Taylor Swift's new song 'Call It What You Want' is easily the most 'old Taylor' of her new album Reputation's songs.
The more acoustic vibe! The handwritten, intimate feel that she perfected through 1989! And then there's the song's lyrics, which are like the lyrics to 'Gorgeous' but filtered through the self-aware lens of 'Look What You Made Me Do':
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Throughout the song, Taylor seems to heavily allude to that whole thing with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West and the snake emoji that she now wears as a badge: "My castle crumbled overnight / I brought a knife to a gunfight / They took the crown but it's alright / All the liars are calling me one," in the first verse and then: "All the drama queens taking swings / All the jokers dressing up as kings," in the second.
While she seems fixated on the loss of her reputation on 'LWYMMD', on 'CIWYW', she suggests that her being shunned or shamed in the public eye ended up being good for her: "Nobody's heard from me in months / I'm doing better than I ever was."
In particular, it seems her relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn is The Real Deal. The entire chorus is devoted to him and the protectiveness Taylor feels toward their relationship – particularly, it seems, against media and #hater chatter:
"'Cos my baby's fit like a daydream / Walking with his head down / I'm the one he's walking to / So call it what you want yeah, call it what you want to.
"My baby's fly like a jet stream / High above the whole scene / Loves me like I'm brand new / So call it what you want yeah, call it what you want to."
And though the song starts off about Taylor's troubles in the public eye, it becomes intimate in a way that Swifties might recognise:
"I want to wear his initial on a chain around my neck / Not because he owns me / But 'cos he really knows me.
"I recall late November / Holding my breath, slowly / I said 'You don't need to save me / But would you run away with me?' / 'Yes.'"
Sounds like 'Love Story'? You're not the only one:
Reputation drops on November 10; pre-order it here.
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