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A cat cameo

It wouldn’t be a Taylor Swift production without a mention of her feline friends. Eagle-eyed fans will have seen a statue of her cat, Benjamin Button in the Ophelia painting scene. Cute.

Opals are so in

Explaining the meaning behind her song Opalite, Taylor said: “I’ve always loved opals and my mum’s always loved opals…it’s one of our things.” The songwriter revealed that opalite, a man-made gemstone, is a metaphor for choosing your own path. “Sometimes you have to make your own happiness”. Healthy truths from our crystal queen.

Keeping it 100

The lyric “keeping it 100” ties into Taylor’s more niche interest: numerology. On the New Heights podcast, she shared that as Travis’ chief’s jersey number is 87 and her lucky number is 13, they become 100 together. Could it be more perfect? We then see the final sequence of the music video taking place in the hotel room number 87, another subtle nod to her new muse.

Songwriter to songwriter

A lover of alliteration, Taylor shared that George Michael’s Father Figure inspired her song with the same title. She repurposed, saying she “thought it would be cool to use the line as a creative prompt and make it about power”. While speculation swirls about its subject, Swift only revealed she can relate to both characters – the protégé and the mentor. She even reached out to the George Michael estate to ask for permission, saying: “I know how sacred songwriting is. It’s really important to honour that when someone has written something so brilliant”. Somewhere, George is bopping to TS12.

Wood

Wood is about superstitions…that’s it.

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 15: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO STANDALONE PUBLICATION USE (NO SPECIAL INTEREST OR SINGLE ARTIST PUBLICATION USE; NO BOOK USE)) Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Wembley Stadium on August 15, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management )Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images

Attention is affection

Taylor’s unbothered era is in full swing. Speaking about Actually Romantic, she called it “a love letter to someone who hates you”. While no confirmation for the Charli XCX rumours was made, she laughed: “As I’ve gotten older, I’m just like, oh my gosh you did so much with this, that’s so flattering. I don’t think about you, but thank you for all the effort. It’s very sweet of you to think about me this much”. She closed with: “In this industry, attention is affection and you’ve given me a lot of it so…mwah.”. Iconic.

Nostalgic nods

After a break from writing about her high school experience, Taylor returned with Ruin the Friendship, a song about letting go and taking risks. She reflected on how, back then, ”everything is just so intense, like everything would be ruined if you put one foot out of line” but now realises that “it would have been fine to take chances”. Though no one was named in the film, fans believe the track nods to her high school friend who passed away at 21.

Sabrina is the ultimate Showgirl

Taylor revealed as soon as she had finished the final track of the album, she thought: “I want Sabrina to sing on this so bad. She is so good at moving through backlash or criticism, or people just being unfair to her, or picking her apart. She has the temperament to pivot and use it as fuel and I really feel like she’s got the same mentality as what this song sings about.”

When asked, Carpenter’s reaction was: “Are you kidding? I’m dead. Yes, of course,’”. Marking her commitment, she was on tour in Sweden and took her days to record. Taylor ended: “And that is a showgirl for you.”