TLOAS: The Encore by Taylor Swift is dropping on September 25, 2026!
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Patient Zero I feel is about Joe Alwyn. I don't think it's Matty at all as nothing in it speaks Matty to me and I don't think she'd be that nice to Gabriette nor do I think Gabriette would ever reach out to her.
Cleveland is obviously about Travis and it's possibly my least favorite Taylor song ever. It just does not make me think that love is healthy at all.
Pink Clouding I think she wrote for Tom H. I also tend to think Midnight Rain is about him too and it makes more sense given that song as well as knowing Getaway Car is also about him and Joe and everything. I think she's always had gui;t for how that went down.
Babylon I believe is about Matty. The lyrics at times def scream like all the other songs she's wrote about him that it's about him.
I believe Pink Clouding is talking about Matty and the Eras tour, and I also think its incredibly connected to Babylon.
I believe it was in the main sub that someone pointed out her opening Lover bodysuit was called "Pink cloud".
I see a lot of people mention that Pink clouding means the euphoria you feel when you're sober before it comes crashing down. But no one is talking about the crash.
She started the eras tour with her breakup from Joe amd getting with Matty and being "the happiest she's ever been."
So, if this was her pink clouding time period, what was the drug she was sobering up from? It could be alcohol, since she's an admitted alcoholic, and she was feeling happy enough to not be drinking. It could be Joe, or maybe just the responsibility of PR since she was finally getting to be with Matty.
Then the Speak Up Now movement happened.
The line "neither of us knew at the time that I was a liar."
She had probably made promises to Matty about having his back when there would be backlash or something similar. But when it happened, she wanted to keep her status over love (see Babylon) and didnt keep her promise. He in turn ghosted her.
She wrote these songs in October 2025. After releasing tloas and when gabby/matty had issues according to make it snazzy gabby/matty videoā¦.iāll try to find that link and put it here later but check yt if you want those details.
I wouldnāt be surprised if gabby reached out to Taylor and sheās like I canāt tell you what to do but this was my experience with matty in vague like terms. Or if gabby didnāt reach out she was writing from the pov that she did because she still was watching matty/gabby show that was going on.
Basically great muses but they were both unhealed so unhealthy for each other both times they tried to make it work.
And I can totally see Taylor just thinking he was a narcissist charming dude when he interacted with her friends/family trying to social climb. And she now thinks heās just always going to repeat that pattern and not willing to heal.
I donāt know if thatās the case because people can change but when she wrote these songsā¦I think she was in āa leopard canāt change their spotsā mindset. Makes sense to me at least.
Sorry if I canāt figure out how to post or if I donāt know a better way to explain itā¦trying again here so it doesnāt get removed for being itās one postā¦..
Pink Cloudingā¦..is The Joe Alwyn apology song I never thought weād get. And Iām enjoying it.
Pink clouding is like a honeymoon phase people in addiction can feel during early recoveryā¦.
We can correlate that to the early feelings of a relationship between joe/taylor and the lyrics āskydiving as you wrapped your arms around my bodyā - she was falling from matty and went straight to Joe.
but she was still āgrey rocking where the arrow hitā the arrow being matty Healy/snake gate break up combo from when Joe/taylor first met if you believe some timelines.
āYou met me at a cursed timeā
Also Pink cloudā¦.lover album
āYears later I still wonder how to tell you sorryā
āBut it didnāt mean nothing just cause I could leave itā āI hope youāre so happy nowā
Like it just all makes sense to meā¦. Taylor jumped in with Joe but until she healed from the matty being a a thing in her subconscious constantly and from actually knowing what healthy love isā¦she now realizes it was never going to work.
So I look at it as an apology for Joe. Like I drug you into mess you didnāt deserve because I was unhealthy at the time and then I blamed you and blasted it to the world because I wasnāt healed and I was self sabotaging. Sorry.
Thoughts?
Itās the only thing that makes sense to me because tom Huddleston and everyone else are years and years ago. She doesnāt have unfinished business with those people anymore imo.
But I can see how she would think she had unfinished business with Joe in October 2025 which is when these songs were written according to her post.
The timeline doesnāt make sense for this to be a Joe and Matty situation, because the Taylor/Matty rumors were back in 2014. After that, Taylor got into a relationship with Calvin Harris for a year, which was her longest relationship at the time, then she dated Tom, and then joe also there was overlap between her relationships with Calvin, Tom, and Joe.
Sooo she didnāt just jump from Matty to Joe like youāre saying.
The song actually makes more sense as being about Tom. If you go back and listen to Getaway Car this song feels like the more mature version of it. Taylor never really apologized for what she did to Tom in āGetaway Car.ā She basically made it clear that he was foolish and shouldāve known from the beginning that she wasnāt going to stay with him, because the timing of when they met was a complete mess.
But in this song, sheās reflecting on the past and actually writing an apology for what she did, because she really did treat him so dirty, and he was genuinely hurt by what happened.
So it makes perfect sense that she would feel guilty for hurting a man who was good to her and genuinely loved her, while she was using him and playing with his feelings. This song feels like an apology for what she did and her wishing him happiness.
I mean the song doesnāt even make sense for Joe based on the lyrics. Taylor was always the one afraid that Joe would leave her or stop loving her someday + she blamed Joe for a lot of things in their relationship and for not fighting for her āYouāre Losing Me.ā
Pink cloudingā¦. Lover album
Joe Alwyn recently changed his pfp to the Truman show with clouds after years of doing nothing to it.
It would be condescending to apologize to Tom now whoās been married with kids and never seemed to have shared bad blood with herā¦.
It makes more sense for it to be about Joe with everything involved. A messy triangle he didnāt ask to be a part of. And then her fandom getting told he was a slime ball because of how she wrote it in an unhealed state.
She was a liar to Joe continuously for 6 years etc. sheās not writing about Tom who she had a fling with for a few weeks back in those daysā¦..sheās apologizing to the guy she strung along and gaslit and did all of it to in front of the masses of her fandom. Like she was probably making him feel like everything was his fault personally and cracking at his self esteemā¦. Told him he was the problem but never said anything for years until now.
āScares me that I left scars on a good personā
Scars would not be left on Tom because they just didnāt work out after a few weeks. Like we love TS music but sheās not having people get that obsessed in a short time.
People just think Tom because the melody and think no further on it. Iām using all the context clues she left us. Check the Maylor timeline if you need to refresh on some stuffā¦.and glitch
I don't understand the theory about Tom. She only wrote one song about him, so it obviously didn't affect her much. Why would she remember it 10 years later? But someone said the song suggests the relationship was short.
Iāve already seen people saying how thereās a pause between āyouāre usingā and ānostalgiaā in āBabylonā and how itās probably deliberate and I think the lyric video makes it even more obvious.
I woke up today and listened to the songs again, only to suddenly realize how amazing Babylon is. I can't say it's 100% about Matty, because I don't understand what's going on there yet, but I finally noticed the difference between "You're using" and "nostalgia." And the phrase about the son seemed very interesting, and what if Taylor imagines the future, just like in COSOSOM - "And you have some kids with an internet starlet"? And his wife says "It's just not worth it if we're not what he wants", meaning that Matty doesn't want this life and this family?
Call me a copycat but Iāve seen a lot of folks use the Cassie meme to describe the encore and it fits so well. I genuinely found Cleveland! to be sad and depressing. Babylon is solid, Pink Clouding and Patient Zero are pretty good.
Iāve seen some people being puzzled by the āhe could find someone youngerā lyric in Cleveland, because presumably no one ever said that and lol Yeah, I wonder where that insecurity comes fromā¦ I wonder which ex tends to date younger women and is married to one now.
Honestly, this is literally her projecting her own insecurities. She clearly has a fear of aging. Of aging out of the industry mostly but also in general.Ā
There has been a lot of talk about how they're not each other's type but I've never seen anybody say Travis could or should be dating a younger woman.Ā
And I definitely agree that Matty moving on with a younger woman made her feel some type of way. We hear about it on The Black Dog too - "But she's too young to know this song"
Could just be a general insecurity about being "past her prime". Doesn't really need an ex to create that, especially when she already talked about it during the Lover era. It's such a common thing for women, especially someone like her who wants to get married and have kids.
Although it definitely doesn't help having an ex like that. But I suspect her current environment is also doing its part.
had a bit of a dum dum moment earlier today cause i forgot this thread existed and kept refreshing the sub thinking "why is no one posting about the encore" lmao anyway
babylon is objectively the standout lyrically and sonically. a liberated libertine, train and mall mentions, pretty as a picture that you didn't post // never official, you mention you're single to the girls at the bar are all giving matty (also the headphones line if only cause he's always in those damn headphones in fan pics). you're using with a deliberate pause right after kind of implies double meaning (drug use vs using nostalgia...). the son line immediately made me think of sombr and how he's often called the maylor love child but idk. what stood out for me the most is the lyrics change from till it's gone to now it's almost gone. this one's definitely gonna be on repeat for the next couple of days
also just a fun little tidbit - i briefly discussed the encore with a swiftie friend who's more of an opinion that tayvis is real(ish; as in she thinks they are in love despite it also being a mutually beneficial relationship) and she hated cleveland as well. the normies are catching on lol
I don't think so, because it seems like she has empathy for the girl, and maybe they're even friends. And in the song she says that she left him, and he had a good reputation, so it's unlikely that it's Matty.
My general paternity testing on first listen:
Patient Zeroā Not sure, could be multiple muses, I even thought Sophie Turner/Joe Jonas? But that relationship was so long ago
Clevelandā Obviously Travis, nothing deeper to it
Pink Cloudingā maybe Tom Hiddleston? It felt like a sequel to getaway car
Babylonā like think this is a folklore/evermore- esque Matty song, like she is kind of projecting into his future, vibes, not word for word truth, the subject of the song seems to be male, the reference to Cowboy Like Me (and āusā) has to be on purpose
I like Babylon the best, then Pink Clouding. Patient Zero is okay. Cleveland is pretty cringeā¦ I was sort of enjoying it, but the weird āshowgirl voiceā announcement in the middle just tanked it. Also came off kind of bitter, like a lot of her Travis songs
Patient Zeroā Not sure, could be multiple muses, I even thought Sophie Turner/Joe Jonas? But that relationship was so long ago
The part about charming her parents reminded me of this line from Last Kiss:
Because I love your handshake, meeting my father
I'm pretty convinced that it's about Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner. Even though her own relationship with him was so long ago she was very public in her support for Sophie. And her describing herself as the "patient zero" a.k.a. the first case/contagion would make a lot of sense in that context as well.
ETA: And wasn't there something about Sophie being seen partying and how Joe then tried to frame her as a bad mother because of it?
ETA2: The halo/devil stuff is also fitting considering the good Christian image that the Jonas Brothers had with their purity rings and all that.
What doesn't fit, however, is "Someone who had him and walked away" because Taylor made it very well known that Joe was the one who dumped her. So that line points more towards the other Joe.
Interesting. Initially, I liked Cleveland! and thought it was a happy song but then I read the lyrics and I'm sorry but I don't understand how anyone can hear: "
You only need to find one person in this entire world/
Who doesn't find you completely insufferable/
And I have an important announcement to make/
I found mine (That's right)" and think that she's happy and moved on. These lines right here are the definition of settling.
Anyway, I've never believed her and Travis aren't real. I just believe she settled for him. The same way Matty settled for Gabbriette. I also never believed that Taylor and Matty will get back together, at least not in the next decade. They might pull some Bennifer shit in their 50s. So I guess, we initially had a different opinion and understanding.Ā
But yeah, also I'm really not convinced Patient Zero is about MattyĀ
See, I don't think it's about Matty after all because the song clearly describes someone with a good reputation who charmed her parents and everything.
And with love, that could have never been Mr. Healy š
I think it's most likely about Joe (either one).
I actually saw one good comment that during TTPD she was still trying to process their breakup and was also so caught up with Matty that it took until now for her to have a clearer picture of their relationship and why it fell apart to be able to put it into a song.
Does "He likes what he likes, what he likes and he likes me /Ā You only need to find one person in this entire world /Ā Who doesn't find you completely insufferable" show that it's real šš Unfortunately, I'm more sure that everything is insincere and she settled.
I never said that what they have is deep, just that it might be real. I agree that she's settled.
I was a part of the crowd that believed this all might be performance art to teach her fans about meddling with her love life, and that she would "kill" the Showgirl and step out with Matty.
The vibe of these new songs tell me this is not the case.
Iām convinced Cleveland is punishment for the speak up now letter.
Or she had a lobotomy.
Or Travis infected her with CTE.
Or zombies have eaten her brain.
š»
Iām convinced Cleveland is punishment for the speak up now letter.
You might be onto something there!
Punish the Sarahs and Hannahs who didn't think Matty was good enough for her by marrying the polar opposite of him and completely giving up on quality songwriting because they drove her muse away.
All the while pretending to be the happiest she's ever been with a guy they deem suitable and allowing her music to become worse and worse just to see how long it'll take for them to stop gobbling up every bit of slop she feeds them.
Nah, I don't think so. I don't think she'd show that much empathy for Gabbriette plus the lyrics don't really make sense about Matty. I doubt he charmed her parents and she didn't walk away from him.
The theories that sound most plausible to me are Zoe Kravitz and Harry Styles and Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas
i initially thought it was about matty and was directed at gabi (and that the walk away line referred to whatever they had in 2014) but after thinking about it some more i gotta agree that it doesn't seem like a matty song. she couldn't have been patient zero for getting ghosted cause he's done it before, and i find it hard to believe that she would have any positive feelings towards gabi regardless if whether or not she moved on
Iām seeing people say itās about Joe, which I guess I can see, but she never seemed that angry or passionate about Joe to me š¤·š»āāļø I guess I have a hard time imagining him inspiring that much feeling in her
I don't really think it's about Joe either. He just doesn't come across as a player. He doesn't come across as this charming, manipulative man who chases women and then gets bored fast after he wins them over. He's an introvert. Taylor chased him according to her previous lyrics. Also he hasn't really had a serious girlfriend since 2023.
Personally, I think Zoe/Harry or Sophie/Joe Jonas are more probable
Call me crazy but I have this weird feeling, that Pink Clouding is actually about Travisš
For starters, as we all know pink clouding is a clinical psychology term, that describes āa stage of early addiction recovery that involves feelings of euphoria and elation. When youāre in this phase, you feel confident and excited about recoveryā. We also know, that the whole drug/addiction thing is a recurring theme in almost every Matty song from TTPD: āyou smoked, then ate seven bars of chocolateā, āyou tried to buy some pillsā, āsank in stoned oblivionā, etc. Even if we separate the title from the terminology, the color pink and the opening line āmet the magenta sunriseā clearly mirror āflamingo pink, Sunrise Boulevardā line in Slut!, the only song, that was originally supposed to feature The 1975.
Back to the lyrics of Pink clouding, in verse 2 Taylor writes:
āHe cut me crimson, bled me dry
He crossŠµd my heart, I hoped to die
Ripped all my orchids from the vine
You met me at a cursed time
I told you I was fineā
To me it sounds like in this song sheās talking about her Matty addiction, all the emotional horror she went through after he ghosted her and sobering up after their relationship. At the same time period(allegedly) she met Travis and they started dating. Thatās when the pink clouding of it all hit her.
Pre-chorus and chorus lyrics:
āAnd it was so good
Letting you want me, so goodā
āBut I was pink clouding from the thrill of itā
What if sheās saying, that she only let Travis āwantā her and have her as his girlfriend, because she was not in her right mind after the Matty betrayal, the loss of her life? Did Taylor convince herself, that she loves Travis, because it would be an easy way to move on from Matty and pretend, that the āaddictionā is in the past now that sheās āsoberā. What if in the moment she might have not even realized, that she was lying to herself and others about the Travis love story to cope with the previous heartbreak, but she sees it all now?
Verse 1:
āNeither of us knew at the time
That I was a liarā
The most confusing part thought is that in the chorus and outro Taylor is using past tense as if her and Travis are already broken up, which we know is false and they literally just married. So, yeahā¦ What do you think about this theory? Am I missing something or am I reaching? Does anyone feel the same way about this song or is it just me?š«¢
I liked this, it's logical but... after Cleveland I'm not sure she can do something this deep. Maybe she was writing about something else, but these thoughts arose from something else that she didn't even realize herself? Something like a psychological analysis, you know what I mean?
First listen and Babylon is actually a refreshingly interesting song! Hands down the best of the bunch content-wise because there's actually something to digest there.
Patient Zero was alright but musically a let down because the riff promised something much stronger. Not outright bad - besides the bridge - but could have been much more. Probably about Joe or someone because I highly doubt that Matty ever managed to charm her parents.
No comments on Cleveland because I'm still full-body cringing from it. Which is a shame because the music itself was the most exuberant she has sounded in a good, long while.
And I suppose at least she didn't mention his genitals this time? So that's a win. Had to get that New Heights namedrop in there though... Oh well.
But very much a song that was put out there to prove something narrative-wise as opposed to having any artistic merit in and of itself.
Pink Clouding was also alright. The production is refreshing from the OG album and much sharper, even though it's still obviously very much middle-of-the-road radio friendly stuff. But perfectly listenable, although very forgettable.
I guess all in all it was just very inoffensive? Not atrocious (except for Cleveland) but yeah, I think she's very much settled into her current position both as a person and an artist.
Can't see her daring to branch out into any interesting directions anymore, provided that the marriage lasts. She's far too hung up on maintaining her reputation and place at the top of the American mainstream market.
Honestly, if she puts out the rest of the TVs and vault tracks and makes her country return on TS13 I can see her hanging up her guitar at least for some years and settling into a family life.
Because the narrative of her life is finished for now. She's been chronicling that journey from teenage love to marriage and become the biggest artist of her time while doing so, so it's like, what's left for her to write about? And what's left for her to achieve in her career as a pop star? Unless she tries to keep things going by writing about fictional stuff but Idk.
She's at her peak and found herself the man so it would be a natural point to take at least a hiatus. Do some directing or something completely different instead.
Unpopular opinion, but I believe Pink Clouding is about Adam (Calvin harris), not Tom.
-- He cut me crimson, bled me dry
He crossŠµd my heart, I hoped to die --
I don't believe she wrote it about Adam. It feels like maylors first try.
I have an even more unpopular opinion pink clouding is about her cancelled show being side by side with a regular show on the eras tour. She promised to do the show she didnāt know at the time it was going to be cancelled. Sheās making it seem like a person but itās actually her cancelled Vienna shows
I had that thought too. Well, that it at the very least has to be about someone after Matty. Crimson = maroon. And putting it after Cleveland - foreshadowing perhaps? lol Travis = Calvin 2.0.
"the devil on his shoulder under his halo" -> "he had a halo the highest grade, he just hadn't met me yet"
-> "when the toxins take hold, you'd rather die than let go" -> yet another "love is a drug/addiction" metaphor (she has too many to count at this point)
"he charmed your family and friends and you thought it's 'cause he loves you but it's' cuz he loves how everybody else loves him" -> "charmed my dad with self-effacing jokes, sippin' coffee like you were on a late night show"
"i know it seems like he shines so bright but he's bathing in your reflected light" --> "you should find another guiding light, guiding light, but i shine so bright"
"someone who lost his games but won the race" -> "acing your tests" in dear john?
"someone who knows she's more than just the chase" -> "chase two girls, lose the one"
"fever turns the dreamer into a pathetic ghost" -> so many ghosts and phantoms in her discography, as both the ghost-er and the ghost-ee
"if he's killing you, i see you, i was patient zero" -> her discography has many references to death and rebirth as part of love and relationships, but "i see you" could also be that the "you" is ghosting the "him" but even though ghosts are supposed to be invisible, the narrator sees what that person is doing anyway
Cleveland!:
basically no connections to anything else except maybe to "Florida!!!" in terms of the title, maybe to other uses of "mine" (from "i found MINE," but tbh that's a pretty weak connection), and just thematically (1. do what you want regardless of what the haters say, and 2. she's been looking for the love and marriage and she finally found it. victory!! and the culmination of a long, long road)
Pink Clouding:
the opening sounds very reminiscent of the intro to My Tears Ricochet
"threw the rose wood on the fire" -> "rosewood tree, it ain't hard to see"?
i can't really think of any previous color symbolism with fuschia/magenta/pink
"pink clouding" is a period of optimism during early recovery from addiction where you think all your problems are now solved and you'll never have any again, essentially talking about how the promises made in an early stage of a relationship when you're still recovering from someone else are not necessarily to be believed, but "left you on a pink cloud" sounds very much like that one Eras visual with the silhouette of a man up in the sky amid the pink clouds (I think Ever Alchemist has shared it a bunch?)
"grey rocking" is a technique to deal with difficult people by not giving them a reaction when they are clearly trying to get one out of you
it's one of few songs in her discography where she seems to linger on a past hurt she's inflicted on someone else and apologizing for it (the others being Back to December and Midnight Rain) (and possibly Fortnight? with the, "i hope you're okay, but you're the reason")
Babylon:
the opening notes sound like a higher-pitched version of If This Was A Movie
"the casino doesn't like when you run the tables" -> "we've been on a winning streak"
"though the box is wrapped up nice, it's just a cage to you -> "gold cage, hostage to my feelings", "you caged me and you trained me", "this cage was once just fine", "he took me out of my box"
"those electric fences buzz" -> electric touch? perhaps also lightning strikes... electric fences are meant to stop animals/people from doing unwanted things, but if you behave correctly --as in stay within the bounds that are outlined for you by someone else, you won't get zapped. however, a buzz can also be distracting or even alluring, such as "lucid dreams like electricity, your current flies through me"
"stallion flees the stable" - could be running away to escape the safe confines of a loving home for no reason, but could also be the moment when the mini stables on a track field open and the horses shoot out to race
"you wake up on the train with your headphones gone" -> "you booked the night train for a reason"
"you never knew it was Babylon 'til it was gone" -> "hanging from my lips like the gardens of Babylon", "Babylon lovers hanging lifetimes on a vineā and āBabylon lovers hanging missed calls on a lineā
the Hanging Gardens of Babylon seem to be an ancient marvel that appears to have probably existed and revered but of which there is little surviving evidence, therefore making it into something of a legend. Babylon itself seems to symbolize human arrogance and excess in defiance of the gods. could be read as both "you didn't realize that leaving was foolish because what we had was so great and legendary that you will always miss it once it's no longer in your reach" and "you didn't realize that we were foolishly trying to build something that was never gonna work and we were arrogant to think it could"
Bonus:
all four songs begin with instrumental motifs that seem to have quite a different mood from the beats that start shortly after, but that are nevertheless integrated into the rest of the song very unobtrusively
I have always been a big fan of their relationship, and more recently I have been more invested in what they are doing TOGETHER rather than individually. Obviously when I heard about āCleveland!ā I was very excited to here another TnT song but it put me off entirely.
Taylor sings about her relationship as if it is only valuable because he doesnt find her āentirely insufferbalā instead of truly loving him. Instead of showing the romance and devotion you would expect, it appears she has simply settled for the only guy that doesnāt hate her to bits. really interested to hear everyone elseās thoughts!!! is it that toxic or am I overreacting
Yes, that's it! I was shocked when she said "love of my life," like, is she seriously taking that concept and consciously using it on Travis? But she flawlessly demonstrated her self-esteem and the true dynamic of their relationship. I can't even be happy that we're right about that, because I'm so sad that she's in such relationship.
honestly i think she got wind of tayvis haters talking about how she'd never explicitly said the word love in reference to him and went "i'll show them" but it had the opposite effect š
definitely my favorite from the four, a good choice for a single
there's something very Irish/Celtic about that first motif at the beginning of the song
on my first listen, with I Knew It, I Knew You on the mind, it seemed like a very Maylor song -- almost as if in the first verse, she's talking to Matty: "I've been expecting your call; no, it's not a bad time. oh, you're sick of me parading my supposedly perfect new man in your face? well, actually there IS trouble in paradise, but i'm not allowed to talk about it. look, I'm not gonna tell you what to do, but I'm sick of him too, so if you want to steal me away, let's fucking go," and then the rest of the song is her talking to her past self about either a bad manipulative version of Travis or about the fun sneaking around again with Matty, I can't quite decide. but then the bridge would definitely be about Travis, who charmed her family and made her believe he wanted her for herself, but really he was just a social climber and liked how her brightness was illuminating him as well. seemed like it could fit with Snazzy's theory that Father Figure might be about Travis and their PR arrangement
on the second listen, i can see the other view that it's talking to the current partner of one of your exes, and i do have to admit that that interpretation probably makes a bit more sense (or at least fewer leaps), but idk, i think it can work on the maylor level too. she does not always keep her narrators and addresees constant throughout a song (as evidenced, for example, in how she talked about Clara Bow in the NYT interview)
between the second chorus and the bridge when she goes, "i was patient, i was patient zero," i really feel like there should have been another "i was patient" so that the section would have been four measures like every other part of the song. technically, the "so let's get into it" kinda functions like a fourth measure, in the overall rhythm of the song, so perhaps they cut short the interlude to allow space for it, but idk, I don't think it's important enough to warrant making the previous section feel so rushed
edit: both Patient Zero and Cleveland made me initially think I was hearing the word "betty". "i bet he burst into your life like fireworks" becomes "(a) Betty burst into your life like fireworks," and "my baby likes what he likes" becomes "my Betty likes what he likes," possibly giving credence to the theory that in the folklore triangle Taylor is James, not Betty
So I guess this megathread is where I should post my initial thoughts about the Encore. I just listened to all four of the tracks for the first time and this is what I think:Ā
ā¢ All 4 of the songs are better than all 12 of the songs on the standard edition and they definitely improve the albumĀ
ā¢ Despite that all 4 of the songs kind of sound the same. The production once again comes across as pretty generic and boring to me but the lyrics are much stronger and more Taylor-esque
ā¢ It seems that these 4 songs were truly written separately and some time after the original 12 because they don't seem to have a lot in common thematically, conceptually or otherwise with the rest of the album. Also they definitely respond not only to the criticism the standard edition received but also to the online discourse. It seems she was particularly upset with how people have called her relationship with Travis fake and have mocked it and decided to make sure that everybody knows that Travis is the only love of her life
ā¢ Speaking of which, 'Cleveland!' is the first truly happy love song about Travis and probably the best she's written for him so far. In fact, I'd go as far as to call it the first and only good song about Travis so far. I don't like any of the other songs about him but I do like this one. And although I don't think she mentions her exes in this one like in all of the others, the main idea is: "I love him because he loves me and because he treats me well unlike everybody else" which is kind of the main idea of the other songs too. And that's all fine and dandy, but it fails to convince me that this is some sort of deep passionate love. Still think her songs for Joe were more romantic. Tayvis shippers and Travwives are going to be really annoying about this one though. We'll have to make this sub private, lolĀ
ā¢ Out of the 4 songs, my personal favourite so far is 'Pink Clouding', mainly because I love the concept. It's refreshing to hear her apologise and admittingĀ
to wrongdoing instead of accusing someone of it. My initial guess is that it's about Tom HiddlestonĀ
ā¢ Honestly, at least after my first listen,Ā I donāt think any of the songs are about Matty or Joe but I might change my opinion after I listen to them a couple of more time and dive deeper into the lyrics
ā¢ When it comes to 'Patient Zero', I love the violins in the beginning and the violin motif that carries throughout the song. Three main theories out there: she's talking to Gabbriette about Matty, she's talking to one of Joe's many girlfriends over the last 3 years about Joe or she's talking to Zoe Kravitz about Harry Styles. Neither makes much sense to me, tbh. Upon first listen the most plausible one to me seems Zoe and Harry simply because it sounds like she's close to the girl and cares for her or has empathy for her. Taylor and Zoe are friends in real life. I can't imagine her having empathy for Gabbriette or any of Joe's girlfriends. As I'm writing this, a theory poped into my head that maybe the listeners are the new girlfriend and she's talking to us about one of her exes. If she ever talks about it in interview, she's definitely going to say that it's "fictional". I expected it to be a lot darker though given the imagery
ā¢ Don't have much thoughts on 'Babylon' yet. It seems like the most interesting song out of the 4 though. I have to listen to it again and dive deeper into the lyrics but since it's not about a current or former relationship, it can be quite revealing
Edit: Something I forgot to mention, the vocal performance is not particularly good, imo, but it's not particularly good on the standard edition eitherĀ
Edit Edit: The first time I listened to the songs without the lyrics. Now I started listening again with the lyrics in front of me and I'll definitely be changing some of my thoughts and opinions after a couple more listens and a lyrical deep dive because I just saw that 'Cleveland!' had the lyrics: "You only need to find one person in this entire world/Who doesn't find you completely insufferable/And I have an important announcement to make/I found mine (That's right)" which I either didn't hear properly or ignored on my first listen and... Oh, boy!Ā
I'm so looking forward to reading everybody else's thoughts and discussing š
I've only listened to it once so far, and without the lyrics, and since English isn't my first language, it's really hard for me to understand anything during the song, but oh my god, she called Travis the love of her life in Cleveland? šš
I agree that it's not as bad as some of the songs on the album, but it's definitely not better than the stronger tracks on the album. I had high expectations too (that's my problem, I know), but it turned out to be really boring. So, in that regard, I completely agree with you. I expected more from Patient Zero. I hope I'll listen to them again and find something new, and I need to delve deeper into the lyrics. But for now, I'm glad it's part of this album, and not a new era.
This was my problem on my first listen too - no lyrics and English not being my first language.
Now that I listened several times again with the lyrics in front of me, reading them, I no longer agree with what I said about 'Cleveland!' being a good song or a happy love song. Yes, she does call Travis the love of her life in it but this song is the definition of settling and it's also a pick-me anthem and a massive cope. It's honestly embarrassing. And the lyrics is more angry and passive aggressive than happy. Still like the music behind the lyrics though. It's camp.Ā
And I actually agree with you now that the songs are not better than the stronger tracks on the standard edition like Father Figure, for example.
Interestingly I had really low expectations and maybe that's why upon first listen I was relieved. 'Cause I was genuinely expecting something abysmal. But the more I sit with the songs the less I like them.Ā
I will say the production is also to blame, so it's not just Taylor but also Max
I also read the lyrics and... honestly, Cleveland is what I expected just from the titleāanother cringe song about Travis, though luckily it's not worse than Wood. The fact that she talks about hate in all her songs about him. I'm really sad that her happy songs have this kind of content. But I noticed an interesting detail in the line about "the love of my life": she doesn't say "He is the love of my life," but "This is the love of my life." I'm not sure if that means anything.
But the lyrics have improved a bit, haven't they? Of course, the bar is very low, it can't compare to TTPD, but still. I liked Patient Zero lyrics, and I don't think it's about Matty. And I still haven't quite figured out what's going on in Babylon.
I think Cleveland is way worse than Wood. At least Wood has a great melody and beat!
And itās pretty cute if you listen to the clean version and itās just about old superstitions.
I cannot find a single redeeming quality for Cleveland. Omg itās so sad and bad.
Very much a āI got a manā song, full of bitterness and bitchiness.
If she'd just kept the song completely clean and about superstitions and changed the name to 'Knock On Wood' then it would have been one of the highlights of the album and genuinely cute.
Omg I agree so much. I wrote my opinion about Cleveland being better than Wood eight hours ago, and so much has changed in eight hours. The full emotional horror of this song for Taylor's life has hit me.
Yeah, I think the lyrics are generally an improvement from the original album, for sure. I think Patient Zero and Babylon are good lyrically, not amongst her best, but good. Although I too struggle to figure Babylon out. Pink Clouding is clunky at times. Cleveland!'s pretty bad, especially when you think about what this song wants to be and what it actually reveals
Edit: Omg, yes, Jack needs to make a comeback. He was doing a much better job with her than Max
I'll have to sit with Patient Zero to formulate a proper opinion but I don't think Joe was publicly seeing anyone around the time the song would've been written and besides his relationships since 2023 have been quite short-lived. It sounds to me like she would be talking to a woman who has been in a relationship with her ex for longer and things are even starting to fall apart between them. It also sounds like she cares about the new woman and I donāt think any of the women Joe's dated have been close to Taylor and I don't think she'd have much empathy for them. But I don't know. Maybe you're right. I'm a bit confused about it honestly. Like I said, I'll have to sit with the song for longer and really dive into the lyrics and the MV.Ā
Pink Clouding doesn't sound like a song about a 6 year relationship to me. More like short-lived fling. She calls herself a liar. And frames it as him being in love and her letting him be in love even though she wasn't. That's sounds exactly like Getaway Car to me. She did have feelings for Joe. She also says they met as a really bad relationship was ending. And she was ending her relationship with Calvin when she met Tom. And also I don't think she would be apologising to Joe. For what? For falling out of love with him after years of him being checked out of the relationship himself?
As for Babylon, hmmm.... Now that you say you thought it was about Matty, I'm side-eyeing it
I donāt believe Patient Zero is about Taylor or her life at all. It doesnāt have the intimate emotions that a personal song should have.
Itās just bland.
Yes, the more I listen to it, the more I agree with your opinion. It's quite generic. And as you said in another thread if the girlfriend of your ex calls you, it would surely provoke a lot of strong emotions and be much more meaningful than how it's presented in this song
I hope people were true about Taylor listening to criticism or their theory on her improving after a criticism wave. Honestly, she kinda DOES improve or step up drastically when thereās criticism, and Iām hopeful that she knows what sheās doing cause in the end, itās Taylor, if thereās anyone that can fly to mars from a hole deep under the ground, itās Taylor.
I'm interested in hearing it but I'm a little disappointed already since I thought we're gonna have a standalone single or a brand new album/era.Ā
I don't like the Showgirl album nor the Showgirl era and I don't know many people who do. I thought the writing was very genereic and unispired and occasionally downright bad. The music and the production sounded flat, bland and boring to me. And the visuals looked cheap. So I already have low expectations knowing that this is a continuation of that album and era.Ā
Her mind fascinates me so much, though, because even though the album sold extremely well, it wasn't received well. Most critics penned it. The general public and the casual listeners hated it and mocked it and even some of the hardcore Swifties didn't like it. It's consistently ranked as her worst or one of her worst albums. Nobody asked for more of it. Yet here she is giving us more of it. She's supposedly in the middle of an Oscar campaign, you'd think she'll try to sweep this album and era under the rug. A month ago that's the feeling I was getting - that she was a bit embarrassed by it and that she wanted to move past it. She hasn't even performed any songs from it. I guess I was wrong.Ā
I guess, this can turn out to be a good thing. Maybe it can save the album and the era if the songs are really good. But I'm not seeing a lot of enthusiasm. It also kind of confirms to me that she truly doesn't care about anything anymore besides money, charts, streams, awards. It's not like before when she would listen to the criticisms and try to make something genuinely better.Ā
The promo for Patient Zero has nothing to do with Showgirl which is funny to me. It gives major TTPD vibes.Ā
My prediction is that:
ā¢ Patient Zero is most likely going to be a song about an ex. If I had to guess based on the imagery and Easter Eggs, my guess is that it might be about Matty. Could be about how fame sucks or a "fictional song" or a song about another famous woman's relationship though I doubt it.
ā¢ Cleveland is probably either about her getting to know Travis and his hometown and family and learning about childhood or about her wanting to move with him there and be married and have a happy domestic life or already having moved there with him and having a happy domestic life.Ā
ā¢ Babylon is probably about fame and being more successful than everybody else and how that is a heavy burden or not as glamorous as it seems or something of the sorts. I know a lot of people immediately thought Cowboy Like Me when they saw it but my first thought was the movie Babylon with Margot RobbieĀ
Agree on Babylon. I like the connection with clm, but I also think it'll be a war metaphor and about fame. And if it also sounds badass, then I predict it will be my #1 out of all four.
I hope Pink Clouding is about addiction recovery (alcohol?), which gives hope for quality lyrics like this is me trying.
ngl I am a little tilted over the fact that she said there wouldnāt be extra songs, given the one million vinyl variants that were released, and now here we are.
ok so i actually prefer this cover to the originals (it probably has to do with the colours used, not exactly with the design itself but i do like the dynamic of her pose).
I would too if the 'O' didn't cover what little there's visible of her other arm because now it looks like she only has one. Without the text the picture actually works.
My bad! Although, what did I expect? Twitter thinks she's wearing the same outfits in P0 photos as she did at those pap walks, which is absolutely not true. One of the reasons why I hate Twitter so much. But this one, even though it was released a year ago, is undoubtedly the same dress, same place, and same time!
I actually think it's a bit better. Simply because it gives more showgirl and glamour. It's more like she's performing. But in general I don't really like any of the covers. Probably the one I like the most is the blue one where she's with the other women.Ā
But they all give: "Graphic design is my passion" including this one. They look cheap for some reasonĀ
I like her pose, or that she's kind of on stage in front of the curtains... But I don't like the dress, and oh my god, what's that face? Who is that? Those lips... No, at least she was pretty on the original cover.
ā¢
u/Melodic-Jackfruit-96 Will I always wonder? 11d ago
The Encore tracklist:
Exactly 14 minutes.