.
- Lucky number
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It’s well-known information by now that Swift’s lucky number is 13. In the weather forecast, Swifties were quick to pick up on two circles with “13” in the middle. One of these circles indicates Tennessee, where Swift spent her childhood — she even wrote an unreleased song in dedication to it.
- Glitch
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Am I the only one who thought this glitch was an issue with my laptop? When Swift is dancing in the haze, the camera clearly shutters. While this might just be a stylistic choice, it could also be an allusion to “Glitch,” another song on the album. Or maybe it’s a jab at the technical errors with Ticketmaster…
- Nail polish
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One of the most inconspicuous easter eggs is Swift’s teal toenail polish. Super Swifties identified this color as the same shade of blue used in Swift’s debut album. Will there be a re-release soon? If so, I’m beyond excited.