In the days after the release of Red (Taylor’s Version), thoughts about heartbreak, love, and relationships have all been constantly swimming in my head. As someone who has never been in love, much of my knowledge of love and relationships comes from books, movies, and music. I know some of these sources are super cheesy and arguably not realistic, but I honestly can’t stop myself from relating to them. One of my favorite artists and a source from which I have learned a lot about love is Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift has been writing and releasing music since she was 16 years old. It has been so interesting almost growing up with her, in a sense, and seeing how her idea of love has evolved as we both have gotten older.
Throughout her discography, Taylor references old music with her new lyrics. These references highlight how much her views have transformed as she has matured and fallen in and out of love. Some of my favorite references in her lyrics and what I have learned from them are below:
- “Red” from the album Red, originally released in 2012: “Loving him was red” and “But moving on from him is impossible when I still see it all in my head in burning red.”
“Daylight” from Lover, released in 2020: “I once believed love would be burning red, but it’s golden.”
This reference highlights the fact that sometimes we fall into a love that is so bold, passionate, and seems so easy, but it is also so frustrating and unstable. This type of love seems impossible to move on from and since the feelings are so strong and bold, it seems like it should be love. In contrast to her more recent lyrics where she says that love is golden, I feel like she is acknowledging what she once thought while correcting herself and saying that genuine love shouldn’t feel so burning hot and cold, but should be safe, warm, and is valuable for those reasons.
- “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault” from Red: “They say all’s well that ends well, but I’m in a new Hell every time you double-cross my mind” “Lover” from Lover (2020) “All’s well that ends well to end up with you.”
This parallel is hopeful and comforting to me as a listener. “All Too Well” is arguably one of Swift’s most heartbreaking songs.This lyric from the song highlights how little hope she has left in love and that this pain can’t possibly be worth it. To upcycle the “all’s well that ends well” again in her song, “Lover” is almost a message to her younger self and other people that it is worth it. It does end up well, and everything works out.
- “Cold As You” from Taylor Swift (2006): “And I know you wouldn’t have told nobody if I died, died for you.”
“peace” from Folklore (2020): “All these people think love’s for show, but I would die for you in secret.”
This parallel is my favorite in encapsulating the growth in maturity and how growing up can evolve views of love. Swift released “Cold As You” on her first album when she was 16. At the time, she believed that love should be shown off and known by others, and it almost isn’t real if people don’t know about it. Compared to “peace,” which she wrote at 30, where she says that real love doesn’t need to be known by anyone other than the two people in it, and as long as they know it’s real, it’s real.