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Taylor Swift performs 'Anti-Hero' live for the first time in surprise appearance at the 1975's concert

She also covered the band's hit "The City."

Taylor Swift should not be left to her own devices — after all, she may just show up at a concert unexpectedly and perform.

Such is what happened on Thursday in London at The O2, where fans were gathered for the 1975's concert. According to videos shared by onlookers, Swift showed up unannounced onstage to give the first live performance of "Anti-Hero" from her latest album Midnights . Swift also treated the crowd to a rendition of the 1975's "The City."

The surprising cameo caps off a few months of mutual public admiration between Swift and the English synth-pop band. In November, the 1975's Matty Healy said in an interview that Swift had heard their new record, Being Funny In a Foreign Language , before its release. (Frequent Swift collaborator and Midnights producer Jack Antonoff also produced the 1975's album).

When asked if Swift returned the favor, Healy said that in fact, he and his bandmates had worked a bit on Swift's album, but whatever they made didn't make the final cut.

"We actually worked a bit on that but then the version of it never came out," the star said in an interview with KROQ's Klein/Ally Show for Audacy's DTS Sound Space . Though he didn't specify what they worked on or why it didn't work out, he did clarify, "it was for reasons that are not to be criticized" and he praised Swift, calling her "amazing."

Just days after the Oct. 21 release of her 10th studio album, Midnights , Swift shattered streaming and sales records left and right, including becoming the first artist in history to claim all top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 in a single frame. The album, which sees the singer reminisce on sleepless nights throughout her life, marked both a return to pop and a return to more personal subject matter for Swift.

In addition to surprising fans at concerts, Swift is currently hard at work prepping for her massive Eras Tour , which kicks off in Glendale, Ariz. on March 17.

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Watch Taylor Swift's new 'Anti-Hero' music video off her new album 'Midnights'

Taylor Swift has released the music video for "Anti-Hero," a single off her 10th studio album, "Midnights."

The "Anti-Hero" video premiered Friday at 8 a.m. ET, hours after the release of Swift's new album at midnight.

MORE: Taylor Swift drops 10th studio album 'Midnights,' reveals 7 surprise tracks

The music video, which was written and directed by Swift, shows her "nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts play out in real time," she described in an Instagram post.

Swift also launched the #TSAntiHeroChallenge to encourage fans to share their "anti-heroic traits."

The singer shared two hilarious YouTube Shorts of her own to kick off the challenge.

The #TSAntiHeroChallenge is centered on "acknowledging and celebrating the traits that make each of us truly unique and showcasing one's true self in a FUN way."

Swift previously described "Anti-Hero" as "one of my favorite songs I've ever written."

MORE: Taylor Swift drops 'This Love (Taylor's Version)'

"I really don't think I've delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before," she said of the song. "You know, I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized, and that I, you know… not to sound too dark, but, I just struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person."

She also said that she feels "Anti-Hero" is a, "real guided tour throughout all the things that I tend to hate about myself."

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"We all hate things about ourselves, and it's all of those aspects of the things we dislike and like about ourselves that we have to come to terms with if we're going to be this person," she shared. "So, yeah, I like 'Anti-Hero' a lot because I think it's really honest."

Swift first announced "Midnights," which she describes as "the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life," in August.

Following the album announcement, she teased the project in social posts with Easter eggs and fun behind the scenes footage of her making the album.

She also revealed lyrics, inspiration behind the songs , covers for the project and its official track list ahead of its official release.

Swift's last studio album was 2020's "Evermore." She released two of her re-recorded studio albums, "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" and "Red (Taylor's Version)," in 2021.

WATCH: The evolution of Taylor Swift's music

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Taylor Swift explains the soul-crushing meaning behind her Anti-Hero lyrics

25 October 2022, 12:41

Taylor Swift says Anti-Hero is one of her favourite songs she’s ever written

By Sam Prance

"This song is a real guided tour throughout all the things I tend to hate about myself."

Listen to this article

Taylor Swift 's new album Midnights is finally here and fans are crying over the candid meaning behind her 'Anti-Hero' lyrics.

Ever since Taylor Swift announced her 10th studio album Midnights and unveiled the tracklist, fans have been desperate to find out what each song is about. Describing the concept of the album, Taylor said: "This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams. The floors we pace and the demons we face."

READ MORE: Fans defend Taylor Swift after Anti-Hero video is labelled "fatphobic"

'Anti-Hero' is the lead single from the project and it's already becoming a fan-favourite. What is 'Anti-Hero' about though? Ahead of Midnights ' release, Taylor explained the meaning behind her 'Anti-Hero' lyrics and it is truly soul-destroying.

What are Taylor Swift's Anti-Hero lyrics about?

In 'Anti-Hero', Taylor appears to confront all of her inner demons. She opens the ballad singing: "I have this thing where I get older but just never wiser." Taylor then goes deeper by adding: "It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me / At tea time, everybody agrees / I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror / It must be exhausting, always rooting for the anti-hero."

It also contains another iconic Taylor Swift bridge. Describing a recurring nightmare about her future daughter-in-law, Taylor reveals: "I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money / She thinks I left them in the will / The family gathers around and reads it and someone screams out / "She's laughing up at us from hell!" That, my friends, is poetry.

Describing the song in an Instagram reel (Oct 3), Taylor revealed: "'Anti-Hero' is one of my favourite songs I've ever written. I don't think I've delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before. I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized. Not to sound too dark but I just struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person."

Taylor then went on to explain: "This song is a real guided tour throughout all the things I tend to hate about myself. We all hate things about ourselves and it's all of those aspects of the things we dislike and like about ourselves that we have to come to terms with if we're gonna be this person.

She ended by saying: "I like 'Anti-Hero' a lot because I think it's really honest."

READ MORE: Taylor Swift explains how Dylan O'Brien ended up playing the drums on Midnights

Taylor Swift - Anti-Hero (Official Music Video)

BRB - going to listen to 'Anti-Hero' on repeat and cry.

Read Taylor Swift's 'Anti-Hero' lyrics below:

VERSE 1 I have this thing where I get older but just never wiser Midnights become my afternoons When my depression works the graveyard shift All of the people I've ghosted stand there in the room

PRE-CHORUS I should not be left to my own devices They come with prices and vices I end up in crisis I've realized all this time I wake up screaming from dreaming One day I'll watch as you're leaving Cuz you got tired of my scheming For the last time

CHORUS It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me At tea time, everybody agrees I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror It must be exhausting, always rooting for the anti-hero VERSE 2 Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby And I'm a monster on the hill Too big to hang out, slowly lurching towards your favorite city Pierced through the heart, but never killed PRE-CHORUS Did you hear my covert narcissism Lightly disguised as altruism Like some kind of congressman I wake up screaming from dreaming One day I'll watch as you're leaving And life will lose all of its meaning For the last time CHORUS It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me At tea time, everybody agrees I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror It must be exhausting, always rooting for the anti-hero BRIDGE I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money She thinks I left them in the will The family gathers around and reads it and someone screams out "She's laughing up at us from hell!"

BREAKDOWN It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me It's me, hi, everybody agrees Everybody agrees...

CHORUS It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me (I'm the problem, it's me) Everybody agrees I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror It must be exhausting, always rooting for the anti-hero

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Taylor swift details “nightmare scenarios,” “intrusive thoughts” in “anti-hero” music video.

The song, which Swift described as one of her favorites she's ever written, is the first from her new 'Midnights' album to get the music movie treatment.

By Lexy Perez

Associate Editor

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Taylor Swift ‘s insecurities and fears are coming to life in the music video, which Swift is calling a “music movie,” for her song “Anti-Hero,” from her new album, Midnights .

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Later in the video, there’s a scene of Swift’s imagined funeral, in which a fictional daughter-in-law (portrayed by Mary Elizabeth Ellis) and sons (John Early and Mike Birbiglia) read her will.

“There’s probably a secret encoded message that means something else,” Early’s Chad says in the scene, nodding to Swift’s signature Easter eggs. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s what mom would always do,” Birbiglia’s Preston says before reading the next part, “P.S. There is no secret encoded message that means something else.” Swift’s fictional daughter-in-law is later accused of killing her for her money.

Swift directed and wrote the “Anti-Hero” video, which follows Swift directing the  short film  for the original 10-minute version of her beloved song “All Too Well.”

“The Anti-Hero video is HERE, which I wrote and directed. Watch my nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts play out in real time,” Swift wrote on social media of the video.

Prior to the album’s Oct. 21 release, Swift shared a series of videos on social media in which she discussed the meaning behind some of the songs. Swift described “Anti-Hero” as “one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written.”

“I really don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before,” she said. “I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized, and not to sound too dark, I just struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person.” She also said the song is a “real guided tour” of “all the things I tend to hate about myself.”

Swift worked with longtime collaborator Antonoff for the  Midnights  album with William Bowery (who Swift has since  revealed  to be her boyfriend, actor Joe Alwyn) also credited as a songwriter for the track “Sweet Nothing.” Zoë Kravitz is also listed as a songwriter for the song “Lavender Haze.” Swift’s Folklore and Evermore collaborator Aaron Dessner was later revealed to also have worked on the album after Swift surprised fans with an additional seven songs, dubbed  Midnights 3am Edition .

In a teaser shared on Swift’s social media of the calendar of events for the Midnights album release week, the singer-songwriter noted that a video for another Midnights song will release on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

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Taylor's "Anti-Hero" Is All About Feeling Like An Outsider

"I'm the problem, it's me."

Now that “Anti-Hero” is out, it’s easy to see why Taylor Swift made it her first single off Midnights . First of all, the song is extremely catchy, making it perfect for the radio, and second, the lyrics are super relatable for anyone having a rough day. Throughout the track, Swift calls herself an “Anti-Hero” because she sometimes feels like she doesn’t belong. After reading the lyrics to her new single, you’ll be calling yourself an “Anti-Hero,” too.

Swift teased the meaning behind “Anti-Hero” in an Oct. 3 Instagram video. At the time, she hadn’t officially announced it would be a single, but fans suspected it would be since she hadn’t previously done a “behind the song” video for any other track on Midnights . She also gushed over the single by saying, “It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written,” because the lyrics are very personal.

“I really don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before,” Swift said. “I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized. Not to sound too dark, but I struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person.”

Swift revealed that “Anti-Hero” goes through all of the things she hates about herself, which others will relate about themselves as well. “It’s all of those aspects of the things we dislike and like about ourselves that we have to come to terms with if we’re going to be this person,” she explained. “I like ‘Anti-Hero’ a lot because I think it’s really honest.”

View on Instagram

So, now that the song is here, let’s dive into the lyrics. Swift starts the track by admitting she stays up late at night playing things over in her head. (Honestly, doesn’t everybody?) “I have this thing where I get older but just never wise/ Midnights become my afternoons,” she sings. “When my depression works the graveyard shift/ All of the people I’ve ghosted stand there in the room.” She also says she can’t be left with her “own devices” because then she ends up in a “crisis” as she scrolls through her feed. (Same, Taylor.)

Then, in the chorus, Swift calls herself “the problem” and says she sometimes has a hard time looking at herself in the mirror. “It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero,” she sings, referring to herself.

In the second chorus, Swift admits to feeling like a “monster” compared to everyone else. “Too big to hang out, slowly lurchy toward your favorite city/ Pierced through the heart but never killed,” she sings.

The bridge is different from the rest of the song, however, because just like her Folklore and Evermore albums, it appears to have been written from the point of view of an imaginary character . “I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money/ She thinks I left them in the will,” Swift sings during the bridge. “The family gathers around and reads it and then someone screams out, ‘She’s laughing up at us from hell.’”

So, why did Swift include this part in her song? Well, it emphasizes the idea of an “anti-hero,” which is a protagonist who lacks heroic qualities . It appears to represent how everybody is the main character of their own lives, but they don’t exactly see themselves as being the hero of their story. Instead, they see themselves as more of an “anti-hero.”

Read the full lyrics to “Anti-Hero” below.

I have this thing where I get older, but just never wise

Midnights become my afternoons

When my depression works the graveyard shift

All of the people I’ve ghosted stand there in the room

I should not be left to my own devices

They come with prices and vices

I end up in crisis (Tale as old as time)

I wake up screaming from dreaming

One day I’ll watch as you’re leaving

‘Cause you got tired of my scheming (For the last time)

It’s me, hi

I’m the problem, it’s me

At teatime, everybody agrees

I’ll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror

It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

Sometimes, I feel like everybody is a sexy baby

And I’m a monster on the hill

Too big to hang out, slowly lurching toward your favorite city

Pierced through the heart, but never killed

Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism

Like some kind of congressman?

One day, I’ll watch as you’re leaving

And life will lose all its meaning (For the last time)

I’m the problem, it’s me (I’m the problem, it’s me)

I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money

She thinks I left them in the will

The family gathers around and reads it

And then someone screams out

“She’s laughing up at us from hell”

Everybody agrees, everybody agrees

It’s me, hi (Hi)

At teatime (teatime), everybody agrees (everybody agrees)

Swift’s latest album Midnights is available to stream now.

Shop Midnights

This article was originally published on 10.18.22

Taylor Swift’s ‘Anti-Hero’ and ‘Cruel Summer’: How the Superstar Had the Feel-Cruel Hits of the Summer and Winter, Too

Swift has two singles on Variety's Hitmakers list — the ranking of the 25 most-consumed songs of the year. Neither is anyone's idea of a "normal" No. 1 smash.

By Chris Willman

Chris Willman

Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic

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“Summer’s lease hath all too short a date,” wrote William Shakespeare in one of his sonnets. Well, Bill, you might be enchanted to meet Taylor Swift , who has been busy proving just how long a summer can last: four years and counting, in the case of “Cruel Summer.” The song was released in 2019 but didn’t become a smash until 2023, when by popular acclamation her quasi-oldie was all but officially declared the song of summer. (“What’s past is prologue,” indeed!)

Popular on Variety

And then the “Lover” album, which had proven less than an all-consuming monster at radio, came back from the dead, in the form of the happy revivification of “Cruel Summer.” The song had been pegged to be the third single off “Lover” for the summer of 2020, before COVID scotched that plan (not least of all because the title would have been way too on the nose) and she made her pandemic pivot to woodsiness. Swifties considered it not just a lost opportunity but one that needed to be rectified, and they lobbied for the song to get its due three summers later. Swift has said that the song’s mixed moods describe “how oftentimes a summer romance can be layered with all these feelings of, like, pining away and sometimes secrecy” — meaning that young listeners could find something to identify with it it whether they were madly in love or feeling thwarted in a relationship going wrong.

In March, Swift kicked off her stadium tour, and what was at the very top of the three-and-a-half-hour set? Well, a very tiny snippet of “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince,” but after that tease, the real start of the show was “Cruel Summer.” It was if Swift had sent out a bat-signal to her fans by placing the underdog song in that pole position. In early June, the song suddenly made a streaming-driven reappearance on the Hot 100. On June 15, Republic announced that “Cruel Summer” was going to pop radio — even though the designated radio single of the moment, “Karma,” from “Midnights,” was still on the rise. (“Karma” didn’t exactly get squelched, in the self-competition; that single made it to No. 2.) “Cruel Summer” entered the Top 10 in July and finally reached No. 1 on Oct. 23, making the final leap with the help of “ Eras Tour ” movie mania.

How much of the “Cruel” comeback story was organic and driven by pure Swiftie sentiment, and how much was it Swift being, you know, a mastermind? Seizing the opportunity presented by its virality is probably the best explanation, because rarely, if ever, does a label have as part of a master plan pushing two singles to radio at once. So maybe this is the best way of thinking about “Cruel Summer”: It just had good karma.

SONGWRITERS: St. Vincent, Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift

PRODUCERS: Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff

LABEL: Republic

HITMAKERS :

Jack Antonoff, producer and songwriter

Jim Roppo, co-president, Republic Records

Kevin Lipson, executive VP, global commerce & digital strategy, Republic Records

Gary Spangler, executive VP, Republic Records

13 Management

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• Songs written by Taylor Swift
• Songs written by Jack Antonoff
• Songs produced by Jack Antonoff
• Songs produced by Taylor Swift
• Songs with videos
• Lead singles
• 2022 singles
• View history
• 1.1 Remixes
• 2.1 Behind the scenes
• 2.2 Gallery
• 2.3 Controversy
• 2.4 YouTube shorts
• 4 Lyric video
• 5 Live performances
• 6 References

Background [ ]

Swift announced that the third track on Midnights would be titled "Anti-Hero" on October 3, 2022, as episode six out of thirteen on Midnights Mayhem with Me . [1]

On the same day, Swift uploaded a video on Instagram that explained the meaning behind the song, saying: "Anti-Hero” is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written. I really don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before. I struggle with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized and I, not to sound too dark, but I just struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person. This song is a real guided tour throughout all the things I tend to hate about myself, and it’s all those aspects of the things we dislike and like about ourselves that we have to come to terms with if we are gonna be this person, so I like “Anti-Hero” a lot, because I think is really honest." [2]

On October 17, 2022, Swift revealed that "Anti-Hero" would be the lead single off her tenth studio album. [3] Swift also revealed that the song would have a music video that would be released on October 21, 2022.

Remixes [ ]

Music video [ ]

The video opens with Swift singing the first verse in a 1970s-style suburban home kitchen at night, briefly surrounded by ghosts in tablecloths. She opens the front door, revealing a second version of herself with her early-2010s appearance and a tour dance outfit, and they drink shots and sing the chorus together. The "current" version plays a blue guitar, while the "younger" version smashes a copy of it on the floor. Younger Taylor stands next to a blackboard that reads "Everyone Will Betray You" and she points to it with a pointer while Current Taylor sits at a desk writing it down like a student taking notes. A third, giant version of Swift crawls into a neighbor's dinner party during the second verse, whereupon a guest unsuccessfully tries to subdue her by shooting her in the heart with a bow and arrow. The giant version of Swift gives a shocked but unfazed look in response and glumly eats the guests' food alone. Current & Younger Taylor jump up & down on a bed before Younger Taylor pushes Current Taylor off of it. A photograph of Swift's grandmother, Marjorie Finlay , is in the background the bathroom scene as Current Taylor, now wearing a white tank top & shorts stands on a scale. The dialogue portion of the video plays out during the bridge, which describes Swift's dream of her own funeral, attended by her sons Preston and Chad (Mike Birbiglia and John Early) and daughter-in-law Kimber (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), the latter of whom Chad implicates in the apparent murder of Swift, all while a fourth version of Swift is peeking from inside the coffin. The three attendees bicker over who their mother loved the most, learning that her last will and testament leaves them with 13 cents, bequeaths her assets to her cats, and does not contain any "secret encoded message" that means a larger inheritance. The video ends with the first two versions of Swift sitting on the rooftop and offering a bottle of wine to the giant version, who happily accepts.

Behind the scenes [ ]

A behind the scenes reel plays on the stage before the opening acts perform on The Eras Tour . In the video, it is revealed that two of the ghosts are played by her brother Austin Swift and her lawyer.

Gallery [ ]

Controversy [ ]

Some social media criticized the scene in which Taylor weighs herself on the scale - with the word "fat" appearing, where her other self expresses her disapproval - calling it "fatphobic", a form of discrimination against overweight and plus sized people. News sources like The Independent and The View defended Swift as she should not have to sanitize her trauma from her eating disorder. The scene was removed from the video.

YouTube shorts [ ]

After the single was released, Taylor made multiple posts on YouTube Shorts with the song "Anti-Hero" playing. These videos used the hashtag #TSAntiHeroChallenge. The videos displayed Taylor showing some of her anti-heroic traits. Fans were encouraged to create their own, similar videos with the hashtag. Taylor added some of them to a playlist on her YouTube channel, and even commented on a few.

• Album version
• Feat. Bleachers

[Verse 1] I have this thing where I get older But just never wiser Midnights become my afternoons When my depression works the graveyard shift All of the people I've ghosted stand there in the room [Pre-Chorus 1] I should not be left to my own devices They come with prices and vices I end up in crisis (Tale as old as time) I wake up screaming from dreaming One day, I'll watch as you're leaving 'Cause you got tired of my scheming (For the last time) [Chorus] It's me, hi I'm the problem, it's me At tea time, everybody agrees I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero [Verse 2] Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby And I'm a monster on the hill Too big to hang out, slowly lurching toward your favorite city Pierced through the heart but never killed [Pre-Chorus 2] Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism Like some kind of congressman? (Tale as old as time) I wake up screaming from dreaming One day, I'll watch as you're leaving And life will lose all its meaning (For the last time) [Chorus] It's me, hi I'm the problem (I'm the problem, it's me) , it's me At tea time, everybody agrees I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero [Bridge] I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money She thinks I left them in the will The family gathers 'round and reads it And then someone screams out "She's laughing up at us from Hell" [Breakdown] It's me, hi I'm the problem, it's me It's me, hi I'm the problem, it's me It's me, hi, everybody agrees Everybody agrees [Chorus] It's me, hi (Hi) I'm the problem (I'm the problem, it's me) , it's me At tea (At tea) time (Time) , everybody agrees (Everybody agrees) I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

[Verse 1] I have this thing where I get older But just never wiser Midnights become my afternoons When my depression works the graveyard shift All of the people I've ghosted stand there in the room [Pre-Chorus 1] I should not be left to my own devices They come with prices and vices I end up in crisis (Tale as old as time) I wake up screaming from dreaming One day, I'll watch as you're leaving 'Cause you got tired of my scheming (For the last time) [Chorus] It's me, hi I'm the problem, it's me At tea time, everybody agrees I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero [Verse 2: Jack Antonoff] Sometimes I feel like everybody is an art bro lately And I just judge them on the hill Too hurt to hang out, talking shit about your famous baby Pierced through the heart of '90s guilt Maybe I'm the problem it's me [Pre-Chorus: Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff ] Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism Like some kind of congressman? (Taylor, you'll be fine) I wake up screaming from dreaming One day, I'll watch as you're leaving And life will lose all its meaning (For the last time) [Chorus] It's me, hi I'm the problem (I'm the problem, it's me) , it's me At tea time, everybody agrees I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero [Post-Chorus: Jack Antonoff] Always rooting for the anti-hero [Bridge] I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money She thinks I left them in the will The family gathers 'round and reads it And then someone screams out "She's laughing up at us from Hell" [Breakdown] It's me, hi I'm the problem, it's me It's me, hi I'm the problem, it's me It's me, hi, everybody agrees Everybody agrees [Chorus] It's me, hi (Hi) I'm the problem (I'm the problem, it's me) , it's me At tea (At tea) time (Time) , everybody agrees (Everybody agrees) I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

Lyric video [ ]

Live performances [ ]

Swift performed "Anti-Hero" for the first time in London, England, on January 12, 2023, on English rock pop band The 1975 's At Their Very Best Tour . "Anti-Hero" is performed as the second song in the Midnights section of The Eras Tour .

References [ ]

• ↑ https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorswift/video/7150130762891775274
• ↑ https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjPMULyPp9V/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
• ↑ https://www.nme.com/news/music/taylor-swift-announces-new-single-and-reveals-midnights-lyrics-on-new-york-billboard-3330110
• ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CkrJohnJ_jd/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CkwTA-zShjT/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CkyqLDxpNgU/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• ↑ https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClEeD73AzC4/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• 1 List of Taylor Swift's ex-boyfriends
• 2 The Tortured Poets Department
• 3 Bleachella

Lead Single | Midnights (2022)

Table of contents, background and release, lyrical theme.

«'Anti-Hero' is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written. I really don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before. You know, I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanagably sized and not to sound too dark, I struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person...This song really is a guided tour throughout all the things I tend to hate about myself. We all hate things about ourselves, and it’s all those aspects of the things we dislike and like about ourselves that we have to come to terms with if we are going to be this person. Yeah, I like 'Anti-Hero' a lot because I think it’s honest.» Taylor Swift

Music Video

Live performances, critical reception, commercial performance.

«Remembering right before 'Anti-Hero' came out Taylor saying it’s her favorite song lyrically and that’s why it’s the first single. But it’s a strange and personal one so we shouldn’t expect it to go number 1…'Anti-Hero' 8th week at 1...insane...» Jack Antonoff

«Jack’s version of ‘sexy baby’ is ‘art bro’ and we sincerely hope it confuses just as many people.» Taylor Swift

«This is incredible and feels so good. First of all, I wanna say thank you to Jack Antonoff, who's – at this point – like a family member and also the collaborator of dreams. I just distinctly remember calling him up when I had decided that this would be the first single off of Midnights and I said, 'I'm finally just gonna pick a first single based on the one that I like the most. And I'm just prepping you, I don't think that this is gonna be a hit song.' Because we're kind of fed the messaging that in order for it to be a hit song it has to be really simple, it has to be stuck in everybody's head and you just have to not have lines in it like, 'Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism, like some kind of congressman?' So I had fully prepped him, it's not gonna work at radio, this is not why we're doing this. So I would like to thank iHeart, and radio everywhere, and fans everywhere, for proving that wrong.» Taylor Swift

[Verse 1] I have this thing where I get older but just never wiser Midnights become my afternoons When my depression works the graveyard shift All of the people I’ve ghosted stand there in the room

[Pre-Chorus 1] I should not be left to my own devices, they come with prices and vices, I end up in crisis Tale as old as time I wake up screaming from dreaming one day I’ll watch as you’re leaving ‘Cause you got tired of my scheming – for the last time

[Chorus] It’s me Hi I’m the problem, it’s me At teatime Everybody agrees I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

[Verse 2] Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby And I’m a monster on the hill Too big to hang out Slowly lurching toward your favorite city Pierced through the heart but never killed

[Pre-Chorus 2] Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism like some kind of congressman? Tale as old as time I wake up screaming from dreaming one day I’ll watch as you’re leaving And life will lose all its meaning – for the last time

[Chorus] It’s me Hi I’m the problem, it’s me (I’m the problem, it’s me) At tea time Everybody agrees I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

[Bridge] I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money She thinks I left them in the will The family gathers ’round and reads it And then someone screams out “She’s laughing up at us from hell!”

[Breakdown] It’s me Hi I’m the problem, it’s me It’s me Hi I’m the problem, it’s me It’s me Hi Everybody agrees Everybody agrees

[Chorus] It’s me Hi (Hi) I’m the problem, it’s me (I’m the problem, it’s me) At teatime (Teatime) Everybody agrees (Everybody agrees) I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

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Taylor Swift at Coachella? These are the 3 sets where our experts think she could appear

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Taylor Swift’s name isn’t on the lineup poster of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival , but that doesn’t mean pop’s biggest superstar won’t make an appearance in Indio this month.

Not to go all Taylor Swift conspiracy theorist on you, but there are some signs — and celeb gossip reports — that point to Swift spending some time in the desert.

First, she’s on a break from her Eras tour , which recently wrapped its run in Asia and Australia. There’s no reason to figure out if she can be there in time, like people did when Swift flew from Japan to see boyfriend Travis Kelce play in the Super Bowl — her entire month is free before she heads to Europe in May.

Second, her new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” drops on April 19, which is the first day of Coachella’s second weekend. It’s not unprecedented to see an artist roll up to the fest with brand-new material. Kendrick Lamar dropped “Damn.” two days before his first Coachella headlining stint in 2017.

Now, she could just be taking the month of April off to do promotion for the new album, but the most compelling reason of all that we might see Swift in Indio? Her friends are going to be there.

Our team of Coachella experts has compiled some likely spots for a Swift surprise at the festival.

Coachella 2024: Everything you need to know about the festival

Your guide to Coachella 2024, from who’s playing, how to get tickets and what to eat at the festival to the party scene and how to watch at home on YouTube.

April 9, 2024

Lana Del Rey

True power is having a fanbase that can convince Taylor Swift to take a backseat on her own song. “Snow on the Beach” was a dreamy highlight of Swift’s “Midnights,” which featured her pal Lana del Rey’s spare but velvety harmonies . Yet Lana’s fans would not accept such a slight role for her, and successfully petitioned for a new edit where Del Rey gets a much more substantial role — and they were right, it’s the superior version. Lana’s set will be a pinnacle of a career steeped in L.A. mythology, so can Del Rey convince Swift, the most famous artist in the world, to drop by for brief harmony cameo on the Coachella main stage? Weird, but f— beautiful. — AB

Jack Antonoff’s rock band Bleachers plays the Mojave Tent on Saturday evening, but as the producer to the stars, including Swift and Del Rey, there’s potential for a Swift sighting, if not a guest spot. Antonoff has worked on a string of Swift’s albums and he’s the producer of the forthcoming “The Tortured Poets Department.” And after Swift’s “Midnights” dropped, the hit “Anti-Hero” got a Bleachers remix, which, if re-created, would make for a pretty epic Coachella moment. — VF

Jack Antonoff, pop music’s production king, on Taylor Swift, his new album and the genre that’s ‘about to blow’

Ahead of Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ and a new album by his band Bleachers, Jack Antonoff talks about ‘starting to take some of my things to the Container Store in my head.’

Feb. 28, 2024

Sabrina Carpenter

Carpenter toiled for years in the Disney-pop salt mines before breaking out in 2022 with the comparatively frisky “Emails I Can’t Send.” That album’s best track, “Nonsense,” went viral on TikTok thanks to Carpenter’s onstage habit of changing the lyrics of the song’s outro to suit whatever city she’s in: “Old people think I’m Hannah Montana / He’s so big I need an extra hand-a / Make some noise for sweet home Alabama,” she sang, pricelessly, at that state’s Hangout Fest last year. The singer kept at it as one of Swift’s opening acts on the Eras tour, and just last month she joined a fellow Eras alum, Norway’s Girl in Red, for a bumptious duet with the very Taylor-rific title of “You Need Me Now?” Perhaps Swift will reward Carpenter’s loyalty with a surprise Coachella cameo. — MW

More to Read

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April 15, 2024

The 15 best things we saw at Coachella 2024

Coachella 2024: Doja Cat brings us dancing Yetis and mud wrestling on a strangely satisfying Day 3 finale

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Assistant editor Vanessa Franko oversees audience engagement for the Los Angeles Times’ Entertainment and Arts section. She was previously the digital director of entertainment and features at the Southern California News Group.

Mikael Wood is pop music critic for the Los Angeles Times.

August Brown covers pop music, the music industry and nightlife policy at the Los Angeles Times.

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All of Taylor Swift’s Songs That Aren’t About Dating: ‘The Man,’ ‘Anti-Hero,’ More

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If you’re not a die-hard Swiftie like Us , you might think that all of Taylor Swift ’s songs are about dating and love — and you’d be wrong. On the heels of the release of The Tortured Poets Department , let Us enlighten you about her dozens of hits about family, friends and more.

Take “The Man,” for example, from her 2019 album, Lover . In the track, Swift sings about how her life and career would be different if she was a man: “They'd say I hustled / Put in the work / They wouldn't shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve.” Throughout the song, Swift dives into her experience of sexism in the music industry.

Swift also has a number of songs about her family, including “The Best Day,” “Never Grow Up,” “Soon You’ll Get Better” and “Marjorie,” where she sings about her relationship with her mom, her late grandmother and more.

Keep scrolling to see every song Swift has written that’s not about dating sorted by album:

Every Time Taylor Swift Sang About Cheating: From ‘High Infidelity’ to ‘Should’ve Said No’

Taylor Swift (Debut)

“I’m Only Me When I’m With You” is about Swift's childhood friend Abigail Anderson . In the music video, she shared clips of the two bonding and having fun together, as well as shots of her family.

Elsewhere on the 2006 album is “A Place in This World,” a song about Swift’s journey moving to Nashville and wanting to become famous.

While Fearless is filled with some of her most popular songs, including “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story,” there are also a number of tunes that have nothing to do with her dating life. Swift wrote a love song to her mom, Andrea Swift , named “The Best Day.”

“Change” is also featured on the album, which is about overcoming hardships.

One of Swift’s beloved tracks on Speak Now is “Mean,” which she wrote after receiving a harsh review. The song is rumored to be about critic Bob Lefsetz, who claimed Swift “can't sing” after her 2010 Grammys performance. In response, she sings, “And I can see you years from now in a bar … Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things / Drunk and grumblin' on about how I can't sing.”

A Guide to Taylor Swift Songs Inspired by Her Friends: ‘Fifteen,’ ’22’ and More

Other songs on the album not about love are “Never Grow Up,” about aging, “Long Live,” an ode to her fans, “Innocent” about her feud with Kanye West and “Castles Crumbling,” which tackles her concerns about the longevity of her career.

From “22” about navigating life in her early 20’s to “The Lucky One,” following Swift’s understanding of fame, Red is filled with songs that aren't about dating. In the Taylor’s Version of the album, which dropped in November 2021, she included two vault tracks: “Nothing New” and “Forever Winter,” which are about aging and becoming irrelevant, and mental health, respectively.

In her first fully pop album, Swift included “Welcome to New York,” regarding her move to the Big Apple, as well as “Bad Blood” about her former feud with Katy Perry . (Perry hired Swift’s backup dancers to leave The Red Tour and travel with her instead on her Prismatic World Tour . The duo have since made up and Perry was even seen singing along to “Bad Blood” at Swift’s Eras Tour .)

Swift also sings about letting go of haters’ messages in “Shake It Off.”

One of Swift’s most talked about songs is “Look What You Made Me Do,” her first drop following a feud with West and Kim Kardashian after the former couple altered a phone call of her approving his offensive lyrics about her in his song “Famous.”

Swift again touches on her relationship with West in “This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things” and “I Did Something Bad.”

Selena Gomez, Ryan Gosling and More Celebrities Reveal Favorite Taylor Swift Era or Song

Swift has a number of songs that aren't about dating in her Lover album, which was released in 2019, including “The Man” and “I Forgot That You Existed,” which is rumored to be about West, “Soon You’ll Get Better” about her mother’s cancer, “It’s Nice to Have a Friend” about her pals and more.

One of her most loved songs is seemingly a dig at Donald Trump , “You Need to Calm Down.” Swift — who released the song on his birthday — sings about LGBTQ+ pride in the song and even hugged Perry in the music video, putting an end to their feud.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, Swift created two sister albums featuring fictional story lines, personal tracks, songs about other people and more. One of the biggest hits on Folklore is “The Last Great American Dynasty,” which is about the life of Rebekah Harkness , who owned Swift’s Rhode Island house before her.

The album also includes “Mirrorball,” “Seven,” “Mad Woman,” and “This Is Me Trying,” all of which are not about dating.

Swift sang about her late grandmother, Marjorie Finlay , who was an opera singer in “Marjorie.” Finlay’s voice can also be heard on the track.

“Dorothea” is another hit on the album, about a fictional girl who left her town to chase fame.

Swift’s 2022 album, Midnights , features perhaps the most amount of songs that are not about dating. From “You’re on Your Own, Kid,” and “Karma” to “Dear Reader,” “Bigger Than the Whole Sky” and “Vigilante S—t,” she explores growing up, her feud about Scooter Braun (Braun buying her former record label and getting the rights to her masters is what led to her rereleases) ) and more.

According to Swift, “Anti-Hero” is about the things she “hates” about herself. “I don't think I've delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before,” she said in an October 2022 TikTok while announcing the track title. “I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized, and not to sound too dark, I struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person.”

One of her most popular songs on the album is “Bejeweled,” which is about Swift’s self-worth.

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Taylor Swift says Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt's 'All Too Well' cover on 'SNL' was 'everything'

Taylor Swift may be humming a different tune during her next performance of "All Too Well."

The pop star praised Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt 's cover of the "Red" era track on "Saturday Night Live." Swift giddily offered her stamp of approval in an Instagram story on Sunday.

"All Too Well (Ryan and Emily's Version)!!! Watch me accidentally catch myself singing this version on tour. This monologue is everything," she wrote under a clip from Gosling's "SNL" opening monologue.

"I left my rollerblades in that big pink house, but I still got that fur coat and I'll wear it right now," Gosling sang at a piano, going on to declare, "I was just Ken, and now I'm just Ryan."

Taylor Swift's No. 1 songs ranked, including 'Cruel Summer,' 'All Too Well,' 'Anti-Hero'

Blunt, co-starring with Gosling in the upcoming action comedy "The Fall Guy," joined him on stage to chastise him for still obsessing over Ken before acknowledging she also misses her character, Kitty, from " Oppenheimer " − which Gosling described as an "inferior movie" to "Barbie" in a continuation of their Oscar roast . In a duet, Blunt and Gosling both sang about their " Barbenheimer summer" and wished their characters farewell as dancers in "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" costumes took to the stage.

Gosling knows the real lyrics to the Swift track "All Too Well," which made an appearance in a February "Fall Guy" Super Bowl 58 ad , also featuring Blunt.

The fast-paced trailer includes a scene with the "Barbie" actor sitting in a parked car solemnly mouthing the words before Blunt knocks on the window, startling a crying Gosling.

"What are you doing?" Blunt asks.

"Just chilling down," Gosling responds.

"Have you been crying to Taylor Swift?" Blunt says.

"Doesn't everyone?"

'SNL': Ryan Gosling sings Taylor Swift to say goodbye to Ken, Chris Stapleton performs

As Swift and Gosling seem like big fans of each other, it was only a matter of time until they worked together. Both have worked with choreographer  Mandy Moore , whose credits include the Eras tour, "La La Land" and Gosling's "I'm Just Ken" Oscars performance.

Contributing: Brendan Morrow and Kinsey Crowley

Hudson Your Local News for Hudson County, New Jersey

Famed NJ Anti-Hero Meets Taylor Swift At Coachella

Taylor Swift got to meet New Jersey royalty while attending the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Teresa Guidice and Taylor Swift at Coachella.

Teresa Guidice, a Montville mom and former star of Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New Jersey,"  posed for a photo with renowned pop star last weekend at the annual music festival held in California.

"Two absolute queens," Guidice's husband Luis Ruelas captioned the photo on Instagram.

Social media users were quick to snark about putting "The Era's Tour" headliner on the same level as Giudice, convicted felon who spent nearly a year in federal prison.

"One queen and one person in a pink hat," quipped one commenter.

"Taylor had a couple drinks that night and didn't know who she was. She always is nice to random people," another commenter said.

Yeah, Taylor looks thrilled!! Her cool points just dropped to a negative number from this picture," quipped another.

Despite the negativity, other commenters claimed the photo was "iconic" while Bravo's Instagram account captioned it "Coachella (Teresa's Version)."

Giudice's co-star commented: "Ok- I finally jealous of something!!"

"Tre is living her best life and we love to see it!!!," thedailykryptonian said. "Tswift and Tre, two icons!"

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Taylor Swift’s Music Returns to TikTok Ahead of New Album

Songs by the pop singer reappeared on TikTok despite the platform’s ongoing licensing dispute with Universal Music Group, which releases Swift’s music.

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By Ben Sisario

When Universal Music Group, the world’s biggest music company, went to war with TikTok earlier this year over licensing terms, songs by hundreds of its artists were removed from the platform, and have remained absent.

But on Thursday, music by one very special Universal artist returned: Taylor Swift.

A number of songs by Swift — whose new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” comes out next week — have reappeared in TikTok’s official music library, where they are available for the service’s millions of users to place in the background of their own videos. Those videos have become one of the music industry’s most important promotional vehicles, with the potential to mint new hits or breathe new life into old tunes — even as many artists and labels complain about low royalties from the service.

The available songs from Swift appear to be from the period since she signed with Universal in 2018 , including hits like “Lover,” “Anti-Hero,” “Cruel Summer” and “Cardigan.” Also available are her “Taylor’s version” rerecordings of older hits like “Style,” “Love Story” and “Shake It Off,” which were originally released by her first label, Big Machine. After Big Machine was sold in 2019 without her participation, Swift announced plans to rerecord her first six studio albums, and has already released four of those. Each went straight to No. 1.

It was not immediately clear how Swift’s songs made it back to TikTok while Universal’s ban remains in place. When the company announced its plans to remove music earlier this year, it said its licensing contract with TikTok expired Jan. 31. By the early hours of Feb. 1, Universal’s music began to disappear from TikTok, and millions of videos that used the label’s music went silent.

While Swift is part of Universal’s roster of artists, she owns the rights to her own recordings, as well as her songwriting rights, which are administered by the Universal Music Publishing Group, a division of the company.

Representatives of Swift, Universal and TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Universal, whose hundreds of artists include stars like Ariana Grande, Drake, Lady Gaga and U2, said it was withdrawing permissions for its music after it was unable to reach a new licensing deal with TikTok. The company accused TikTok of being unwilling to pay “fair value for the music,” despite its importance to the platform. Universal also voiced concerns that TikTok was “allowing the platform to be flooded with A.I.-generated recordings,” diluting the royalty pool for real, human artists.

In response, TikTok accused Universal of putting “their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.”

The dispute has been one of the most dramatic clashes in years between the music industry and a tech platform, and it has drawn a mixed public response. While many music industry groups have supported Universal, artists have expressed worry about the loss of such a valuable promotional platform.

Ben Sisario covers the music industry. He has been writing for The Times since 1998. More about Ben Sisario

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 .

Taylor Swift's new album rollout strategy shows she's too big to fail

• Taylor Swift's new album "The Tortured Poets Department" will arrive on Friday, April 19.
• She has declined to release a lead single or promote the album in any significant way.
• The quiet rollout strategy says a lot about Swift's stature in the pop-music landscape.

If you spend enough time in Taylor Swift-devoted territories of social media, as I have, you'll find posts that proclaim "The Tortured Poets Department" is her best album yet.

Die-hard fans say it's a masterpiece , destined to win Swift her fifth Grammy Award for album of the year .

Sure, some of these posts are tongue-in-cheek, while many are knowingly hyperbolic. But the fact that no fan has heard even one second of "Poets" — the album isn't out until Friday — seems to be a moot point. Once a pop star earns "fave" status, her actions go largely unchallenged by her base , while her music is blindly praised.

But Swift has managed to harness this reckless passion better than anyone else — at least in terms of commercial success .

If ttpd is only half as good as the playlist names / back cover lyrics, it HAS to win aoty. I mean... old habits die screaming? Am I allowed to cry?? You don't get to tell me about sad??? Lyrical masterpieces already pic.twitter.com/3TtadOb7AM — Maja (Taylor's Version) (@clover_blooms_) April 5, 2024

Swift announced the title of her 11th studio album back in early February, while accepting an award at the 2024 Grammys .

Although her team has used a few niche methods to drum up excitement this week (like painting a mysterious QR code on a wall in Chicago and partnering with Spotify for a library installation in Los Angeles), confirmed details from the singer herself are scant , save for the tracklist. With just a few days to go, we still haven't gotten a measly teaser or snippet, let alone a lead single.

Yes, you read that right. The aforementioned fans who insist "Poets" will dominate charts and break records have no idea what the album sounds like.

But that doesn't mean those fans are wrong. All evidence does point to "Poets" becoming another blockbuster for Swift despite her near-silent promotional strategy.

Swift used a similar gambit for "Midnights," the predecessor to "Poets," which arrived in late 2022. Though she was more active during that rollout, especially on TikTok , she never gave any hints of the album's sonic direction. Based on the '70s style of the cover shoot, many fans hoped for a Laurel Canyon vibe , akin to Carole King or Fleetwood Mac. It would've been an exciting change for Swift, but come release day, those fans were let down. "Midnights" was standard pop.

Still, the aesthetic misdirection didn't impair the album's performance. In fact, "Midnights" broke a variety of records and sold over 1 million copies in its first week (the first album to achieve the feat in seven years, since Swift's own album "Reputation" in 2017).

Remember, "Midnights" arrived just before The Eras Tour kicked off in 2023. Over the following year, Swiftmania swept the nation . Now, she's more popular than ever.

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Given the accomplishments of "Midnights," why wouldn't Swift double down on the less-is-more method? Even if she remained offline until Friday, it probably wouldn't matter. Her new music will be tasted by curious onlookers, queued by radio DJs, and blasted on a loop by longtime Swifties, even if it's bad . Her stature and influence in the pop-music landscape is its own marketing.

Beyoncé was actually the one to pioneer a minimalist rollout with her self-titled album in 2013 , which was released without any prior warning.

But even Beyoncé, an artist of peerless finesse and Swift-equivalent fame, has employed the reliable lead-single routine in recent years: "Formation" for "Lemonade," "Break My Soul" for "Renaissance," and earlier this year, "Texas Hold 'Em" for " Cowboy Carter ."

Back in 2020, Swift mimicked "Beyoncé" with "Folklore" and "Evermore," surprise-releasing the sister albums just a few months apart. Though both were celebrated by fans and critics, they did not yield the sky-high earnings Swift has grown accustomed to: Compare the debut sales week for "Reputation" ( 1.2 million copies ) to "Folklore" ( 846,000 copies ), even though the latter is a better album by every measure .

And so Swift, ever the capitalist, adjusted accordingly. Ever since " Red (Taylor's Version) " in 2021, Swift has always announced her next album ahead of time — allowing ample time for hype to mount and presales to accumulate — but she has withheld lead singles.

Instead, she selects and promotes a focus track (usually paired with a music video) on the same day as the album's release.

This adjustment has worked extremely well. "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)," "Anti-Hero," and "Is It Over Now?" have all debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while their parent albums simultaneously debuted atop the Billboard 200 (in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively).

In fact, Swift's metrics are only getting more impressive as time goes on. Her latest release, "1989 (Taylor's Version)," sold over 1.6 million copies in its first week, becoming Swift's biggest debut week to date — even though it's an updated edition of an album that already exists .

A big part of this success is thanks to Swift's supercharged embrace of vinyl . She has taken to releasing multiple physical variants of each album for her fans to "collect" and preorder ahead of time, boosting first-week sales figures.

For "Poets," Swift took it one step further: Each variant includes a different bonus track, so if you want to hear the complete set of new songs, you'll need to buy them all, carbon footprint be damned .

Another important point to note is Swift's unparalleled productivity. "Poets" will be her eighth album (including rerecords ) in less than four years.

Most pop stars stay relevant by breadcrumbing singles in between album cycles — but Swift keeps the same pace with full bodies of work. Every six months, on average, Swifties are handed 20 to 30 new songs to listen to. The particulars of each rollout strategy are rendered irrelevant, dwarfed by the all-consuming enormity of her own personal news cycle.

Of course, if you were to ask Swift about her promo tactics or prolific output, I'm fairly certain she'd say that none of it is driven by sales, charts, or any kind of financial gain, but by commitment to her craft.

No one expected Swift to release a brand-new album this year, especially in the midst of The Eras Tour, with two fan-favorite albums still left to rerecord . But she told fans that making "Poets" was an instinctive, almost compulsive act.

"Songwriting is something that actually gets me through my life, and I never had an album where I needed songwriting more," she said onstage in February .

It just so happens that her craft, her compulsion, her self-described "lifeline," is making music with mind-boggling commercial power.

Watch: The Taylor Swift effect: How a pop star created her own economy

• Main content

Taylor Swift misheard lyrics: 10 funniest mix-ups from 'Blank Space' to 'Cruel Summer'

Swifties pride themselves on their unquestionable knowledge about anything related to Taylor Swift .

Whether decoding the clever Easter eggs she sneaks into Instagram posts or uncovering the link between her nail polish color and her dating life, her fervent fan base is well-schooled in the art of Taylor Tidbits.

But even the most ardent devotees can hear a lyric incorrectly, and, as the self-deprecating among us tend to do, can laugh (or would it be shake?) it off.

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Maybe you still think Swift is singing about “Starbucks lovers” in “Blank Space” or her “good girl face” in “Style.” Or maybe you learned you were singing some of her lyrics incorrectly from watching The Eras Tour movie with subtitles.

Given Swift’s vast catalog – and her penchant for lyrical loquaciousness – there is a lot of room for error. But here are 10 of our favorite mondegreens (the official term for misheard lyrics) from Swift Central.

More: Taylor Swift's No. 1 songs ranked, including 'Cruel Summer,' 'All Too Well,' 'Anti-Hero'

‘Blank Space’ from ‘1989’

Misheard lyrics: “All the lonely Starbucks lovers”

Actual lyric: “Got a long list of ex-lovers”

‘Fearless’ from ‘Fearless’

Misheard lyric: “You take my hand and drag me head first, feet last”

Actual lyric: “You take my hand and drag me head first, fearless.”

‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ from ‘Red’

Misheard lyric: “And the stratosphere comes creepin’ in”

Actual lyric: “And the saddest fear comes creepin’ in”

‘Cruel Summer’ from ‘Lover’

Misheard lyric: “He looks so pretty, like the devil”

Actual lyric: “He looks up grinning, like the devil”

‘Bejeweled’ from ‘Midnights’

Misheard lyric: “And I miss you, but I miss Spider-Man”

Actual lyric: “And I miss you, but I miss sparkling”

More: Funniest misheard Beyoncé lyrics, from 'Singing lettuce' to 'No bottom knee'

‘I Bet You Think About Me’ from ‘Red’

Misheard lyric: “Chasing maple leaf status, last time you felt free”

Actual lyric: “Chasing make-believe status, last time you felt free”

‘Our Song’ from ‘Taylor Swift’

Misheard lyric: “Our song is as slim as green doors”

Actual lyric: “Our song is the slamming screen door”

‘Style’ from ‘1989’

Misheard lyric: “And I got that good girl face and a tight little skirt”

Actual lyric: “And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt”

‘Maroon’ from ‘Midnights’

Misheard lyric: “ The Burger King on my T-shirt”

Actual lyric: “The burgundy on my T-shirt”

‘Starlight’ from ‘Red’

Misheard lyric: “I’m a Barbie on a boardwalk, summer of ‘45”

Actual lyric: “I met Bobby on a boardwalk, summer of ’45.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Taylor Swift misheard lyrics: 10 funniest mix-ups from 'Blank Space' to 'Cruel Summer'

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Shania Twain Praises Taylor Swift for ‘Working Her Butt Off’: ‘She’s Living an Exhausting Existence’

The country-pop legend also said that the "Anti-Hero" singer is "dedicated and committed to herself, to her art, and her work."

By Hannah Dailey

Hannah Dailey

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Taylor Swift will always have Shania Twain in her corner. In a new interview, the “You’re Still the One” singer opened up about passing the country – pop torch to artists like the 14-time Grammy winner, whom Twain commended for “working her butt off.”

5 Taylor Swift Songs I Ranked Too Low Upon Release (Critic’s Take)

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The “Man!…I Feel Like a Woman!” singer’s comments come in stark contrast to what another music icon recently said about Swift. Courtney Love took shots at the “Anti-Hero” artist while speaking to The Standard earlier this week, calling her “not important” and “not interesting as an artist.”

Twain, however, has long been a friend and fan of Swift’s, and vice versa. The pair performed together at the 2019 American Music Awards, and in a 2021 TikTok , the Eras Tour star commended the “That Don’t Impress Me Much” musician for disproving the notion that “country girls can’t go pop” over the course of her career.

On the subject of paving the way for genre-bending artists such as Swift, Twain said, “it wasn’t like I intended on being a trailblazer or anything.”

“I was just trying to be original, my authentic self, and to do it with conviction,” she continued. “I’m an expressive person, and I put that into my music. I was saying it with attitude and with confidence because I meant it. Yes, I see it as a great compliment when someone calls me a trailblazer, but it’s not like I set out to do so. I was just being myself, and I think that’s served me very well.”

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