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Taylor Swift folklore
Taylor Swift folklore
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Culture > Entertainment

“Mr. Perfectly Fine”: Parallels that Scratch My Brain

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at TCNJ chapter.

As a Swiftie, I was emotionally preparing for Taylor’s version of Fearless. However, I was not ready for “Mr. Perfectly Fine.” The best way I can describe it is to say that it scratches an itch in my brain. And after I heard it for the first time, I started getting TikToks that talked about the lyrical parallels in the songs; Taylor Swift is indeed a lyrical genius. It blew my mind, so I compiled a list of the parallels and callbacks in “Mr. Perfectly Fine” that I found on TikTok and Reddit.

 

MPF: “Mr. Perfectly Fine”

King of My Heart: “I’m perfectly fine, I live on my own”

  • Starting from the title, the first thing I thought of was the opening lines in “King of My Heart.” It might be a coincidence, but it was that line that sparked the scratching of my brain.

 

MPF: “Mr. here to stay, Mr. looked me in the eyes and told me he would never go away”

Forever and Always: “You looked me in the eye and told me you loved me”

Last Kiss: “You told me you loved me so why did you go away?”

  • She’s too good. There two parallels within one line!

 

MPF: “It takes everything in me just to get up each day”

I Almost Do: “It takes everything in me not to call you”

 

MPF: “Hello, Mr. casually cruel”

All Too Well: “So casually cruel in the name of being honest”

  • When I first heard that line, my heart stopped. I recognized it right away and couldn’t stop thinking about it.

 

MPF: “Mr. everything revolves around you”

Dear John: “Long were the nights when my days once revolved around you”

  • She’s outing everyone. Joe Jonas and now John Mayer.

 

MPF: “Mr. never told me why”

Tell Me Why: the entire song

  • I feel like this is pretty self-explanatory.

 

MPF: Mr. never had to see me cry”

I Knew You Were Trouble: “He’ll never see you cry, pretends he doesn’t know that he’s the reason why”

 

MPF: “Mr. insincere apology so he doesn’t look like the bad guy”

Dear John: “You’re an expert at sorry, and keeping lines blurry”

 

MPF: “You sashay away to your seat, it’s the best seat, in the best room”

The Story of Us: “I used to know my place was the spot next to you, now I’m searching the room for an empty seat”

  • “The Story of Us” is one of my favorite songs and this hit the “spot.” 
Minji Kim

TCNJ '22

Minji is a senior English and Elementary Education major who is passionate about skincare, turtlenecks, and accurate book-to-movie adaptations.