Taylor Swift has opened up about the true inspiration behind the songs on her new album, The Life Of A Showgirl, after she admitted the meaning of one her songs ‘about her ex Joe Alwyn‘ would remain a mystery.
The American pop star, 35, often leaves the messages of her tracks up to her fans’ interpretation – however during an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, she revealed more than usual about the words in a couple of her songs from the record.
Revealing the meaning of Eldest Daughter and Wi$h Li$t in her own words, Taylor told the host what she was thinking when she wrote each song as she offered a surprising analysis of Life Of A Showgirl tunes.
Detailing how she wanted the verses of Eldest Daughter to sound, she explained how the ‘satirical lyrics’ were about someone ‘trying to figure out things they have read on the internet’ before admitting the chorus was more honest.
The song explores the trials and tribulations of firstborn daughters, which is listed as track five on the album, which she has previously confessed is reserved for the most ‘vulnerable’ of her songs.
Taylor Swift has opened up about the true inspiration behind the songs on her new album, The Life Of A Showgirl, after she admitted the meaning of one her songs ‘about her ex Joe Alwyn ‘ would remain a mystery
Revealing the meaning of Eldest Daughter and Wi$h Li$t in her own words, Taylor told the host what she was thinking when she wrote each song as she offered a surprising analysis of Life Of A Showgirl tunes
Talking to Zane about the song, she explains: ‘Sometimes I’ll use specific vernacular to be satirical. The entire first verse of Eldest Daughter is somebody trying to figure out how to say things that they’ve read on the internet…
‘Whether it be like apathy is hot, or memes and trolling, and how do I keep up with how we’re supposed to talk in order to describe how much we don’t care when really we all care about something.
‘So then you go to the pre-chorus and I go more into my own voice of “I’ve been afflicted by a terminal uniqueness. I’ve been dying just from trying to seem cool”. That’s the talent.
‘So that’s the kind of flip of every way in which I was speaking in this entire first verse was me trying to assimilate to the way culture tells us to be.
‘Which is weird, because honestly, I feel like going back to the idea of a showgirl, they are tough in a way that’s actually kind of old school tough where they’re going to smile on the outside and they might have a storm going on in their lives.’
Taylor also spoke about her thought process behind Wi$h Li$t, which is about her relationship with her fiancé Travis Kelce.
The star sweetly admitted that when she met her husband-to-be she began to feel like someone who has ‘romantic whims’ and strive for dreams.
She said: ‘And the song, ‘Wi$h Li$t’, is like that chorus, like you were just talking about the verses, which were so fun and funny to write, but it gets very sincere in the chorus.
The American pop star, 35, often leaves the messages of her tracks up to her fans’ interpretation – however during an interview with Zane Lowe, she revealed more than usual about the words in a couple of her songs from the record
Detailing how she wanted the verses of Eldest Daughter to sound, she explained how the ‘satirical lyrics’ were about someone ‘trying to figure out things they have read on the internet’ before admitting the chorus was more honest
‘I don’t know if you’ve seen the movie ‘Happy Gilmore’, but he has this happy place where he goes into this utopia of this is exactly what he would want and this is where he escapes to mentally in times of stress, pressure, anxiety or chaos.
‘And that chorus of that song is me just describing what my happy place is.’
Taylor also spoke about how making this album allowed her to show off her ‘fun and flirty’ side because the topic of her songs are typically quite serious.
‘Making this album was really something I’ve been wanting to do for my entire career, because I have always wanted to have fun in this type of way.
‘To have fun to exhibit mischief and be flirty, and fun, and make jokes, and get to have that side of my personality.
‘That’s a huge part of my personality. A lot of people who are friends with me and when we meet in person and stuff, people realise that, oftentimes, I get so serious or I’m really known for a lot of my sad songs, my cathartic songs or breakup songs or whatever because I love to write those things, but that’s not the place I’m in my life.’
The interview comes shortly after Taylor debunked the theory that one of her songs is about a pub frequented by her English ex-boyfriend Joe – as she told fans she wouldn’t explain the real meaning behind the song.
Taylor sings about seeing an ex walk ‘into some bar called The Black Dog,’ and she mentions that the ex forgot to turn off location tracking after their break-up.
The interview comes shortly after Taylor debunked the theory that one of her songs is about a pub frequented by her English ex-boyfriend Joe – as she told fans she wouldn’t explain the real meaning behind the song
She sings about seeing an ex walk ‘into some bar called The Black Dog,’ and she mentions that the ex forgot to turn off location tracking after their break-up (pictured 2020)
Many believed that the lyrics are about her former flame Joe and guessed that she saw him spending time at the free house following the split.
Others also suggested song, titled The Black Dog, may be about her other ex, 1975 frontman Matty Healy, another Englishman who she dated briefly after separating from Joe.
However, during an appearance on Radio 2 with Scott Mills on Monday morning, Taylor bragged that nobody actually knows the meaning behind the track.
During a conversation about having to give the subjects of her songs a heads up before they appear in the lyrics, Scott asked whether she notified The Black Dog pub, in south London, about their mention in her song.
He queried: ‘Yeah, because with an enormous fan base, comes great responsibility like did you have to tell the Black Dog Pub that they might be getting a few calls?’
However in a surprise move, Taylor revealed that fans have the wrong end of the stick when it comes to her track from her 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department.
She said: ‘I mean…I did not and still nobody knows what I’m even talking about on that song. They think they know but they have no idea.’
Scott said: ‘But you know but they don’t know’ and Taylor confirmed: ‘Yeah and that’s the one thing.’
Elsewhere during the radio chat, Taylor spoke about how she trusts her friends to remain tight-lipped about what she is working on behind the scenes.
Scott asked her: ‘So you were doing this while you were on the tour, so you’d do a three hour live show, then you’d pop to Sweden and record an album. And nobody blabbed. It stayed secret. How big is the circle of trust? How do you manage to keep that secret?’
Taylor insisted: ‘My friends don’t rat. They do not rat.
‘And you can tell by the amount of stories about me that are out there that are absolutely not true, because all of my friends had heard the music a year ago.
Many believed that the lyrics are about her former flame Joe and guessed that she saw him spending time at the free house following the split (pictured The Black Dog pub in Vauxhall)
‘They know about my life. They know what’s going on. They do not snitch. It is phenomenal. I’ve got a really good circle of friends. It takes a while to get there.
Scott applauded her, saying: ‘You have chosen your friends well.’
Taylor replied: ‘Well, thank you! I feel so proud about that. But yeah, my friends know everything just like anybody’s friends know everything. And they, the thing is that they just don’t.’
Scott then asked: ‘So the label knew and your friends knew?
But while her pals knew about the new album, Taylor admitted: ‘The label didn’t know at all. Until we had, until the record was done and we had made and we’d shot all of the art, we’d done everything, we do keep that close to the vest because, you know, I think it’s fun to surprise them, honestly, it’s really fun.
‘We do a lot of things in-house, my team, so I think it’s easier for them when the label can really just focus on what they have to do in terms of distribution, we have an amazing team that do that, so, yeah.’