For Taylor Swift, every new album is an exercise in reinvention.
“Lover” was the last album based on Swift’s personal life.
In the album’s optimistic song “Daylight,” Swift embraced the light.
“Not the things that I’m afraid of.
Not the things that haunt me in the middle of the night.”
Here is a breakdown of all of the hidden meanings peppered throughout the album.
Lavender Haze
“Midnights” opens with the deep synth drum beat of “Lavender Haze.”
“So this song is about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff.”
While it’s not clear which ex-boyfriend was the inspiration for this song, there are a few clues.
As some fans have noted, Swift wasspotteddancing (and kissing)Harry Stylesin New York in 2012.
And then, of course, there’s the whole color palette of it all.
In Swift’s memory, this relationship is defined by dark reds: scarlets, burgundies, maroons.
Could this be a hint that “Maroon” is also about Gyllenhaal?
After all, the singer spent time in New York with him, too.
When she’s alone at night, she reveals, her “depression works the graveyard shift.”
She feels haunted by all of the people she’s ever ghosted.
She freaks out about her partner getting tired of her and leaving.
She has a recurring nightmare about her future daughter-in-law killing her for her money.
Hi, I’m the problem, it’s me."
As Swift explained in anInstagram video, the song is all about self-loathing.
“[It] is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written,” she said.
“I really don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before.”
Kind of like well snow on a beach.
Taylor Swift gave a few details in anInstagram videoabout her inspiration for the central metaphor.
“And you’re kind of looking around going, ‘Wait, is this real?
Is this a dream?
Is this for real?
Is it really happening?’
Kinda like it would be if you were to see snow falling on a beach.”
While partners have come and gone, ultimately, she is the only person in her position.
As she sings, “You’re on your own, kid / You always have been.”
The song contains a brief reference to Swift’s eating disorder.
If I was given a punishment, I registered that as bad."
Midnight Rain
The song “Midnight Rain” explores a relationship from Taylor Swift’s past.
“He wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain,” she sings.
“He wanted a bride, I was making my own name.”
The song seems to be about what happens when two people in a relationship ultimately want different things.
Some fanshavehypothesizedthat the ex in question isTom Hiddleston, who Swift dated in 2016.
Question…?
“Can I ask you a question?”
Another clue lies in the production of the song itself.
“Question…?”
begins with a pitched-down voice singing, “I remember.”
It seems to be a direct sample from Swift’s 2014 song “Out of the Woods.”
As one fannoted, the two songs also feature the same background melody and beat.
Andrumor has itthat “Out of the Woods” was about you guessed it Mr. Styles.
One fan evensuggestedthat, as a reflection on an old relationship, “Question…?”
was directly inspired by Swift’s most recent interaction with Styles at the 2021 Grammys.
“Draw the cat eye sharp enough to kill a man,” murmurs Swift as the song opens.
It’s a song about being betrayed and taking revenge.
“She had the envelope, where you think she got it from?”
Bejeweled
“Bejeweled” is one of “Midnight’s” poppiest tracks.
In this song, Taylor Swift seems to rediscover her confidence and self-worth in the face of romantic failure.
“Baby love, I think I’ve been a little too kind,” the song opens.
“Didn’t notice you walking all over my peace of mind.”
But by the chorus, Swift is rallying.
Harris famously went on a little Twitter rant about Swift after their breakup.
“…I’m not that guy, sorry.
I won’t allow it.
In “Labyrinth,” the singer explores how the two emotions intertwine and keep her up at night.
One line may have sounded familiar to Swifties.
While karma might be scary for some, for Swift, it’s welcome.
This song might have the most complicated backstory of any song on the album.
In 2016, Swift pointedly said, “Karma is real” during aVogueinterview.
Some fans believed that the missing album was meant to be called “Karma” (viaYahoo!).
Mastermind
Taylor Swift has always been known for planning ahead way ahead.
“I wanted to do something that would incentivize fans to read the lyrics,” she said.
As time went on, she started dropping clues years in advance.
“Can I hint at something three years in advance?”
The song describes how she laid the groundwork for a relationship probably the one with Joe Alwyn.
Taylor Swift is a mastermind and she knows it.
And the best part?
It seems Alwyn is totally on board.
