Even after many listens, there are still details in Taylor Swift songs that you likely missed. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best T. Swift song references, details, and parallels that it might take you a minute to fully understand or notice.
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00:00 you know there's always gonna be a list, it's me."
00:02 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best T-Swift song references,
00:07 details, and parallels that it might take you a minute to fully understand or notice.
00:12 "She's playing the chill girl and then to us, she whispers, 'One, two, three,'
00:17 after her final 'who's counting?' because she's counting."
00:22 Number 10.
00:23 The Birds.
00:24 Exile featuring Bon Iver and Evermore featuring Bon Iver.
00:34 Stop paying attention for even a second and you'll miss this one.
00:38 Exile and Evermore might be on different, albeit sister, Taylor Swift albums, but they
00:42 certainly have a lot in common.
00:45 For one, they're both piano ballads.
00:47 Two, they're both collaborations with Bon Iver.
00:50 But there's another, less noticeable similarity that might surprise you.
00:55 Right around the 25 to 26 second mark on both numbers, you can hear birds chirping quietly
01:00 in the background.
01:01 "Laughing, but the joke's not funny at all."
01:08 We're not sure why this link exists, but if you listen closely, it's definitely there.
01:13 "I've been down since July."
01:20 Is it something to do with The Raven?
01:22 Is Taylor Swift on her Edgar Allen Poe game?
01:25 Or is Nevermore and Evermore just a coincidence?
01:29 Number 9.
01:30 Transformed Obsession - I Did Something Bad.
01:42 If anyone could curb narcissism, we guess it would be Taylor Swift.
01:46 "Did you hear my covert narcissism?
01:49 Like disguise as altruism, like some kind of converse."
01:54 At first glance, I Did Something Bad seems like a pretty straightforward tune, lyrically
01:58 speaking.
01:59 But right from the first lyric, Swift is engaging in some light wordplay.
02:04 In the first line, she says she never trusts a narcissist, which is someone who only thinks
02:08 about themselves.
02:10 But by the end of that first verse, Swift has already turned said narcissist on his
02:14 head.
02:15 She wields her power, ensuring that all he thinks about is her.
02:28 If that's the case, Swift can play them all like a violin indeed.
02:33 Number 8.
02:34 The VMAs Reference - Back to December, Taylor's Version.
02:37 "It was so echoey in there.
02:40 At the time, I didn't know they were booing him doing that.
02:43 I thought that they were booing me."
02:45 It was September 13, 2009, the night of the MTV Video Music Awards that changed the trajectory
02:50 of Kanye West, Taylor Swift, and of course, Taylor Lautner's lives.
02:55 "Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you.
02:59 I'ma let you finish.
03:00 But Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time."
03:03 Swift and Lautner were dating at the time of the horrible "I'ma let you finish" incident,
03:07 and he was actually on stage when it happened.
03:10 Now he's also confirmed that Swift's "Back to December," a deeply apologetic breakup
03:15 song, was written about him.
03:17 "What are your thoughts on 'Back to December?'
03:19 It's a banger.
03:20 It is a banger.
03:21 Yeah.
03:22 Yeah.
03:23 It's a good song.
03:24 It's a good song.
03:25 I like it.
03:26 It's a nice song.
03:27 I also like that it's the one nice song that is about my husband."
03:30 You might not notice this in the first couple of listens, but in the ballad, she appears
03:33 to reference that night at the VMAs.
03:36 Indeed, she talks about how a former flame held her in his arms that September night,
03:41 the first time he ever saw her cry.
03:43 "And now you held me in your arms that September night, the first time you ever saw me cry."
03:52 Coincidence?
03:53 We think not.
03:54 Number 7.
03:55 "Clean Air and the Sun Also Rises," "Invisible String."
04:08 Taylor Swift has never shied away from a literary reference.
04:11 The lyrics for "Invisible String" might be some of the most packed we've ever seen.
04:16 It's a deeply love-filled song, so it makes sense that she would seemingly include some
04:19 of the more romantic lines in literature.
04:21 "I kind of love the romantic idea that every step you're taking, you're taking one step
04:28 closer to where you're supposed to be, you know, guided by this little, like, invisible
04:33 string."
04:34 One connection comes from Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre," when Mr. Rochester talks about
04:38 a string binding him to the novel's protagonist.
04:40 "As if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly knotted to a similar string
04:46 in you.
04:47 And if you were to leave, I'm afraid that cord of communion would snap."
04:52 The other relates to the line, "Isn't it just so pretty to think?" which is very close
04:56 to the "Isn't it pretty to think so?" quote from Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises."
05:00 "Oh, darling, we could have had such good times together."
05:05 "Isn't it pretty to think so?"
05:08 We're not the first ones to notice these links, so it would appear Swift is a voracious
05:12 reader indeed.
05:14 Number 6.
05:15 "Burton to this Taylor," "Ready for It."
05:17 "I've told you before, with you words do not come easily to me.
05:23 There is too much unsaid within me that I cannot say."
05:25 "Then I cannot know it."
05:27 "There's much unsaid within you too."
05:29 "That is probably true of everybody."
05:32 When you think of the most famous romantic duos in history, who do you think of?
05:36 We don't know if any of Taylor Swift's boyfriends have really completed that power couple just
05:41 yet, but in "Ready for It," she appears to let us know she's looking to get to that level.
05:46 In the second verse, she says that she wants her lover to be the Burton to this Taylor.
05:50 "And he can be my jailer, Burton to this Taylor.
05:54 Every lover known in comparison is a failure."
05:57 This is a clever wordplay on her name and an explicit reference to Richard Burton and
06:01 Elizabeth Taylor.
06:03 The old Hollywood pair had one of the most storied, talked-about romances in the industry's
06:07 history.
06:08 "What do you take me for?"
06:10 "Much too much."
06:11 "Yeah."
06:12 Number 5.
06:13 "A Coming of Ages" and "Marjorie."
06:14 "A coming of ages coming 'core.
06:15 Suddenly this summer it's clear."
06:21 If you don't have an ear for music, this one might be difficult to catch.
06:25 The songs "Peace" and "Marjorie" might be different thematically, one about how fame
06:29 can affect a relationship and one about Swift's grandmother, but they share one very important
06:35 detail.
06:36 "Devil's in the details, but you got a friend in me."
06:40 If you listen closely to "Marjorie's Bridge," you can pick up on the very same drone that
06:45 appears in "Peace."
06:46 "I should have asked you questions, I should have asked you how to be."
06:52 Apparently the former track took shape first and ultimately informed the latter tune, which
06:56 shows up near the end of the Folklore album.
06:58 "Will I be able to give you peace?
07:00 Will you be at rest with me even though, you know, whatever comes?
07:04 But you also trace the bridge."
07:07 Though "Marjorie" was released later, making its way onto "Evermore," it still has that
07:11 sonic similarity to "Delight" fans.
07:14 "When you sent me this instrumental, the first word that I thought of was this is what peace
07:20 sounds like.
07:21 It's got this, you know, this amazing bass line that just made me feel like this is serenity."
07:28 Number four, "Clean Callback."
07:30 "Call It What You Want"
07:39 Most Swifties will agree that "Clean" is one of the most underrated tracks in Taylor's
07:42 discography.
07:43 We wouldn't be surprised if Swift thinks so, too, considering there appears to be a lyrical
07:48 callback to it in Reputation's "Call It What You Want."
07:51 "All my flowers grew back as thorns, windows boarded up after the storm.
07:56 He built a fire just to keep me warm."
07:59 The 1989 song's lyrics mention flowers dying of thirst and a perfect, terrible storm.
08:05 "And the sky turned black like a perfect storm.
08:11 The rain kept pouring."
08:15 In "Call It What You Want," Swift changes up the game a bit.
08:18 This time, she says that all her flowers grew back as thorns, and the windows were boarded
08:23 up after the storm, before describing a love that helped her heal.
08:35 The parallel between the tunes is certainly fitting, considering that they're both about
08:39 being faced with immense pain and finding yourself through it.
08:43 Number three, "Mashup."
08:45 "Barefoot in the kitchen, sacred new beginnings that became my religion.
08:55 Listen.
08:56 Remember looking at this room, we loved it 'cause of the light."
09:05 If you pressed play on "You're Losing Me" and thought, "Where have I heard this before?"
09:10 you're not alone.
09:11 It might not click right away, but many Swifties have found similarities between the "Midnight's"
09:16 track and "Cornelia Street."
09:18 Of course, there are lyrical links, particularly with the "I hope I never lose you," "I don't
09:22 wanna lose you," and "You're losing me" lines.
09:33 But the songs also feel similar musically, like they're telling two parts of the same,
09:38 albeit devastating, story.
09:40 When you juxtapose them, the effect is gutting.
09:43 If you look up "Cornelia Street" and "You're Losing Me" mashups online, you'll see exactly
09:48 what we mean.
09:49 We don't know for sure if this was done on purpose, but few things are accidental in
09:53 the Swiftverse.
10:04 Number two, "The Trio."
10:05 "Cardigan" and "Betty" and "August."
10:07 "Okay, so like 'Cardigan' is Betty's perspective from like 20 to 30 years later, looking back
10:13 on this love that was this tumultuous thing.
10:16 In my head, I think Betty and James ended up together."
10:19 Taylor Swift often writes very personal songs, but that changed with folklore, as evidenced
10:24 in this particular trio of tunes.
10:27 Once you listen through "Cardigan," "August," and "Betty" a few times, you realize that
10:31 together they make up what's dubbed the "teenage love triangle."
10:42 Each song is from the point of view of one of the three people involved, with overlapping
10:46 lyrics and themes linking them.
10:49 For example, there's "Remember When I Pulled Up And Said Get In The Car" and "August,"
10:53 and "James Get In Let's Drive In Betty," both roughly at the 247 mark.
11:13 There's also mentions in both "Cardigan" and "Betty of James," who betrayed his love, showing
11:17 up to ask for forgiveness.
11:23 And yes, those time codes also match up.
11:34 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:38 "A Tale of Two Cities," "Getaway Car."
11:40 Charles Dickens would be proud of this reference.
11:49 Idris Elba's participation, "London Boy."
11:52 It took us way too long to recognize that voice.
12:05 Narrative Link, "Tis the Damn Season" and "Dorothea."
12:08 Dorothea sings one song, and her old flame sings the other.
12:24 "Bad Was the Blood," "Invisible String."
12:27 The song in that cab is one we know well.
12:34 "Little Black Dress" references, Tim McGraw and the other side of the door, Taylor's version.
12:39 The LBD isn't considered a staple by accident.
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13:11 "Colors," "Various."
13:20 If you've been paying any attention to the Eras Tour, you've probably noticed that Taylor
13:24 Swift is having plenty of fun with colors.
13:27 Throughout her career more broadly, she and fans have assigned one to each era.
13:32 But this isn't the only way in which Swift infuses our lives with color.
13:35 Indeed, her discography is full of references to various hues, used to describe everything
13:40 from different kinds of love, like in "Red" or "Daylight," to a partner's eyes in endless
13:45 tunes.
13:55 Some like blue turn up time and again.
13:58 Others like gray only show up once in a while.
14:01 Regardless, it's clear that T-Swift enjoys using colors to bolster the story she tells,
14:05 and we love hearing her do it.
14:13 Did we miss any of your favorite Taylor Swift lyrical Easter eggs?
14:16 Let us know in the comments below.
14:19 Do you agree with our picks?
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