The chorus is about how whoever this song is about basically devotes all of her time and energy to wishing for Swift’s downfall: “It’s honestly wild / All the effort you’ve put in / It’s actually romantic / I really gotta hand it to you / No man has ever loved me like you do.”
In her own words, Swift recently said the song is about a “one-sided, adversarial relationship” with someone. “There can be this moment where it’s unveiled to you, through things that they do that are very overt,” Swift explained in the Amazon Music introduction of the song. “That is, wow, that is very, very sweet of you to think about me this much, even if it’s negative. In my industry, attention is affection, and you’ve given me a whole lot of it.”
The song comes over a year after the release of BRAT, which includes the songs “Everything is romantic” and “Sympathy is a knife,” the latter of which is an ode to her own insecurities about her stance in the industry when compared to her peers. Because of some choice lyrics, speculation that she was singing about Swift was immediate. Charli herself, however, said that there are no hard-and-fast diss tracks on BRAT. In an interview with New York, she addressed the fan theories: “People are going to think what they want to think. That song is about me and my feelings and my anxiety and the way my brain creates narratives and stories in my head when I feel insecure and how I don’t want to be in those situations physically when I feel self-doubt.” Since then, there’s been little chatter about the matter… until Swift’s (presumed) response.
And it appears that was more than enough to prompt Charli to get back in the studio. On Sunday, Charli tweeted a five-second video inside a recording studio; several string instruments can be heard. Is she simply putting on finishing touches on that Wuthering Heights score? Maybe! But the terminally online are rooting for a “Girl, so confusing”-esque retort that culminates in a peace proclamation. Hey, it worked for Lorde!
Now, I’m not a Swiftie. Nor am I a Brat (or whatever Charli’s fans are called). But I am an absolute maniac for low-stakes mess. Sure, I would probably giggle if Charli just refused to acknowledge the song at all. But let’s face it: We’re all secretly hoping the high road goes untraveled here.
- This video of Charlize Theron ignoring Johnny Depp at Paris Fashion Week…put it in the Louvre. [Daily Mail]
- And while we’re there, throw these photos of Lana Del Rey and her Oakley gascan-wearing, swamp tour-giving husband in there too. [Just Jared]
- Bad Bunny after speaking Spanish in his Saturday Night Live monologue about performing at the Super Bowl: “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.” [Variety]
- Sydney Sweeney and Scooter Braun are in the holding-hands-around-New-York-City phase of their relationship. [TMZ]
- A seemingly happy and healthy Celine Dion attended Paul McCartney‘s show in Las Vegas. [People]
- Jojo Siwa was triggered by a fan’s hoodie and had her removed from a show. [Us Weekly]
- Really a bummer that Bill Burr is doubling down on performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival. [The Hollywood Reporter]
- After three divorces from men, Real Housewife of Atlanta Porsha Williams is now dating women. Can’t hurt to try, right?? [Page Six]
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