By now, you’ve probably heard that Taylor Swift’s big countdown led to the announcement and release of her debut single “ME!” off of her hotly anticipated seventh album. The awesoME, upbeat pop tune, featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco, reminds us to embrace our individuality and celebrate our uniqueness. The music video is a pastel dream, featuring Candy Land-esque scenes complete with rainbows, hearts, and unicorns—a big return to the Old Taylor, if you ask me.
More importantly, in classic Taylor Swift fashion, she admitted to leaving several clues about the following single and even the album in the video, sending Swifties sleuthing, yet again. After all, it would be boring if a video were just a video right? But baby, that’s the fun of T! Since not all of us have the same finely-tuned detective skills as Swift’s most dedicated fans, here is a definitive guide to the Easter eggs Taylor has hidden in her latest music video, and, yes, more album theories.
From Snakes to Butterflies:
Ok, can we talk about that snake?! The video opens to reveal a pastel pink snake slither into the frame, referencing the snake motif she employed throughout the reputation era.
But new album, new Tay! Right as the snake is about to strike, it bursts into a swarm of butterflies that flutter away. It’s no secret that Taylor has been hinting at butterfly imagery lately—she wore heels with butterflies on them to the iHeart Awards and has used the butterfly emoji on several of her recent Instagram posts.
Plus, some fans think that the interesting rainbow pattern on the sky could actually symbolize that the video takes place inside of a chrysalis. Could the butterfly be the new snake? Could it symbolize her metamorphosis from the reputation-conscious to the doing-better-than-I-ever-was Taylor? We sure hope so.
There’s No Place Like Home:
The opening scene also highlights pastel pavement that looks like it could be decorated by sidewalk chalk. This is perhaps a reference to her poem “Why She Disappeared” that she released in one of her reputation magazines that complemented the album. She writes, “When she fell, she fell apart/ Cracked her bones on the pavement/ she once decorated/ as a child with sidewalk chalk.” Possibly related, on July 13 of last year, she visited her childhood home, posting a photo of herself holding a picture of a young Taylor surrounded by sidewalk chalk drawings with a caption “Take me home,” which also also happens to be a lyric from her single “Style.” There seem to be a lot of references to her past—could a major theme for TS7 be nostalgia or a sense of home?
Continuing with themes of nostalgia, there is a Christmas tree standing in the corner of Swift and Urie’s apartment in the video. It seems a little out of place as there is no indication of winter in the rest of the video. In fact, you can even see palm trees right out the window, probably a reference to the palm tree photo she posted to her Instagram, generating the buzz of the fake countdown (too soon). What we do know is that Swift grew up on a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania. Plus, there’s no place like home for the holidays. Could this be another reference to her past? Or is this an indication that we could be getting the ultimate gift (her album) this summer?
There’s a lot of cool chicks out there… especially the Dixie Chicks! The wall of chicks in the music video features the country trio in the center, sparking rumors of a possible collaboration on the album. She also mentioned them in her essay forEllemagazine, saying “To this day, when I hear ‘Cowboy Take Me Away’ by the Dixie Chicks, I instantly recall the feeling of being twelve years old, sitting in a little wood paneled room in my family home in Pennsylvania.” This again references a sense of nostalgia and growing up. Oh, and she also mentioned Panic! At The Disco in the same essay, and that turned out to be a clue, so… just saying. She’s also seen wearing cowboy boots at a later scene in the music video. All of this evidence definitely seems to hint at a return to Taylor’s country roots.
The city scenes seem to feature a town reminiscent of the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz. Well, a rainbow version, that is. With all the singing, dancing, and a sort of Pastel Brick Road, if you will, these scenes have got us thinking, “There’s no place like home.” Another hint toward a nostalgia theme?
Numerology:
After the release of the single and video, Swift did an Instagram live video to answer some fan questions. When discussing hints and Easter eggs, she made it a point to mention the numerology in the video. She said, “Maybe make a point to count the briefcases circling around my head in the briefcase scene. Maybe make a point to count the clouds in the lobby/thunderstorm scene.” Counting these elements reveals seven briefcases and thirteen clouds, leading fans to believe the album could be released on July 13, which seems to be a convincing theory. Swift usually releases new music on Fridays, and July 13 happens to fall on a Friday this year. Plus, a stamp appears on that date in the reputation calendar that has been marking important dates thus far.
Another potential release date or important number is shown on a desk clock within Swift and Urie’s apartment. Since everything seems to be intentional with the songstress, the clock set to 8:30 has caused speculation among Swifties. Could August 30, another Friday, be the release of the album instead of July? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Cupids:
Ok, this one might seem kind of obvious, but it might actually have a deeper meaning. Taylor is known for placing song titles or hints on signs in her music videos (ex. Joe’s Deli inthe “Delicate” video). In the scene featuring Taylor sitting on a giant unicorn statue, a neon “Lover” sign sits off to the right. While this could be a potential song or album title, Swift tends to be a little sneakier. The sign includes a heart with an arrow through it in place of the “o” in the word. In the next scene, the band all has angel wings, and Swift wears a dress with a big heart on it. This could mean a motif of cupids or angels, as she has been using hearts a lot in her Instagram posts as well. Plus, we get to that scene through a heart patch under Brendon Urie’s suit jacket—or a “kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats” (a lyric from “Welcome to New York”), if you will.
MEow:
In the scene atop the unicorn statue, Urie tries to make up to Swift by giving her flowers, which she rejects. He then proposes to her, which she, yet again, rejects. This could be in response to recent rumors that she has gotten engaged to long-term boyfriend Joe Alwyn. But it’s still a little unclear: is she turning down the proposal in the video to tell us that she’s not engaged? Or is she turning down Urie’s proposal because she is, in fact, engaged to Alwyn? Either way, he finally pleases her by offering her a kitten, which turns out to be the newest addition to her cat family. Apparently this was Swift’s first time meeting the kitten, too! After holding the kitten, she felt such a special connection to him that she asked if she could have him. And sure enough, Benjamin Button is now the third member of Swift’s feline family.
Predictions:
So…what does it all mean? Well, Swift said in her Instagram live stream that the music video contains the name of the next single as well as the actual album title. Based on the recurring motifs, my best guess would be that the single has something to do with cupids, lovers, or angels because of the prevalence of hearts and angel wings in the video.
As for the album title, I think it definitely has something to do with the nostalgia theme. Between the cowboy boots, the Christmas tree, and the Dixie Chicks, it definitely seems like Swift is trying to get in touch with her past self. Also, I don’t mean to be loud, but you can’t spell “home” without “me.” Coincidence? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
(taken from @taylornation on Instagram)