On Oct. 21, Taylor Swift dropped her latest studio album, Midnights. The following Tuesday, she dropped the music video for track nine, “Bejeweled.” The video, written and directed by Swift, caused chaos among her fans. Swift is infamous for leaving easter eggs in all her work as a secret message for her fans. The “Bejeweled” video was no exception to this trend.
Swifties (Swift’s fanbase) began hunting for the secrets Swift had left for them right when the video dropped. A few hours later, the internet was filled with theories, all pointing to the same conclusion; Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) will be her next album.
According to Billboard, the first nod to Speak Now appears before the track begins to play. A violin version of Swift’s song “Enchanted” plays before the Midnights track. The easter egg that follows is perhaps the biggest giveaway. In the music video, we see a Cinderella version of Swift enter an elevator to escape her exile (a slight nod to her eighth studio album). This elevator is at the center of many fan theories.
Once in the elevator, Swift presses the purple button labeled for the third floor. Capital FM states that the three and the purple are representatives of the Speak Now era. The elevator has 13 buttons, each color-coded to represent her albums, re-recordings included. Along with the buttons, we see this color-coordinated album representation again as the elevator shows its moving floors.
More easter eggs continue to appear throughout the video. In one scene, Swift even wears hairpins with the letters “S” and “N.” The easter eggs in this video are arguably her most obvious ones yet. During the video’s credits an instrumental version of “Long Live,” one of her biggest Speak Now hits, is playing. We also see dragons flying around in the finale scene of the music video. This is another nod to “Long Live.”
Despite Swifties agreeing on most of the hints, the one thing they cannot agree on is the album’s release date. Many believed the album would drop on Oct. 25, its 12th anniversary. However, that date has come and gone without a mention of Speak Now. Other fans believe the album will drop on Nov. 4. This date is backed by a merch leak on Swift’s UK website.
The third date Swifties are conspiring about is Jan. 1. This date, by far, has the most evidence backing it. On Apple Music and Spotify, fans noticed the release date of the original Speak Now was changed to Jan. 1. This date change seems like more than a streaming service glitch. The new release date makes Jan. 1, 2023, the 13th anniversary of Speak Now. Releasing this re-recording on its 13th birthday would be the most Taylor Swift thing Taylor Swift has ever done.
While fans are still basking in the Midnights joy, they look forward to the next re-recording. Speak Now is arguably one of Taylor’s most notorious albums. So, it is no wonder all the Swifties are working overtime to find every Speak Now easter egg. By the end of the year or the start of the next, Swifties everywhere will be blasting “Dear John (Taylor’s Version).”
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