Ever since Folklore came out surprisingly during the hottest months in the worst of the pandemic, one song has haunted me in the best way: “Invisible String.” This song means so much to me in a way I have never known or been able to understand. This song covers such a niche feeling that doesn’t seem like it would apply to anyone else other than Swift. However, I think it does. I think it encapsulates not the feeling of falling like the work she shared when she was younger: it’s being content in love, not madly.
Invisible String by Taylor Swift seemingly follows Swift throughout her love affair with current boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. It explains that even before they met, there were signs that they were meant to. There were paths leading to each other such as him hearing her song on the radio the first time they lived in the same place. She walks us through what she thought love was supposed to be until she meets him: the one. She explains that wherever they were in life, there was always something that connected them together such as an invisible string, tying them to each other through their eternal love.
It’s mesmerizing. It completely explains the concept of soulmates. They weren’t apart even when they were apart. When they were together, they knew it was the only place they were meant to end up. It extends the idea that love is not something we choose, but something that happens to us. It’s something that we can continue to grow and follow the path of, but knowing that even when it’s the wrong time, the right person will always be there waiting.
I think it speaks to the fact that Taylor has had some very unsuccessful and very public relationships that people seemed to romanticize due to her songwriting abilities. I think some people forget that her search for love wasn’t for content, but for genuine connection. Just like all of us, she has turned down the road of thinking none of this love chasing, romantic anything for her. Even worse, she got caught up dreaming of something that would never be like meeting her soulmate in her favorite park or spending her time holding grudges on people in her past life. This is her redemption arc from having to deal with all of the heartbreaks and the way she finds purpose in what used to hold her back: seeing it as a path to the person she is supposed to be with.
I also see this in her song ”Daylight,” which explains that she thought that love was supposed to be this passionate, all-encompassing red that yearns and bleeds and all that dramatic stuff. However, she finds that now with Alwyn, it’s warm and content. It’s ever present, but not overbearing. These two songs project that love is not supposed to feel anyway and that it’s completely personal. “Invisible String” shows that love is not a one size fits all; it comes in many forms.
I have never unfortunately found this type of always around the corner, never looking back. However, it doesn’t depress me because that’s the message of the song. You will get there and when you do, it will feel natural like a string tied you to this moment. Of course, I felt like I felt this way in love before because when you love someone you do it fully.
However, my understanding now is that the invisible string will never need to be pulled or forced. It would be a simple tug in the right direction. Begging for a string defeats the purpose. Pull too hard and you’ll cut the line right off, not giving you the facilities to let it guide you somewhere else. This song tells us to hold on to what’s right, but let go of what’s not working for you in the moment because the right person will always work to find you first in a crowd of many, even if it takes a minute to decipher which is the perfect path.
The concept of the invisible string, not to be punny, pulls on my heart strings. I may sound like a hopeless romantic, or someone that listens to songs for guidance which could be potentially worse, but this song is not a rose-colored glass depiction deceiving us. Swift shows us the reality of waiting your turn and creating your own space first to learn in love, not fall so quickly you forget who you are. I know I wrote this on Valentine’s Day Eve because I’m thinking about all the couples in the thralls of cuffing season, walking around with heart eyes, only making me more jealous that I haven’t found that yet, but instead I decide to take hope from that. If they can, I can. Who knows? The string could be right around the corner. I’m not planning in a meet cute fashion with the expectations Swift puts in front of us, but I am not ashamed to say I’m imagining it. Follow your line with ease, and if you feel lost along the way, it’s just a knot ready to untangle.