Taylor Swift’s album, Midnights, was a huge success, and definitely one of my favorite albums from her. Taylor has often used different stories and references in her songs to portray a larger, more meaningful sense of music. Greek mythology isn’t something she typically goes for, but I think it’s fun to identify certain myths and legends that align with her lyricism.
One of the songs that largely stuck out to me from Midnights was “Anti-Hero.” I mean, just the title alone can align with so many Greek gods and heroes that legends talk about. There is one line that really crossed my mind when thinking about Greek mythology, however. In the chorus, as Swift sings “I stare into the sun, but never in the mirror,” I immediately think of the story of Icarus, the man who flew too close to the sun and ended up falling to his death.
Here, Swift sings about looking at a higher goal and higher standing without solving any of the issues that make her the problem. Icarus similarly flew headfirst into his goals and ultimately paid the price with his own death, which is clever since Swift also mentions her death in this song. In the song, Swift dreams that her daughter-in-law kills her for her money, though Swift never ended up writing her in the will, and is “laughing up at [her] from hell.” While Icarus might not have had the last laugh in his story, his ignorance and flaws led to his downfall, as did Swift’s in her imagined scenario.
Another connection to Icarus can be heard in “Labyrinth,” which is another song on Midnights. Daedalus, the father of Icarus, was the creator of the labyrinth, which even he could not even escape from. In “Labyrinth,” Swift talks about how she’s lost in her mind, how she falls too quickly into love, and how she will never escape the anxiety and fear of being lost and hurt based on her past relationships. In Midnights, Swift simultaneously sees herself as the cautious Daedalus, telling herself to take things slow and to be able to wander around in her mind endlessly, and as Icarus, an arrogant soul yearning for more and reaching for something as bright as the sun and ignoring the warnings and problems around her.
In “Bigger Than the Whole Sky,” Swift sings the line “every single thing to come has turned to ash,” which is similar to what a phoenix does at the end of its lifetime in Greek mythology. It turns to ash and leaves behind all that it was. This also implies that something bigger and better is to come since a new phoenix typically rises from its predecessor’s ashes. This song could also be Swift implying she is her own phoenix, as she leaves behind all that was (her past label, her romantic relationships, her friends) and is born anew with her new label, new steady relationship, and great friends alongside her.
Another song that can reflect themes in Greek mythology is “The Great War.” While listening to this song I was reminded of the Trojan War, especially with the amount of deception Swift has been met with in her career, as the Romans were when the Greek soldiers left a wooden horse full of soldiers as a surprise attack. She sings that “we survived the great war,” as if it was something that was difficult to overcome, and even said she “got a sense I’ve been betrayed,” just as the Romans were during the Trojan War. I also thought of both Achilles and Patrocles during this song, as they both fought valiantly alongside one another. Though Patrocles didn’t survive, Swift’s line “I will always be yours” resonates with his relationship with Achilles.
Whether intentional or not, there are so many lines from Swift’s Midnights album that are rife with allusions to Greek mythology. These are only a few, but give it a listen and see what connections you can make.