If you’ve ever listened to a Taylor Swift song, you know her lyrics always tell a story. Whether it’s a story of love, heartbreak, or personal growth, Swift is loved for the way that she can connect to her fans through relatable lyrics. A Spotify listener named Emily has taken this idea of storytelling through Taylor Swift songs to a whole new level. Emily has created a playlist on her account titled “Taylor Swift Songs as a Full Relationship”, and the playlist has over 18,500 likes. In the hour and a half it takes to listen to the complete playlist, listeners are taken on a journey of falling in love, being in love, and falling out of it.
PART ONE: Falling in Love
Early stages of falling in love are a series of indescribable feelings. Butterflies, flushed cheeks, and a racing heart are just some of the many indicators that love is brewing. The playlist fully encaptures these feelings through the first couple of songs including “Enchanted”, “Everything Has Changed”, “You Belong With Me”, and “Hey Stephen”. The lyrics to these songs describe what it’s like to first meet a significant other. “Enchanted” takes you through a journey of love at first sight and the initial lust that is felt after the first time two meet. “Everything Has Changed” explains what comes after, taking listeners through the get-to-know-you part and the establishment of a relationship. “You Belong With Me” brings in feelings of uncertainty and introduces a possible love triangle. Finally, “Hey Stephen” is a love letter in a song. It perfectly describes the feelings of a profound crush and the innocence right before love fully blossoms.
PART TWO: REALationship
Before love can truly occur, the relationship has to be brought to fruition. Two people realize their feelings for one another and dedicate their time to being together, to falling in love. This phenomena is portrayed in the songs “Fearless”, “Delicate”, “Invisible String”, “State Of Grace”, and more. In “Fearless”, Swift describes what it means to let her guard down in a relationship. The song “Delicate” plays nicely off this same theme and illustrates the process of opening up and allowing the other person to really see inside of you. Early in a relationship, these can be some of the most challenging conversations to have, but they are truly what brings a pair to the point of love. “Invisible String” looks past these early conversations and really dives into the appreciation for the relationship. It looks back on the instances that led up to the present and admires the beauty of creating a tight-knit bond with someone. “State of Grace” introduces the idea that the relationship is truly between two who are in love. The lyrics “I never saw you coming and I’ll never be the same” foreshadows the feelings that are ahead.
PART 3: In Love
Described by Oxford Dictionary, love is simply a feeling of deep affection. Through this playlist, love is proven to be more than just a feeling. It’s a process. It’s a commitment. Songs such as “You Are in Love”, “Lover”, and “New Year’s Day” celebrate reaching the climax of a relationship. “You Are in Love” creates a picture of the moment the realization of love is had. It describes the little things in everyday life that are no longer the same, but are now more magical because they are felt with love. “Lover” dives deeper into the feelings of love and into the honeymoon stage. The couple portrayed has no care in the world about things around them, and they are completely and utterly focused on their other half. On the other hand, “New Year’s Day” takes love another step further and discusses that even after the party’s over, the couple still wants to be together, just the two of them. These songs truly make listeners believe in love and create feelings of happiness.
PART FOUR: Falling out
Not every story has a happy ending, and neither does this playlist. The playlist concludes with songs that leave listeners feeling empty and longing for the prior feelings of love. With songs like “Afterglow”, “Death by a Thousand Cuts”, and “The 1”, the love story comes to an end. “Afterglow” creates a disturbance in the relationship with lyrics discussing the causes of a fight and the reasons that the two aren’t as close anymore. “Death by a Thousand Cuts” compliments this disturbance by confirming that the relationship is over. The song starts off with the lyrics “saying goodbye is death by a thousand cuts”, giving listeners the mental picture of a painful end to a relationship. Finally, in the last song of the playlist, Swift reflects on the relationship by acknowledging that she’s moved on, knowing that she had something good at one point.
So, if you find yourself lonely this fall or winter, curl up under and blanket, and press play on this playlist. An hour and a half later you’ll have gone through all of the happiness, sadness, love, and heartbreak of a full relationship.
Check the playlist out here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/444YGL7CSh7HjdhdxIE6P0?si=G9GaqB5RSiqR…