Taylor Swift dropped her new track "Gorgeous" last night, and naturally, the internet has been abuzz. Twitter and Tumblr are full of opinions, theories, and corrections from the 300 chosen souls who attended the star's Secret Sessions and ~know things~. But what (or who) is the song about? Let's dive right in.
Who is "Gorgeous" about?
Let's not bury the lead here: It's about Taylor's boyfriend Joe Alwyn. She told fans as much at the Secret Sessions, and gave them explicit instructions to correct any internet trolls who suggested it was about anyone else.
This is significant because Taylor almost never explicitly confirms the subjects of her songs. Though, that said, she hasn't publicly confirmed it. By getting her Secret Sessions Superfans to do it for her, she maintains a little mystery, so there's that.
The lyrical evidence:
Taylor loves to slip in little clues about her songs' subjects, whether it's references to their zodiac signs, hair or, in this case, their hypnotizing blue eyes.
The lyric: "Ocean blue eyes looking in mine—I feel like I might sink and drown and die."
And the evidence:
Even the kind of insulting parts of the song point to Joe, like, "You should take it as a compliment that I got drunk and made fun of the way you talk."
Joe's British, so we can assume that a tipsy Taylor did a bad English accent early in their courtship.
The non-Joe references:
But "Gorgeous" isn't just a send up to a new love—it's also a song about coveting what you don't have while you have someone else.
"And I got a boyfriend, he's older than us," she sings. This could be a reference to either of the men Taylor was linked to pre-Joe (AKA Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston), both of whom are older than her.
But then there's this line: "He's in the club doing I don't know what." This seems to point directly at Harris, since he's is a world famous DJ and Hiddleston is not particularly known for his clubbing.
But that timeline. That timeline has fans stumped.
In case you need a reminder:
March 6, 2015 - June 1, 2016: Taylor and Calvin date.
June 15, 2016 - September 6, 2016: Taylor and Tom date.
At the Secret Sessions, Taylor referred to Joe as her boyfriend of a year, implying they have been together since October 2016.
So, was Taylor lusting over Joe when she was still with Calvin? Was the Hiddleswift relationship just to make Joe jealous? Does Tom Hiddleston frequent clubs, doing things Taylor Swift doesn't know about? There are so. Many. Questions.
The little kid voice:
One of the biggest mysteries of the song was also revealed at the Secret Sessions, but apparently this one was intended to stay a secret. In the age of the internet though, that was never going to happen. The little girl voice heard at the beginning of the song is none other than Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' daughter (the couple is good friends with Taylor).
That's at least one mystery solved.
