love story taylor swift essay

The True Meaning of ‘Love Story’ by Taylor Swift

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘Love Story’ is one of Taylor Swift’s best-known songs. Released in 2008, it appeared on her second studio album, Fearless . But what is the meaning of this classic Swift ballad, and what was the inspiration behind the song? What influenced Swift in writing the song’s lyrics?

‘ Love Story ’ details a forbidden union between two young lovers, a latter-day Romeo and Juliet. They have to meet in secret because Juliet’s father forbids them from being together. Eventually, they decide to run away together, although this love story ends happily with the two lovebirds agreeing to tie the knot.

‘Love Story’: song meaning

Swift’s song is inspired by one of the greatest love stories in all of literature: William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet . Of course, the story – like most of the stories we find in Shakespeare – was not Shakespeare’s invention (he most probably got it from a prose romance published in the 1560s), but it was the Bard who made this tragic love tale world-famous.

But although Taylor Swift took her inspiration from Shakespeare’s ‘star-cross’d lovers’, she gave her love story a happy ending.

The song begins with ‘Juliet’ (the persona Swift is adopting for the song) reflecting back to when she first saw the boy she would fall in love with. They were both young when, one summer, she was standing on a balcony like Juliet in Shakespeare’s play (although in actual fact, the famous ‘balcony’ scene was a later invention ).

They were at a party when the boy who would become her beau made a beeline for her. How little she knew, at the time, that this youth would become her true love. She tells us that her father warned this ‘Romeo’ to stay away from his daughter. This made Juliet upset, as she wanted him to stay with her.

He begs her Romeo to take her away somewhere where they can be on their own together (away from strict fathers, preferably). She reassures him she will wait for him there, as she wants to run away with him. He will be her prince and she his princess, because theirs is a ‘love story’. She begs him to agree to this plan.

(Here, it’s true, Swift veers away from her principal source material: Romeo and Juliet belonged to noble Veronese families, but they weren’t royalty. She is offering the quintessential love story, drawn not only from Shakespearean tragedy but also countless fairy tales. That’s fair enough.)

Juliet sneaks out into the garden to meet secretly with her Romeo. All they can do is escape from their world, and their families, for a short time, and have this precious time in each other’s company. She tells him that while he was her Romeo, she was a scarlet letter.

This brings in another classic tale of social ostracism involving love and passion: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter , in which a woman in seventeenth-century Puritan America is branded with a scarlet ‘A’ (for adultery) after she conceives a child out of wedlock.

Swift’s meaning, of course, is that she has become ‘persona non grata’ or someone shunned by those around her because she spends time with this ‘Romeo’. ‘Scarlet’ also connotes sin – harking back to the Scarlet Woman from the Bible.

Eventually, Juliet tells us, she waited for so long she started to wonder if her Romeo was ever going to turn up and whether she’d ever see her lover again. She began to lose faith in him and their relationship. When she met him, on the outskirts of the town where they live, she begged him to save her as she’d been feeling lonely without him.

She doesn’t know where she stands any more. But then her Romeo got down on one knee and pulled out an engagement ring, asking her to marry him so she’ll never be alone again. He professed his love for her and told her he had spoken with her father and, although he doesn’t say as much, presumably (at long last) received her father’s blessing for the marriage.

‘Love Story’: analysis

The meaning of Swift’s song is easy enough to summarise: forbidden lovers meet for secret trysts and plot to run away together, choosing each other over their families. But things end more happily than we might expect, with Romeo proposing to Juliet and implying that he had secured Juliet’s father’s blessing.

We say ‘implying’ because, in fact, all we’re told is that he had spoken with her father and decided they should get married. We are invited to assume that this means the father has been talked round into realising that Romeo has honourable intentions towards his daughter and can give her what she needs after all.

But the line is ambiguous, and we might read it (less hopefully) as a sign that he had spoken with her father and been warned off marrying her, and this had only hardened Romeo’s resolve and convinced him they should pledge their love for each other run away together, but as husband and wife rather than mere fugitive lovers.

This interpretation of the ending of ‘Love Story’ is perhaps less mainstream – and less likely – than the more joyful reading outlined above. But it remains a possible reading of the line.

What was the inspiration for the song? Taylor Swift told The Morning Call that she wrote ‘Love Story’ about someone she was talking to at the time. She believed their relationship had potential, but others were less sure. Although the love was difficult, it felt real to her. She added that the song is about ‘a love that’s not convenient and not as comfortable as something else, but it’s something you have to fight for.’

It is widely believed that the person Swift was referring to was Joe Jonas, of the Jonas Brothers, whom she dated in 2008 when the song was recorded.

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Behind The Meaning of Taylor Swift’s Romeo and Juliet-Inspired “Love Story”

by Alex Hopper October 12, 2022, 11:09 am

In fair Hollywood, where we lay our scene, we find a 20-something Taylor Swift throwing caution to the wind and following her heart. Swift has a number of songs that are on the quick recall when you mention her name— “All Too Well ,” “You Belong With Me,” and “Shake It Off” to name a few. But, perhaps the most nostalgic and sanguine of her offerings is “Love Story,” originally released in 2008.

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In the track, Swift compares her love to Romeo and Juliet , sans all the suicide of course. In her version of the story, the young lovers defy the odds and end up at the end of the aisle, living happily ever after. With just the right amount of doe-eyed optimism and glittery pop flavors of 2010, “Love Story” is an incomparable bop.

We all know the story of Romeo and Juliet —our middle school English teachers made sure of that— but how does Swift’s version of the classic tale differ? Let’s go behind the meaning and origins of “Love Story” below.

Meaning Behind the Lyrics

As much as we’d like to deny it, our parents often know best. The same was true for Swift in her teens as her parents warned her against a “creep” of a guy she was seeing. Though she resigned later that he was, in fact, a creep, a younger Swift was convinced it was love and began to put her emotions down on paper. What resulted was this Romeo and Juliet-inspired tale of forbidden love.

Though nothing is confirmed, fans have speculated about which of Swift’s famous exes this track is about with the pervasive answer being Joe Jonas. She dated the middle Jonas brother for much of 2008. The Swifties cite the line Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone as a nod to their fame getting in the way of their relationship. On top of the allusions to sneaking around, Swift’s father famously advised against the boy bander, which Swift obviously ignored.

Swift once told The Morning Call , “I wrote it about a guy that I was talking to. He wasn’t the popular choice, but I believed in it. I thought, ‘This love is difficult, but it’s real.’ And I knew I needed to put that line in somewhere. I think that this song is really more about a love that’s not convenient and not as comfortable as something else, but it’s something you have to fight for. I added the ending [a proposal] cause I want that ending. I want someone to say, ‘I love you and that’s all I really know.’ That’s the girly girl in me.”

‘Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter And my daddy said, “Stay away from Juliet” But you were everything to me I was beggin’ you, “Please don’t go, ” and I said

Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone I’ll be waiting, all there’s left to do is run You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess It’s a love story, baby, just say, “Yes”

Star-Crossed Lovers

Naturally, the accompanying video for “Love Story” has a Shakespeare flare about it. Starting off with Swift walking around a college campus and locking eyes with a love interest, she quickly begins to fantasize about castles, balls, and middle-aged gowns. It’s lush, romantic, and inspiring to boot—much like the song suggests.

Taylor’s Version

As part of her ongoing effort to reclaim her master recordings, Swift released a “Taylor’s Version” of Fearless last year. Though obviously, it’s still the same album we know and love (albeit with a few additions), it can be fun to compare the two versions.

Much of the original Fearless is markedly fresh-faced, full of tales of first loves and teenage angst. Because of this, the original version of the album is cemented in a particular time and place. If you were a teenager in 2008, this album was your guiding light and your confidant.

With the revamped version, Swift’s maturity shines though, shifting to a point of view that almost seems like an older sister sharing her hard-earned wisdom. She’s still holding our hand, but instead of walking through our troubles with us, she’s made it to the other side.

In terms of musicality, “Taylor’s Version” sees crisper instrumentation that pulls out new features that may have been missed the first time around—a little banjo here, a few cymbal crashes there. Her sense of arrangement has also matured across the 13 years between the two versions.

Photo: Taylor Swift Fearless (Taylor’s Version) Album Cover

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Love Story by Taylor Swift Song Analysis

Taylor Swift's song "Love Story" is about two lovers who need to conceal their love for each other that is disapproved of by others, but, because of their endurance, their love stands strong. This reveals the theme that love can surmount all oppositions, even in the face of misfortunes, because love gives people the vigor to strive for contentment. Taylor Swift refers to her lover in this musical composition as "Romeo": an allusion to William Shakespeare's tragedy “Romeo and Juliet,” which stars two young, star-crossed lovers whose verboten love leads to their deaths.  Taylor Swift portrays how she perceives this man she adores as a Romeo in the verse where she sings “See you make your way through the crowd...Little did I know That you were Romeo…”. Taylor Swift explicates to listeners that the man she has romantic feelings for is her "Romeo"—a charming and courteous character who murdered himself to be reunited with his Juliet even in death. Later on, in the same verse, she further sings “And my daddy said, ‘Stay away from Juliet’” implying that her family deprecates her and her lover's relationship, just as Romeo and Juliet's families opposed their relationship. With all these references, it is shown that Taylor Swift utilized the allusion of the play“Romeo and Juliet” to reveal the hardships she faces as she endeavors to pursue a relationship with the man she admires despite her father's disdain but, just like Romeo and Juliet, they both fight for their love proving that sincerely, true love conquers all. 

Taylor wants listeners to be able to understand how she feels about her lover and she does this through the use of vivid imagery. When she adds “summer air” to the atmosphere, listeners are left lighthearted as they can visualize the “lights...party…[and] ball gowns” Taylor describes. After establishing the setting, Taylor illustrates to listeners that she and her beloved are unable to be together due to the hardships she faced as someone marked with a “scarlet letter”—a metaphor Taylor uses to compare herself to Hester Prynne, a woman who was branded for committing the disgraceful sin of adultery. The Scarlet Letter reference is also an allusion used to reveal the shame she has to bear for the sake of her love. But towards the end of the song, Taylor recounts how her lover said "Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone. I love you and that's all I really know...It's a love story...just say, 'Yes." His words reveal a jubilant ending despite all the hardships they faced,  a conclusion unlike the bittersweet ending of “Romeo and Juliet,” which shows listeners that though one may face adversities in a romantic relationship as Romeo and Juliet did, perseverance will allow them to overcome any obstacle, even one as challenging as the tragic downfall of Romeo and Juliet.

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The Real Meaning Behind 'Love Story' By Taylor Swift

How many people can write a song in 20 minutes, let alone one that would go on to become a top five entry on the  Billboard Hot 100 charts? Singer-songwriter (and possible superhuman) Taylor Swift did just that with her iconic 2008 single " Love Story ." Not only did the country-pop crossover tune become Swift's best-charting single to date at the time of its release, but it remains the superstar's fourth best-selling single of all time as of July 2020, Billboard reported.

As the lead single off Swift's second studio album Fearless with her former label, Big Machine Records , "Love Story" presents lyrics that paint the age-old tale of a young, star-crossed couple's trying romance in the face of both their families' disapproval. If that sounds Shakespearean, well, a crucial line in Swift's chorus does allude to the bard's most famous work: "That you were Romeo, you were throwin' pebbles / And my daddy said, 'Stay away from Juliet.'" Swift performed the chart-topper among a medley of her greatest hits at the 2019 American Music Awards .

So what was the inspiration behind "Love Story" and how did Swift manage to write the song, which tops out at 3:57 minutes, in just 20? Read on to find out.

'Love Story' is about a real guy Taylor Swift's parents forbade her to date

"Love Story" is clearly Taylor Swift's ode to a forbidden romance. Just prior to her headlining 2009 Fearless tour, Swift took some time to answer a few fan questions via TIME , many of which understandably circled around her massive hit of that time. One fan from Illinois wanted to know the story behind "Love Story." Apparently, per Swift's answer, it was based on a guy she desired but never actually dated because of the familial disapproval factor. "When I introduced him to my family and my friends, they all said they didn't like him. All of them," Swift revealed. "For the first time, I could relate to that Romeo-and-Juliet situation where the only people who wanted them to be together were them," noting that "Love Story" was "the most romantic song I've written, and it's not even about a person I really dated."

Another fan asked Swift about the usual length of time it takes her to write one song, and the answer was not unexpected for the prolific writer. She replied that for most songs, they "end up being finished in 30 minutes or less," adding that "'Love Story" took even less. Swift shared that the mid-tempo bop was knocked out in "about 20 minutes" and that "when I get on a roll with something, it's really hard for me to put it down unfinished." We are sure all writers can understand, if not relate to, this sentiment!

Here's what Taylor Swift's mom truly thinks about 'Love Story'

What is hilariously ironic about the meaning behind Taylor Swift's "Love Story" is that Swift's own parents, two of the individuals who disapproved of her paramour wannabe, can corroborate her claim about the inspiration behind and writing duration for the song. Swift's mom Andrea Swift , presented her daughter with the Milestone Award at the 2015 ACM Awards ,  Entertainment Tonight   reported, and offered the audience her fond version of Swift penning the angst-ridden anthem. "She was 17 years old and her dad and I strongly disapproved of a young man," Mama Swift said, sardonically adding, "and rightfully so."

"But she was mad," Andrea continued, explaining further that Taylor "went to her room and she closed the door. She came out about an hour later with a song called 'Love Story.'" The rest was history, as they say, and let's face it — what's the difference between 20 minutes and an hour when it comes to a hit for the ages like "Love Story?"

Wilson Wood

Thursday 27 October 2016

Intertextuality analysis: taylor swift - love story.

5 comments:

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Taylor Swift “Love Story” Analysis

The song Love Story was written and performed by Taylor Swift in 2008. Throughout the song, Swift uses various poetic devices to enhance the narrative of the lyrics. She compares her love to that of Romeo and Juliet, using allusion, and she also includes metaphors such as you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter. Imagery is also present in the song, as Swift describes the party and ball gowns where she first saw the man she loves. The use of these poetic devices helps to create a vivid image in the listener’s mind and allows them to connect with the song on a personal level.

Taylor Swift wrote and performed the song “Love Story”, which was released on September 12, 2008. The lyrics of “Love Story” utilize various poetic devices to enhance the narrative. In this song, Taylor Swift makes a reference to Romeo and Juliet when expressing her love for a guy. Both stories involve forbidden love where the lovers are willing to give up everything just to be together. Taylor Swift reflects on a similar situation in her own life where she was advised against seeing the man she loved. Therefore, in her song, she draws a comparison between her personal experience and that of Romeo and Juliet.

In her song “Love Story,” Swift incorporates metaphors to convey her emotions and thoughts. She compares herself to a scarlet letter, using the line “Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter.” This metaphor highlights the similarity between her situation and the story of Romeo and Juliet, both involving tales of true love mixed with misfortune. Another metaphor in the song is expressed when Swift sings, “That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles.” She utilizes this metaphor to equate the man she loves to Romeo, emphasizing his efforts to gain her attention and affection.

Another poetic device utilized by Taylor Swift is imagery. She paints a picture of her encounter with the man she loves, reminiscing about the “lights… the party, the ball gowns” and witnessing him “make your way through the crowd and say hello.” Additionally, in the song’s climax, when he proposes, she vividly describes how “He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring.” Through the use of descriptive language, Swift effectively stimulates the listener’s imagination and connects with those who have experienced similar situations. In conclusion, Taylor Swift’s skillful incorporation of poetic devices enhances the lyrics of “Love Story.”

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So what exactly makes taylor swift so great.

Taylor Swift performs during the “Eras” tour.

AP Photo/George Walker IV

Christina Pazzanese

Harvard Staff Writer

Experts weigh in on her fanbase loyalty, skills as songwriter, businesswoman as her albums, tours break financial, popularity records

Whether you’re a fan of Taylor Swift or not, it’s hard to deny the cultural and financial juggernaut the pop superstar has become this year. Her album “Midnights,” released in late 2022, was the year’s top-seller at 1.8 million copies, twice that of the second-biggest by Harry Styles. Her latest, “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” debuted in July at No. 1, giving Swift her 12th in the top spot, surpassing Barbra Streisand for the most No. 1 albums by a woman artist.

Swift’s 131-date “Eras” world tour, currently packing stadiums across the U.S., is on track to be the highest-grossing concert tour of all time, at $1.4 billion, when it ends next year. Analysts estimate the tour will also have a total economic impact from tour-related spending of $5 billion on host cities. Even the Federal Reserve noted the effect her tour is having on regional economies.

To better understand the Swift phenomenon, the Gazette asked some Harvard and Berklee College of Music faculty to assess her artistry, fan base, the tour’s economic impact, and her place in the industry. Interviews have been edited for clarity and length.

‘Very few people have her songwriting talent’ Stephanie Burt, poet and Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Professor of English

Gazette: How good is Swift as a songwriter?

Burt: She has a terrific ear in terms of how words fit together. She has a sense both of writing songs that convey a feeling that can make you imagine this is the songwriter’s own feelings, like in “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and a way of telling stories and creating characters. She can write songs that take place at one moment, and she can write songs where the successive verses give you a series of events, like in “Betty” or “Fifteen.”

She has a lot of different gifts as a songwriter, both at the macro level, how the song tells a story or presents an attitude, and at the micro level, how the vowels and consonants fit together, and she’s able to exercise that range, along with quite a lot of melodic gifts, and in a way that does not make her seem highbrow or alienate potential audience members. I would not be surprised to discover that her body of songwriting altogether had a larger number of words than any body of comparable hit songs by a comparable songwriter, except for someone like Bob Dylan.

One of the things that’s really remarkable for me about her is that harmonically, she’s not usually that interesting. It’s pretty normal pop chord progressions and pretty standard varieties of pop arrangement. Her great genius and her innovations and her brilliance as a songwriter is melodic and verbal. And, of course, she’s also very good at singing, which is not to be sneezed at. But she’s able to do that within the fairly tight constraints of existing, easily recognizable chord progressions and rhythmic setups.

She’s able to create verbal hooks, “I’m only 17. I don’t know anything, but I know I miss you.” They stick in your mind, and you spin stories out from them. That’s just being a good writer. She’s a celebrity with a complicated personal life that has been lived in the public eye for quite some time, and so, people speculate about the meanings of her songs, both because they are complex and meaningful works of art, and because some of them do speak to public facts about her life outside the songs.

“Fifteen,” which is a terrific song, gains resonance if you know that it’s about a real person and they’re still friends. But no one would care if it weren’t a brilliantly constructed song. Take something from “Speak Now”: It’s nice to know that “Dear John” is about John Mayer, who really had no business dating a 19-year-old, but it’s also a song about a pattern [of behavior], and it works in itself.

There’s all kinds of celebrity gossip about pop stars who maybe have her level of vocal talent and performing talent but happen not to have her level of songwriting talent. Very few people have her songwriting talent.

Gazette: Which songs would you count among your very favorites?

Burt: There’s so many good songs. I find the ones that speak to me the most are the ones whose topics are closest to my own life. I’m a queer lady. She writes wonderful songs about falling in love or falling out of love with various guys. Those are not, by and large, my favorites even though they’re some of her biggest hits. “Fifteen,” “Betty,” “seven,” “It’s Nice to Have a Friend.”

I actually really like “The Last Great American Dynasty.” The two indie folk albums [“Folklore” and “Evermore”], almost everything on them is amazing. It’s so hard to sustain that level of success artistically while changing that much. Few can do it. “Nothing New” is amazing. “Anti-Hero,” which is the big hit from “Midnights,” is an absolutely fantastic and extraordinarily self-conscious song about being the kind of celebrity that she’s become.

4 albums in Billboard top 10

Taylor Swift is the only living artist to have four albums in the Billboard top 10 at the same time since Herb Alpert in 1966. Following his death in 2016, Prince had five albums in the top 10. (Swift is the only woman with four albums in the top 10 at the same time since the Billboard 200 was combined from its previously separate mono and stereo album charts into one all-encompassing list in August of 1963.)

Source: Billboard

‘Strong social and emotional bond that people feel with her’ Alexandra Gold , clinical fellow in psychology at MGH and Harvard Medical School

Gazette: Swift appears to have a devoted fan base who feel intensely connected to her and her music. Why is that?

GOLD: There is a strong social and emotional bond that people feel with her. And in general, when people become super fans or part of the fandom, it’s often because there’s something about the object of that fandom, the public figure or celebrity, that does connect back to their identity in some way. That’s often the link.

In the case of Taylor, there’s a couple of things going on. The first piece is relatability. Even though there’s aspects of her that maybe don’t feel very relatable — she’s a celebrity and lives a very different life from her fans — what she is singing about — the lyrical content as well as the emotions that underlie the lyrical content — are very relatable to a lot of people. There’s something that is very common to the human experience.

Another piece is a lot of Millennials, as well as Gen Z now, are fans of Taylor Swift. With the Millennials, a lot of people grew up alongside her. When they were having some of these first experiences, maybe with relationships or entering adulthood, she was doing that at the same time and singing about that. Her life story mapped onto their life story, in some way.

For Gen Z, during the pandemic, there was a lot of TikTok content about her, she was putting out many albums, so a new generation discovered her, and they’re also having similar experiences. Overall, she’s been really important for identity development and growth for a lot of people.

@taylorswift That’s my whole world 💕 #tstheerastour #swifttok ♬ So it goes x Miss Americana – 🪩

A third piece is aspirational. She is a role model. She is a great example of someone who sticks to their values and shows their fan base that they can reach their goals, whatever those might be. For instance, she’s claiming ownership of her work and has been successful in putting out re-recordings [of her older albums] and doing that despite barriers or obstacles that might be in the way. Seeing someone do something like that could be inspiring for a lot of young people.

And then, lastly, the fan community is a big part of this. People often form their identity around relationships not just with a celebrity, but also with other fans. The fan community that Taylor has around her, people meet their friends through it and people become part of something bigger than themselves. That is really important for them as they grow up and as they go through life.

Gazette: Swift has had to tell some fans to stop harassing people she once dated. Where’s the line between fan and fanatic?

GOLD: I think fandoms are, overall, very positive. That is an important message, that being a fan is a very positive thing. It’s important to be aware of when it’s interfering in other aspects of one’s life — not engaging in other areas that might be important, other relationships, whether time spent online is causing anxiety or stress or negative feelings for people. Trying to defend Taylor against other celebrities, for instance, that’s when it maybe goes into a category of “OK, let’s take a step back and think about what we can do to bring this back to a place where it feels more positive.” Recognize while this is a relationship that’s important to you, it’s not a friendship. And so, if someone starts to feel like there’s a two-way relationship when there’s no evidence that’s happening, that’s also something to be aware of.

‘The kinds of gains you see in an event like a Super Bowl’ Matthew Andrews , Edward S. Mason Senior Lecturer in International Development at Harvard Kennedy School

GAZETTE: You and some colleagues examined the effects on cities and regions hosting mega events. The total economic impact to host cities of Swift concerts on her current tour is expected to hit $5 billion. Does that sound plausible?

ANDREWS: Those numbers, I think, are completely accurate. I would be in agreement with those numbers because those are the kinds of gains you see in an event like a Super Bowl. The thing that is so amazing about the Taylor Swift concert, in particular, is that it goes from city to city, and you see the same kind of impact in city after city. You do see it with some other musicians, as well. But this is something that’s on a scale and a consistency that we haven’t really seen before.

Swift’s 131-date “Eras” world tour, currently packing stadiums across the U.S., is on track to be the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. Pictured is a June show at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.

Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP

Gazette: Which industries typically benefit when a major concert tour or sporting event takes place?

ANDREWS: The main beneficiaries in the private sector are people involved in tourism and the support network around the entertainment industry, so it is going to be hotels, restaurants, tourism agencies. It’s going to be anything to do with transportation hubs. They are going to be the primary beneficiaries.

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The costs to the public sector can be quite significant. And the cost for people in these areas who are not directly benefiting can be quite significant in terms of congestion, use of roads, just wear and tear, in terms of policing. This is a really important one — the cost of public order. Unless the government really thinks this through and charges for this as part of its permitting process, the government can end up on the short end after these kinds of events.

The other thing about these events that is increasingly attracting attention, from a public policy perspective, are climate change concerns. You have many, many people transporting themselves to a small area and a lot [are] coming through the air and through vehicles. This is something we worry about a lot more with prolonged mega events like a World Cup than with something like a Taylor Swift concert, but you do need to think about what those costs are.

‘Standing up for … rights and doing good business’ Ralph Jaccodine , assistant professor of music business/management, Berklee College of Music

GAZETTE: What are the factors that make Swift a successful performer from an industry perspective?

Jaccodine: First of all, if you’re going to talk about Taylor Swift, you’ve got to talk about the power of great songs. It all starts with the power of great songs. That’s why we’re still listening to The Beatles, and Bob Dylan, and Frank Sinatra. And like Bowie and Gaga and Dylan, she’s not afraid to stretch. She’s not afraid to bring her audience for a ride. We’ve seen her grow up in real life, from a young girl to a woman with power, and she’s owning it.

Number two, and this is really important: You’ve got to be great live. My students come to me and say, “We have 53 likes on this video, and we’re not selling tickets.” They don’t understand the power of going in front of people and blowing them away. In my business, as a manager, 80 percent of the income comes from live performances, so I want them to change lives live. I’m a massive Springsteen fan. I’m going to be seeing Springsteen at Gillette. I’ve seen him 12 times. I don’t need to see Bruce anymore. I’m an old guy, but I’m still going to rock concerts for artists to change my life. Taylor Swift’s songs, combined with how great she is live, is a powerful combination.

She’s always had a good team around her, smart people around her, good publicists, and good management. When you’re that good, you have the best in the industry. Her team is great: They build anticipation; they create a buzz about things. She’s imprinted her fans in such a way that they want everything about her. The day before a big stadium show, the T-shirt stand is open and there’s thousands of people in line. They hang on to every word of her social media posting, look at all the pictures. They share it; they talk about it; they have groups. That’s really hard to pull off.

GAZETTE: Has her advocacy for better artist compensation from streaming platforms and record labels and her fight to reclaim control of her back catalog made a difference?

Jaccodine:   Absolutely. First, in the awareness of these topics. The general music fan isn’t aware of streaming revenues or master rights or re-recording rights. They don’t know or really care, but she shines a light on all these things. She shines a light on management contracts and what labels are or what labels aren’t. The whole master recordings topic has been spotlighted by Taylor. She had the budget and the resources and the talent to re-record things. The whole exercise was done in public; the whole exercise was reported on. So now, students are studying that, and they’re questioning that for the first time.

I do know she’s empowered and imprinted serious numbers of people that are fans of music or musicians themselves because of her influence. I look at Rihanna; I look at Beyoncé; I look at Taylor Swift. These are the biggest artists on the planet. They’re all women that are empowering girls and standing up for their rights and doing good business. I love it; I love it.

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Harvard’s Taylor Swift Scholars Have Thoughts on ‘Tortured Poets’

The students taking Harvard University’s class on the singer are studying up. Their final papers are due at the end of the month.

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By Madison Malone Kircher

Fans of Taylor Swift often study up for a new album, revisiting the singer’s older works to prepare to analyze lyrics and song titles for secret messages and meanings .

“The Tortured Poets Department” is getting much the same treatment, and perhaps no group of listeners was better prepared than the students at Harvard University currently studying Ms. Swift’s works in an English class devoted entirely to the artist . The undergraduate course, “Taylor Swift and Her World,” is taught by Stephanie Burt, who has her students comparing Ms. Swift’s songs to works by poets and writers including Willa Cather, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth.

On Thursday night, about 50 students from the class gathered in a lecture hall on campus to listen to Ms. Swift’s new album. Mary Pankowski, a 22-year-old senior studying history of art and architecture, wore a cream sweatshirt she bought at Ms. Swift’s Eras tour last year. The group made beaded friendship bracelets to celebrate the new album, she said.

When the clock struck midnight, the classroom erupted into applause, and the analysis began. First, the group listened through the album once without discussing, just taking it all in.

Certain lines, however, immediately caused a stir, said Samantha Wilhoit, a junior studying government — like a reference to the singer Charlie Puth and the scathing lyrics to the song “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” Ms. Wilhoit, 21, said.

A line from the song “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” in which Ms. Swift sings, “I cry a lot but I am so productive,” also seemed to resonate, Ms. Wilhoit said, laughing.

A smaller group of students, including Ms. Pankowski, stuck it out until the early hours of the morning waiting to see if Ms. Swift would drop additional music. At 2 a.m., they were rewarded with an additional “volume” of 15 tracks called “The Anthology.” Ms. Pankowski said she didn’t go to sleep until hours later.

Speaking with The New York Times together on a video call Friday morning, several students from the class discussed their thoughts on the 31 new songs and brainstormed their final papers, which are due at the end of the month.

“The song ‘Clara Bow’ reminded me of ‘The Song of the Lark,’” Makenna Walko, 19, said, citing the Willa Cather novel that follows the career of an aspiring opera singer, Thea Kronborg. “She’s talking about a girl trying to make it out of her small town and trying to get to Manhattan, and what it’s like to have these big, musical dreams and try to pursue them,” she continued. “That’s a narrative that has shown up a lot in Taylor’s own life, over the course of her own career. In a lot of ways, it’s Taylor’s story, too.”

Lola DeAscentiis, a sophomore, zeroed in on the song “But Daddy I Love Him,” comparing it to the Sylvia Plath poem “Daddy.” She plans to explore the link in her final paper.

“I hesitate to say that the song was anywhere near the genius of Sylvia Plath — no offense to Taylor Swift — but I can definitely see some similarities in the themes, like sadness, depression and mental health,” Ms. DeAscentiis, 20, said. (Ms. DeAscentiis also drew a distinction between being a fan of Ms. Swift and being a devoted Swiftie. She said she identified as the former.)

“The way that Taylor overlays her relationship with the significant other that she’s talking about in the song with the relationship that she has with her father — I think that was very Plath,” she added.

Another student, Ana Paulina Serrano, echoed Ms. DeAscentiis, noting that the class had learned about the genre of confessional poetry. “Is Taylor considered a confessional poet?” Ms. Serrano, a 21-year-old junior majoring in neuroscience, asked the group on the call. In support of her own position, she offered as evidence Ms. Swift’s song “Mastermind,” a track off “Midnights,” in which Ms. Swift reveals herself to have calculated and plotted the outcome of a relationship.

“Sometimes she’s confessing things that we, like, already knew or assumed, but she often seems to feel this need to explicitly tell us,” Ms. Serrano added.

Isabel Levin, a 23-year-old senior studying integrative biology, said she thought Ms. Swift’s delivery on several tracks had a spoken-word quality. She wondered if maybe some of the lyrics had initially begun not as songs but as more traditional poems.

Ms. Swift has said she categorizes her songs by the type of pen she imagines using to write each. A “frivolous, carefree, bouncy” song is a glitter gel pen song, while a fountain pen song might be more “brutally honest,” according to Ms. Swift . Quill pen songs are “all old-fashioned, like you’re a 19th-century poet crafting your next sonnet by candlelight,” she explained during her acceptance speech as songwriter-artist of the decade at the Nashville Songwriter Awards in 2022.

And with what implement might Ms. Swift have written “Tortured Poets?”

Quill pen, for sure, Ms. Walko said.

Madison Malone Kircher is a Times reporter covering internet culture. More about Madison Malone Kircher

Inside the World of Taylor Swift

A Triumph at the Grammys: Taylor Swift made history  by winning her fourth album of the year at the 2024 edition of the awards, an event that saw women take many of the top awards .

‘The T ortured Poets Department’: Poets reacted to Swift’s new album name , weighing in on the pertinent question: What do the tortured poets think ?  

In the Public Eye: The budding romance between Swift and the football player Travis Kelce created a monocultural vortex that reached its apex  at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Ahead of kickoff, we revisited some key moments in their relationship .

Politics (Taylor’s Version): After months of anticipation, Swift made her first foray into the 2024 election for Super Tuesday with a bipartisan message on Instagram . The singer, who some believe has enough influence  to affect the result of the election , has yet to endorse a presidential candidate.

Conspiracy Theories: In recent months, conspiracy theories about Swift and her relationship with Kelce have proliferated , largely driven by supporters of former President Donald Trump . The pop star's fans are shaking them off .

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Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets' is written in blood

On Taylor Swift's 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department , her artistry is tangled up in the details of her private life and her deployment of celebrity. But Swift's lack of concern about whether these songs speak to and for anyone but herself is audible throughout the album. Beth Garrabrant/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

On Taylor Swift's 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department , her artistry is tangled up in the details of her private life and her deployment of celebrity. But Swift's lack of concern about whether these songs speak to and for anyone but herself is audible throughout the album.

For all of its fetishization of new sounds and stances, pop music was born and still thrives by asking fundamental questions. For example, what do you do with a broken heart? That's an awfully familiar one. Yet romantic failure does feel different every time. Its isolating sting produces a kind of obliterating possessiveness: my pain, my broken delusions, my hope for healing. A broken heart is a screaming baby demanding to be held and coddled and nurtured until it grows up and learns how to function properly. This is as true in the era of the one-percent glitz goddess as it was when blues queens and torch singers organized society's crying sessions. It's true of Taylor Swift , who's equated songwriting with the heart's recovery since she released " Teardrops on my Guitar " 18 years ago, and whose 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department , is as messy and confrontational as a good girl's work can get, blood on her pages in a classic shade of red.

Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and 50 more albums coming out this spring

Turning the Tables

Taylor swift is the 21st century's most disorienting pop star.

Back in her Lemonade days, when her broken heart turned her into a bearer of revolutionary spirit, Swift's counterpart and friendly rival, Beyoncé , got practical, advising her listeners that while feelings do need tending, a secured bank account is what counts. "Your best revenge is your paper," she sang .

For Swift, the best revenge is her pen. One of the first Tortured Poets songs revealed back in February (one of the album's many bonus tracks, it turns out, but a crucial framing device) is called " The Manuscript "; in it, a woman re-reads her own scripted account of a "torrid love affair." Screenwriting is one of a few literary ambitions Swift aligns with this project. At The Grove mall in Los Angeles, Swift partnered with Spotify to create a mini-library where new lyrics were inscribed in weathered books and on sheets of parchment in the days leading up to its release. The scene was a fans' photo op invoking high art and even scripture. In the photographs of the installation that I saw, every bound volume in the library bears Swift's name. The message is clear: When Taylor Swift makes music, she authors everything around her.

For years, Swift has been pop's leading writer of autofiction , her work exploring new dimensions of confessional songwriting, making it the foundation of a highly mediated public-private life. The standard line about her teasing lyrical disclosures (and it's correct on one level) is that they're all about fueling fan interest. But on Tortured Poets , she taps into a much more established and respected tradition. Using autobiography as a sword of justice is a move as ancient as the women saints who smote abusive fathers and priests in the name of an early Christian Jesus; in our own time, just among women, it's been made by confessional poets like Sylvia Plath, memoirists from Maya Angelou to Joyce Maynard and literary stars like the Nobel prize winner Annie Ernaux. And, of course, Swift's reluctant spiritual mother, Joni Mitchell .

Even in today's blather-saturated cultural environment, a woman speaking out after silence can feel revolutionary; that this is an honorable act is a fundamental principle within many writers' circles. "I write out of hurt and how to make hurt okay, how to make myself strong and come home, and it may be the only home I ever have," Natalie Goldberg declares in Writing Down the Bones , the most popular writing manual of the 20th century. When on this album's title track, Swift sings, "I think some things I never say," she's making an offhand joke; but this is the album where she does say all the things she thinks, about love at least, going deeper into the personal zone that is her métier than ever before. Sharing her darkest impulses and most mortifying delusions, she fills in the blank spaces in the story of several much-mediated affairs and declares this an act of liberation that has changed and ultimately strengthened her. She spares no one, including herself; often in these songs, she considers her naiveté and wishfulness through a grown woman's lens and admits she's made a fool of herself. But she owns her heartbreak now. She alone will have the last word on its shape and its effects.

This includes other people's sides of her stories. The songs on Tortured Poets , most of which are mid- or up-tempo ballads spun out in the gossamer style that's defined Swift's confessional mode since Folklore , build a closed universe of private and even stolen moments, inhabited by only two people: Swift and a man. With a few illuminating exceptions that stray from the album's plot, she rarely looks beyond their interactions. The point is not to observe the world, but to disclose the details of one sometimes-shared life, to lay bare what others haven't seen. Tortured Poets is the culmination of a catalog full of songs in which Swift has taken us into the bedrooms where men pleasured or misled her, the bars where they charmed her, the empty playgrounds where they sat on swings with her and promised something they couldn't give. When she sings repeatedly that one of the most suspect characters on the album told her she was the love of her life, she's sharing something nobody else heard. That's the point. She's testifying under her own oath.

Swift's musical approach has always been enthusiastic and absorbent. She's created her own sounds by blending country's sturdy song structures with R&B's vibes, rap's cadences and pop's glitz; as a personality and a performer, she's all arms, hugging the world. The sound of Tortured Poets offers that familiar embrace, with pop tracks that sparkle with intelligence, and meditative ones that wrap tons of comforting aura around Swift's ruminations. Beyond a virtually undetectable Post Malone appearance and a Florence Welch duet that also serves as an homage to Swift's current exemplar/best friendly rival, Lana Del Rey , the album alternates between co-writes with Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, the producers who have helped Swift find her mature sound, which blends all of her previous approaches without favoring any prevailing trend. There are the rap-like, conversational verses, the reaching choruses, the delicate piano meditations, the swooning synth beats. Antonoff's songs come closest to her post- 1989 chart toppers; Dessner's fulfill her plans to remain an album artist. Swift has also written two songs on her own, a rarity for her; both come as close to ferocity as she gets. As a sustained listen, Tortured Poets harkens back to high points throughout Swift's career, creating a comforting environment that both supports and balances the intensity of her storytelling.

It's with her pen that Swift executes her battle plans. As always, especially when she dwells on the work and play of emotional intimacy, her lyrics are hyper-focused, spilling over with detail, editing the mess of desire, projection, communion and pain that constitutes romance into one sharp perspective: her own. She renders this view so intensely that it goes beyond confession and becomes a form of writing that can't be disputed. Remember that parchment and her quill pen; her songs are her new testaments. It's a power play, but for many fans, especially women, this ambition to be definitive feels like a necessary corrective to the misrepresentations or silence they face from ill-intentioned or cluelessly entitled men.

"A great writer can be a dangerous creature, however gentle and nice in person," the biographer Hermione Lee once wrote . Swift has occasionally taken this idea to heart before, especially on her once-scorned, now revered hip-hop experiment, Reputation . But now she's screaming from the hilltop, sparing no one, including herself as she tries to prop up one man's flagging interest and then falls for others' duplicity. "I know my pain is such an imposition," Swift sang in last year's " You're Losing Me ," a prequel to the explosive confessional mode of Tortured Poets , where that pain grows nearly suicidal, feeds romantic obsession, and drives her to become a "functional alcoholic" and a madwoman who finds strength in chaos in a way that recalls her friend Emma Stone's cathartic performance as Bella in Poor Things . (Bella, remember, comes into self-possession by learning to read and write.) " Who's afraid of little old me? " Swift wails in the album's window-smashing centerpiece bearing that title; in " But Daddy I Love Him ," she runs around screaming with her dress unbuttoned and threatens to burn down her whole world. These accounts of unhinged behavior reinforce the message that everybody had better be scared of this album — especially her exes, but also her business associates, the media and, yes, her fans, who are not spared in her dissection of just who's made her miserable over the past few years.

Listen to the album

I'm not getting into the dirty details; those who crave them can listen to Tortured Poets themselves and easily uncover them. They're laid out so clearly that anyone who's followed Swift's overly documented life will instantly comprehend who's who: the depressive on the heath, the tattooed golden retriever in her dressing room. Here's my reading of her album-as-novel — others' interpretations may vary: Swift's first-person protagonist (let's call her "Taylor") begins in a memory of a long-ago love affair that left her melancholy but on civil terms, then has an early meeting with a tempting rogue, who declares he's the Dylan Thomas to her Patti Smith; no, she says, though she's sorely tempted, we're "modern idiots," and she leaves him behind for a while. Then we get scenes from a stifling marriage to a despondent and distracted child-man. "So long, London," she declares, fleeing that dead end. From then on, it's the rogue on all cylinders. They connect, defy the daddy figures who think they're bad for each other, speak of rings and baby carriages. Those daddies continue to meddle in this newfound freedom.

In this main story arc, Swift writes about erotic desire as she never has before: She's "fresh out the slammer" (ouch, the rhetoric) and her bedsheets are on fire. She cannot stop rhapsodizing about this new love object and her commitment to their outlaw hunger for each other. It's " Love Story ," updated and supersized, with a proper Romeo at its center — a forbidden, tragic soulmate, a perfect match who's also a disastrous one. Swift peppers this section of Tortured Poets with name-drops ("Jack" we know, " Lucy " might be a tricky slap at Romeo, hard to tell) and instantly searchable references; he sends her a song by The Blue Nile and traces hearts on her face but tells revolting jokes in the bar and eventually reveals himself as a cad, a liar, a coward. She recovers, but not really. In the end, she does move on but still dreams of him hearing one of their songs on a jukebox and dolefully realizing the young girl he's now with has never heard it before.

Insert the names yourself. They do matter, because her backstories are key to Swift's appeal; they both keep her human-sized and amplify her fame. Swift's artistry is tied up in her deployment of celebrity, a slippery state in which a real life becomes emblematic. Like no one before, she's turned her spotlit day-to-day into a conceptual project commenting on women's freedom, artistic ambition and the place of the personal in the public sphere. As a celebrity, Swift partners with others: her model and musician friends, her actor/musician/athlete consorts, brands, even (warily) political causes. And with her fans, the co-creators of her stardom.

Her songs stand apart, though. They remain the main vehicle through which, negotiating unimaginable levels of renown, Swift continually insists on speaking only for herself. A listener has to work to find the "we" in her soliloquies. There are plenty of songs on Tortured Poets in which others will find their own experiences, from the sultry blue eroticism of " Down Bad " to the click of recognition in " I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) ." But Swift's lack of concern about whether these songs speak for and to anyone besides herself is audible throughout the album. It's the sound of her freedom.

Taylor Swift: Tiny Desk Concert

She also confronts the way fame has cost her, fully exploring questions she raised on Reputation and in " Anti-Hero ." There are hints, more than hints, that her romance with the rogue was derailed partly because her business associates found it problematic, a danger to her precious reputation. And when she steps away from the man-woman predicament, Swift ponders the ephemeral reality of the success that has made private decisions nearly impossible. A lovely minuet co-written with Dessner, " Clara Bow " stages a time-lapsed conversation between Swift and the power players who've helped orchestrate her rise even as she knows they won't be concerned with her eventual obsolescence. "You look like Clara Bow ," they say, and later, "You look like Stevie Nicks in '75." Then, a turn: "You look like Taylor Swift," the suits (or is it the public, the audience?) declare. "You've got edge she never did." The song ends abruptly — lights out. This scene, redolent of All About Eve , reveals anxieties that all of Swift's love songs rarely touch upon.

One reason Swift went from being a normal-level pop star to sharing space with Beyoncé as the era's defining spirit is because she is so good at making the personal huge, without fussing over its translation into universals. In two decades of talking back to heartbreakers, Swift has called out gaslighting, belittling, neglect, false promises — all the hidden injuries that lovers inflict on each other, and that a sexist society often overlooks or forgives more easily from men. In "The Manuscript," which calls back to a romantic trauma outside the Tortured Poets frame, she sings of being a young woman with an older man making "coffee in a French press" and then "only eating kids cereal" and sleeping in her mother's bed when he dumps her; any informed Swift fan's mind will race to songs and headlines about cads she's previously called out in fan favorites like "Dear John" and "All Too Well" — the beginnings of the mission Tortured Poets fulfills.

Reviews of more Taylor Swift albums on NPR

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Show And Tell: On 'Lover,' Taylor Swift Lets Listeners In On Her Own Terms

The Old Taylor's Not Dead

The Many New Voices Of Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift Leaps Into Pop With 'Red'

Swift's pop side (and perhaps her co-writers' influence) shows in the way she balances the claustrophobic referentiality of her writing with sparkly wordplay and well-crafted sentimental gestures. On Tortured Poets , she's less strategic than usual. She lets the details fall the way they would in a confession session among besties, not trying to change them from painful memories into points of connection. She's just sharing. Swift bares every crack in her broken heart as a way of challenging power structures, of arguing that emotional work that men can sidestep is still expected from women who seem to own the world.

Throughout Tortured Poets, Swift is trying to work out how emotional violence occurs: how men inflict it on women and women cultivate it within themselves. It's worth asking how useful such a brutal evisceration of one privileged private life can be in a larger social or political sense; critics, including NPR's Leah Donnella in an excellent 2018 essay on the limits of the songwriter's reach, have posed that question about Swift's work for years. But we should ask why Swift's work feels so powerful to so many — why she has become, in the eyes of millions, a standard-bearer and a freedom fighter. Unlike Beyoncé, who loves a good emblem and is always thinking about history and serving the culture and communities she claims, Swift is making an ongoing argument about smaller stories still making a difference. Her callouts can be viewed as petty, reflecting entitlement or even narcissism. But they're also part of her wrestling with the very notion of significance and challenging hierarchies that have proven to be so stubborn they can feel intractable. That Swift has reached such a peak of influence in the wake of the #MeToo movement isn't an accident; even as that chapter in feminism's history can seem to be closing, she insists on saying, "believe me." That isn't the same as saying "believe all women," but by laying claim to disputed storylines and fighting against silence, she at the very least reminds listeners that such actions matter.

Listening to Tortured Poets , I often thought of "The Last Day of Our Acquaintance," a song that Sinéad O'Connor recorded when she was in her young prime, not yet banished from the mainstream for her insistence on speaking politically. Like Swift's best work, its lyrics are very specific — allegedly about a former manager and lover — yet her directness and conviction expand their reach. In 1990, that a woman in her mid-20s would address a belittling man in this way felt startling and new. Taylor Swift came to prominence in a culture already changing to make room for such testimonies, if not — still — fully able to honor them. She has made it more possible for them to be heard. "I talk and you won't listen to me," O'Connor wailed . "I know your answer already." Swift doesn't have to worry about whether people will listen. But she knows that this could change. That's why she is writing it all down.

• Taylor Swift

Read Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks' prologue, epilogue to 'The Tortured Poets Department'

As she has with previous albums, Taylor Swift gifted fans with a prologue , adding contextual clues to help unlock “ The Tortured Poets Department ."

Only this time, there's a prologue and an epilogue.

For the opening of “TTPD,” Swift mentor and muse Stevie Nicks , whose handwritten, untitled poem (other than deeming it “for T … and me”) prefaces the 16 songs on the album.

According to Nicks’ notes, the poem was started Aug. 13, 2023 in Austin – she performed in the city two nights later – with a second time stamp of 8:50 p.m. Sept. 13.

“She was on her way to the stars. He didn’t say goodbye,” Nicks writes, an unsubtle reference to the broken relationship that fuels Swift’s new album.

While Nicks’ words are primarily aimed at Swift, it’s impossible not to read into Nicks’ history and tempestuous relationship with long-ago love and former bandmate Lindsey Buckingham with lines such as: “She was just flying thru the clouds where he saw her … she was just making her way – to the stars – when he lost her.”

Taylor Swift explains 'The Tortured Poets Department'

If fans aren’t left in a puddle after absorbing the emotional blows on Swift’s 11th album, they’ll next be confronted with an essay – or, rather, a summation – from Swift, writing from her position as The Chairman of the Tortured Poets Department.

Her “debrief” is a cryptic explanation of the content.

“As you might all unfortunately recall, I had been struck with a case of a restricted humanity,” she writes. “Which explains my plea here today of temporary insanity.”

As Swift writes about "lovers" who "spend years denying what’s ill fated," likely referring to her relationship with Joe Alwyn. Later, in a line that will have fans speculating on if she's talking about Alwyn or Matty Healy, she says, "I was out of the oven and into the microwave."

No matter who she's writing about, "He never even scratched the surface of me. None of them did.”

Then, with Swiftian style, she proclaims, “A smirk creeps onto this poet’s face because it’s the worst men that I write best.”

How long have Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks been friends?

The mutual admiration society between Swift and Nicks can be traced to 2010, when the pair shared the stage at the Grammy Awards (the performance was not universally beloved ) and later that year, when Nicks penned an essay about the burgeoning superstar for Time magazine .

“Taylor reminds me of myself in her determination and childlike nature,” Nicks wrote. “This girl writes the songs that make the whole world sing, like Neil Diamond or Elton John.”

The most Taylor Swift song ever: 'I Can Do it With a Broken Heart' (track 13 on 'TTPD')

Zip ahead 13 years and Nicks found new reason to be touched by Swift’s work.

Following the late 2022 death of Christine McVie , Fleetwood Mac keyboardist and one of Nicks’ dearest friends, Nicks spoke often about how Swift’s “Midnights” track, “You’re on Your Own, Kid,” brought her comfort as she grieved her friend.

In May 2023, Nicks shared during a live show in Atlanta, “The two of us were on our own, kids. We always were. And now, I’m having to learn to be on my own, kid, by myself.”

Read on for the full text of the prologue and epilogue to 'The Tortured Poets Department':

For T and me… by Stevie Nicks

He was in love with her

Or at least she thought so

She was broken hearted

Maybe he was too

Neither of them knew.

She was way too hot to handle

He was way too high to try

He couldn’t even see her

He wouldn’t open his eyes

She was on her way to the stars

He didn’t say goodbye

She looked back from her future

And shed a few tears

He looked into his past

And actually felt fear.

For both of them

The answers would never be

Don’t ask questions now

Do that later

She brings joy

He brings Shakespeare

It’s almost a tragedy

Don’t endanger me

He really can’t answer her

He’s afraid of her

He’s hiding from her

And he knows that he’s hurting her

She tells the truth

She writes about it

She’s an informer

He’s an X-lover

There’s nothing there for her

She’s already gone

There’s nothing that can stop her

She was just flying

thru the clouds

Where he saw her

She was just making her way

To the stars

When he lost her…

In Summation: Summary Poem by Taylor Swift

At this hearing

I stand before my fellow members

of the Tortured Poets Department

With a summary of my findings

A debrief, a detailed rewinding

For the purpose of warning

For the sake of reminding

As you might all unfortunately recall

I had been struck with a case

of a restricted humanity

Which explains my plea here today

of temporary insanity

You see, the pendulum swings

Oh, the chaos it brings

Leads the caged beast to do

the most curious things

Lovers spend years denying what’s ill fated

Resentment rotting away

galaxies we created

Stars placed and glued

meticulously by hand

next to the ceiling fan

Tried wishing on comets.

Tried dimming the shine.

Tried to orbit his planet.

Some stars never align.

And in one conversation, I tore down the whole sky

Spring sprung forth with dazzling freedom hues

Then a crash from the skylight

Bursting through

Something old, someone hallowed,

who told me he could be brand new

And so I was out of the oven

And into the microwave

Out of the slammer and into a tidal wave

How gallant to save the empress

from her gilded tower

Swinging a sword he could barely lift

But loneliness struck at that fateful hour

Low hanging fruit on his wine stained lips

He never even scratched the surface

None of them did.

“In summation, it was not a love affair!”

I screamed while bringing my fists

to my coffee ringed desk

It was a mutual manic phase.

It was self harm.

It was house and then cardiac arrest.

A smirk creeps onto this poet’s face

Because it’s the worst men that I write best.

And so I enter into evidence

My tarnished coat of arms

My muses, acquired like bruises

My talismans and charms

The tick, tick, tick of love bombs

My veins of pitch black ink

All’s fair in love and poetry

The Chairman

of The Tortured Poets Department

A complete timeline of Karlie Kloss and Taylor Swift's friendship

• Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss became inseparable after meeting at the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
• They road-tripped through Big Sur, landed a joint Vogue cover, and shared their friendship on social media.
• Although Kloss has denied a falling-out, they haven't been seen together since 2018.

The friendship of Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss dates back to 2013, when the musician and the supermodel met backstage at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

They quickly became inseparable: The pair road-tripped through Big Sur, posed together for a joint Vogue cover, and frequently shared photos of their adventures on social media. Kloss even had her own bedroom in Swift's New York apartment.

But they haven't been photographed together since 2018 — and many fans believe they had a falling-out.

Though the model has maintained that Swift is a "close friend," the singer-songwriter didn't attend either of Kloss' wedding events. Instead, Kloss' guest list included Katy Perry and Scooter Braun , both of whom Swift has feuded with.

Below is a comprehensive timeline of their friendship. 

January 2012: Swift mentions the model in her Vogue cover story

While walking around Prabal Gurung's studio during her 2012 Vogue interview , the "Red" singer noticed a framed photo of Kloss hanging on the wall. 

"I love Karlie Kloss. I want to bake cookies with her!" she told the interviewer. 

Kloss, an avid baker who teamed up with Momofuku Milk Bar's Christina Tosi to launch her own line of treats called " Karlie's Kookies " in 2012, accepted Swift's invitation the same day the article was published.

"Hey @taylorswift13 love the @voguemagazine cover!" she wrote on Twitter. "Your kitchen or mine?"

—Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) January 17, 2012

November 13, 2013: They have a playful interaction on the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show runway

Swift strutted up and down the runway as she performed her song "I Knew You Were Trouble" at the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. 

Kloss, the second model to walk during the "Snow Angels" portion of the show, pointed at Swift and lip-synced her lyrics as she passed by, stopping again to dance with the musician before exiting the stage. 

They also held hands while Swift was singing "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark" with Fall Out Boy. 

"We met at the show, we never met before but we're BFFs now. It's nice to meet another American girl, we're the same age and she's so inspiring — she's so talented and she's true to who she is. She's a cool girl and I'm glad she's in the show this year, she rocked it," Kloss told Hollywood Life on December 9, 2013. 

One month later, Kloss said her interaction with Swift was her "favorite" moment from the show.

—Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) December 11, 2013

Kloss also shared a behind-the-scenes photo with Swift with the lyrics from "Love Story" ("We were both young when I first saw you"), her favorite of Swift's songs.

The introduction left a mark on Swift as well. 

In their joint March 2015 Vogue interview , the singer revealed that she has a polaroid with Kloss, taken backstage at the show, hanging in her New York City apartment. The photo is labeled, "BEST FRIENDS FOREVER VS2013."

March 2014: They take a road trip through Big Sur together

When the duo met up at the Oscars after-party in 2014, the supermodel suggested they do something "spontaneous," they said in their 2015 Vogue interview . 

"I'd been to Big Sur once before, and I was like, 'We should just do it,'" Swift said. 

Kloss shared several memories from their time on the road, which she described as the "adventure of a lifetime with my girl." They frolicked in front of a sunset, wrote their names in the sand with a heart, wore daisies in their hair , and cuddled among the elephant seals.

In one of the posts, fans noticed that Kloss was wearing Swift's sweater , which said "Genius" on it. 

As they drove home, Kloss shared a photo of a yellow daisy in the car, tagging Swift as the center of the flower. She captioned the shot, "best. road trip. ever."

Two years later, Swift would allude to the road trip during her "72 Questions" interview with Vogue .

Asked where someone should take their wife for a wedding anniversary, she replied, "Congratulations, and you should take her to Big Sur."

April 2014: Kloss and Swift are spotted together in New York City

The pair were spotted walking around Manhattan several times throughout the month.

May 4, 2014: They take a photo together at a friend's birthday party

Kloss shared a photo with Swift and Kate Bosworth at a party for hairstylist Harry Josh. The event took place at the Jane Hotel in New York City. 

She captioned the post, "I had fun with these Lovely Ladies last night at #HarrysParty."

May 5, 2014: Swift and Kloss get ready for the Met Gala together at The Surrey Hotel 

The theme for the annual event was "Charles James: Beyond Fashion," and both Kloss and Swift wore gowns designed by Oscar de la Renta . Kloss even shared a behind-the-scenes selfie of the pair getting ready together, captioned, "Pre #MetGala glam party."

When they arrived at the Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the duo stayed close to each other while posing on the red carpet. 

July 2014: They're frequently seen spending time together in New York City

From brunching at the famous restaurant Serafina to strolling through SoHo, Swift and Kloss enjoyed the city throughout the summer.

Later in 2014, Swift would release her album "1989," which began with the song "Welcome to New York." She's previously cited the Big Apple as an "important landscape and location for the story of my life in the last couple of years."

September 8, 2014: Swift reveals that Kloss frequently sleeps at her New York City apartment

During the singer's interview with Rolling Stone , Swift gave a brief tour of her $15 million apartment. 

Swift walked into one of the guest bedrooms and said, "This is where Karlie usually stays."

According to the outlet, multiple photos of Kloss were hanging on the walls, and Swift had prepared a basket of the supermodel's favorite snacks to sit beside the bed. 

October 29, 2014: Kloss and Swift sit courtside at a New York Knicks game

They drank beer, cheered, and posed for photographers while watching the Chicago Bulls play the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. 

Kloss and Swift, who matched in black turtlenecks, sat directly next to well-known actor Ben Stiller and his son Quinlin.

November 12, 2014: They go shopping together in SoHo

Both in plaid, Swift and Kloss stopped in several stores during an outing in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood. 

November 23, 2014: Swift brings Kloss as her date to the American Music Awards

It was a big night for Swift; she won the Dick Clark award of excellence and delivered an energized performance of her song "Blank Space."

Even when Swift was sitting down in the audience, the camera didn't stray for long. Kloss, who was her date for the night , was right by her side. 

They also joked around backstage, playing musical instruments while Swift sat on Kloss' lap. 

December 2, 2014: Swift performs at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show again

Kloss was the first model to walk out during Swift's performance of "Style" at the 2014 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. 

Hand-in-hand, the pair strutted down the runway together in lace lingerie. 

After the show, Kloss shared a black-and-white photo of herself and Swift holding hands, captioned with lyrics from the song ("Cause we never go out of style, We never go out of style").

December 4, 2014: A fan claims they saw Swift and Kloss kissing at a concert 

Swift and Kloss attended a concert for The 1975 at New York City's Terminal 5, alongside model friends Lily Aldrige and Martha Hunt.

The next day, a fellow concertgoer posted two photos of the pair on the VIP balcony, holding hands and leaning toward each other.

Although the shots were blurry, the tweet launched speculation that the women were kissing : "exclusive taylor and karlie making out #confirmed," the fan wrote .

However, a representative for Swift called the story "crap."

"It's sad that on the day it's announced Taylor has three Grammy nominations for 'Shake It Off,' I have to shake off this crap," the rep told Us Weekly .

Swift also seemed to respond to the rumors in a since-deleted tweet (although she may have been referring to media coverage of her relationship with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy ).

"As my 25th birthday present from the media, I'd like for you to stop accusing all my friends of dating me. #thirsty," she wrote . 

December 10, 2014: Kloss compliments Swift's cooking skills

During an interview with Yahoo , Kloss called Swift a "great cook" and said she handles clean-up when they eat together. 

"I'm more the baker," she said, adding, "She's a great cook."

December 13, 2014: Kloss attends Swift's star-studded 25th birthday party

The party took place at the musician's New York City apartment, according to Marie Claire . Beyonce, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, and Sam Smith were all in attendance for the occasion. 

Happy 25th Birthday @taylorswift 🎂🍰🎂🍰🎂🍰🎂🍰🎂🍰🎂 A post shared by Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) on Dec 13, 2014 at 8:45pm PST Dec 13, 2014 at 8:45pm PST

January 10, 2015: Ingrid Michaelson speaks about her interaction with Swift and Kloss

The singer and the supermodel appeared together at Michaelson's July 2014 concert . When the indie singer was asked what it was like to spend time with them, she joked that she "dragged" Swift onstage with her "supermodel best friend," whom Michaelson didn't recognize at the time. 

"I took a picture with the two of them. I was in six-inch heels, and they're still like this," Michaelson said while raising her arms up. 

She recalled asking Swift and Kloss if they were planning on attending her after-party. 

"They were like, 'No, we have — I have an early shoot,'" Michaelson said, adding that Swift introduced Kloss as a "Victoria's Secret supermodel angel woman."

January 18, 2015: Swift invites Kloss and several other friends over to her house

Kloss, Hunt, Ashley Avignone, and Gigi Hadid all posed with Swift in the singer's house, identifiable thanks to the singer's cat Meredith, who was perched on the couch. 

"I'm convinced, blondes definitely have more fun," Kloss wrote. 

I'm convinced, blondes definitely have more fun. A post shared by Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) on Jan 18, 2015 at 6:55pm PST Jan 18, 2015 at 6:55pm PST

February 1, 2015: Kloss visits Swift in Nashville

The model shared a photo of one of Swift's cats, Olivia , and tagged the location as Nashville, the singer's adopted hometown. 

She also shared a photo with Swift and Aldridge , writing in the caption, "Such a Wonderful weekend surrounded by such Wonderful friends."

February 13, 2015: They both graced the cover of Vogue

In the joint cover story, Swift and Kloss opened up about their first time meeting, their road trip through Big Sur, and their friendship.

"People had been telling us for years we needed to meet," Swift said. "I remember makeup artists and hair people going, 'Doesn't she remind you of Karlie? God, she and Karlie would be best friends. They're the same.'"

They revealed that Aldridge, who was friends with both Swift and Kloss, made the introduction.  

"We were just like, 'You. My friend. Now,'" Swift joked.

Kloss then attributed their friendship to the fact that they're both "normal people."

"We're real girls," Swift agreed. 

They also faced off in Vogue's "Friendship Test," in which Swift revealed that Kloss listened to her entire "1989" album before anyone else had heard it. As of August 4, 2023, the video has been listed as private on YouTube.

February 16, 2015: Kloss gushes about her friendship with Swift

During an appearance on "Good Morning America," the model chatted about her Vogue cover with Swift. 

"For me, what's significant about that cover, is that it's all about power friendships. Taylor and I are really close, but we also have very different jobs in very different industries. We also are twentysomething-year-old women working very hard and very focused to pursue our dreams and goals, and I think we both are very supportive of one another," she said.

Kloss added, "I think that kind of friendship, whether it's with a sister or a friend, that kind of friendship is really powerful, and it's been a huge part of my success."

February 17, 2015: Swift and Kloss sit in the front row for Oscar de la Renta

Women's Wear Daily covered Peter Copping's debut at Oscar de la Renta, noting that Swift and Kloss were "giggly" together in the front row. (Kloss had walked for the designer the previous year.)

When WWD asked why she attended the show , Swift curiously declined to comment: "My publicist would get mad at me," she said.

Kloss later shared a selfie with Swift from the event , posing with another close friend, Derek Blasberg.

"Front row selfie with my best buds," she wrote. "(My best friend and my big brother. So how are they related? Step friends?)"

February 18, 2015: Kloss shares a shout-out to her 'buddy'

After Swift appeared on "The Tonight Show," the model posted a photo of their interview on Instagram . 

"So proud of my buddy killing it on the #TonightShow with @jimmyfallon," she wrote. 

February 24, 2015: Swift supports Kloss at her charity event in London

Kloss cohosted an event called The World's First Fabulous Fund Fair to benefit The Naked Heart Foundation , Natalia Vodianova's charity aimed to help Russian children. 

Several of the supermodel's friends — like Cara Delevingne, Ellie Goulding, and of course, Swift — attended the event in London to support her. 

According to Harper's Bazaar , the event featured a fortune-teller, an ice cream station, and Karlie's Kookies. 

February 25, 2015: They pose with Kim Kardashian at the Brit Awards

K' and Tay and Bae A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Feb 26, 2015 at 2:52am PST Feb 26, 2015 at 2:52am PST

The 2015 Brit Awards were a sweeping success for Swift. She won best international female solo artist and performed her hit song "Blank Space."

She also seemed to push her feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian to the wayside ( though it would soon be reignited once again ). The reality star even shared a photo with Swift and Kloss at the event. 

May 8, 2015: Kloss posts a side-by-side picture of herself matching with Swift

The supermodel shared a picture of herself and Swift wearing the same black-and-white dress during their photo shoots.

She originally captioned the photo, "Missing my girl," but later changed it to, "Missing my BFF."

Missing my BFF @taylorswift ❤️ #Twinning A post shared by Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) on May 8, 2015 at 3:42pm PDT May 8, 2015 at 3:42pm PDT

In fact, throughout their friendship, fans noticed how the duo often borrowed each other's clothes and rocked similar looks , even in Swift's music videos .

May 18, 2015: Kloss stars as 'Knockout' in Swift's 'Bad Blood' music video

Swift assembled her best friends to play superheroes — and villains, in Selena Gomez's case — in her "Bad Blood" music video. Kloss was featured as Knockout, a character that takes on Swift in the boxing ring.

Mariska Hargitay, Ellen Pompeo, Jessica Alba, Serayah, Zendaya, Kendrick Lamar, Lena Dunham, Hailee Steinfeld, Hayley Williams, Hadid, Hunt, Delevingne, Goulding, and Aldrige also made cameos in the video. 

"Bad Blood" was widely believed to be about Katy Perry , who the "1989" singer had been feuding with at the time. (They've since buried the hatchet .)

June 27, 2015: Kloss flies to London to attend the 1989 World Tour

The model joined several of Swift's friends who attended her "1989" tour stop in London.

At one point, they even got on stage with the singer and waved a British flag.

June 30, 2015: They tour London with a larger group

Joking that she was the "5th wheel" on a boat tour of River Thames, Kloss shared a photo of herself with Swift and then-boyfriend Calvin Harris, along with Hadid and her then-boyfriend Joe Jonas (whom Swift also dated in 2008). 

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"That moment when you realize you're the 5th wheel on a romantic double date river cruise...." Kloss captioned the picture .

July 11, 2015: Kloss appears at another of Swift's concerts in New Jersey

Kloss, Aldridge, Hadid, Uzo Aduba, and Behati Prinsloo cheered for Swift at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, once again making a surprise appearance on stage.

August 30, 2015: Swift brings some of the 'Bad Blood' cast to the MTV Video Music Awards

Swift was front and center as she walked down the red carpet at the 2015 VMAs with her "Bad Blood" crew.

Later in the evening, "Bad Blood" won awards for best video and best collaboration . Kloss made sure to congratulate Swift on Instagram.

The next day, she also shared a group selfie with the caption, "So much fun last night at the #VMAs with the #BadBlood babes."

November 20, 2015: They celebrate Aldridge's birthday 

The crew seemed to remain tight toward the end of 2015, when both Kloss and Swift celebrated Aldridge's birthday with a cake. Kloss shared a photo of the occassion on Instagram.

December 20, 2015: Kloss shares a highlight video from Swift's 1989 World Tour

The montage showed Kloss heading to her first concert of Swift's in June. 

"I've never seen Taylor perform, and I get to be on stage with her," she said in the video. 

Kloss also included several behind-the-scenes moments, like when she and several of Swift's other friends joined the singer onstage. 

Hey @TaylorSwift, thanks for having me (and @GigiHadid @SerenaWilliams @KendallJenner @MarHunt @caradelevingne) on your stage last summer :) #1989WorldTourLive A post shared by Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) on Dec 20, 2015 at 6:18am PST Dec 20, 2015 at 6:18am PST

December 30, 2015: The model shares her 'best nine' photos on Instagram, and Swift was in nearly all of them

With the exception of Kloss' photo with Delevingne and a picture of herself standing in front of New York University, Swift appeared in seven of Kloss' most-liked Instagram photos from 2015 . 

"If each like was a mile, I'd get to the moon and back 107 times. Can't thank you enough for the love," Kloss wrote. 

April 18, 2016: They hang out at Coachella

The day after she posted a video from the festival with her now-husband Joshua Kushner, Kloss posed with Swift, who was platinum blonde at the time, and Todrick Hall. 

Coachella ✅ A post shared by Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) on Apr 18, 2016 at 9:13am PDT Apr 18, 2016 at 9:13am PDT

June 13, 2016: Swift rents a Manhattan apartment less than a mile away from Kloss' property

While her Tribeca apartment underwent renovations, Swift rented a West Village property on Cornelia Street that reportedly cost $40,000 per month , according to TMZ . At the time, Kloss was living in a $2.75 million apartment on Charles Street, half a mile away from Swift's rental.

The supermodel was frequently seen coming and going from Swift's place. This leads some fans to believe the song "Cornelia Street" was inspired by Kloss rather than Joe Alwyn, whom Swift began dating in late 2016 . ("I get mystified by how this city screams your name," Swift sings, referring to New York. Once she began dating Alwyn, she relocated to London.)

July 4, 2016: Kloss attends Swift's annual Independence Day party in Rhode Island 

Swift hosted a star-studded Fourth of July party at her 11,000-square-foot mansion in Rhode Island, which was built in the '30s and reportedly cost $17.75 million .

The group — which included Swift's then-love interest Tom Hiddleston, Hadid, Delevingne, Kloss, and more — was photographed celebrating the occasion wearing red, white, and blue attire.

They even enjoyed a massive inflatable slide and fireworks , which Kloss showed off on social media. 

—Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) July 5, 2016

August 3, 2016: Kloss celebrates her birthday with Swift over FaceTime

On the evening of her 24th birthday, Kloss shared a photo of Swift's face on her screen, the iPad sitting next to a bouquet of sunflowers.

"When you're halfway around the world & your best friend still finds a way to celebrate 24 with you," she wrote, tagging Swift.

—Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) August 3, 2016

Based on behind-the-scenes footage from "Reputation" studio sessions, Swift recorded "King of My Heart" the very same day. Videos show her singing the lyric, "Your love is a secret I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep," wearing the same outfit as in Kloss' photo.

August 14, 2016: Kloss says that Kim Kardashian was a 'lovely person' amid the reality star's feud with Swift

During an interview with The Sunday Times , Kloss was asked to share her thoughts about Kim Kardashian, who was in involved in a heated feud with Swift at the time .

"I think she's been a lovely person to me in the past. Look, I really don't know her that well," she said. 

After people accused her of siding with the reality star instead of sticking up for her friend, she defended herself on Twitter.

"I will not allow the media to misconstrue my words," she wrote. "Taylor has always had my back and I will always have hers."

—Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) August 16, 2016

October 13, 2016: They're seen hanging out in SoHo during one of their last public outings

The musician and the model were spotted with Serena Williams and Dakota Johnson leaving Bowery Ballroom in New York City. 

October 28, 2016: Kloss shares a Polaroid of herself and Swift at Drake's 30th birthday party

The pair was seen walking into Drake's birthday party together  at Delilah, a club in Los Angeles, several nights prior — the last time they were photographed together in public.

"Happy belated @champagnepapi," Kloss captioned the photo.

Happy belated @champagnepapi 🤘🌴🎊 A post shared by Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) on Oct 27, 2016 at 9:54pm PDT Oct 27, 2016 at 9:54pm PDT

November 8, 2016: The model wishes Swift's close friend Lorde a happy birthday 

In the photo, Kloss and Swift kiss Lorde, whose real name is Ella Yelich-O'Connor.

"Happy Happy 20th bday Ella," Kloss wrote, adding, "Looking forward to the epic adventures ahead and memories to be made over the next 20!"

Happy Happy 20th bday Ella 🎂😘❤️ Looking forward to the epic adventures ahead and memories to be made over the next 20! A post shared by Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) on Nov 8, 2016 at 11:01am PST Nov 8, 2016 at 11:01am PST

December 13, 2016: Kloss calls Swift her 'friend, sister and partner in crime' on the singer's birthday

"Happiest of Birthdays to my ride or die @taylorswift," she captioned a photo of herself and Swift.

Kloss continued, "I feel blessed to count you as my friend, sister and partner in crime. Can't wait to celebrate together very soon."

Happiest of Birthdays to my ride or die @taylorswift ❤️🎂👯❤️ I feel blessed to count you as my friend, sister and partner in crime. Can't wait to celebrate together very soon ❤️🍪🍾 A post shared by Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) on Dec 13, 2016 at 4:09am PST Dec 13, 2016 at 4:09am PST

December 13, 2017: The following year, the model posts a simple birthday message to Swift on social media

"Happy happy birthday @taylorswift!" she captioned the selfie. 

Happy happy birthday @taylorswift! 💫 A post shared by Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) on Dec 13, 2017 at 11:09am PST Dec 13, 2017 at 11:09am PST

January 1, 2018: Swift's fans speculate a rift in their friendship after Kloss captions a photo with Katy Perry's song lyrics

Kloss played basketball in a black-and-white video she shot for LOVE's advent calendar.

She originally captioned the photo , "Swish Swish," which is the title of Perry's song, widely believed to be a response to Swift's "Bad Blood."

Fans began accusing Kloss of taking a side in the feud by writing Perry's lyrics on her Instagram and flooding the post with comments.

Others defended Kloss, saying that she was merely using a common basketball term. 

She eventually changed the caption, which now reads, "Nothing but net."

February 8, 2018: Kloss goes to dinner with Perry in Los Angeles

Slightly a month after the model was accused of dissing Swift on Instagram, she was spotted out to dinner with the "Swish Swish" singer in Los Angeles. Two mutual friends were present as well. 

Several days later, Jennifer Lawrence joked that Kloss and Swift's distance "keeps her up at night" during a live interview with The New York Times .

When asked to choose one secret that she could know the answer to, Lawrence responded, "Honestly, I'd like to know what's going on between Karlie Kloss and Taylor Swift, like that's the honest-to-god truth. Is nobody else curious? It's keeping me up at night. What happened?"

March 16, 2018: Kloss lists Swift as one of her closest friends during an interview

Despite rumors that her friendship with Swift had ended, Kloss said she was still close with the songstress during an interview with The New York Times . 

The outlet reported that Kloss and Swift speak frequently, even though tabloids claimed otherwise. 

"Don't believe everything you read," Kloss added.

August 26, 2018: They share their final photo together at the Reputation Stadium Tour

Kloss attended the "Reputation" tour stop in Nashville, where she snapped a selfie with Swift backstage .

"No one puts on a show like @taylorswift," she wrote. "#ReputationTour Nashville was out of this world, I am SO proud of you."

No one puts on a show like @taylorswift 🎤✨ #ReputationTour Nashville was out of this world, I am SO proud of you 🖤 A post shared by Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) on Aug 26, 2018 at 1:12pm PDT Aug 26, 2018 at 1:12pm PDT

At the time of writing, Kloss and Swift haven't been seen together since.

October 11, 2018: Kloss says she and Swift are 'still really good friends'

During her "73 Questions" interview with Vogue , Kloss was asked if everything was "cool" between her and Swift.

"The world needs to know? Well, Jennifer Lawrence was interested," she responded, referring to the actress' comment in August.

She added, "Jen, don't worry. Taylor and I are still really good friends."

October 18, 2018: Kloss gets married, and Swift doesn't attend the wedding

The supermodel exchanged vows with Kushner in an intimate private ceremony in upstate New York. According to People , the wedding had around 80 guests. 

Swift shared a post to her Instagram story shortly after the news of the wedding broke, confirming she was on tour in Australia at the time .

December 13, 2018: Kloss gives another birthday shout-out to Swift

On the afternoon of Swift's 29th birthday, the model shared a photo of the pair at the 2015 AMAs.

"Proud of you always," Kloss wrote, adding, "Happy Happy Birthday @taylorswift."

The post has since been deleted.

March 14, 2019: Kloss says she 'loved' Swift's essay about turning 30

In anticipation of her 30th birthday, Swift penned an essay for Elle titled " 30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30 ."

She cited the importance of acknowledging the difference between "friendships" and "situationships" in her 20s. 

"Something about 'we're in our young twenties!' hurls people together into groups that can feel like your chosen family. And maybe they will be for the rest of your life. Or maybe they'll just be your comrades for an important phase, but not forever. It's sad but sometimes when you grow, you outgrow relationships. You may leave behind friendships along the way, but you'll always keep the memories," the musician wrote. 

Swift also admitted that she began to feel like her "squad" had become the embodiment of her childhood insecurities — like sitting alone at school and lacking a solid friend group. 

When Kloss appeared on "Watch What Happens Live" several days after the essay was published, host Andy Cohen asked what she thought about the essay. 

"Taylor is incredible, and I feel really lucky to call her a friend, and she's one of the hardest working women, and I loved her essay," she said. 

June 20, 2019: Kloss and Kushner have another wedding, but Swift doesn't attend that one either

Months after their first wedding, Kloss and Kushner had a larger celebration with friends at Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming.

While Swift didn't appear in any of the photos from the event, Perry and her beau Orlando Bloom did . 

Braun, who was at odds with Swift even before he infamously purchased her former record company , was also photographed the event with his then-wife Yael Cohen. Braun has been Kloss' manager for years and often shares photos of the supermodel on his Instagram page.

A source close to both Kloss and Swift told Page Six that the "Delicate" singer was invited to both events.

A representative for Kloss told the publication that Swift couldn't attend due to prior commitments. 

August 10, 2019: Kloss vacations with Braun in the midst of his feud with Swift

The music executive purchased Big Machine Label Group — and Swift's masters — for a reported $300 million in June 2019. After news of the acquisition broke, Swift aired her grievances in a Tumblr post. 

"I learned about Scooter Braun's purchase of my masters as it was announced to the world," Swift wrote. "All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I've received at his hands for years."

The singer explained that she "pleaded for a chance to own my work" for years before the sale but was instead offered to "sign back up to Big Machine Records and 'earn' one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in."

Following Braun's purchase, celebrities and friends began to take sides , but Kloss stayed quiet. And just months after the acquisition, Kloss went on vacation with the music executive. 

Braun posted a photo of himself on a boat with Kloss and her husband. He wrote in the caption, "Week of laughter."

Week of laughter 😄 A post shared by Scooter Braun (@scooterbraun) on Aug 10, 2019 at 7:27am PDT Aug 10, 2019 at 7:27am PDT

July 23, 2020: Kloss shares a photo with an eerie resemblance to Swift's 'Folklore' photo shoot on the same day as the album announcement

Swift surprised fans by announcing the release of her eighth studio album, " Folklore ," on July 23, 2020. Along with a tweet about the album, Swift shared black-and-white images of herself in the woods on Instagram.

Shortly after the musician's announcement, Kloss posted two photos of herself in the forest that looked similar to Swift's pictures.

She captioned the pictures: "happy place."

Given their history, fans wondered if the supermodel's photo was a nod to Swift's album, though she never directly mentioned "Folklore" or Swift in her post.

Later in the day, she also posted a video about her coding camp's partnership with Estée Lauder Companies. The opening segment shows lines of code, two of which have the words "Easter Egg" in them. 

Because the video came on the same day as the announcement from Swift, who's known for including Easter eggs about her personal life in her music, fans theorized that Kloss was subtly hinting about her relationship with Swift. Others wondered if Kloss secretly inspired any of the intricate songs on "Folklore."

January 7, 2021: Fans are convinced Swift took a dig at Kloss with her 'Evermore' song 'It's Time To Go' 

Swift surprise-released her ninth album " Evermore " on December 11, 2020. Like its sister "Folklore," the tracklist is packed with sly winks and details that hint at Swift's emotional state .

One month later, Swift released two bonus tracks for the deluxe edition of "Evermore." One of the songs, titled "It's Time to Go," sparked speculation about her relationship with Kloss .

In the first verse, Swift sings, "When the words of a sister come back in whispers / That prove she was not in fact what she seemed / Not a twin from your dreams / She's a crook who was caught."

The words "sister" and "twin" led fans to wonder if Swift was referring to Kloss, a fellow tall blondie. (Throughout their friendship, the media also referred to them as "sisters separated at birth." )

Fans also theorized that "whispers" and "crook" meant that Swift felt betrayed when their friendship ended. The song is about knowing when to leave a situation that's no longer serving you ("Sometimes giving up is the strong thing"), so an former friendship fits the overall theme.

The other "Evermore" bonus track, " Right Where You Left Me ," is the inverse narrative. Swift sings about feeling abandoned and alone, unable to get over a past relationship.

The opening line, "Friends break up, friends get married," could refer to her apparent "break up" with Kloss, who got married to Kushner shortly after.

"I swear you could hear a hair pin drop / Right when I felt the moment stop / Glass shattered on the white cloth / Everybody moved on, I stayed there," Swift sings in the chorus.

The image of glass shattering against white cloth could reference a well-known tradition in Judaism , in which newlyweds stomp on a glass that's covered by a napkin. According to People , Kloss and Kushner had a Jewish wedding ceremony.

August 9, 2023: Kloss is spotted in the crowd at Swift's concert in Los Angeles

Nearly five years after they were last photographed together, Kloss shocked fans by attending the final show on the US leg of the Eras Tour .

According to photos and videos from the event, Kloss was seated in a regular section, as opposed to the VIP tent with other celebrities like Halsey and Sadie Sink.

She was also filmed singing along to hits like " Shake It Off " and " Bad Blood ." Serendipitously, this was the same night Swift chose to announce the recorded version of "1989"  — the very album that Kloss heard before anyone else back in 2014.

April 23, 2024: Kardashian shares a photo with Kloss amid renewed speculation about her feud with Swift

Swift released her 11th studio album, "The Tortured Poets Department," on April 19, 2024. The deluxe edition includes a song called "Thank You Aimee," which fans have interpreted as a Kardashian diss track .

Amid rumors and headlines about the song rehashing Swift and Kardashian's longtime feud, the reality star decided to share an old group photo of herself with Kloss. (She didn't tag Kloss in the post, only Derek Blasberg.)

The motive is unclear, though many Swifties believe Kardashian was simply trying to stir the pot .

• Main content

All's fair in love and poetry? How to write a poem (with a little help from Taylor Swift)

Will Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album “The Tortured Poets Department” usher in a new era of poetry appreciation ?

Delaney Atkins, a part-time instructor at Austin Peay State University who teaches a class exploring Swift’s music's connection to Romanticism , hopes this album will help people realize the power of poetry as “one of the purest forms of human expression.”

“Poetry is not a scary thing,” she says. “If it’s something that (Swift) reads and leans into , I’m hopeful that other people will take it as an opportunity to do the same and not be afraid of feeling like they aren’t smart enough or it’s not accessible enough.”

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How to write a poem

Ever heard the saying “the best writers are readers”? The first step to writing a poem is figuring out what you like about poetry.

Is it imagery? Format? Rhyme? Start by sampling a few poets. Maya Angelou, William Wordsworth, Frank O’Hara, Sylvia Plath and Amanda Gorman are among the greats. Look to your favorite songwriters and ask yourself, "What do I admire about their craft?" Atkins also recommends looking for a poem about a subject you're passionate about.

“I promise you, there’s a poem for everyone,” she says.

Next, decide what you want to write about. Simple as it sounds, this can often be the hardest step for writers. What do you want to say?

Finally, decide how you’re going to write it.

Atkins recommends starting with metaphors and similes , which Swift often employs. Some metaphors are more obvious, like in “Red,” when she sings “Losing him was blue, like I’d never known/Missing him was dark gray, all alone.” She uses a simile when she says “Loving him was like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street.”

If you’re writing about a relationship, ask yourself what it felt like. “This relationship feels like … a burning bridge,” is Atkins's example. You can stick to a single line or make it an extended metaphor with an entire poem about that bridge.

Use imagery, or visually descriptive language, to help tell the story. Look around the room and describe the setting using lofty prose or personify the objects around you. Or create a character and tell their story – think of Swift’s love triangle in the “Betty,” “Cardigan” and “August” trilogy or “No Body, No Crime,” in which she slips into the skin of a vengeance-seeking best friend.

Do poems have to rhyme?

While many of Swift's songs rhyme, it’s not required in poetry.

“There are no rules and that’s a good thing, it’s a freeing thing,” Atkins says. “Take that and run with it – be as creative as possible.”

Review: Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets' is hauntingly brilliant

Taylor Swift has always been a member of 'The Tortured Poets Department'

In Atkins’ class, Swift's 10 previous albums are on the syllabus. Some connections to poetry are more overt, like Swift’s reference to English poet William Wordsworth in “The Lakes.”

But Atkins also teaches the motifs and literary devices that Swift uses throughout her discography, like the repetition of rain . In “Fearless” Swift alludes to naively running and dancing in the rain. Later in “Clean” from “1989,” rain is a baptismal metaphor for washing away the addiction of a past relationship. On “Peace,” off of “Folklore,” Swift sings about rain as a manifestation of her anxieties. 

She uses the extended metaphor of death and dying in several songs. Atkins points to “dying in secret” in 2009’s “Cold As You” as representative of shame (“And I know you wouldn’t have told nobody if I died, died for you”). In 2020’s “peace” death is a symbol of unconditional love (“All these people think love’s for show/But I would die for you in secret”). She also repeatedly references her death throughout “My Tears Ricochet” – “And if I’m dead to you, why are you at the wake?”

Poem ideas inspired by Taylor Swift

Want to become a “Tortured Poet” yourself? Here are some prompts to kickstart your poetry era.

• Use a five-dollar word: Who else could fit “clandestine” and “mercurial” in a song? Use an unexpected word from Swift's work, like “elegies,” “unmoored,” “calamitous,” “ingenue” or “gauche” as a jumping-off point.
• Write a poem based on one of the “eras” : Tell a girl-next-door love story based on “Taylor Swift,” a bitter heartbreak for “Red” or the tale of your slandered character for “Reputation.”
• Write about your “invisible strings”: The “invisible string theory” hypothesizes that there’s some larger force at work laying the groundwork to lead us to our destinies. In “invisible string,” Swift writes about the path that led her to a romantic partner. Write about your own.
• Paint the image of a season: It's tempting to break out your flannels and drive to go leaf-peeping after listening to "All Too Well." In literature, fall often represents change. Pick a season and describe it using imagery – how does that season represent what your poem is about?
• Use rain as a metaphor: Take inspiration from Swift's many uses of rain, which sometimes symbolizes losing yourself in a passionate moment but other times indicates a cleansing or sadness.
• Take a spin on a classic: Swift invokes classic literature in “Love Story” when she sings “You were Romeo I was a scarlet letter.” How can you put a modern take on classic tropes ?
• Retell history: This is precisely what Swift does in “The Last Great American Dynasty” when she tells the story of Rebekah Harkness , a socialite who lived in the Rhode Island house Swift bought in 2013. Who can you use as a muse?
• Play with color: A whole essay could be written about Swift's use of the color “blue.” Try out a common color symbol (like blue for sadness, red for passion, green for envy) or flip it on its head entirely and have it represent a new emotion.
• Use the year you were born: Swift's “1989” symbolizes her artistic rebirth . Title your poem the year you were born. How can you emerge as a poet reborn? 
• Random lyric generator: Still stumped? Use this random lyric generator and use that phrase as the theme or first line of your poem. Just make sure to credit Swift if you post it anywhere online.
• Write about “The Tortured Poets Department”: What would it look like if it was a real place? Assume the role of Chairman of the Tortured Poets Department and craft your world of punished poets. 

Tortured poets: Is Taylor Swift related to Emily Dickinson?

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USA TODAY is exploring the questions you and others ask every day. From "How to get on BookTok" to "What does 'era' mean?" to "Where to buy cheap books?" – we're striving to find answers to the most common questions you ask every day. Head to our Just Curious section to see what else we can answer for you. 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: All's fair in love and poetry? How to write a poem (with a little help from Taylor Swift)

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