10 Concrete Examples Of Taylor Swift's 'Brilliance' That People Who Hate Her Can't Debate
Swift may not be universally liked, but you can't deny her genius.
Everett Collection / Shutterstock Taylor Swift is one of the most polarizing figures in the music industry. You either love her, or you hate her, and there isn’t much in between. However, one Swiftie argued that even if you don’t like her music, you can’t deny her genius.
Emily May, a Swiftie on X, defended Swift against a hater who argued that the pop star is suffering from a lack of vision and “originality.” In response, May created a list of real reasons that Swift is in fact brilliant and “not generic.”
The list, which includes points from Swift’s songwriting as well as her uncanny ability to make numbers line up perfectly, is irrefutable proof that even haters can’t attack — or, at least, probably shouldn’t.
Here are 10 examples of Taylor Swift’s undeniable 'brilliance'
1. 'The Archer'
“The Archer” is the fifth track on Swift’s seventh album, "Lover." Elle described it as a song “that really explores… her own vulnerability and difficulty trusting people.” May stated this more simply, saying that the song is “about anxiety,” an explanation many fans have come to accept.
According to May, “She makes the whole song sound like the beat is about to drop… but it never does. Because that’s what anxiety feels like.”
2. 'Maroon'
“Maroon,” one of the songs on Swift’s latest album, "Midnights," is presumed to be about her now ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn. It’s considered to be a follow-up to another Swift song, “Red.” The two are, after all, different shades of the same color.
“The color maroon is deeper and more nuanced than red, like the relationships in your 30s vs. your 20s,” May said. She also pointed out the other meaning of the word maroon: “To leave someone trapped and alone in an inaccessible place.”
3. 'Blank Space'
A fan favorite from "1989," “Blank Space” addresses how Swift is viewed in the media, particularly in regards to her many relationships. May called it a “parody” and said, “Instead of lashing out, she owned it, and made the ‘character’ even more extreme and showcased all of the contradictions that people were placing on her.”
4. 'You’re Losing Me'
“You’re Losing Me” is one of Swift’s most recent releases, included in a deluxe edition of "Midnights." The sad tune supposedly describes the end of her relationship with Joe Alwyn.
“Taylor has her own heartbeat as the backdrop of the song and it’s about the death of a relationship,” May stated, comparing it to “when someone is coding and they say, ‘We’re losing her!’”
5. 'Dear John'
One of the few examples of Swift naming the inspiration behind a song, “Dear John” is widely believed to be about her relationship with John Mayer. According to May, the song “begins… with… guitar riffs in the exact style of John Mayer, so there would be no doubt in who it was about.”
Mayer later spoke out to Rolling Stone, and said that the song “really humiliated” him, and he “didn’t deserve it.”
6. 'Mr. Perfectly Fine'
“Mr. Perfectly Fine” was one of the vault tracks released on "Fearless (Taylor’s Version)." It, like many other songs on the album, is rumored to be about Joe Jonas, one of Swift’s former boyfriends. Jonas infamously broke up with Swift in a very short phone call.
This connects directly to the song lyrics, according to May. “She says ‘Mr.’ in ‘Mr. Perfectly Fine’ 28 times because Joe Jonas broke up with her in a 27-second phone call. So she says it 28 times to one-up him,” she said.
7. Secret messages in lyrics
When Swift first came on to the scene with her debut album, fans noticed something strange in the lyric booklet that came with the CD — randomly capitalized letters among the lyrics. According to Today, this is “where it all started” for Swift’s famous Easter eggs and clues for fans.
May pointed out that this was part of “her first five albums” and done “because she wanted people to really read her lyrics.”
8. 'There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation'
Swift stopped her tradition of including hidden messages in lyrics with the release of her sixth album, "reputation," which was released when “she was in the thick of her infamous feud with Kanye West and his then-wife Kim Kardashian,” according to PopSugar.
This was a dark and dramatic time for Swift when many were turning on her. So, as May said, she stated that “there will be no explanation, there will only be reputation.”
9. 'my tears ricochet'
The song “my tears ricochet” is from "folklore," the first album Swift surprise-dropped during the 2020 COVID pandemic. It is also the first of her albums to deal with the loss of ownership of her music at the hands of Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta.
May argued that “my tears ricochet” directly “[lamented] her six stolen albums.” “The pre-chorus has six lines that align with each album,” she said, using “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace,” as an example for “State of Grace” from the album "Red."
10. Swiftie math
Perhaps Swift’s most impressive clue-dropping feat is her use of what has been dubbed “Swiftie math.” This occurs when numbers line up perfectly to support a new release or announcement from Swift.
May provided an example. “When she released '1989 (Taylor’s Version),' she released it on 8/9… but the original 1989 was released on 10/17/24. She re-released it 8 years, 9 months and 13 days later.” Swift’s favorite number is famously 13.
You don't have to be a fan to acknowledge that Swift is certainly clever when it comes to marketing and is an amazing businesswoman.
Although some may not like Swift’s music, or even be very fond of her as a person, these examples don’t lie.
They are proof of Swift’s marketing genius and unique ability to draw her fans into every move she makes. Even haters have to admit that she is, in her own words, a “Mastermind.”
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.