Taylor Swift has been widely hailed as one of the greatest songwriters of her generation. Not only are her songs catchy and meaningful, but they almost always tell an incredible, lively story. In particular, the songs that describe beautiful relationships and heart-wrenching breakups reach a level of storytelling that few other artists can aspire to. And because these songs tell such descriptive stories, it’s only natural that fans might apply the songs to other circumstances — other characters, other couples, other stories. And so, with The Swiftie Project series, Swifties within Daily Arts break down every romantic Taylor Swift song from every released album and match them to various fictional couples. The eighth part in this series contains songs from her eighth album: folklore. Most songs from this album have been included, although “my tears ricochet,” “mirrorball” and “epiphany” have been omitted due to their more personal, non-romantic stories.
Warning: Spoilers for various TV shows, movies and books are included in the following article.
“the 1” — Manny Torres and Nellie LaRoy, “Babylon”
Roaring ’20s / Tossing pennies in the pool / And if my wishes came true / It would’ve been you
Sometimes, things don’t work out — even if the thing in question is an explosive, fairytale romance. In the 2022 film “Babylon,” idealistic young filmmaker Manny (Diego Calva, “Bonded”) learns this lesson the hard way. He falls desperately in love with the young starlet Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie, “I Tonya”), whose freewheeling lifestyle leads him down a path of depravity and confusion. When they’re together, sparks fly, but it’s difficult to maintain anything meaningful in the turbulent, glitzy world of 1920s Hollywood. As the film comes to a close, an older Manny returns to Los Angeles to revisit the industry he helped to build several decades earlier. Older and wiser, he is able to reflect on it all from a place of contentment. Taylor Swift created “the 1” from that exact same place — looking back at a past relationship and realizing that “it’s alright now.” This realization is the core of Manny’s character arc. Back in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter, he’s most certainly “doing good” and “on some new shit.” Finally, he’s able to think back on Nellie fondly. He admits that “they were something” and reminisces about all the fun they had — “rosé flowing” and “never paint(ing) by the numbers.” Manny and Nellie were never meant to last, but the time they had together was nothing short of spectacular, flying through the “roaring ’20s” and the “Sunday matinees.” Manny’s able to admit that if his “wishes came true,” it would’ve been him and Nellie. But often “the greatest films of all time” are “never made” at all. Manny has learned to be okay with that fact. As “the 1” reminds us, “if you never bleed, you’re never gonna grow.”
Daily Arts Writer Lola D’Onofrio can be reached at lolad@umich.edu.
“cardigan” — Anatole Kuragin and Natasha Rostova, “War and Peace”
‘Cause I knew you / Steppin’ on the last train / Marked me like a bloodstain
Okay, so maybe Tolstoy’s 19th century Russian novel “War and Peace” isn’t exactly the most modern of works compared to Swift’s “cardigan.” But I can tell you right now that if Countess Natalya Ilyinichna Rostova was around in 2023, she would absolutely be streaming this anthem of infidelity and betrayal and screaming the lyrics from the rooftops. While mingling with Moscow high society during the height of the French invasion of Russia, the young and beautiful Countess Natasha falls head over heels for Anatole, a notorious player and spendthrift, but nonetheless handsome and charming. It’s a whirlwind romance, lasting no more than a few days: The pair dance, they fall in love and they plan to elope — until Natasha’s dreams are shattered by the revelation that Anatole just happens to already be married. Though set a little more than 200 years ago, Natasha’s story as the “other woman” is familiar oft-repeated, just as Swift sings it in “cardigan.”
Throughout the song, Swift echoes the sentiment “When you are young they assume you know nothing.” Natasha was young, and she indeed knew little of the workings of the real world beyond her childhood bedroom. But she did know Anatole — his charming yet deceitful nature, his playful personality — and she loved him anyway, even when that short-lived infatuation left her with a broken heart and a broken engagement when Anatole fled Moscow and left Natasha behind. Natasha, like Swift’s titular cardigan, was used and discarded, left crumpled on the bedroom floor and marked “unclean” by the staunchly traditional Russian societal norms. But unlike the wronged woman’s lover in “cardigan,” Anatole did not, in fact, come back.
Senior Arts Editor Annabel Curran can be reached at currana@umich.edu.
“the last great american dynasty” — Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, “The Great Gatsby”
Filled the pool with champagne / And swam with the big names / And blew through the money on the boys and the ballet
“the last great american dynasty” tells a story of glamor and opulence, of a familial legacy brought tumbling down by one beautiful and dangerous woman. The torrid and convoluted love story of Daisy and Gatsby doesn’t follow the exact script of “the last great american dynasty” — Gatsby was no “old money” Rockefeller reincarnate, no matter how much he desired to appear that way. But his legacy of wealth and status could have been one for the ages if not for his love for Daisy, a similarly beautiful and dangerous woman. After all, “There’s only so far new money goes.” Gatsby and “the last great american dynasty’s” Rebekah share a similar “rags to riches” story, social climbing in a manner some may consider to be distasteful. But, in a whirlwind of events as complex and melodramatic as a Shakespeare play, the questionably-constructed Gatsby dynasty is toppled, just like that of Rebekah’s husband. Though the stories may differ, the themes of wealth and the iconic imagery of the American dream are consistent. Rebekah and Gatsby both lavished in their newfound wealth and status, seizing their opportunity for enjoyment and turning the standard for the upper class on its head. However, while Rebekah sought simply to take advantage of her inherited life of luxury, Gatsby’s show-stopping parties and grandiose lifestyle served as a distraction for what was lacking in his life. With the outcome of his endeavors resulting in both love and lives lost, it’s safe to say Gatsby didn’t exactly have a “marvelous time ruining everything.”
Daily Arts Writer Annabel Curran can be reached at currana@umich.edu.
“exile” — Joey Potter and Pacey Witter, “Dawson’s Creek”
You’re not my homeland anymore / So what am I defending now? / You were my town / Now I’m in exile, seeing you out
For much of “Dawson’s Creek,” Pacey (Joshua Jackson, “Fringe”) is the underdog in more ways than one, but none more so than in his relationship with Joey (Katie Holmes, “Batman Begins”). Dawson (James Van Der Beek, “Varsity Blues”) and Joey spent years dancing around their whole “will-they, won’t-they” soulmate spiel, but Pacey and Joey were the unexpected fan favorite, and it made their sudden, inexplicable break-up one of the most upsetting parts of the show. They always “walked a very thin line” from Dawson haunting their relationship, with Pacey forever worried that Joey would realize she made the wrong decision in picking him and with Joey concerned that she had destroyed her friendship with Dawson by choosing to follow her heart with Pacey.
Still, Pacey unceremoniously dumping Joey at their senior prom was one of the most out-of-character decisions I have ever witnessed in television history. He “didn’t even hear her out” and “never gave a warning sign,” because there were none to be had. They’d “seen this film before” and hashed this fight out a dozen times over, but his old insecurities finally got the best of him as he convinced himself that Joey deserved better. Joey was his grounding force — the one person who was always there for him — and because it happened near the season’s end, she never got the chance to try and fix things. They were never able to talk it out, leaving all of those feelings raw and unresolved as the show immediately reverted back to dancing around “Joey and Dawson” for the millionth time (barf). When Pacey skips town right before graduation, he practically is exiled from Capeside, because Joey truly was the only thing keeping him there anymore.
TV Beat Editor Serena Irani can be reached at seirani@umich.edu.
“seven” — Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe, “Anne With an E”
Passed down like folk songs / The love lasts so long
I’ll be honest: I never watched “Anne With an E.” But I have read “Anne of Green Gables,” and I’ve listened to Taylor Swift’s “seven” about 256 times (a low estimate of once per day since it was released on July 24, 2020, to today’s date, April 6, 2023). Ever since Swift graced us with “seven,” I have said, loudly and proudly, that it is the best song she has ever written. Her angelic falsetto immediately establishes a nostalgic mood, one that bleeds summer memories of rolling in the grass and searching for fairy rings in the woods. Apart from “seven,” the only other piece of art that has made me feel the same is Lucy Maud Montgomery’s “Anne of Green Gables.” Anne’s love for the outdoors is as whimsical as it is sincere; nature offers her peace and security, a favor she returns with careful and genuine appreciation — which extends to people as well. I don’t know how Anne and Gilbert’s story plays out in the TV show, but in the book, the childhood love they shared reemerges with their reunion later in life. I imagine them drinking “sweet tea in the summer,” and envision their vows of loving the other “to the moon and to Saturn.” Gilbert is lucky to see the world through Anne’s eyes, and to have a love that is “passed down like folk songs,” a love that “lasts so long.”
Daily Arts Writer Lillian Pearce can be reached at pearcel@umich.edu.
“august” — Frances Flynn and Nick Conway, “Conversations with Friends”
To live for the hope of it all / Cancel plans just in case you’d call
Summer, like every season, comes and goes. What makes it different from the other seasons, though, is that when August nears, we are forced to tie up the loose ends that we’ve strung along as three fleeting months of summer have flown by. Summer flings are often some of those loose ends that we must woefully face head-on as the end of our beloved summertime nears. At times, these summer flings involve infidelity, oftentimes relegating the title of “homewrecker” to one of the fling’s counterparts. This was the case for Frances Flynn, who unfortunately fell in love with Nick Conway, a man in an allegedly happy marriage. Nick had remained faithful to his wife, Melissa, until Frances came into the picture, a fact that inevitably made Frances feel special in a twisted way. The main purpose of a novel like “Conversations with Friends” is to explore the complicated nature of interpersonal relationships, so it should come as no surprise that Nick is complicatedly captured by Frances in the same way that she willingly gives into the affair after much contemplation. However, being the classic Sally Rooney characters that they are, their personal conflicts lead Nick to contemplate the possibility of loving both Frances and Melissa, which leads to problems in both relationships. In the end, they supposedly decide to end their affair, but they reconvene in the classic unresolved nature that Rooney’s novels tend to conclude with. In the same way that James hooked up with Augustine behind Betty’s back all summer, Nick and Frances entertained a prohibited love behind Melissa’s back, eventually deciding that the passion and chemistry of their relationship was too much to lose, even if Frances would remain as “the other woman” indefinitely.
Daily Arts Writer Graciela Batlle Cestero can be reached at gbatllec@umich.edu.
“this is me trying” — Jules Vaughn and Rue Bennett, “Euphoria”
And my words shoot to kill when I’m mad / I have a lot of regrets about that
From the moment Rue (Zendaya, “Dune”) saw Jules (Hunter Schafer, “Cuckoo”) riding her bike down the street, she was hooked. Their fast friendship quickly turned into something more, but even their blossoming love couldn’t escape the festering issues beneath the surface. Rue’s struggles with addiction, especially after just getting out of rehab, gave her a “hard time adjusting.” For Jules, though, Rue tries to stay clean. Rue gives her best effort to become better every day, if not for herself, then for the one person she cares for most. It’s a lot of pressure to place on a person, and Jules feels the massive weight of it on her shoulders. But addiction isn’t easy to beat, and even though she’s doing it for love, Rue falls back into all-too-familiar habits. The self-destructive streak continues after Jules leaves Rue standing on a train platform, becoming the only half of the pair to go through with their plans of running away. Upon her return, she and Rue patch up their old wounds and get back together. However, their latest stint is cut short by Jules’ cheating and Rue’s worsening addiction. In possibly the most heartbreaking sequence of the series, Jules holds an intervention for Rue to try and help her. Rue doesn’t see it like that, though. Nothing screams “my words shoot to kill when I’m mad” like Rue screaming that Jules doesn’t even love her, she just loves being loved. Ouch. They keep trying for each other, and it just isn’t enough. But at least they’re trying, and they’ll both keep trying, if not for each other, then for themselves.
Daily Arts Writer Mina Tobya can be reached at minatobya@umich.edu.
“illicit affairs” — Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, “Brokeback Mountain”
And that’s the thing about illicit affairs / And clandestine meetings and longing stares
A song about a secret relationship has never been so perfect for a couple as it is for Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal, “Nightcrawler”) and Ennis (Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”). When they first meet, they’re just two guys looking for a job who happen to luck into herding sheep on Brokeback Mountain. As they spend more and more time together, their relationship takes a romantic turn, surprising them both. People in their town wouldn’t understand their love — they barely understand it themselves — so they are forced to hide their moments of intimacy in the seclusion of the mountain. As the years go by, they try to deny themselves, going so far as to each marry a woman, with Ennis even having a few kids. Now, when they find their way back to each other on the mountain, they aren’t just hiding their love from the world but from their respective partners, too. Their “clandestine meetings and longing stares” are what sustain them — the deeply hidden truth of who they are — as the world tries to stamp it out of them. Ennis and Jack understand each other in a way no one else could; they speak “a secret language (they) can’t speak with anyone else.” They didn’t just revolutionize queer love stories in media, they paved the way for them. Being forced to hide, to pretend to be someone else, just for the sake of belonging turned their whole lives into a pretense except for the moments they shared with each other. Jack’s “I wish I knew how to quit you” isn’t just a confession of love, but of heartbreak at having to hide it, as though it were vice and not the ultimate virtue.
Daily Arts Writer Mina Tobya can be reached at mtobya@umich.edu.
“invisible string” — Sara Thomas and Jonathan Trager, “Serendipity”
And isn’t it just so pretty to think / All along there was some / Invisible string / Tying you to me?
When Sara (Kate Beckinsale, “Underworld”) and Jonathan (John Cusack, “Say Anything”) meet one magical perfect night, Sara decides to let fate steer the way and determine whether or not they’re meant to be together. Across a series of chance encounters and missed opportunities, the pair begin to narrowly miss running into each other, pulled apart and back together by some invisible serendipitous force. They search for each other on a bit of a wild goose chase, convinced that if they’re supposed to be together, little signs will appear to lead the way, that destiny will simply find a way of making it happen. Their entire relationship is founded on that “hopeless romantic” notion of being inherently tied to another person, of a string that would pull someone “out of all the wrong arms” and into the right ones. In spite of all the endless mischances and dead ends, the pair keep faith in each other and finally meet again in the film’s final moments. It’s incredibly difficult to watch them and not feel your heart flicker with the belief that life has a way of intervening to bring people together right when they need them most.
TV Beat Editor Serena Irani can be reached at seirani@umich.edu.
“betty” — Casey Gardner and Izzie Taylor, “Atypical”
Would you have me? Would you want me?
Though Taylor Swift has clarified that “betty” is not in fact about a gay love story, it is about a couple with poor communication and problematic tendencies, making it suitable for Casey (Brigette Lundy-Paine, “Bite Size Halloween”) and Izzie (Fivel Stewart, “The Recruit”) of “Atypical” in the end. Their relationship starts rocky, as Izzie is jealous of Casey for being the new track star at their private school. The two do become friends, which Izzie’s boyfriend helps to facilitate. Said boyfriend, however, tries to start something with Casey, which later ruins her relationship with Izzie, who can’t “believe the words she says.” Their fallout causes Casey much more pain than she’d like to admit; without Izzie around, “it’s like (she) couldn’t breathe.” Sooner rather than later, both girls realize the tension in their relationship is due to feelings for the other, but that’s not the end of the story. Izzie wants their relationship to remain low-key, and she emphasizes this when she makes out with a random guy at a party. “The only thing” she wants to do “is make it up to” Casey, and she does. At the end of the day, they’re “only 17” and “don’t know anything” — except, of course, how they feel about each other.
Daily Arts Writer Lillian Pearce can be reached at pearcel@umich.edu.
“peace” — Amy Pond and Rory Williams, “Doctor Who”
All these people think love’s for show / But I would die for you in secret
I have no idea if Taylor Swift has even seen “Doctor Who,” but I’m convinced she wrote this song about Amy (Karen Gillan, “Gunpowder Milkshake”) and Rory (Arthur Darvill, “The Sandman”). These two actually died for each other in secret on multiple occasions (gotta love timey wimey paradoxes). When The Doctor (Matt Smith, “The Crown”) first finds them, he’s surprised that someone like Rory could be with someone like Amy, and it’s played for laughs that Amy isn’t dating the “good looking one,” but rather “the other one.” Thankfully, this dynamic stops at the surface. While at first everyone thinks Amy is too good for him, it later becomes clear that Amy doesn’t feel like she’s enough for Rory. He has never been anything but loving and devoted to her, going so far as to spend more than 2,000 years protecting her while she lay dormant in a wooden box (more time paradoxes, blah blah blah). Once they’re married and become parents — and when that child is taken from them and their marriage crumbles — Amy can finally admit that it was her insecurities that drove them apart. He’s always wanted kids, and she can’t give that to him anymore. She could “never give (him) peace.” But Rory loves her too much to let that get in the way of them. They get back together, go on more wild adventures and end up in yet another paradox. Amy is forced to choose between Rory and her life in the present. Without a second thought, she gives it all up for him the same way he’d do for her. Their devotion to each other, the way that neither one of them thinks they’re good enough for the other, so perfectly captures the spirit of this song. It’s a love that feels real and aspirational all at once.
Daily Arts Writer Mina Tobya can be reached at mtobya@umich.edu.
“hoax” — Cassie Howard and Nate Jacobs, “Euphoria”
Stood on the cliffside / Screaming, “Give me a reason” / Your faithless love’s the only hoax / I believe in
On an album so rife with tales of infidelity, doomed romance and women scorned, there simply has to be a place carved out for the couple that paints the perfect picture of a toxic and painful relationship: Cassie (Sydney Sweeney, “The White Lotus”) and Nate (Jacob Elordi, “The Kissing Booth”). There was certainly plenty of screaming and faithlessness all throughout their affair, though I’d be hard-pressed to call their relationship a loving one. The sheer despair and anguish that emanates from Swift’s lyrics in “hoax” — “Don’t want no other shade of blue / But you / No other sadness in the world would do” — echoes the hopelessness and desperation that are so painstakingly present in Cassie’s endless attempts to win Nate’s undivided attention and love. Even the song’s title, “hoax,” — a deception by definition — is fully and painfully representational of the shameless sham that was Cassie and Nate’s relationship. At the end of the day, what Cassie touted as a relationship of forbidden love was merely a manipulation. But regardless of Nate’s violent nature, his lack of care for Cassie and his toxic personality, Cassie, just as Swift sings in “hoax,” still believes.
Daily Arts Writer Annabel Curran can be reached at currana@umich.edu.
“the lakes” — Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, “Pride and Prejudice”
I don’t belong / And my beloved neither do you
Lizzie and Darcy may be known for their enemies-to-lovers arc, but there’s more than just banter and passion in their relationship. In reality, the two characters are so similar to one another. They’re both unbelievably stubborn, prideful and driven by their feelings more than anything else. With Lizzie, it’s clear — she falls for Mr. Wickham’s carefully-woven tale about Darcy, allows the false story to color her perception of him and holds onto that anger in all future encounters with Darcy. It’s more subtle with Darcy. We know he’s stubborn and proud, but that third trait is more elusive with him. However, when all logic dictates otherwise, he proposes to Lizzie (insulting her in the process); he also does whatever it takes to save her reputation when her sister Lydia runs off with Wickham. In these situations, his devotion to Lizzie far surpasses his rationality. They’re so similar, and the song “the lakes” exemplifies this. In “the lakes,” Taylor Swift sings about running off with her love and hiding from the rest of the world. Lizzie and Darcy may not do that exactly, but the sense of rightness that comes with being with each other is present in both stories. Additionally, the sound and vibe of “the lakes” matches the aesthetic of Regency-era England so well. “Pride and Prejudice” has been adapted many times, with the 2005 film being one of the most lauded attempts. The movie has long, beautiful shots of nature, including one iconic scene where Lizzie (portrayed in the film by Keira Knightley, “Anna Karenina”) dreams about standing atop a cliff and taking in the world around her; these moments are also incredibly fitting of the isolationist theme of “the lakes.” The song may not be representative of the couple’s louder, more combative moments, but it matches their quieter moments, where they embrace how right they are for each other.
Daily Arts Writer Sabriya Imami can be reached at simami@umich.edu.