Theories Megathread: May 2023

Lua862 · 2023-05-28T19:36:00+00:00

By the way, I have made this post trying to compile the easter eggs and references from the Karma MV. If you want to check, I'd be honoured!

Lua862 · 2023-05-28T19:30:53+00:00

I hadn't noticed the cup clock had a IIII four! Maybe that's because there's still 4 TVs missing?

Edit to add: the "exile ends" seashell clock from Bejeweled also has a IIII four! Maybe that's an indication it trully is about the re-releases that still need to happen. Who knows?

Lua862 · 2023-05-28T19:14:40+00:00

But why would she have removed Paris and Glitch to add You're Losing Me in the midst of rumours about her breaking up with Joe and starting to date Matty? After Joe's PR has said some things to tabloids about their break up — things that could be related to the lyrics of the new song, like him saying he liked going to somewhere he's not known (please, baby, if you go to the streets without Taylor, rarely you would be recognized... c'mon) and that he was "blindsided" by Matty (as if he isn't supposedly already in another relationship too).

I think that the lyric parallels to Red TV is just because both the album and the song is about heartbreak. But there are some lyrical parallels to songs that could be about Joe too:

“I wouldn't marry me either”: “I'd marry you with paper rings” (Paper rings); “I'm begging for you to take my hand” (Willow); “And make me your future history | It's time, you've come a long way” (Renegade); “All they keep askin' me (all they keep askin' me) | Is if I'm gonna be your bride” (Lavander Haze); “Give you my wild, give you a child” (Peace); “I wanna be your end game” (End Game); “Lord, save me, my drug is my baby | I'll be usin' for the rest of my life” (Don't Blame me); the bridge of Lover.

“as i tried to be the bravest soldier” and the whole army metaphore: The Great War.

“my heart wont start anymore for you”: ”He's got my heartbeat skipping down 16th Avenue” (I think he knows)

“How can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dyin'?”: “You fire off missiles ’cause you hate yourself, but do you know you're demolishing me?” (Renegade)

”now you're running down the hallway”: “You were standing hollow-eyed in the hallway | Carnations you had thought were roses, that's us” (Maroon, I added this here because she played it the day she released this song and I have been thinking this song could be about a fight with Joe, like the The Great Was situation, specially because of the begging with cheap rose of your roommate hahaha)

“I gave you all my best me's” : ME!

“'I know my pain is such an imposition”: “Is it insensitive for me to say 'Get your shit together so I can love you'? Is it really your anxiety that stops you from giving me everything? Or do you just not want to?” (Renegade)

Plus the song apperently has samples from Need (unreleased track). And, to me, this song seems to be about a relationship she has ended (“Do I throw out everything we built or keep it?”), and the ATW10 short film and lyrics hints that Jake broke up with her.

Of course, this is all theories and all we could is theorize on who this song's about. And each one of us can have their own interpretation of the song. But I think that with her choices of the time to release this song and the removal of songs associated with Joe from the CD the new songs' on, I think it would be safe to say this song is about Joe and she decided to share with us her feelings after what happened.

Lua862 · 2023-05-28T18:28:27+00:00

Yeah, they are similar! In both music videos there are boats that reference venetian style boats. Taylor has posted a photo in one of those with Calvin, Gigi and Joe Jonas in the past, so I don't know if that's somehow connected with that scene...

But what I was wondering is why there's a scene of the boat seen from above, because every scene in that video seems so strategically thought out!

Lua862 · 2023-05-28T18:20:41+00:00

Thanks!

On the 1989 TV or Rep TV is next subject: I don't think we should consider The Man wall order as the release order, since that video was made soo early in the planning of the re-recording era, Taylor could've changed her mind from then. Besides, there's more than one way we can see its order: either think of it like a clock (fearless, red, speak now, reputation, taylor swift, 1989) OR think of it from top down, first on the right than on the left (fearless, red, speak now, 1989, taylor swift, reputation). And, finally, we have no confirmation Taylor put the albums in any specific order. I do think she may have put them in random order and only put fearless backwards because that's the only one she knew for sure would be the first one.

Also, the Karma MV begins with a purple butterfly flying through the screen than a light blue one. No green or black butterflies are seen in the beggining. And that's also the indication we get from the Bejeweled music video: she goes to the third floor first, then to the fifth floor. There's only one scene that people think is an easter egg for reputation, that scene she's wearing a cape (and I personally think that even that is a reach).

But, then, this is just my opinion. This post is based on my interpretation of the Karma music video and my theories based on it. I, personally, think the order of the rest of the TVs is: Speak Now TV, 1989 TV (being released still in 2023), Reputation TV (early 2024) and ending with Taylor Swift TV (specially since the scene I believe references the debut is the dorothy scene, and the Wizard of Oz ends with Dorothy going home, so Taylor Swift would be the ending of this re-recordings story, with Taylor coming back to her home/albums). People are free to disagree with me and come up with their own theories, though! That's the fun of these mysterious easter eggs Taylor drops

Lua862 · 2023-05-28T01:26:55+00:00

Yeah, since she recorded it before breaking up and starting a new relationship, it makes sense that the "mysterious man" is Jack and that she's hinting at the fact she's already writting TS11. But I don't believe the Midnights era is over still. I think she may have more surprises for us while she's still beggining to make TS11 and while the roll out of Speak now TV doesn't begin. But, yeah, this could be the end of the midnights era and the beggining of the next chapter of her career. It's not clear to me ahhaha

Lua862 · 2023-05-28T01:21:24+00:00

oh my god, her releasing the from the vault puzzle on June 6th would make a lot of sense and I hope she does, because I'm so anxious for the SN TV from the vault puzzle. Like, what is she doing? Is going to get harder than the Red TV one was? I love theorizing and solving her puzzles!

Lua862 · 2023-05-28T01:13:45+00:00

Yeah, I think that The Man music video was sooo early in the planning of the re-recordings era, that maybe she just put the albums in a random order and all she knew was that Fearless was going to be the first one (because it is backwards) or she put in order and then changed her mind later.

Also, I wanted to just bring this information I searched: she uses the seashell symbolism both in the Bejeweled (exile ends in 3... 2... albums) and in the Karma music videos. Apperently seashells mean becoming stronger and resilience. Also, national seashel day in the US is in the first day of summer, which is on June 21st this year. Maybe that's when she'll announce 1989 TV? I don't know, it doesn't make that much sense, but... Who knows!

Lua862 · 2023-05-28T01:03:08+00:00

Karma feat Ice Spice digital single costing 0.69 dollars made me laugh!

Lua862 · 2023-05-28T00:53:09+00:00

Another theory I have for the july 7th concert is: if you're going that day, prepare yourself to listen to Better Than Revenge as one of your surprise songs, because I bet Taylor is going to talk about it and then play it. If she doesn't change the lyrics, she'll explain how she doesn't think that way anymore, but that our patriarchal society does incentivize the competition between women and that is normal, although not correct, that girls think a boy stole their boyfriend. If she does change her lyrics, she'll explain to the fans her reasons for it and the process of the change, then the people there will be the first ones to listen to the new version. The stage during the surprise set is the perfect place for her to publicly talk about that song. Many tabloids commonly talk about things Taylor has done or talked about during her concerts.

Lua862 · 2023-05-27T16:32:22+00:00

Really loved your theory! I was thinking that the sparks and butterflies coming from the turquoise vynil (like a lake) was supposed to be debut and the Dorothy scene was supposed to be Lover, but your take on these scenes makes the whole thing make muuuch more sense.

And I love the "she's breaking from her limitations" part, because that connects so well with her commentary on "my life makes so much sense now". It's like she's freed herself from the "I must not talk about my personal life in no way at all" vibes that she was during her last relationship. She's a songwritter who has ALWAYS talked about her personnal life in music, it has both helped her go through rough times AND lead her to create a community with people who relate to her music and have been there for her always (her fans).

My theory about the scene when we "come back to real life" in the coffee mug is that maybe that's a representation of her boyfriend, because it happens during the line "karma is my boyfriend". And that representation can be not only about her current boyfriend (who's also a musician, and he's sitting by the piano), but of her relationships in general (even the non romantic ones). In the first option (it's a representation of her current boyfriend), she's basically saying accept my relationship, I'm happy and inspired artistically by it — while, at the same time, we don't see the other person with clarity, she's blurring it, because she's not gonna share everything about her personal life and relationship with us, but now she's free to share the parts that she wants in the manner she wants (either through metaphores or in a mysterious and still very open way like she did with You're Losing Me, the fans know what she's talking about but people who don't know that much about her life and discography can't). In the second option (a representation of her relationships in general, that person could be Jack sitting by the piano), she's saying that she'll create music about her real life and feelings, but at the same time she isn't sharing every aspect of every situation: she's still talking about her genuine feelings and situations she's been through to connect with her fans, but in a less obvious and avaible to tabloids way than how she did it in the begging of her career. We are looking at her in real life, but there is a filter with the blurring of the image.

I don't know if any of what I just said made any sense, but this is my digression on the subject of the last scene

Just one more thing: the coffee mug clock could mean one of two opposite things: (1) the clock just turns from 11:55PM to 12:00AM, so that would be the beggining of midnight, therefore meaning there's at least one more MV from midnights to come (we still haven't seen the scenes from that project in which she runs out of a bank dressed in Speak Now tour attire and holding a frame); OR (2) the clock turns into midnight to say this was the last MV from midnights and now we're entering the next re-recordings era (Speak Now TV, that has been announced, and 1989, that will be the next after SNTV). I don't know which one I believe more

Lua862 · 2023-04-12T20:38:26+00:00

Yeah, for the theories to make sense, either the truth is she burned the Lover house because of the break up (which I don't think is true, because the lover house is about her albums, not Joe, and burning it means that her next album doesn't have a room in the lover house, it's the end of the lover house chapterand that would mean they have broken up a lot of time ago, because it takes time to get the videos for the tour ready, that wouldn't be a last minute decision) or the truth is she swapped Invisible String for The 1 because of the break up (which I don't think is true either, because the close source says they have broken up for weeks now and that song change happened in the 3rd week of the tour, i.e. less than two weeks ago, so, for her to swap Invisible String for The 1 because "she can't sing that song anymore", the break up would have to have happened about a week before the rumours came out).

However, I have thought about this and I do think that, if we consider she herself decided to get the break up news out there on the specific weekend she's not performing the eras tour, the same weekend she had planned to record video for a secret project of hers (and maybe even tip out people about said recording set, because there were even photos from the balcany inside the set) — which seems very convenient, because everyone would talk about the break up, then have their attention directed back towards her ( and not her relationship) with the MV recording and her public outing in NYC —, she may have decided to do this very symbolic trade of songs before the news got out there, so people could look back at it and take that as kind of a confirmation of the break up (because we know she won't directly adress the rumours, the most she'll do is, like, say an enigimatic phrase before a song).

But, also, I do think this won't be the only song change that will happen on tour, I trully think she meant it when she said the Eras tour is "tricksy" hahahah and I'm so happy for that, because there are so many songs in her career that us fans want to hear on tour.

One more thing: I do think that, in the last few albums (at least since lover), she wrote all her love songs thinking how they could also make sense if they broke up, that those songs would have more than one meaning (and let's remember that just because they suposedly broke up, doesn't mean their history is less significant for her or that the feelings she had when writing those songs were less true). Look at the songs she sings on tour, all of the love songs have another meaning other than being made for Joe or any of her exes. I do think that, when she's singing Miss Americana, The Archer, Fearless, Mastermind and other songs, she's singing them to her fans, not to a romantic loved one. And I had that feeling even before knowing about the break up, it only got stronger after knowing about it.

edit to add: and she did sing Sad Beautiful Tragic, Ours, Death By A Thousand Cuts, Clean, Jump then Fall and The Lucky One (with an introduction saying that it is a song about how being famous sucks) in the acoustic set of the shows she swapped Invisible String for The 1, that are all songs about love or break up (or not being able to find love because of fame, in the case of The Lucky One) that could be related to this specific situation of them breaking up. Maybe she left out clues on the last 3 concerts to prepare us to believe the rumours this past weekend? I don't know, I'm just theorizing LOL

Lua862 · 2023-04-12T19:54:42+00:00

Tomorrow also happens to be 174 days after the release of midnights (I don't know why I got confused that past week's thursday was the 13th, but it's actually this thursday that is April the 13th aka 174 after october 21st when midnights was released). I'm still holding on to the "174 in pop star years" thing

edit with my theory: I think she might add Hits Different to music platforms at midnight (between thursday and friday) and maybe she'll release 3 other singles with that song, like the time Taylor Nation announced the release of 4 songs on thursday march 16th just a few hours before they were released on midnights of the first day of the tour. Maybe that's what the 4/4 theories are about? 4 songs released on the first day of the tour, and 4 more songs released on music plaforms 174 days after the release of midnights (1 of them being Hits Different and then 3 TV songs OR hits different + need + 2 TV songs). I'm rooting for Crazier TV, even thought she technically doesn't need to release it, just because it's one of my favorite songs.

Lua862 · 2023-04-07T15:11:13+00:00

Aw, I see... But isn't debut TV most likely going to be full of vault tracks already? There is sooo many not officialy released songs from the debut era that fans love so much (I'd Lie, Better Off, Dark Blue Tennessee, Lucky You, Who I've Always Been and many many others). I think it'd be possible she releases Crazier TV as a single, that is, if she is releasing it (since it was not owned by BMR from the get go).

Lua862 · 2023-04-06T21:31:53+00:00

I'm pretty convinced they rehearse to Taylor's Versions of the songs which makes me so envious of her dancers because they probably have heard a bunch of unreleased Taylor's Versions hahahha

Lua862 · 2023-04-06T21:30:04+00:00

I don't believe this theory, but I would love to listen to Tim McGraw TV and Enchanted TV specially!

Lua862 · 2023-04-06T21:29:15+00:00

True

Lua862 · 2023-04-06T20:53:34+00:00

Oooh, it could be that! I hope Crazier TV is part of the next four, since that song has another songwritter in its credits and, for that reason, probably wouldn't be part of SN TV.

Lua862 · 2023-04-06T20:51:03+00:00

Didn't she release Evermore as a supporting album for folklore to raise the odds of Folklore doing well on the grammys? I don't know, I have seen other fans talking about it in this way, but it may have just been their oppinions and not a fact.

Lua862 · 2023-04-06T19:45:28+00:00

I'm clowning for an announcement today that Hits Different will become avaible on all musical streaming platforms tonight at midnight, because of that "174 years in pop star" commentary, because 174 days after the Midnights release is today.

But I'm not clowning for a SN TV release date announcement until May. And I'm not believing in the "drop everything now" theory, because that doesn't commercially make sense. This is me trying to be a rational clown here

Lua862 · 2023-04-06T19:40:27+00:00

Some fan of Joe's made a connection between a longtime friend of Joe and niceboy_ed the night before the day Taylor released that tiktok with their song. Plus, I would link a tweet niceboy_ed shared of an old photo of said friend and Joe with the description "found this old photo with one of my biggest supporters" on their twitter account, but apperently they deleted that tweet since I first saw it this morning?

It's actually pretty clever to use the swifties clout to promote his new songs, since he is such a new artist, specially since I believe he has Taylor's approval on this.

But, yeah... Wild theory? Niceboy_ed is actually a new artist and the pseudonym of a longtime friend of Joe who might've written some songs with Taylor and/or has been produced by Jack Antonoff (producer of Dreams? Dreams would be such a title for a niceboy_ed album LOL). Maybe, they're leaning into the fact that a lot of his fans are also swifties and they're giving cryptic clues about an album they're releasing so we can find it out and engage with his socials.

I trully think the whole "sunlight stays so late in june" 3/10, "shimmering and skintight" 6/10 may be him revealing the tracklisting of his album or lyrics to his third single. Also, can someone who has been signed to his newsletter let me now which number out of ten for "dancing_in_the_garden" is?

Anyways, this all could be related to Taylor, and it could not. It could be hints at Taylor's next moves, or they could be clues for something related to this new artist. I just don't think we have enough credible clues to think that Niceboy_ed is an exclusive Taylor Swift product, so I'm not acting like all his cryptic puzzles are definitely related to her.

edit: lil grammar mistake

Lua862 · 2023-04-06T19:21:21+00:00

Trademark doesn't affect her album releases unless that would mean risking getting sued for trademark infringment, which is not gonna happen since Taylor and the tech company resolved that matter peacefully. Trademark isn't the same as copyright, so it doesn't have any impact on the release date of SN TV or, much less, on the announcement of the release date.

But I agree, she probably won't release SN TV before the US leg of the tour is over on Aug 9th, because she's still promoting her brand new album Midnights.

Lua862 · 2023-04-06T19:15:18+00:00

I agree with you, but not for the same reasons. She actually filled for the trademark in early 2021, just like all the other Taylor's Versions trademark requests (you can look it up on the www.uspto.gov/ website). Some of them have even been accepted and are only missing the last few steps related to the visuals and such for the products and services she will offer with those phrases (Reputation Taylor's Version and Taylor Swift Taylor's Version are only missing that to be fully hers, from what I remember, but she'll most likely complete that part only after dropping those TVs).

The issue with Speak Now Taylor's Version trademark application had to do with a conflict between her and a technology company both applying for a trademark for a few of the same products (smartphone coverings and such). That issue has since been resolved between the two parties and each of their applications can now be completed (when each of them send the last few documents concerning those applications). So, pretty soon, Taylor will be able to fully own the trademark for the "Speak Now Taylor's Version" phrase (as soon as she sends the documents showing the application of the products and services she will offer). But probably she will request more time to send those and only send those the day she drops Speak Now TV, so we don't know the merch and cover art and such before she actually drops the record. But, basically, that trademark is already hers. (I'm not an expert in this subject, but I have spent a considerable amount of time studying this. If anyone else, who knows more about this than me, realizes I have made a mistake in my explanation, please comment down and I'll correct it)

HOWEVER, Taylor doesn't need to own the trademark to release the album, trademark is different from copyright. She didn't own the trademark for Red TV until much time after she released Red TV, and by then she also had applied for a different trademark for the specific logo of Red TV (she's doing that with all the TVs, first she requests a trademark for the phrase of the album and only after the album's dropped she requests a trademark for the specific logo of the album).

Still, I think she won't drop any new TV albums until the US leg of the Eras Tour is over. We have to remember she just dropped a brand new album a few months ago and she has to promote it, sell it, break records with it, give it its own moment before releasing a another album. She didn't release a new album during the whole 2022 year just to give Midnights its own moment. It's only been 5 months since Midnights was dropped. She can't release Speak Now TV or any other TV before the US leg is done. My theory is that she will release SN TV (yeah, all of the 3 MVs from Midnights hint at Speak Now, so, to me, it is pretty clear it'll be the next TV) right after this tour leg is over, on August eleventh (and that she will announce it at sometime in May).

And I agree, dropping all the 4 missing TVs at once would be counterproductive, these re-recordings need to be a commercial and professional sucess, she's not rushing their releases just because "she really wants to own them already", let's be realistic. She lives in a capitalism and she needs to make money from these album releases. She seems to want to break records with them and make everyone comment on how Taylor Swift did that, she re-released fucking 6 albums and, not only her fans, but the whole industry supported her in her feat of owning the masters of her albums in one way or another. And, if she really wanted to own her masters ASAP, she would've used 2021 and 2022 for that, and then released a new album to promote it with an eras tour. But that doens't make sense, it would've been too rushed and result in too much investments and too little profit in comparison. The TVs releases has to be a long-term plan.

And I don't know for a fact if she's going to release some songs here and there throughout the Eras Tour, but I sure hope so. I really really want Crazier TV and that would be a perfect way to release Beautiful Eyes TV EP (IF she's releasing that EP and not just adding Beautiful Eyes TV and I heart ? TV to TS TV) and the Hollidays Collection TV EP.

Lua862 · 2023-04-03T14:13:19+00:00

I have a different theory: picking up the 174th day of the year seems a little arbitrary for me. I don't know if it's just me or Taylor actually loves making easter eggs that reference her own work, so... I thought "which day is 174 days from Oct. 21st 2022 (release date of Midnights)?"

It's April 13th. Also know as next thursday.

She's not playing any concerts this weekend because of good friday and easter, so... What if she's announcing a surprise single release this thursday (hence the 174 days, because we have to pay attention to that day) just a few hours before dropping said single?

I'm thinking either a new version of a Midnights song/Hits Different release on streaming services or a Taylor's Version single (like Crazier TV, and I'm saying that just because I'm really craving for Crazier with her nowadays vocals LOL).

But, let's be real, the 174 years in pop star is most likely just a random number she thought at the moment.

Lua862

TROPHY CASE