The girl was the real thing, someone to stir every pulse in the nation.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Am I really shocked that Taylor Swift would name a song after a successful woman deemed a mad woman by society that also stirred every pulse in the nation in the 1920s? No, however I was very shocked to hear her announce a brand-new album at the Grammys just after winning album of the year for Midnights. I read through the all the new track names before I got to the bottom and recognized the name Clara Bow.
The original It Girl, despite the media’s unkindness towards her, Clara Bow was an American actress while silent film was on the rise. Bow appeared in 46 silent films and 11 talkies. With a rough upbringing in the slums of Brooklyn, Clara’s father moved their family across the bay overlooking the Coney Island fairgrounds. The Bow family soon fell apart as Clara’s mother became mentally troubled. Things came to a head one evening when Clara’s mother tried to kill her at just 17 with a knife while she was sleeping in opposition to her joining the film industry. Clara’s father sent her mother away to a mental institution where she later died.
Clara managed to push through the traumatic childhood she had experienced to become a raging success. Clues of Clara’s instability became clear as she was associated with a number of men off-screen and was nicknamed “Crisis-A-Day-Clara”. Rumors of Clara’s sexuality went around for years. Clara was friends with many high-profile members of the LQBTQ+ community such as Dorthy Arzner and William Haines. These rumors were never directly addressed by Clara herself, but it would raise the question of whether the association with these many men could have been an attempt to cover her possible bisexuality which was heavily frowned upon at the time. This would not be the first time that Taylor Swift writes with the possible theme of bisexuality.
Clara married actor Rex Bell and retired from acting to be a rancher in Searchlight Nevada after making a deal with Fox on her two last successful movies that allowed her to go back to Nevada where she had two sons. This is major news because not only is Clara tied to film and its evolution, but Taylor also announced in 2022 that she would be directing her own feature film for Searchlight Pictures based on her own script. Taylor was also seated with the presidents of Searchlight Pictures at the Golden Globes.
Searchlight Pictures was acquired by Disney in 2019 which means Searchlight is associated with Disney. Taylor recently announced that the home to her new documentary, Taylor Swift The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) would be Disney Plus. This may explain the title of the track, But Daddy I Love Him on The Tortured Poets Department. This is a direct quote from the 1989 Disney film The Little Mermaid.
Taylor has been channeling Clara Bow with her accessories at the Grammys: specifically with her eye-catching clock necklace.
Let’s not forget the verse from Taylor Swift’s trackGorgeousabout Whiskey on ice andSunset and Vine. Where is Clara Bow’s star on the Hollywood walk of fame? The 1500 block of Vine Street. This is located at the corner of Vine Street and Sunset Boulevard.
Taylor Swift definitely is holding up to hermastermindreputationwith the new track Clara Bow. Fans around the world are highly anticipating Clara Bow and The Tortured Poets Department album set to release on April 19th 2024.