I will never stop making connections between the books I read and Taylor Swift songs. In the words of Bella Swan, it is “absolutely irrevocably inevitable.” It may be because I am indeed a certified Swifte, but for the most part, I credit this to Taylor’s ability to storytelling through music, which sets her apart so drastically from other artists. Every single song is compacted so beautifully with metaphors, similes, and imagery that paint a picture in your mind, similar to how a book would. I find them incredibly authentic and beautiful. I also find them a great comparison to the books I read. Because that is what most songs are- forms of literature.
Mad Woman (2020)
Part of her 8th studio album Folklore, Mad Woman was written in retribution to Taylor’s feud with Scooter Braun and her experience with being bullied by him. The song hits base with the struggles women go through while constantly being ridiculed by men and society. When women express assertiveness and stand up for themselves they are labeled as “crazy”, “irrational”, or in other words, they are treated like mad women. The chorus of the song highlights how women are expected to smile and brush off the insults rather than fight back. Swift challenges this presumption when the character of her song chooses to capitalize off the stereotype that women are emotional and become a “mad woman”.
“And there’s nothing like a madwoman. What a shame she went mad. No one likes a mad woman. You made her like that. And you’ll poke that bear ’til her claws come out. And you find something to wrap your noose around. And there’s nothing like a mad woman”
It’s a common occurrence for Taylor to use songs to shed light on the injustices women face at the hands of men. But something about this song is coordinated so well with an extraordinary book that I believe is criminally underrated, and has future classic potential.
The Lady Brewer of London by Karen Brooks (2014)
The Lady Brewer of London is a historical fiction and an absolute odyssey of a book. The 800-page story follows the character Anneka Sheldrake between the years 1405 to 1408. Anneke is the eldest daughter of a wealthy merchant, who finds her family bankrupt after the death of her father. Being the eldest, Anneka must find a way to provide for her younger siblings. She decides to turn to her late mother’s family business: brewing ale. Anneka is confronted with many hardships in her occupation. For one, she is a 19-year-old woman in medieval Europe, trying to provide for her family in a male-dominated field. She and her family are ridiculed and harassed. But she refuses to allow herself to end up destitute. Throughout the next three years, Anneka is put through trial after trial. She experiences persecution, discrimination, violence, and sexual assault for simply being an independent woman. But every time she is knocked down only motivates her to get up faster, unwilling to let anyone stand in her way of fulfilling her destiny. This was not an easy read, because the story takes place 600 years in the past. A time when women were disregarded as humans and treated with such cruelty. However, Anneke does not let the social norms of her time deter her from her goal. She is an absolute warrior and an inspiration to women everywhere. Her courage and determination to stand up for herself against the men who attempted to derail her, perfectly aligns her story with Mad Woman.
No Body No Crime (2020)
No Body No Crime is a standout track from Taylor’s 9th album, Evermore. Unlike her usual music, this song tells the chilling story of a woman who perfectly calculates a murder. The song is executed in such a poetic way that the crime almost seems ethical. The song follows the character Este who suspects her husband of infidelity and possibly worse. As the song unravels, more unsettling details are revealed about Este’s husband, driving the narrator to take matters into her own hands. The song progresses into the narrator perfectly premeditating, crafting, and flawlessly executing a murder, showing how Swift can cross the traditional boundaries of storytelling and music genres.
“Good thing my daddy made me get a boating license when I was fifteen,’ and ‘I’ve cleaned enough houses to know how to cover up a scene. Good thing Este’s sister’s gonna swear she was with me.”
With verses like this, Swift shifts the focus from Este’s victimhood to an active reclamation of agency.
“No, no body, no crime. I wasn’t lettin’ up until the day he died.”
How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katy Brent (2023)
First, I’d like to address that this is purely a work of fiction and not a guide on how to kill men, despite what the title may imply. Anyway, How to Kill Men and Get Away With It is a hilariously twisted story about a woman who believes that some men are simply better off gone. We follow 29-year-old Kitty Collins, a British social media influencer who displays her life online as faultlessly and aesthetically pleasing as she can. Having such a large platform, Kitty is no stranger to hate comments online. However, a recurring comment on a private account has been disturbing her for months. The user sends Kitty unsettling messages on Instagram along with candid photos of her leaving her London penthouse, signifying that she has a stalker on her hands. Having to deal with incredibly invasive messages and photos, Kitty finds herself constantly looking over her shoulder when outside, and always sporting pepper spray in her bag.
One night Kitty notices she is being followed home. Opting to be valiant, Kitty confronts the man head-on and orders him to leave her alone. The story escalates into harassment when the man overpowers Kitty and pushes her against a wall. Right when the situation is about to get disturbing, Kitty accidentally kills the man by a stroke of luck. The gods must have been by her side because the chances of her defeating someone twice her size were minuscule.
After a mini panic attack, Kitty composes herself and decides the first course of action she must take is to dispose of the body. Oh, and her family owning a meat industry gives her perfect access to a meat grinder… How pleasantly convenient.
What starts as an honest accident evolves into a literal hobby once Kitty discovers that her best friend’s boyfriend cheated on her. From then on, Kitty concludes that some men pose a danger to society and must be removed. I’ve always been drawn to anti-heroes with questionable morals and Kitty might just be the epitome of that.
Is she a psychopath? Yes.
Does she deserve to be locked up for life? Absolutely
Was I rooting for her the whole time? Without a doubt.
Her methods may have been gruesome but she had ethical motives. Being inside her mind made me see the story through the villain’s perspective, which is not often a side that is displayed. I got to venture through the dark twisted brain of a serial killer and It was an experience I would recommend, as crazy as it sounds.
The Archer (2019)
The Archer is probably one of the most vulnerable songs on Swift’s Lover album where the singer wears emotional armor while expressing her insecurities in relationships. The song masterfully explores topics of abandonment and the complexities of love. It portrays Swift as the hunter and the hunted in a relationship.
“I’ve been the archer. I’ve been the prey. Who could ever leave me daring? But who could stay?’
This line in particular encapsulates how one may feel both empowered and vulnerable in love. The archer is a symbol of control and persuasion while the prey symbolizes fear of being injured. Swift questions who in her life could stay during her emotional turmoil.
“They see right through me. Can you see right through me? They see right through me. They see right through me. I see right through me. I see right through me.”
Once again themes of self-doubt, and feeling unworthy resurface with this hauntingly beautiful bridge where Swift questions if other people can see right through her, making her wonder if her significant other can also see through her.
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber (2021)
If you loved fairy tales as a kid and want to relive those glory days with something a bit more mature, you need to stop what you’re doing and hustle to B&N because Once Upon a Broken Heart is the most whimsical, romantic, eccentric, exquisite, beautifully dense and engrossing saga that follows Evangeline Fox and her star crossed lover Jacks of the Hollow. Otherwise known as The Archer and the Fox.
Set in the fictional world of The Magnificent North, Evangeline Fox is a seventeen-year-old girl who dreams of marrying the love of her life Luc. Imagine her devastation when she learns that Luc has been betrothed to her sister. Desperate and heartbroken, Evangeline visits the cathedral of The Prince of Hearts, otherwise known as Jacks of the Hollow. Jacks is a god known for being eternally doomed with the curse of killing anyone he kisses. In a perpetual state of heartbreak, Jacks resides in his church listening to the prayers of the humans who beg him to mend their broken relationships and unrequited love.
Evangelien summons Jacks with a sacrifice and implores that he stop the wedding between Luc and her sister. Jack agrees to do so, but like all wishes, it’s going to cost her.
Having sealed a blood oath, it is too late for Evangeline to turn back once she realizes that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game- and the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than what was initially agreed upon. Throughout the three books, the dynamics between Evangelien and Jacks develop from animosity to allyship to friendship, to something even stronger. Evangeline refrains from entertaining her feelings for Jacks, knowing that one kiss from him will have her dead in moments. Especially when she learns what fate has in stock for her. As the two are thrown into a world of magic and wonder they discover that Evangeline is meant to fulfill a prophecy that was written centuries before her birth. That prophecy is none other than the prophecy of The Archer and The Fox. Evangeline comes to the dreadful realization that her greatest love may be her greatest enemy. Pinned against each other by destiny, can Evangeline manage to break the curse and the prophecy?
Once Upon a Broken Heart is a flawless parallel to The Archer because of the insecurities and abandonment issues reflected in both characters. Evangeline believes she is unlovable after her first love marries her sister, and Jacks believes he is destined to live a life of solitude due to the fatal curse of killing anyone he kisses. None of them had hope for a happy ending yet they still prevailed and beat the odds. Showing how true love always wins in the end.
Bigger Than The Whole Sky (2022)
Since its release as part of Swift’s Midnight album, Bigger Than The Whole Sky has resonated with many fans due to its comfort amid grief. Although there has been no confirmation on Swift’s part about who inspired the song, fans can conclude it was written with a heavy heart, which causes many people to draw their conclusions when analyzing the song. Right off the bat, the song portrays Swift with a tear-streaked face while trying to recover from a loss.
“No words appear before me in the aftermath. Salt streams out my eyes and into my ears. Every single thing I touch becomes sick with sadness. ‘Cause it’s all over now, all out to sea”
In the second verse swift moves on toward the bargaining stage of grief with lines like:
“Did some force take you because I didn’t pray?”
As the song progresses, Swift delivers a stunning and painful chorus where she says one final goodbye.
“Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye. You were bigger than the whole sky. You were more than just a short time. And I’ve got a lot to pine about. I’ve got a lot to live without.
I’m never gonna meet what could’ve been, would’ve been. What should’ve been you”
Despite Swift not venturing into the private details of her life and the true origins of the song, it becomes clear by the lyrics it is rooted in a loss- most likely an untimed one. The emotion is so raw and palpable, that I automatically associate it with Everlong.
Everlong by R. Raeta (2021)
A heartbreakingly beautiful story that explores topics of love, loss, and immortality. Everlong truly challenges the question of: Can love conquer all? Quite a contrast to the last book I discussed, Everlong does not feed into the notion that every love has a happy ending.
“She is the pin holding the hands of the clock, fixed and entirely alone as the world moves around her.”
Lily does not remember how she died. All she knows is that she has spent the last four decades alone, with the stars in the night sky for comfort and companionship. Until she meets Samson de la Cruz, a young man who offers her friendship. Finally experiencing human connection after forty years of isolation, Lily fervently craves every second he is willing to give. But once Lily reveals her true self and the reason why she hasn’t aged in forty years, forever stuck in the body of a young lady, the constraints of their friendship are tested. In the end, Samson and Lily’s friendship prevails and eventually evolves into stronger feelings.
But as the days bled into years, Samson’s body began to age and debilitate. Meanwhile, Lily is stuck in time. Permanently frozen as the world moves on around her. Time continues to pass and all she’s ever loved withers and decomposes, Lily returns to her old pastime. She spends her nights gazing up at the sky. Except this time, it isn’t the stars she’s looking for.
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? (2024)
The Tortured Poets Departement is by far my favorite Taylor Swift album to date. It beautifully conveys the tortured artist stereotype in such a poetic and graceful manner. In my opinion, Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me is Swift’s most vengeful song, while still being a lyrical masterpiece. The singer uses metaphors and symbolization to portray her reputation while describing herself as a caged animal, a haunted witch, and a manufactured monster to depict how the media has antagonized her since the beginning of her career. Swift later confronts her critics with verses that expose them for creating the “monster” she has become.
“I was tame, I was gentle ’til the circus life made me mean. Don’t you worry, folks, we took out all her teeth. Who’s afraid of little old me?”
Swift poured every insult, ridicule, and criticism she ever received into this song, meant to address her attackers and prove that they did not break her. Every sentence was incredibly heartfelt and empowering to hear. Her song serves as a rebuke towards everyone who has tried to diminish her.
“You caged me and then you called me crazy. I am what I am ’cause you trained me. So who’s afraid of me?”
Taylor Swift has truly been put through the wringer from such a young age. Her experiences with her attackers parallel so well with another relentless heroine who shares many of the same values and qualities as Swift.
The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen (2019)
The Bridge Kingdom is the first installment of a fantasy duology that follows the character Lara Vallacota. A princess from the Maridrinian kingdom, Lara is underestimated and viewed as too feminine to be strong. This iconic heroine challenges the misconception that femininity and weakness are synonymous because she is an absolute powerhouse. Despite her royal title, Lara’s upbringing was the polar opposite of how you’d expect a princess to be raised. Trained since the tender age of 5 to become an assassin, she is finally sent to the Kingdom of Ithicana at the age of 20 under the disguise of a feeble princess. Her father gives her to the Ithicanan king as a bride in exchange for a treaty between the two kingdoms.
Little do the Ithicanans know that Lara is actually under the guise of a princess to hide the trained assassin that she is. Her mission is to spy on the Ithicanans and collect data to send back to her father, which in turn will be used to take down the kingdom. However, the more time Laura spends in Ithicana and among the people, she begins to realize who the true enemy is. The princess must work to deconstruct her defensive mindset and the monster she was disciplined to be. However, the feat is not easy. The people who Lara was brainwashed to believe are the enemy, might be her only hope for salvation.
“The strongest weapon a woman has at her disposal is that she is often underestimated.”
