The past month has been big for Swifties. On top of releasing the re-recording of her album Red (including 9 new songs from the vault) and the All Too Well Short Film, Taylor Swift has also given us a new music video. I Bet You Think About Me (Feat. Chris Stapleton) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) on Red (Taylor’s Version) is directed by Blake Lively and stars Miles Teller alongside Taylor Swift.
I personally think this song is her best from the vault on Red (Taylor’s Version). It brings back her old country vibes that made us all fall in love with her music. From my perspective, this music video has many sentiments of Taylor taking back her old self, especially with the motifs of red throughout the video (her signature color).
What is it about?
The music video starts with Miles Teller, the groom, practicing his wedding speech in the bathroom. He sees glimpses of Taylor in the mirror, his former lover, while he’s getting ready to marry someone else. He can’t get her out of his head, hence “I bet you think about me.” Many people have speculated that this song is about her ex Jake Gyllenhaal, whom she dated for three months back in 2010, and is also the subject of her song All Too Well. Taylor wrote this song back in June of 2011 but did not release it until Red (Taylor’s Version).
Throughout the music video, Taylor is seen in all red causing mischief during the groom’s wedding. The white wedding, white roses, white dress, and white formalwear all juxtapose Taylor’s red sweep. Taylor is dressed in all red, and everything she touches turns red.
what does it all mean?
As many have speculated, the song is most likely about Jake Gyllenhaal. Taylor takes hits at him with lines like “You grew up in a silver-spoon gated community: glamorous, shiny, bright Beverly Hills,” referring to his Hollywood upbringing, “At your cool indie music concerts every week,” and “With your organic shoes and your million-dollar house,” both taking jabs at his lifestyle. It feels pretty obvious in one scene in the music video when Taylor presents the bride (who happens to be Miles Teller’s wife in real life) with a red scarf, which has become an infamous symbol of her and Jake’s past relationship (cue All Too Well). In another scene, Taylor is sitting at the kids’ table and reels in the groom with a hand gesture that she is showing the other girls. When Taylor dated Gyllenhaal, she was just 20 turning 21, and he was 29 turning 30. This could symbolize the age gap between them, and Gyllenhaal seeing and treating her like a child.
As I mentioned, throughout much of the video Taylor is turning everything she touches into red. I think that can mean a lot of things, and not only in the context of her relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal. In the scene she posted on her Instagram account, Taylor is digging out a piece of cake with her hands. The inside of the cake is red, and the motif of red is definitely Taylor reclaiming herself. In the context of the breakup, it seems that Taylor is in every aspect of his life and he can’t stop thinking about her. But I think with the re-release of Red, it takes on a double meaning. Taylor re-recorded her previous albums because her old record label holds the rights to them. In order for her to own her music (that she wrote herself), Taylor has been re-recording old albums (Taylor’s Version). When Taylor grabs a piece of the five-layer cake with her hands, it could be interpreted as her taking back her other five albums. By turning everything in the wedding red, it feels like Taylor is taking back her identity.
final thoughts
All in all, I Bet You Think About Me is an incredible music video. This isn’t shocking of course; Taylor Swift is known for making outstanding music videos. When this video first came out, I was so blown away that I kept rewatching it and showing it to everyone I know so I could explain all of the nuances. However, I’m sure there is a lot I didn’t pick up on, as Taylor is the queen of leaving Easter eggs.