With the release of Taylor Swift's newest collection of music, it only seems appropriate to discuss a few of the theories about Swift's Reputation that have now been proven untrue. Really, when it comes to anything the 27-year-old artist does, her followers can't help but try to analyze exactly what's happening. Seeing as Reputation is such a huge record already with a presumed big meaning before it even came out, of course Swifties had come up with some major theories.
Once you read through the following theories, you'll notice that not only do Swift's supporters have a lot of time on their hands, but they are and will probably forever be dedicated to her music.
When Swift released four tracks before the album came out — "Look What You Made Me Do", "...Ready For It?", "Gorgeous", and "Call It What You Want" — theories continued to accumulate. Then, Swift went ahead and released the entire track list for Reputation on Tuesday, so, yeah, you can only imagine what kind of tailspin that sent fans into.
The 1989 musician has remained pretty tight-lipped so far about the meaning behind her songs, the lyrics, and her album as a whole, so until she actually discusses it, her fans will most likely keep running amuck with theories. But, now that Reputation is finally out for everyone to listen to, at least the following theories have been debunked.
There's A Selena Gomez Collaboration
On Nov. 5, Scott Borchetta, the president and CEO of Big Machine Label Group, Swift's record label, tweeted about Target's commercial for Reputation. As you can see above, he also tagged Gomez, Swift's BFF, in his tweet. This, of course, caught the eyes of Swifties and they couldn't help but assume the new album would have a collaboration with Gomez. Despite the "Fetish" singer not being listed on the track list Swift released Tuesday, unlike Ed Sheeran and Future, both of their fans kept hoping. Well, sadly, a Swift/Gomez collab didn't happen this time around.
The Album Is Split Into Two Parts
Do you see the ellipsis before "...Ready For It?" and after "So It Goes..."? Some thought those could be intentional. Fans suspected that the ellipsis surrounding the two racks could possibly mean Reputation would be split into two parts with the first half of the album being about Swift's reputation shaped by others and the second half about her real self. After listening, it appears that album is more of a mix of what's been said about her and how she views herself.
The Last Song Is About Harry Styles
Swift will never escape Harry Styles, despite the two breaking up in January 2013. Some of her followers thought that "New Year's Day" would be about Styles. For those unaware, Swift and Styles reportedly jetted off to the British Virgin Islands on New Year's Day in 2013, but broke up a few days later, according to the Daily Mail. The connection does make a bit of sense, but it doesn't seem like that is the case after hearing the song overall.
"New Year's Day" Is An Engagement Announcement
On the other side of things, some fans were guessing "New Year's Day" had to do with Swift's current boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. However, rather than being just a typical love song, fans thought it could be an engagement announcement. Say what now? Apparently, those who were lucky enough to attend Swift's Secret Sessions for Reputation said that there was a song on the album that made everyone cry. After the track list was released, those at the Secret Sessions confirmed "New Year's Day" was the song that caused tears and that Swift reportedly called it a "wedding song". It sure sounds like a song about staying committed to someone for better or for worse, but it's definitely not an engagement announcement.
There Is An Eight-Minute Version Of "All Too Well"
In August, a leaked and unverified Reputation track list was released. On it, song four was listed as being 8:47 minutes long. This caused fans to wonder if Swift's new album would include the original version of "All Too Well" or at least a version of it. In 2012, Swift revealed the Red track was originally 10 minutes long. Yeah, that definitely isn't the case. Plus, "Don't Blame Me" is only 3:56.
Or The Eight-Minute Song Is Her Call With Kanye
Instead of being "All Too Well 2.0", fans thought there was a chance Swift would release more of the recording of her phone call with Kanye West about the rapper's song "Famous". You know, similar to how Kardashian did via Snapchat? Some believed it to be a possibility, but, as everyone now knows, that didn't happen.
Each Taylor In "LWYMMD" Represents A Track
There was a lot of talk when the "LWYMMD" music video officially dropped, but what really caught the eyes of fans were the 15 different Taylors at then end of the video. Some of her fans believed that each Taylor represented a different song on Reputation, especially since there are 15 tracks. Many also led themselves to believe that the sixth track, "LWYMMD", coincided with the sixth Taylor presented, which may or may not be a combination of Kim Kardashian and Katy Perry. There are theories that this particular song alludes to Swift's past with both the women. This theory could still be true, because it's based on interpretation, but the songs aren't as blatantly about each "Taylor" as some people might have thought.
Furthermore, it was suspected that the 15th Taylor didn't resemble a past Taylor, but the "real" Taylor fans would hear from on the album. Rumors also circulated that the last song, aka track 15, would show the "real" Swift and her "real" reputation. Based on the lyrics of "New Year's Day", it's more of a relationship song than one focusing on her reputation.
If these theories prove anything, it's how much T. Swift's fans truly are dedicated to her and her music. Now that Reputation is out, there will surely be even more theories.
