Glitch
We were supposed to be just friends…/…Depending on what kind of mood and situation-ship I’m in/And what’s in my system/I think there’s been a glitch, oh, yeah…/…And I’m not even sorry/Nights are so starry, blood moonlit/It must be counterfeit…/…A brief interruption, a slight malfunction/I’d go back to wanting dudes who give nothing/I thought we had no chance/And that’s romance, let’s dance
All of this is total speculation on my part. Don’t come at me.
Who was the other relationship, and was it Taylor Swift?
Use of gender-neutral pronoun when she brings up “person” she had sex with prior to her marriage.
Very for “The Man” which seems apt if we’re talking about a one-sided (Kaylor)rebound relationship based on sex.
Girl’s trip. Girlfriends. Pure joy.
It sounds like Kelsea likes being around women a lot.
this version of myself.
Reminds me of Subject to Change which I think is discovering sapphic sexuality.
Secrets and crimes.
If you’re going down I’ll be going down too. It sounds like closeting to me. Are the secrets about her sexuality? Are the crimes cheating on her husband with a woman?
I’m awake.
Gay awakening
Not honoring yourself.
Kelsea wants to be true to herself, and her sexuality
You’re finding yourself.
You’re figuring your shit out.
It sounds like a lot of discovery that Kelsea is going through at age 29…
Oh God. Am I ready to date again?
Skirting the issue of dating.
I’ve never really dated, I don’t know how it works.
She got married at 22, but did she date as a teen? Maybe she doesn’t know how sapphic dating goes…
just put ourselves out there.
Let’s just vibe. It’s been fun.
Minimizing the new relationship in the interview.
Move on. Stay here? Be sad forever.
Could be a repression situation.
single? ha ha ha. Am I single? God…
There is a lot of panic about this seemingly simple question.
Maybe Kelsea doesn’t want to outright lie about dating a dude, but she also doesn’t want to come out if she’s dating a woman…
No
The interviewer makes an assumption and says a name.
Kelsea never says his name or brings him up. She just doesn’t correct the assumption.
A possible PR story:
Eden the Lounge:
Gay bars:
I’m just vibing.
Kelsea minimizes the new relationship again.
OK I want to see you.
What does that feel like though, to have that be so public?
It’s interesting a new relationship is being publicized so much. It’s like Kelsea’s team is pushing that story, but why? I’m not sure people love when a divorcee is already with another person quickly (I don’t make the rules). What is the reason a brand new relationship after a very recent divorce is being amplified? Maybe it’s covering up something else.
Also it’s new. Everything is new for me.
Again Kelsea talks about how new and novel this situation is.
Dating.
Being photographed with someone.
It’s also interesting how Kelsea’s pauses separate “dating” with “being photographed with someone”
It’s all really new and I’m tiptoeing.
She really emphasizes the newness, and says she’s being very careful. Why does she have to be careful dating a guy? Why does dating a guy feel so, so new to Kelsea? I mean, she dated Morgan, and married him. She knows what dating a guy is like.
I’m happy.
And I’m really, really learning a lot about myself.
More talk of uncovering things about herself.
It’s been like a really beautiful re-awakening.
Like waking from a 20 year dark night, perhaps?
How did you guys meet? I slid into those DMs.
This seems out of the blue to me.
My manager lives there and he like put the bug in my ear.
So HER MANAGER INITIATED the dating?!
He was like, you know this really cute
when you’re ready
it’s Chase
and I was like, you’re so right.
NOW I’ve seen the show.
Kelsea had not seen his show before writing to him…
but I just knew OF him.
I followed him and he followed me.
Purely online interaction that isn’t all that personal/romantic
we’re manifesting, baby
Basically we had been hanging out and people got a photo of us
Doesn’t sound very personal. They were in public together then a photo was published.
he was like, I mean, it’s going to keep going. So should I just like poke the bear.
He wanted to validate the rumor
and I was like sure.
Kelsea was also cool with the public knowing
the poking the bear was like a photo of me just like leaning in
Kelsea emphasizes the non-romantic nature of the photo
how long have you guys been together before that photo leaked
Another moment of hesitation and panic for Kelsea.
I mean, WE WEREN’T EVEN TOGETHER, like so relative, I know even really know…
Kelsea says they weren’t “together”
She also says she doesn’t know…
WE HAVE BEEN TALKING for since the beginning of December
It’s interesting that tour dates and promotion of the Heartfirst tour started in January.
I’m having fun. I’m having fun.
PARTNERSHIP
Idk if I believe in like the LEGALITY of it all
it should be a daily choice.
Yup, I’m implying Kelsea discovered she’s sapphic and left the marriage in part, to explore that side of herself.
I think Chase Stokes is a gay-buddy and bearding.
And I think Kelsea is dating a woman. IDK if it’s Fletcher, but they are sure playing up their thing.
Here’s another song in Kelsea’s catalog where I think she is talking about Taylor, and purposely inserting certain words, themes, and images to reference Taylor. You decide:
Legends
We were golden, we were fire, we were magic
Is Kelsea intentionally using key words from Taylor’s songs?
Taylor modifies how she sees love from passionate, burning red, to golden like daylight. She wants to step out of the woods into the warmth of daylight.
Deep blue, but you painted me golden
The fire is a spark, or a comforting light in the darkness. It’s both warming and dangerous (if not controlled). Taylor also sees fire in a negative light, as being outed, burning the room down. And fire turning to ashes is like a relationship that ends, enkindling both people.
It seems Kelsea is alluding to comforting and warming, as she Wedges “fire” between golden and magic.
Magic is Taylor’s realization of what attraction and love feel like (vs. comp-het). Magic is also the disappearing act her and her sapphic lover are able to pull off thanks to heteronormativity [best friends!].
Yeah and they all knew our names all over town
Taylor and Kelsea are both big names in Nashville.
They have both toured the world and topped the music charts.
Taylor’s description of Nashville:
To Taylor, Nashville has become limiting and artificial, entrapping her in a disingenuous image. Kelsea moved to Nashville as a teen because she had seen Taylor do it. Kelsea wanted to emulate Taylor’s career, and was excited to be in a place where it could happen. So many eager hopefuls travel to Nashville, seat of country music, to make it in the industry.
We had it made in the middle of the madness
A music star has a crazy schedule.
“Celebrity” could be a chaotic life.
Sapphic affairs might cause a stir.
Madness could be rebelling against social norms.
We were neon in a gray cloud
Taylor uses bright color to describe sapphic love (vs. the black and white of straight love):
Taylor is chronically sad and depressed (in part due to being closeted):
Both cheating and sapphic love put Taylor’s relationships in a gray area:
The clouds might signify Taylor pining for Karlie, or trying to get her back:
But Kelsea says they were colorful and gay in the midst of Taylor’s depression, in a confusing situation, and when Taylor’s head is still in the Kaylor clouds.
Yeah, we wrote our own story
They paved their own way because what other two (country) music stars are in a sapphic relationship?
They each literally wrote their story in their songs.
Full of blood sweat and heartbeats
Full of blood?
Is it talking about working toward careers: blood, sweat, and tears? But there were no tears, so the heartbeats are a reprieve from that? The heartbeats signal excitement and passion.
Or is it talking sexy time (pitter patter of the heart then getting sweaty) under a blood moon?
They might have had their affair during the month of a lunar eclipse.
Or the blood moon may signal an infrequent and intermittent affair (twice a year).
Additionally, it could be some October as the full moon that month is called Blood-Moon due to hunting season.
Can we use the moon to pin down the time frame the Taylor and Kelsea might have had a fling?
Months of blood moons:
Based on the Delicate cover and Taylor’s response to it:
and the towels pic:
I think their affair could have happened at least in 2018. March-May 2018 seems more than friends, possibly. Due to the on/off Kelsea’s discography alludes to it could have also been intermittent in years prior or after this too.
Counterfeit:
Taylor wants to resolve Kaylor, but she is anxiously waiting for things to align. While Taylor waits for the perfect timing with Karlie there’s a glitch and she gets with Kelsea.
Beating hearts/heartBEAT:
We didn’t do it for the fame or the glory
Kelsea is contrasting the very public Kaylor to KelSwift. Karlie and the models might have been hired as PR to eliminate the boy-crazy image Taylor hated. Taylor needed a best friend to take away mention of men. Karlie signed on to play the BFF to get more exposure and recognition to bolster her own career.
And Kaylor accidently fell in love.
But Kelsea and Taylor are not together for PR or careers. There was never money exchanged between the two.
They came together more organically.
But we went down in history
Yeah we were legends
That sounds a lot like a closeted sapphic relationship! There are rumors, but no pictures.
It also sounds a lot like the premise of the folklore album.
But notice Kelsea is talking in past tense.
Loving you baby it was Heaven
Another past tense line.
In Cruel Summer, Taylor describes her relationship with (I’m pretty sure) Karlie. The relationship is delicate and fragile for many reasons: Taylor feels conflicted because society taught her that sapphic love is sinful, and she brings up religious figures to show her concern. The relationship is also fickle because Kaylor started out friends with benefits, no strings attached, and Taylor and Karlie caught stronger feelings on antithetical timelines. Thirdly, the Kaylor relationship feels precarious because Karlie can’t commit fully–partially because she had a long-term boyfriend/beard.
During KelSwift, Taylor is still apprehensive about her sexuality, especially in a public forum. Now Taylor treats Kelsea like Karlie treated her at first. She doesn’t want to be serious, and is just looking for a fun fling. Kelsea, however, has strong feelings for Taylor, just like the strong feelings Taylor had/has for Karlie. Taylor has been on both sides of the equation between Kaylor (pining/wanting more) and KelSwift (distracted/non-committal).
What everyone wondered we’d never question/Close our eyes and took on the world together
This line is more strong evidence that this is a different (gay) type of relationship. Why would other people wonder about this couple? Why does the pair need to take on the world?
I think “take on the world” is also talking about their music careers. Kelsea and Taylor and both striving to get their music out to the world.
Do you remember?
We were crazy
Tragic and epic and so amazing
Interesting choice of words…
I’ll always wear the crown that you gave me
The crown. We talked about how Taylor has at least 3 songs that mention a crown specifically in the Homecoming Queen analysis.
Out of Kelsea, her husband, and Taylor who was the first to move to Nashville, and who got signed first?
Kelsea’s husband was signed after she had already been signed for a year.
We will always stay lost in forever
And they’ll remember
We were legends
Like we were written down in permanent marker
KelSwift leaves an indelible mark on Nashville and music. And the couple will always have good memories of their relationship. This line also might be a call back to an early Taylor Swift performance in Nashville:
Kelsea uses “permanent marker” possibly to contrast the word “paint” that Taylor often uses in her own songs. Paint can be RE-painted, or covered up easily. Permanent marker is more difficult to remove or modify.
Not even the brightest sun could ever fade
In Peace, Karlie tells Taylor she is sunshine/fire/friend, and would take away Taylor’s depression and die for her:
To Kelsea, sunshine is Karlie. She is saying even Karlie at her brightest, can’t take away the memories of KelSwift.
Come whichever hell or high water
Taylor thinks fiery hell would be getting outed in a gay relationship:
And the water is Taylor’s team putting out the fire with their damage control:
Kelsea is saying KelSwift could survive despite the closeting (for fear of fire/hell) and the PR damage control (water/flood) that also comes with bearding. Kelsea is also in the industry so she knows how important it is to be descreet. She even wrote a song about keeping secrets, If You Go Down (I’m Going Down Too). Kelsea is commenting that Taylor wouldn’t be outed with her. And Kelsea is saying she already knows the industry and the PR damage control doesn’t bother her.
It was always me and you either way
Hey we wrote our own story
Full of blood sweat and heartbeats
We didn’t do it for the fame or the glory
We just did it for you and me
And that’s why we were legends
I’m not the only one who noticed similarities between Kelsea and Taylor in this song. Unlike the hater that wrote the following article, I don’t think Kelsea is doing a cheap remake of Taylor’s work. I think Kelsea is intentionally referencing Taylor in order to furtively tell the audience who the subject of this song is–Taylor.
I know this song is probably about Kelsea, herself. But I found a lot of compelling call-backs to Taylor’s lyrics and life. I think lyrics can have a surface-level meaning, and a deeper, more hidden secondary interpretation. Given Kelsea’s lyrics and videos I also think Kelsea and Taylor were together in some capacity, so Kelsea might have written this song with Taylor in mind.
Hey homecoming queen
Before I get into my research I will tell a story about my high school’s homecoming queen:
My Senior year the school voted Stephanie (name changed to the most common female name in my school for privacy) as our Homecoming Queen. Stephanie had been on cheerleading all 4 years of high school, but she wasn’t the “typical” popular girl represented in movies. I hadn’t thought of her as the most popular girl in school either, though she hung out in the most popular group of girls in my high school. As a matter of fact when her and her sister moved to our small, rural town in seventh grade, everyone made fun of Stephanie (her sister was a grade below so I’m not sure what her experience had been). Stephanie was in my peripheral friend group in middle school and sat with us in English class. She seemed well-intentioned and considerate, but I never knew her very well, because she also seemed uncomfortable and shy. My small class had known each other since kindergarten so anyone new was an anomaly and outsider just because they had already missed so much. I’m sure she felt that. Also, the boys were dicks.
In high school everything changed for her. Stephanie was kind and unproblematic, so she was easy to like. We carpooled to cheerleading practice all summer, and our birthdays are only two days apart so we had that in common. She came to my sixteenth birthday party and was nice to everyone, but we were never the type of friends that told each other secrets or anything like that. I don’t think she got very close with too many people…
Though she was thin, she preferred to base stunts, showing her strength by lifting other girls high in the air. She was determined and practiced hard–she was not in cheerleading just to look cute or gain popularity-though she did both of those things too. Stephanie (and her sister) were the type of pretty that stood out in our year books. They were beautiful and probably could have even modeled if they had wanted to (and had the financial backing to do so). But Stephanie was not just gorgeous, at practice Stephanie was always strong and tough, and I think she had to be resilient outside of practice too. Stephanie’s parents were divorced but lived together for financial reasons. Once her dad came to cheerleading practice drunk and the vice principal had to tell him to leave. The sisters were devastated and embarrassed, but we never heard details or saw anything like that again. You would never know there were family issues or poverty or anything aside from that one small peek into their world. The sisters excelled at academics and participated in cheer, and were well-liked and never let on anything was wrong. Stephanie dated the star kicker on the football team long-term, and they both just seemed nice. I think she leaned on him for support and they were together a lot. Her mom asked him to buy her cigarettes because he was a bit older.
When Stephanie was crowned homecoming queen I was happy for her. I was glad a genuinely kindhearted person won the coveted title. And just to end this little story, based off of Facebook, I think her and her sister both have happy lives. Stephanie joined the Coast Guard (I told you she was gritty and fit!) for a bit and is now married and has at least one child. Her sister got married and looked very happy and may have children as well (IDK I deleted sketchy Facebook so now I don’t know anything about anybody anymore). To sum up, homecoming queens are pretty and popular, but I think they also have to be smart, involved in school, and personable. And they have problems just like the rest of us.
Taylor Swift was never a homecoming queen:
Taylor never got to experience many high school milestones because she was working on her career. Yet, Taylor’s career epitomizes what it is to be the homecoming queen. She is beautiful and popular. Also, Taylor’s celebrity is crafted on the every-girl image. She portrays herself as one of us, and has actually reached out to fans on a “personal” level. Taylor is smart and a role model. She told us in several songs about having the crown during her career.
Adjacent but related:
Part of me feels sorry that Taylor had to miss milestones that mark an (American) teenager’s life. The other part remembers her career has been so exciting, acclimatory, and lucrative that it’s difficult to quite see her as a tragic figure.
Anyway, I can see why Kelsea, an underclassman to Taylor in age and career, might see Taylor as emblematic of a homecoming queen.
Why do you lie/When somebody’s mean?
Common word or intentional call-back to Taylor’s song, Mean?
We know Taylor is afraid of criticism, and is fretful about her public image:
Taylor and Kelsea are 4 years apart in age.
For example in 2003, this legislation was passed:
Since Taylor was 14 years old, a teenager, this might have made an impact on her views of sexuality [socially unacceptable to be anything other than straight]. But Kelsea would have been in elementary school so this might not have even been on her radar. During Ellen DeGeneres’ coming out, and the backlash against her, Taylor would have been around 8 and Kelsea just a tot. Fred Phelps, of “God hates fags” died in 2014 when Taylor was around 24 years old and Kelsea was just getting signed as an artist. Kelsea wasn’t exposed to a lot of things Taylor saw and experienced just that short time earlier, which could explain the different mentalities about queerness. Kelsea sees coming out as something authentic and worth doing, while Taylor sees it as apocalyptic.
Kelsea asks Taylor why do you lie when somebody’s mean, and I think she’s talking about this exact situation. Why do you closet when someone questions your sexuality?
Where do you hide?
Taylor has been indoctrinated by parents, career authorities, and society to hide her sexuality. Tolerate It talks about feeling othered.
This man (her father? The studio execs?) covered up Taylor’s rough edges [barbed wire]. They hid the “bad” [queer] parts of her to make her more acceptable for public consumption.
I wonder if the clues she didn’t see might be Taylor thinking about the gaslighting in Tolerate it— ‘it’s all in your head.’ Taylor shows she has internalized these men’s attitudes somewhat. She wonders if maybe she is interested in boys and just didn’t realize it or notice the signs. She says the narrative would be prettier if there was an invisible string tying her to a fated male soulmate.
Cuttin’ me open could be a cold assessment of Taylor’s attributes and flaws. The mistakes are PR blunders, the demons are her desires to touch women. After these men in authority scrutinize her they “heal” her. But the result isn’t good or great, it’s just fine. The corrections they made to Taylor’s image were OK, fair, tolerable to Taylor the individual…
The men in authority assessed her, saw queerness and deemed it undesirable, and “corrected” it by pushing her into relationships with men [Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve and You’re on Your own now Kid?]. These beards covered up Taylor’s sexuality, but with sharp barbed wire, and bulky chains. It’s not comfortable for her as an individual to wear. And this respectable, passable narrative of being in relationships with guys, tied her to (Joe?)
Do people assume/You’re always alright?/Been so good at smiling/Most of your life/Look damn good in the dress/Zipping up the mess/Dancing with your best foot forward
Taylor hides her pain behind a smile and pretty dress. Her audience does not notice there is deception. The veneer wears on Taylor and she fakes it til she makes it until she can no longer distinguish what is forced upon her and what is her choice. The lines between what her team portrays about her as a brand, and who Taylor the person are get blurry. She’s faked it so long, that she’s made it, and it’s (her brand image) true(?).
This is another statement showing Taylor hides her authenticity to give the people what they want. They don’t notice something is amiss.
Does it get hard/To have to play the part?/Nobody’s feeling sorry for ya
Taylor tells her audience it’s a balancing act that she’s constantly attending to, and it’s not her natural state. But she would do anything, try everything, to keep her fans looking at her.
But what if I told you the world wouldn’t end/If you started showing what’s under your skin/What if you let ’em all in on the lie?/Even the homecoming queen cries
To Kelsea coming out doesn’t seem like a catastrophe. She suggests sharing inner struggles to show everybody has issues. But as Exile says, Taylor is reluctant to come out of the closet (directly):
Hey homecoming queen/How’s things at home?/Still walking on eggshells
I think this is a technique to talk about her own childhood house, her own father, and her own life with plausible deniability. Taylor can distance herself from these statements of an angry father causing her to cry and hide her sexuality by portraying that it’s a friend’s life. Taylor learns at an early age that her dad finds her sexuality problematic so she has to keep that portion of herself hidden.
This person is someone older, who causes Taylor to regress back to a child. The person is/was gone a lot, and she waits for them to return. She says the person is wise, and she seems to trust their take on things. Tolerate it tells us that Taylor’s dad thinks her queerness is a phase or that she’s mistaken. She says she accepts him despite his indiscretions (cheating on her mom?) yet he just tolerates her love.
Because Taylor has been coerced to hide her sexuality from a young age she leads a lonely adult life. Her Dad and the authority figures from the studio taught her their love for her is not unconditional (contrasted to her mom in Sweet Nothing). Their love and acceptance hinges on her success and profitability. They think this sapphic stuff is all in her head and she’s got it wrong so if they just throw her together with a guy so her career (and their money) won’t get blown up. Taylor knows her sexuality is innate, but has to walk on eggshells to appease these men. So she closets and beards to assuage them, until she fakes it til she makes it and it’s true. Now she closets and beards because she’s afraid not to.
When that curtain’s closed
Taylor has been indoctrinated that she can only love in private. When drama ramps up and Taylor feels comforted by another woman, she has to go inside and close the windows to love out of sight.
Again, Taylor’s parents and the studio executives taught her to keep “undesirable” things private, behind closed doors. Even though Taylor is heartbroken and hurting she is still inside with boarded up windows getting drunk alone. She has to depend on her lover to come back to her, instead of chasing the lover outside where others could see. Taylor has to have a lover that agrees to remain invisible.
Did your daddy teach you/How to act tough?
Taylor learned two things from this episode: Her father could be a ruthless defender of her career and money. And if you cross her father or are no longer useful to him, he’ll wrap you in chains and throw you away.
Even as a teen, Taylor knows to hide her sadness and weak emotions. She models her conflict resolution after her dad’s example– aggression.
Or more like your mama?/Sweep it under the rug
Taylor’s mom gave her a really good day. But her solution to Taylor being bullied was taking her shopping until she forgot their names. Andrea sweeps the central issue under the rug and distracts Taylor from her problems, instead of facing them head on.
Look damn good in the dress/Zipping up the mess/Dancing with your best foot forward
Taylor combined the coping strategies of both her parents: Stuff down sad emotions and get revenge (her dad’s influence) and look pretty and go dancing to distract yourself (her mom’s way).
Did you want the crown/Or does it weigh you down
When Taylor was young, she was excited to finally realize her dreams. She got off the sidelines and went to center stage, showing off her crown to the whole town.
During Reputation era, Taylor realized how difficult the crown was to hold on to. One mistake and it was taken away. She learned people are fickle and it’s difficult to have staying power in the cut-throat entertainment industry.
Taylor also figured out the crown was only given to one person, and that person needed to represent perfection. And she talks about the homophobes with their signs, knowing that her sexuality, if revealed, could get her crown taken away.
Nobody’s feeling sorry for ya
The media used You’re not Sorry against Taylor. They turned a break-up song into a woman always playing victim narrative. [Sidenote- I am only talking about song lyrics here, not any other quotes or actions in Taylor’s wider life]. If a man wrote this would it be weaponized against him?
The big names on this list tell us that men are not held to the same lyrical standards. Men can play the victim to cunning, or gold-digging women, be openly misogynistic, and it’s written off. It’s just one song. Boys will be boys. But women are scrutinized and judged more.
What if I told you the world wouldn’t end/If you started showing what’s under your skin?/What if you let ’em all in on the lie?/Even the homecoming queen cries
Kelsea tries to convey that times have changed, and coming out is no longer career ending. But Taylor knows love is conditional. She has been programmed to hide anything negative in order to preserve her fame.
The Archer substantiates that Taylor has struggled with her sexuality long-term, and she closets to cope. “The room is on fire, invisible smoke” is talking about that struggle. The fire is the worst outcome–It’s getting burned by coming out or worse, being outed.
The kiss in a crowded room was an important, life-changing event. But it’s not the only event where Taylor was nearly or partially outed (a fire) and she panicked and shut it down to salvage her image and career. Taylor spirals into the anxious thought that her sexuality will accelerate her losing everyone and everything
Yeah, what if I told you the sky wouldn’t fall?/If you lost your composure, said to hell with it all
Kelsea thinks Taylor’s fears are a bit dramatic. She articulates the ridiculousness of the notion that the world would fall apart if Taylor was truthful in public. Kelsea believes it would be relatable for Taylor to show her more authentic self. But Taylor isn’t just embellishing her fears to convey a more dramatic story. She actually has deep-rooted panic about what would happen if she was publicly sapphic.
Not everything pretty sparkles and shines
It’s a call back to Our Song, one of Taylor’s first songs. Kelsea is also pointing out their different perspectives. Kelsea says some pretty things aren’t sparkly, shiny, and flawless. There is beauty in the imperfection. Taylor was reared on idealized love fairytales and purity. She knows to hide undesirable things away.
And even the homecoming queen cries/Oh yeah/Even the homecoming queen cries/Hey homecoming queen/Why do you lie?
Taylor lies and then cries because she has internalized the lessons from her parents and the (country) music industry. Renegade broaches the subject of Taylor’s internal homophobia. She fires off arrows and missiles because she hates her inherent queerness. Taylor’s attitudes damage herself and those in close proximity to her. The lover that sings this song says Taylor has come a long way, but gets weak and reverts to the negative thinking and closeting whenever she faces a perceived threat. The lover questions if Taylor’s extreme reluctance to open the blinds (come out) is due to anxiety or if she just doesn’t actually want a life with this person? Something is stopping Taylor from giving her lover the family she craves, and Taylor’s baggage is negatively impacting the lover’s mindset too. This girlfriend has no place carved out in Taylor’s life, but persists despite the invisibility. She begs Taylor to get her shit together so she can love her. But Taylor only squeezes the lover’s hand when the lover is about to leave.
When somebody’s mean/Where do you hide?
And to finish off the song I give you the most obvious tie-in from Kelsea’s “where do you hide” choice of wording to I Know Places, a song about the panic of being outed. Taylor’s instinct is not to come out, but to take her girlfriend and hide from curious onlookers and intrusive questions.
We finished the end of Dancing with our Hands Tied! Parts A-T if you missed it. Do you agree that Taylor is agonizing over an event that almost outed her? And she is regretful that she choose the closet over her lover? With that foundation, let’s look at Question…:
Here’s the lyrics as written so you can get a sense of the story Taylor is telling:
Can I ask you a question?
Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room
And every single one of your friends was
Making fun of you
But fifteen seconds later they were clapping too?
Then what did you do?
Did you leave her house in the middle of the night?
Did you wish you put up more of a fight?
When she said it was too much?
Do you wish you could still touch …her?
It’s just a question
Now I’ll try to analyze them line by line, using what we learned from Dancing with our Hands Tied plus the consensus of word meanings gleaned from other songs in the catalog:
Can I ask you a question?
To me, it seems like both Dancing with our Hands Tied and Question… Are less about one event or person, and more about Taylor’s overall mentality and what that leads to. Taylor is acknowledging that her gay-panic and straight-washing sucks. BUT this song (we’re back at Question…) is a justification of her actions.
She is asking the listener (her ex-girlfriends, fans, critics, etc…) to empathize with her very specific situation. In these lyrics, Taylor is calling for us to stand in her shoes (on your tiptoes) and see why she does these seemingly callous things repeatedly. Question… is a song about Taylor’s phobia of being unabashedly queer and her habitual dread of being outed.
As I said, I think this applies to every one of Taylor’s sapphic relationships. For ease of writing and for specificity, I’ll use the muse I’m most familiar with, the most recent known girlfriend, Karlie.
Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room
The first question Taylor asks (exes, fans, critics) is did you ever find yourself in a situation where you were doing a controversial action in front of everybody?
Not sticking up for your (sapphic) love out of fear of social rejection is a common theme in so many of Taylor’s songs because it’s the primary problem in Taylor’s real life (Question… [Part 14]). Her actions and inactions cause her partner to be relegated to the back of the closet. And all the hiding and secrets and lies hurts their love. Which is why in Betty, Taylor wants to rectify the situation by publicly kissing Betty/this woman she loves (Question… [Part 17]).
And every single one of your friends was
Making fun of you
Taylor adds details to her first question. She wants to know if you’ve done something controversial AND if everyone was disdainful towards you about it?
Taylor wants us to know that, yes, she acted ugly as a result of each of these public events that revealed her true nature. Cruel Summer shows Taylor’s hidden feelings:
Cruel Summer
She hated all the secrets. She snuck around for love despite the dangerous consequences. And it made her sad that her love wasn’t celebrated. But she had to. Because everyone was judging her harshly, ready to out her to the world.
But fifteen seconds later they were clapping too?
Then what did you do?
Taylor wants to know what the listener would have done when the rules changed. She says, turns out, you adjusted in order to tame the controversy, but society evolved. Instead of jeering this formerly controversial pairing, the majority were cheering. But what if you (her ex, the fans, any critics) were still locked in cages of maintaining your status quo? How would you handle the situation then?
She asks the listeners what they would do in that very specific situation. Knowing it’s impossible to handle smoothly, Taylor then implies that nobody can judge her harshly for her reactions and behavior. She says anyone would act just as cagey under her circumstances.
The specific event of Kissgate hurt Kaylor because Taylor defaulted to brand damage control instead of just coming out. Taylor, the individual, long ago lost her autonomy to Taylor Swift, the brand. All the anxiety about negative societal reactions kills the sapphic partnership. And when time passes and the general public is more accepting of queerness, Taylor was already locked into her marketed image. She has to remain super-straight, or her fans will know she lied a lot of times. They will feel betrayed by their friend. The half moon eyes in Question… are the combination of these anxieties constantly tugging Taylor and any sapphic lover apart.
Taylor talks to a few different subjects in the next lines. Taylor is asking herself these questions. She’s asking her girlfriend if any of these outcomes would have changed if either of them had taken different actions. And she asks the listener to empathize.
Did you leave your secret love in the middle of the night? In that situation, do you think you could put up more of a fight? And what about if your girlfriend was also anxious about it? Would you press her to continue? Taylor is saying she had all bad choices here, and anyone would have finished with the same bad outcome as she did.
Did you leave her house in the middle of the night?
According to her catalog, it’s Taylor who blew things out of proportion, and it was Taylor who burned the relationship down. It’s Taylor who pushes Karlie (any girlfriend applies) to run, and to take the last train. It’s Taylor who jumps off the train and rides off alone.
Did you wish you put up more of a fight?
Taylor is asking this question to herself and her exes. She’s also showing her listeners how difficult it was to even do the little pushing back she did. She was marketed not only as boy-crazy, but as everyone’s personal friend, so the news would cause a stir.
The Taylor Swift brand is huge. There is a lot of money and power behind it. Look at one example of a business move that conveys the incredible power of TSTM:
Taylor (as face of the brand) had spoken and a Fortune 500 company immediately complied. In this damage-control situation, after trying and faltering against all that brand-leverage, Taylor asks how would YOU proceed?
Coming out as any kind of gay would cause backlash, and the employees of TSTM might be subjected to hardship. There is strong motivation to put out fires on behalf of the brand. Their damage control is quick and decisive. The water of them putting out this fire became a flood that engulfed and overwhelmed everything. In Clean, Taylor said she screamed so loud when all this water filled her lungs. This damage control negatively impacts her despite being the face of the brand.
Remembering how the butterflies crumble to dust and Taylor is unhappy and alone in the closet, she had momentary bravery and pushed back against her team’s damage control. Part of Taylor wants to choose authentic love, and the woman. So she started fighting for her (real) relationship, arguing with her team about downplaying the event that outed her. She protested against going back into the closet, and tried to stop the torrent, “…but no one heard a thing.”
Nobody on Taylor’s team listened to Taylor [remember her crying at the table in Miss Americana?] and she submitted, “Hung my head as I lost the war.” The war is Taylor’s conflict with her sexuality (this is bigger than her team). She momentarily wanted to come out, but TSTM executives thought it would be bad for the brand. It was just enough friction to trigger the conflict within herself. As much as Taylor wants to come out and be free to love her soulmate, her fears of losing everything are stronger. “So I punched a hole in the roof, Let the flood carry away all my pictures of you.” Taylor’s fear took over in the end. Clearing the air, she breathed in the smoke, and helped with the cover-up at the expense of her sapphic love.
When she said it was too much?
Here Taylor is telling the listener that the split wasn’t just one-sided. The partner felt exhausted by the complications and couldn’t deal with it anymore.
She is asking the listeners/critics what you would do if you lived through this complicated event, and had to deal with the pressure of a whole brand.
Furthermore, what if the girl you were trying to fight for had a lot of doubts? The girlfriend wasn’t sure that she even wanted to go through more just to make things work–what would you have done? Taylor is making it evident that she (as individual vs. brand) didn’t have a lot of pull in the matter. And even if she did, her girlfriend was beaten down by the experience and ready to leave.
Again, the music belies Taylor’s internal struggle. In Death by a Thousand cuts, Taylor tells how heartbroken she was with the final result:
Do you wish you could still touch …her?
Taylor’s last question shows that she wishes it wasn’t this way. She still covets the touch of her lover. Despite her impossible situation, and inability to rectify it in a satisfying way (for all parties involved) Taylor says she truly loved the girl.
Taylor’s most important relationships couldn’t overcome so many stumbling blocks despite both loving each other (Question… [Part 10]). There is internal homophobia, career pressures, political considerations, bearding complications, on and on. How many struggles can one relationship survive?
When Taylor’s default action is covering up her queerness, it causes her to suppress her secret relationship as well. Karlie politely lived with being stifled, her love tamped down (Question… [Part 10]). But eventually left the smothering deprivation of the closet. Karlie “married” the guy or more suitably–commissioned her new heteronormative life (Question… [Part 9]).
The break-up kills Taylor. And Karlie is dead to Taylor now that she has a child and a (diabolical) husband. Both Taylor and Karlie (this could apply to any and all of Taylor’s sapphic lovers) are dead inside, cold lifeless hands reaching out grieving for the living (“do you wish you could still touch her?”). Yet, Taylor still prioritizes building a legacy despite repeatedly losing the lover because of it (Question… [Part 11]). It’s a pattern she’s repeated over and over.
It’s just a question
This is a cheeky ending where Taylor feels like the listener agreed with her logic. She wanted us to know the details of her situation so we could see how she couldn’t do things any other way. And now that we’ve seen her side of things, she knows we’re on the same page as her. She was entombed in a lot of ways and that justified her behavior. It’s the same as Dancing with our Hands Tied: Taylor is broken because her sapphic relationship ended. She’s regretful and wished things would have been different. But she reminds herself, her ex, and her audience in the song how her unique circumstances are to blame. And she ends both songs saying I regret this, but… Taylor has rationalized all her choices which have led to these disheartening outcomes.
Taylor will remain shrouded in the lavender haze because she has more challenging circumstances than many. But she’s still going to be sad, and share her feelings about it in song.
I decided to not do a huge long write up and just let the work speak for itself. I think Kelsea is purposefully referencing Taylor’s work. Not to get clout, but because they had some kind of fling. My best guess based on Kelsea’s lyrics is sometime between 2017 and 2020. And it was an off and on situation.
Met him at a party, accidentally brushed his body
This is the only male pronoun in the song.
The rest is you, we, and baby.
On the way to get a drink at the bar
I couldn’t wait ’til later, talking in the elevator
Then we’re kissing in the back of the car
We know that Taylor often sings about two people: He and YOU. You, being a woman she’s secretly dating.
Is Kelsea doing the same thing here?
That voice in my head says to slow down
But it can’t see the way you’re looking at me right now
It may not be next week, what I need
Then again, maybe it might be
Could be forever or we might break
That’s just the kind of risk that we take
My head is yelling that I could get hurt
But I’m gonna jump right in
Baby, with my heart first
I gotta have ya, gotta see if this works
I gotta have ya, wake up in your t-shirt
Kelsea’s shirt says “He was sunshine I was Midnight rain”
and I don’t know if she just woke up, but the eye mask seems like a first thing in the day type of thing…
Who knows what’ll happen, ain’t that always kinda magic
When you don’t know who’s holding the cards
Could be a wish I never knew ya or permanently tattoo ya
Kelsea has at least 3 tattoos: One with lyrics from Amazing Grace the first song she learned and her first solo.
The second is taken from a letter from her parents after her first single came out with “love” in each of their hand writing.
The 3rd is for the song Square Pegs:
Only the moon knows what’s in the stars (what’s in the stars)
Mm, that voice in my head says to slow down
But it can’t feel your hands on my hips right now
It may not be next year, what I need
Then again, maybe it might be
Could be forever or we might break
That’s just the kind of risk that we take
My head is yelling that I could get hurt
But I’m gonna jump right in
Baby, with my heart first
I gotta have ya, gotta see if this works
(I gotta have ya)
I gotta have ya, wake up in your t-shirt
I gotta have ya, diving in heart first
(Heart first)
I gotta have ya
Ooh, I gotta have ya
Taylor’s song 22 ends with that phrase repeated twice.
And also include
And I can’t even stop myself anymore
(Ooh, I gotta have ya)
Oh, we couldn’t end the perfect night outside my front door
Could be forever or we might break
That’s just the kind of risk that we take
My head is yelling that I could get hurt
But I’m gonna jump right in
Baby, with my heart first
I gotta have ya, gotta see if this works
(I gotta have ya)
I gotta have ya, wake up in your t-shirt
(Wake up in your t-shirt, yeah)
Pairing the 22 lyrics with wake up in your shirt ties it to Taylor Swift.
I gotta have ya, diving in heart first
(Diving in heart first)
I gotta have ya
Yeah, I gotta have ya
She ends the song the exact same way Tayor ended 22!
Maybe that’s not strong enough to convince you.
But look at Kelsea’s music video.
The commonalities with Taylor’s imagery seems intentional.
Heartfirst Video
Sunglasses and earrings:
Traveling downward in a rainbow sky:
Clouds and rainbow in the sky:
Pastel tie dye shirt:
Sparkle eye:
I mean, Kelsea can’t do a full heart, that would be really obvious.
Groom knocked over:
Sitting on the ground in a desert with a big cat:
Tulle, layered, blue dress:
(these tulle and layered and blue dresses are all worn in the Me! video)
Sneakers under dress:
Falling from clouds:
Rainbow on buildings:
Are you convinced? Because I am!
Logistical Info:
Remember we’re looking at words in the lyrics of Question… to try to decipher who and what and when.
We’ve almost gone through the entire song, pulling lyrics containing the same words to get a sort of consensus or feeling about Taylor’s intention.
Now that we’re toward the end of Question… lyrics, we need to address the central part of the song: Kiss in a crowded room. And the kiss really brings to mind Dancing with our Hands Tied and maybe Kissgate.
We will analyze Dancing with our Hands Tied to see if it parallels Question….
Except this particular line within Dancing with our Hands Tied got a bit long because I really don’t know for sure and there was no solid direction to take the analysis. I will go into it in detail in this post so the guesses don’t overwhelm the analysis of the song as a whole.
And I’ll spell out my conclusions from this post in the full analysis of Dancing with our Hands Tied. But that post was getting very long and I was afraid nobody would read it. So to make things even more confusing each line in DWOHT is going to be its OWN post. But then I’ll do a main DWOHT post with just links to each different post. It’s a whole big thing.
Then we’ll get back to the end of Question…
Was that explanation as confusing as trying to guess who Taylor’s songs are about?
I’m a mess, but I’m the mess that you wanted
This lyric is Taylor reminding her sapphic lover that they knowingly signed up for this. Taylor is saying she comes with a lot of baggage: Internal homophobia, anxiety, brand-pressures, media scrutiny, etc… Taylor’s feminine loves know the deal before they enter a situationship with her. They know there will be bearding and closeting. Everyone knows sapphic love with an A+ list celebrity is delicate, possibly short-lived.
Karlie came into Taylor’s life at a low point and offered emotional and physical love, gaining Taylor’s trust. There was mutual adoration and devotion for every part of the other–in private. All the sadness, all the drama of 2016, was rectified and regaled to the background by the intense romance these two shared. The stars in Cardigan symbolize positivity, warmth, and love. The scars are still there, but those positive feelings were able to supersede the pain (Question… [Part 15]).
Oh, ’cause it’s gravity
Oh, keeping you with me
Comparing this love to gravity reminds me of “All we are is skin and bone” in Treacherous. Taylor is saying this love is natural and inescapable. Just like the body systems that comprise us as humans lead to innate physiological outcomes (Question… [Part 13]). Taylor has desire and passion for this love interest that is beyond her control, even if she’s afraid of it.
The use of “gravity” in the song is also like, This Love, which describes the tides dictating if the love interest is here or gone. The word “swept” is an example of a force, like this love affair, that is stronger than individual choices (Question… [Part 13]). In the same way gravity is non-negotiable physics.
There is an unseen exertion on these two women and they are pulled together (whether or not that works for them). This woman makes Taylor feel like she’s coming undone because she has this strong attraction, but knows it will cause her trouble. Their love is forbidden and dangerous (Question… [Part 15]). No matter how much strife their love causes in each of their lives, the force cannot be avoided.
Logistical Info:
Remember we’re looking at words in the lyrics of Question… to try to decipher who and what and when.
We’ve almost gone through the entire song, pulling lyrics containing the same words to get a sort of consensus or feeling about Taylor’s intention.
Now that we’re toward the end of Question… lyrics, we need to address the central part of the song: Kiss in a crowded room. And the kiss really brings to mind Dancing with our Hands Tied and maybe Kissgate.
We will analyze Dancing with our Hands Tied to see if it parallels Question….
Except this particular line within Dancing with our Hands Tied got a bit long because I really don’t know for sure and there was no solid direction to take the analysis. I will go into it in detail in this post so the guesses don’t overwhelm the analysis of the song as a whole.
And I’ll spell out my conclusions from this post in the full analysis of Dancing with our Hands Tied. But that post was getting very long and I was afraid nobody would read it. So to make things even more confusing each line in DWOHT is going to be its OWN post. But then I’ll do a main DWOHT post with just links to each different post. It’s a whole big thing.
Then we’ll get back to the end of Question…
Was that explanation as confusing as trying to guess who Taylor’s songs are about?
I, I loved you in secret
In public, Taylor and her lover are magicians and illusionists, hiding their truth in plain sight. And when they are alone there is sex and bliss (Question… [Part 9]). Secret moments in a crowd convey the closeted aspect of the relationship. These two are in plain sight, but protected in a magical cloak of friendship thanks to heteronormativity (Question… [Part 4]). Taylor says this couple are starting on a fresh page and writing as they go in Cornelia Street (Question… [Part 16]). There is no precedent for this new type of relationship. Even without a gameplan, this love is making Taylor drunk with happiness and a type of enthrallment she’s never felt before. It’s stronger than anything they order at the bar.
But Taylor’s back is against the wall. In order to maintain Taylor’s public image–these lovers have to walk on breaking branches to keep their true love a secret. Each of them must beard and tell the rich people what they want to hear. Still, neither person can let go of this love–Taylor especially is a hostage to her feelings (Question… [Part 9]).
I don’t like this song. I think it’s boring, and not really a duet or feature. I’m less trying to analyze this in a serious way and more of a playful trying to connect dots. I saw a SwiftGron analysis and thought it was quite plausible, but I don’t know anything about that period of time, so if I tried to find connections it would really be just copying someone else’s work. Also, I wanted to include Kelsea Ballerini, because I do think her album is all about Taylor.
I think the gist of this song is Taylor becoming infatuated with Karlie. The weirdness is a different kind of love. The weirdness is public homophobia. The silent snow is the private, closeted nature of the relationship. It’s not the first time Taylor had a private, closeted relationship. I don’t think (because I don’t have the foundational knowledge) Taylor is directly referencing Dianna and Swiftgron in these lyrics, but Taylor’s WLW relationship behavior comes into play. Being closeted and famous is hard on a relationship and both Swiftgron (I think?) and Kaylor were full of extenuating circumstances and external forces making things difficult. Both relationships were on and off. And there might have been some overlap between Swiftgron and Kaylor. Enter Kelsea Ballerini. I also don’t think Taylor is intentionally mentioning KelSwift in this song, but this song also has parallels to Kelsea’s album. Kelsea is commenting on this type of situation, and the lyrics of her songs fit very well in the Kaylor rebound (or cheating?) situation. Alas, I was unable to tie Zoe Kravitz to the song even though I think her and Taylor have something going possibly currently or during quarantine at least…
One night a few moons ago
I saw flecks of what could’ve been lights
But it might have just been you
Passing by unbeknownst to me
This line reminds me of Taylor’s song,
Long Story Short
Dianna’s Tumblr was:
It also reminds me of
Question…
Life is emotionally abusive
And time can’t stop me quite like you did
Like you did—it’s in past tense. So this part of the song is not talking about a current love.
And my flight was awful, thanks for asking
Does it place this song timeline around Snake-gate (2016)?
My first thought regarding this line is the end of the LWYMMD video showing all the different eras/reputation song Taylors. One of the Taylors cuts the wing of the plane to show a possible scrapped album (Karma?) and graffitis “Reputation” on the side. The controversy caused a change in album eras from hippy to dark.
Or is it bringing up the new private jet controversy?
Or is Taylor just referring to someone who does ask about her day, and invest in her feelings (she flies a lot)?
Unlike the subject of Lavender Haze (Joe?):
I’m unglued, thanks to you
Kissgate Damage Control:
Very hurtful, Taylor.
Question…
And it’s like snow at the beach
Weird but fucking beautiful
Taylor does a special behind the music for two songs only, and one of them was Lavender Haze, a very gay-sounding title, given the LGBT communities history, ties, and affiliations to that color.
Of course the Hetlors took that and ran with homophobia. Because of course a vague “weird” means stigma over gayness, amIright?
In this particular instance the “weird rumors” in Lavender Haze are the 1950s shit. Marriage/pregnancy, etc… But is she playing with the assumptions of Hetlers in this song by saying what they thought (in this situation and every situation, honestly) was “weird” aka gay stuff, is the love she considers beautiful?
Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful
You wanting me tonight feels impossible
But it’s coming down, no sound, it’s all around
Coming down can also be negative. The relationship is coming down because of external forces. Alluded to in
Question…
Being nearly outed causes Kaylor to go into damage control and eventually go dark altogether. Which causes many problems for Taylor and Karlie. It’s stressful, and a lot of the issues are external, not really malicious between them (The Great War). Yet, it’s too much pressure and I suspect they break up several times based on Death by a Thousand Cuts and many other songs. Somewhere in the Kaylor on and off relationship, I Taylor could have had a thing with Kelsea.
Listening to Kelsea’s album, it’s certain Kelsea, at least, loves(d) Taylor.
Looking back at Taylor’s past I think it’s reasonable to think that Kelsea could have been a rebound to one of the break ups, if not the final Kaylor break up. Because closeting causes relationship stress. And Taylor did that before. I think. Did Dianna and Taylor also have an on and off relationship? I missed all of Swiftgron so I don’t know as much about it. But Style addresses this:
So it’s plausible it could happen again.
Kelsea’s I Guess They Call it Fallin’
PEDESTAL?
How common of a word is this?
But here it is in a Taylor song.
Long Story Short
and I think that song is referencing this TS song–
Wonderland
Strangers watching, gossip, gay rumors may have had a hand in making that relationship go south. The closeting killing love is a repetitive theme in Taylor’s love life.
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow, oh, oh oh
This scene feels like what I once saw on a screen
I searched aurora borealis green
This is the part that convinced me most about someone else’s Dianna theory. The cold beach vacation where Northern Lights can be seen? And Dianna having green eyes. It’s pretty on the nose. But here’s what I found in my own research:
Karlie is a spokesperson for Swarovski. Who, like developed the Aurora Borealis effect in crystals.
I’ve never seen someone lit from within
Blurring out my periphery
Taylor can only see this person. Everything else is blurred. This person made her lose all perspective and her entire focus is on them.
My smile is like I won a contest
Here’s a song talking about winning a prize. I think “winning” Karlie over Jo$h is what Willow is talking about.
Willow
And to hide that would be so dishonest
This line gets into the meat of the Kaylor external problems and primary conflict:
I Know Places
Gay Panic. Taylor wants to keep the WLW private. She wants to remain safely within the kingdom of her bedroom with her private lover.
Taylor says she is too afraid and goes into gay panic damage control mode if the rumors get too loud.
Peace
I think the first verse of Peace is Taylor saying she’ll always stay afraid, in the closet and the remaining verses of the song are Karlie assuring Taylor it will be fine. Karlie says she loves Taylor for real. And they’ve always glass-closeted and it’s been OK so far.
Renegade
To me, this song seems like Taylor’s idea of what Karlie wants to tell her (“Karlie” talking):
I guess Karlie got tired of waiting and decided Taylor’s fear of living out in the open with her was more of a ‘do you just not want to’ situation. She went back to her beard and had a baby.
Exile
Taylor says she is in agony remaining in the closet, but seeing Karlie have a public boyfriend (he’s a beard). Karlie tells Taylor, just come out we were always walking right on the edge of public/private love. Taylor knows how the movie ends and is still fearful about being openly WLW. Karlie says she can’t come out for Taylor, she can’t spend any more time commiserating the imperfect circumstances, Karlie has no more tears for this situation. Now Taylor now has to live with seeing Karlie in a public relationship with a family. And Taylor says she’ll come out. But only the side door = Lavender Haze.
Back to this song:
And it’s fine to fake it ’til you make it
‘Til you do, ’til it’s true
Taylor signals about WLW. She inserts gay lyrics and double-meanings. She’s softly coming out, little by little. Coming out the side door, faking it til she can actually do it.
Also, the fake it part could be Taylor trying her best to move on from Kaylor. She doesn’t want to be blue and stuck at the restaurant. So she tries to feel something with other women. Kelsea says she’s at least one of these women:
Fletcher’s remix of Better Version, feat Kelsea Ballerini
See my other post about this verse, and how I ruled out Morgan Evans as the subject, and ruled in Taylor. I mean fuck HER is not about Morgan, right? I guess Kelsea could also play the pronoun game, but in a Fletcher (out as some part of the LGBTQ community) song?!
Now it’s like snow at the beach
Weird but fucking beautiful
Here’s a couple of Kelsea songs with the same type of vibe of Snow on the Beach. It seems like Kelsea and Taylor might have had a stargazing date or something like that.
Kelsea’s Love is a Cowboy
Kelsea I Guess They Call it Fallin’
Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful
Kelsea’s Marilyn:
Kelsea brings up the main problem: Taylor choses fame over her own authenticity. She is a celebrity that everyone knows, yet goes to a house, not a home, alone. It’s personally unfulfilling hiding your sexuality and true loves as the trade-off for legend-status.
You wanting me tonight feels impossible
But it’s coming down, no sound, it’s all around
Kelsesa’s I Guess They Call it Fallin’
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow, oh, oh oh
I can’t speak afraid to jinx it
I don’t even dare to wish it
But your eyes are flying saucers from another planet
Kelsea’s Universe:
Now I’m All For You like Janet
I think it’s nice to reference other important artists in your work. That said, this line is very jarring and fights with the tone of the rest of the song. I find it to stick out like a sore thumb, be forced, and out of place. I’m not sure if this was part of Lana’s contribution, but I’ll reach anyway to try to put it into some context (I’d like to throw it out). I couldn’t find any commonality between Janet and Karlie. Or Zoe Kravitz (who I would love to find some sort of lyrical evidence on because I think this is a real thing too). I found a teeny thing relating to Kelsea, but don’t scratch my eyes out about it–it’s the best I could do with this one…
Kelsea is divorced now. Possibly because she discovered her sexuality through a love or fling with a woman.
Can this be a real thing? Can it?
Are we falling like snow at the beach?
The snow coming down and all the fallin’s fit together. It does seem like two perspectives talking about the same moment.
Kelsesa’s I Guess They Call it Fallin’
Weird but fucking beautiful
Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful
Kelsesa’s I Guess They Call it Fallin’
Kelsea doesn’t like being played with. She felt all these strong feelings and real emotions, but the other person let her down. They are living in a dream world, not reality.
You wanting me tonight feels impossible
But it’s coming down, no sound, it’s all around
Like snow on the beach (snow on the beach)
Like snow on the beach (are we in a dream?)
Like snow on the beach (you want me)
Like snow (like snow)
But it’s coming down, no sound, it’s all around
I think the repetitive ending is very similar to the end of Kelsesa’s song.
Kelsesa’s I Guess They Call it Fallin’
Like snow on the beach (it’s coming down, it’s coming down)
(It’s coming down, it’s coming down)
Like snow on the beach
(It’s coming down, it’s coming down, it’s coming down, it’s coming down)
(It’s coming down, it’s coming down, it’s coming down, it’s coming down)
(Coming down, it’s coming down, it’s coming down, it’s coming down)
Taylor loved Karlie. The closeting was too much. Kaylor was unsustainable. Karlie moved on and Taylor was still at the restaurant, hair pinned up. Taylor may have tried to soothe her broken heart, and/or move on by seeing Kelsea. But the KelSwift relationship is just another let down. Kelsea Taylor simply can’t let go of Kaylor and that makes her unable to be open to new love right now. Kelsea, made discoveries about herself partially as a result of this fling/hook-up/dating?
And now she’s hurt too.
Fletcher Better Version (Remix)
[Verse 2: Kelsea Ballerini, Kelsea Ballerini & FLETCHER]
I was there on the side of your stages
I grew up for our difference in ages
Never thought we were subject to changes, yeah
And I did my best to fix it
‘Til death ’cause then I meant it
Your next girl is gonna get you reinvented and not pretendin’
“‘Til death cause I meant it” is a red herring or double-meaning or 2nd person being addressed–whichever you like.
This post will say why:
[side-note: I have whole other posts planned on why Taylor might be “Becky” and a double meaning for that song could be addressing Kelsea’s dalliance (and Fletcher’s thirst) for Taylor. Also, we need to talk about Snow on the Beach in its entirety.]
Pertinent Taylor lyrics:
Happiness. Interestingly has parts in the same vein as this song of Fletcher’s about growing from a relationship, and the next person getting the benefit of those lessons.
“I haven’t met the new me yet”
Your next girl is gonna get you reinvented
Snow on the Beach. We will talk about this song, but in it’s own post or this very long post will be too, too long. But the line that comes into play against Kelsea’s verse in Fletcher’s remix:
“Fake it til you make it”
and not pretendin’
Let’s talk about the timeline referenced in Kelsea’s verse. The beside stages different ages part:
Ages and Years the Players Moved to TN/Nashville and got signed:
Kelsea
Kelsea’s Ex-husband
Suspected dalliance and Kelsea’s recent song-muse
To sum up birthdays and age differences:
Morgan Evans’ b-day is 4/25/85 (8yr difference from Kelesa)
Taylor’s b-day is 12/13/1989 (4yr difference from Kelsea)
Kelsea’s b-day is 9/12/93
Let’s talk about proximity since beside stages puts Kelsea close to the song’s subject:
Moved closer to Nashville and got a foot in the door of the industry:
Taylor was first of these 3, getting there in 2002 at age 13-
Taylor gets signed at a younger age and earlier year than the other two, 17 in 2006-
Morgan got a toe into Nashville in 2007. He lived in Australia, so it took longer for him to break into TN-
Morgan was born in Australia and lived there until 2015-
Morgan gets signed last of these 3 in 2017-
Kelsea moved to Nashville in 2008, after Taylor was there, but before Morgan moved to the U.S.-
When they got to TN, how old they were compared to Kelsea’s age:
Taylor came to Nashville as a songwriter in 2004 at age 14 (Kelsea was 11)
Morgan flew to Nashville (from Australia where he lived) to record a single in 2007 at age 22 (Kelsea was 14)
Kelsea moved to Nashville to write songs in 2008 at age 15.
Morgan didn’t move to the U.S./Nashville until 2015 at age 30 (Kelsea was 22)
In the verse, Kelsea is figuratively and literally looking up to the person on the stage. She is younger than them and they are more established in the industry than she is in the timeline of the verse.
Age of getting signed:
Taylor got signed in 2006 at age 17 (Kelsea was 13)
Kelsea was signed in 2012 at age 19.
Morgan was signed in 2017 at age 32. (Kelsea was 24 and had already been signed for 5 years)
So the verse already doesn’t really work with Morgan. He’s actually getting fame in another country when Kelsea is not yet in the business. Then, when he does break into Nashville, it’s after Kelsea.
When did Kelsea meet them:
Kelsea (who had been signed for 4 years already) met Morgan (who would be signed the next year) for the first time when she flew to Morgan’s country, Australia in 2016
She was 23 when they met (hardly “growing up”).
Was Kelsea beside Morgan’s stages? It looks like she was in TN and he was in… Australia.
So we established Kelsea was in the U.S., not Australia. She got signed prior to Morgan. They did not meet until she was 23, when he was yet unsigned, and she had already been signed for 4 years.
I was there on the side of your stages
I grew up for our difference in ages
These lines are vague enough that they don’t say exact ages/years/people. But I interpret the sentiment of those lines as Kelsea looked up to this older, more established and famous person when she was young. Then she grew into a more personal relationship with that person.
Enter Taylor Swift.
Kelsea “met” Taylor (as a fan) in 2008. Taylor was 19 and Kelsea was 15.
Taylor mentions Kelsea’s song in a Tweet in 2015. Taylor was 26 and Kelsea was 22.
That same year (2015)
KELSEA BALLERINI PERFORMS WITH TAYLOR SWIFT IN NASHVILLE OVER THE WEEKEND
By Samantha Dawn Mutschler / September 29, 2015
Taylor Swift performed in Nashville as a part of her 1989 Tour this past weekend and she brought out a very special guest. Kelsea Ballerini performed her number 1 song “Love Me Like You Mean It” with Swift for thousands of screaming fans. It was a huge moment for women in Country music with both women performing the first debut song from a woman to hit number 1 in 9 years!
Ballerini continues to wow audiences of all ages with her music, recently being named one of People’s “One’s to Watch”. It was a special moment for her, stating on her instagram:
Ballerini met Swift about 8 years ago at a meet and greet at one of Swift’s concerts, as time has flown by the success of both of these women have blossomed.
In 2017 Kelsea crossed over from fan to friend. Taylor was 28 and Kelsea was 24
You see the evolution. Kelsea looked up to Taylor as a child, even moving to Nashville because she was inspired by Taylor. Kelsea was a fan. Then took a very familiar path to music stardom. Taylor noticed Kelsea as an artist and her Tweet boosted Kelsea’s followers and chart numbers. Kelsea was invited to perform with Taylor, more equal in status than a fan, but Taylor was still more of a mentor. Then Taylor invited Kelsea into her personal life. I think that better matches the lyrics in Fletcher’s song.
Never thought we were subject to changes, yeah
This is maybe the most important line in the verse because it’s a multiple meaning and references other work (Kelsea’s most recent GAY album).
In the context of divorce with Morgan, Kelsea is saying they grew apart (yawn).
Subject to Changes is the title of Kelsea’s most recent album.
Subject to changes in the context of the album is Kelsea realizing she likes women.
Taylor
is not the only one who can write for
plausible deniability.
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