Entertainment
Secret Messages In The "Ready For It" Video Will Have You Analyzing Every Last Detail
Early Friday, the pop star with a vendetta and a comeback, Taylor Swift, released her "...Ready For It" music video, the second single from her upcoming album Reputation. So far, the singles from her sixth studio album, which is scheduled for a Nov. 10 release, have been full of the kind of not-so-subtle symbolism, Easter eggs, and passive aggressive messages that music detectives and Swifties love to uncover.
Her latest video takes viewers to a cyberpunk world reminiscent of the movie Blade Runner. Throughout the song, Swift rap-sings about a mysterious "killer," her fantasies with said killer, and — perhaps unsurprisingly — people's attention to her relationships. As a hooded Swift stalks her way through gritty, graffitied halls, she ends up battling a naked cyborg version of herself. Lots of electric bolts ensue. The video’s director, Joseph Kahn, who has teamed up with Swift many times, said on Twitter that he was paying homage to anime and science fiction.
Unlike "Look What You Made Me Do," where Swift shot back at the enemies she's made over the years (Kanye West, Katy Perry, to name a couple), in "...Ready For It?," she returns to familiar territory: waxing poetic about a lover. Sample lyric: "Some boys are tryin' too hard, he don't try at all though / Younger than my exes, but he act like such a man." Her current boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, is 26 and younger than Swift's most recent exes, 36-year-old Tom Hiddleston and 33-year-old Calvin Harris.
But the lyrics aren't the only messages she's sending. Here are some of the possible hidden messages the singer has sneaked into her music video.
1989
Swift alludes to both her birth year and possibly boyfriend Joe Alwyn's birth year.
Lucky 13
That's Swift's lucky number graffitied on the wall.
The Reputation Tracklist
Swift passes by words scribbled on the walls — possible song titles from Reputation?
Hi, Joe
Joseph in Chinese could be a nod to either her boyfriend or the music video director.
Year Of The Snake
Swift has embraced the snake label that originally sent her into year-long hiding. Her birth year, 1989, is also Year of the Snake in Chinese zodiac.
Even More Snakes
In case you can't read Chinese, she also has snakes crawling around so you won't miss the reference.
Old Taylor Vs. New Taylor
Many Swifties theorize the battle between Swift and her cyborg represent the battle between her real self and the expected version of herself, or between her new self and her old self. Either way, she comes out victorious.
Shoutouts To Her Old Music
Fans have also pointed out the similarities in "...Ready For It?" to old music videos, such as the white horse in "Blank Space."
A Reference To Her First Single
Swift standing strong on the airplane hangar calls back to the airplane hangar in "Look What You Made Me Do," the first single off Reputation. In that music video, she battles an army of different Taylor Swifts.
If fans are supposed to take that as a hint, maybe her following music videos will be puzzle pieces to the bigger story.
