Taylor Swift Appears To Revisit Her Chaotic First Meet With Joe Alwyn In “Mastermind”

There are some albums that release with a gentle pop and then there are those that are sprayed all over, bathing you in their glory whether you like it or not. Taylor Swift’s Midnights record, which dropped on midnight Oct. 21, is definitely the latter. In keeping with tradition, fans have been studying Swift’s new lyrics for any notable mentions, paying close attention to see if her long-term boyfriend Joe Alwyn is referenced.

“Snow On The Beach,” which features Lana Del Rey, dwells on the blissful mood of requited love. The synths aptly capture the dreamy and magical feeling that colours the start of a relationship. But it is “Mastermind,” the last track on Midnights, that leans into that further. The singer appears to recall her first encounter with Alwyn at the Met Gala in 2016. Although Swift dated actor Tom Hiddleston after the event, in previous songs like “Dress” from her Reputation era, she hinted at falling for Alwyn at first sight. At the Met, Swift donned bleached hair while Alwyn had a buzz cut, and the singer references both details in her song.

The “Mastermind” lyrics reveal that the duo’s first meeting wasn’t accidental. In fact, the fate of their relationship was carefully orchestrated, with Swift instantly attracted to Alwyn. “What if I told you none of it was accidental. And the first night that you saw me, I knew I wanted your body?” Swift sings, making their first meeting seem rather more chaotic than you might have imagined. “I laid the groundwork and then, just like clockwork, the dominoes cascading in the line.”

Towards the end of the song, we also hear her lover’s response to this confession, and it’s revealed he knew of Swift’s intentions all along. “I laid the groundwork and then, saw a wild smirk on your face, you knew the entire time. You knew that I'm a mastermind. And now you're mine,” she sings. “Mastermind” seems to carry another evocative layer to it, as Swift talks of being left out as a kid and “scheming like a criminal,” only to be loved in return.

Some listeners believe the title also refers to the star’s ingenuity in crafting an uber successful career for herself. While Swift is yet to confirm the theories, we’d like to believe a little bit of all of them.

Read the full lyrics for “Mastermind,” below:

Once upon a time, the planets and the fates

And all the stars aligned

You and I ended up in the same room

At the same time

And the touch of a hand lit the fuse

Of a chain reaction of countermoves

To assess the equation of you

Checkmate, I couldn't lose

What if I told you none of it was accidental?

And the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me

I laid the groundwork and then, just like clockwork

The dominoes cascading in the line

What if I told you I'm the mastermind?

And now you're mine

It was all by design

'Cause I'm a mastermind

You see, all the wisest women had to do it this way

'Cause we were born to be the pawn in every lover's game

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail

Strategy sets the scene for the tale

I'm the wind and I'm free, flowing sails

In the liquor of our cocktails

What if I told you none of it was accidental

And the first night that you saw me, I knew I wanted your body?

I laid the groundwork and then, just like clockwork

The dominoes cascading in the line

What if I told you I'm a mastermind?

And now you're mine

It was all my design

'Cause I'm a mastermind

No one wanted to play with me as a little kid

So I've been scheming like a criminal ever since

To make them love me and make it seem effortless

Is this the first time I feel the need to confess?

And I swear, I'm only cryptic and Machiavellian 'cause I care

So I told you none of it was accidental

And the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me

I laid the groundwork and then, saw a wild smirk

On your face, you knew the entire time

You knew that I'm a mastermind

And now you're mine

Yeah, all you did was smile

'Cause I'm a mastermind