so....after 6 years, taylor swift and joe alwyn broke up. let's talk.
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
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welcome back to another day another drama, today we're discussing what happened between Taylor swift and Joe alwyn covering topics that include: why did they break up, does midnights seem different in hindsight, what's next for her career & personal life, and how we know this is a real thing & not some rumour.
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I wouldn’t say I have a weird parasocial relationship with Taylor, or ever really took much interest in their relationship, but I feel surprisingly sad for them, I think it’s probably due to hearing just how much she loves/loved him in her songs, and it sounded like he was good for her. I hope they are both doing okay.
It's like after listening to her wishes and struggles in her relationships for 10+ years we finally thought she found the one
Same here. I grew up listening to reputation and Lover, both albums lowkey shaped my idea of love. So this news made my stomach drop haha.
I’m the exact same way. Her songs were full of happiness.
Her songwriting abt their love life and him was so exaggerated. Not surprised they broke up.
@@hank5142 Exaggerated? How so?
(Serious question. Not being rude.)
Seeing this after TTPD is something, but hearing you say "relationship autopsy" and her using the term post-mortem in how did it end is WILD
And the phoenix rising from the ashes??? This was before you’re losing me 🤯
TOTALLYYYY
“A lot of people think maybe she won’t write about it-“
*You’re Losing Me has busted down the door*
1 day until "tortured poets department" releases - I'm sure we will get good ✨️tea✨️ in that album
@@KateCat420 omg im also here before poets, im rewatching so i can really understand the songs
and i’m here after tttpd and yes
Me watching this again during the Travis relationship and hearing you say Taylor needs someone who has a similarly powerful existence in this world. Who doesn't need her. And now we have superstar football player! Which is seriously the most surreal thing to me because I live near Kansas City, lol.
And his personality reminds me more of her than Joe did. No knock to Joe, just that compatibility is important.
I said the same exact thing out loud to myself
Also watching this in the height of TayVis thinking you might've manifested them somehow. ❤
It's not my relationship and not my break up but oh boy am I broken
Fr
I'm watching on Poets' release date. I needed a refresher on Joe to help me dissect some of the lyrics. I'm in love with this album right off the bat. I especially love I Can Do This With a Broken Heart. Also, I am surprised we got so much Matty material. Good! Bury that jackass, Tay!
I always thought Sweet Nothing was a strange song to include in Midnights, as it feels as a bit disconnected to the rest of the album. But now I think she might have included it because she knew that this was the last song they would write together, and I find that idea a bit heartbreaking :( I hope they are both ok
stopppp im crying
I really didn’t like sweet nothing. Beautiful song, but the meaning … a sweet nothing is something you don’t put thought and energy into. I don’t find that to be nice at all. Where’s the effort? Where’s the care for the individual?
@Brooke Does Science According to the oxford dictionary, the expression "sweet nothings" means "words of affection exchanged by lovers"
@@marianletteriotrue, but look at the example of a sweet nothing in the song:
On the way home, I wrote a poem, you said *what a mind*, this happens all the time.
Is it praise? Yes. Is it deep? No. If you look at examples of sweet nothings, they are quick little comments that truly aren’t deep. “You smell nice” “I love you” “That dress is nice”. It’s all surface level. And I suppose you could argue that I love you is deep, but my husband and I say it in passing. When we provide words of affirmation, we state why we love or why we felt appreciated. I don’t find sweet nothings to be a good thing. The song is also melancholic which has an unexplained undertone of sadness.
@@BrookeDoesScience yes, i see what you mean. it does make me sad too, especially the bridge :(
I was bummed but not devastated when the news broke. While I agree that Joe is as dull as a Ken doll as a public figure (maybe he’s more interesting at home! We’ll never know), he seemed like he was a great partner for her and she was in a pretty great place creatively when they were together. He’s the only boyfriend she’s ever had that she seems to have a healthy, loving relationship with and I’m sad for her that it’s over.
That said, I’m not surprised that he isn’t her forever person. With Joe being so private, I always wondered if it was sustainable for him to be the boyfriend of one of the most famous women in the world. He seems like the type of guy who probably wants a normal home life with a wife and kids, and it’s unclear that Taylor will ever want to slow down long enough to make that happen. I wouldn’t be surprised if the pandemic helped prolong their relationship, giving them the time and space to be domestic but now that Taylor’s back in touring mode, it forced them to to take a look at whether this relationship worked for what Taylor and Joe want from their futures.
This is the best take I've seen on the whole situation.
Hence midnight rain....
I think we got it all wrong
It was never about Hiddleston or Lautner.
I think it was about Joe.
@@gurleenkaur5331 shittttttt
@@BrunetteGiant just listen to midnights album again
Especially maroon, labyrinth, bigger than the whole sky, dear reader, midnight rain, sweet nothings.
She basically told that the relationship was over.
And that one line, "it's been 2190 days of our love blackout, the system's breaking down."
2190 days is equal to 6 years.
That is why this album midnights, was so weird, confusing, melancholy and beautiful.
And in Labyrinth she says, "I will be getting over you my whole life. You know how scared I am of elevators, if it rises too fast, It can't last"
There's just so much stuff, that didn't make sense.
and bejeweled also mention about how she feels about the relationship which kept her low key but she is a diamond and will always bedazzled in the public.
Watching this after You’re Losing Me came out so I was shook when you called her a phoenix rising from the ashes!
I'm watching it in 2024, didn't even realize it was before You're Losing Me was out. Wow.
This is the part of the fandom that needs to be more prevalent. A calm, educated look into the events and how they’ll affect Taylor in the future. Keep doing your work!!!
im so glad you explained everything so respectfully instead of saying things like "im devastated i deny believing" or stuff like that. this entire video is so well interpreted and respectful. thank you so much. as long as taylor is comfortable we should respect her decisions no matter whom she wants or not wants to be with💛
Fr I saw some tiktok fans saying "let's all pretend we have dementia" like girl...
I understand that many people might feel like Joe was kind of boring, but I personally think that because he wasn't super famous or maybe even kind of "boring" their relationship was like a save haven for Taylor from all the media buzz, which i feel like is what a relationship should be at the end of the day.
And honestly we barely knew anything about him to say that he was boring. He was just private.
Agreed! I liked their relationship, not because he was particularly interesting but because he seemed to make her happy. Their relationship seemed healthy and it seemed to have her in a good place creatively. What more could I want for our girl?
Exactly
For some people, that’s what they need. Some people want other things. Perhaps Taylor has decided she wants to really try the “being single” thing (she’s never really done it) and perhaps she’ll find someone who gives her the warmth and comfort on top of the passion and understanding of her world that she (might be) seeking. Sometimes you truly love someone but it still doesn’t work out.
@@shilohgoes5544 I agree
I feel like we should be allowed to speculate about things like this. People act like Taylor is some innocent who can’t handle a little bit of gossip. She’s dealt with it for years, and she knows that people are going to talk about the break up. It rubs me the wrong way when people act like they’re Taylor’s personal protector, when in the end, they are celebrities, not our friends. This is coming from a HUGE swiftie of many years. I appreciate how candid and reasonable Zach talks about everything pop culture.
You are so right. Especially since Taylor, while keeping her relationship private from the paps, has not kept it private from her fans at all. The songs and also Miss Americana have given us ideas and glimpses so of course we are invested. A little bit of speculation is perfectly fine, obsessing over this is not.
You can speculate about anything you like although there are some things that do not need to be speculated. I wish this wasn't true since I felt this relationship was healthy for both parties but it's her private life, it didn't come out of her so I know it's legit. Rumors fly and unlike debunking songs, this drama isn't funny to me.
She’s also stated before how the constant pressing on her love life makes her uncomfortable
@@ArgoBargo but she makes her songs about like every relationship tho
@@ArgoBargo she was more talking about the media and when the focus on her relationships and love life start getting misogynistic, she gets messy all the time and drops hints for her fans, she even encourages the talk sometimes, so as long as we stay respectful and don’t go completely into conspiracy land i think she’s fine with it.
i agree that this was DEFINITELY forshadowed on midnights... especially dear reader. "a house not a home, all alone cause nobody's there" has never made sense to me & i think everyone needed to perform some serious mental gymnastics to make that song fit the story that they were still together. it's all so much clearer now.
"Never take advice from someone who's falling apart" 😭 Maybe it represents, that she knows she is famous for her love songs for Joe but they are "unrelevant" now, as they were breaking up.
Ikr, its all so much clearer now 😭
@@wolfkriszta omg 😭😭😭
Yes! When Zach was talking about the hints throughout Midnights, I was surprised he didn’t mention Dear Reader… I actually thought they were endgame, but still… from the first time I heard that song, I just found it so sad, and dark, and lonely, and to close the record in a such a note… I don’t know, it seemed off for me, but I simply thought that it’s normal that a relationship, as good as it can be, doesn’t solve all of your problems and fears
But the break up really puts it in another perspective
I think she has been trying to slowly tell us too in the Tour. The change to The 1 instead of Invisible Strings, the Lover house burning down, in LWYMD Lover, Folklore and Evermore being in cages during the performance was just so significant which are albums for him/written with him! I think all the other songs that she could have potentially written for him are taking a new shape to her, like Lover I have a feeling she is now singing that to us.
This makes her opening so much more valid cuz than the “it’s you and me, that’s my whole world” is her referring to her fans and her
It makes no sense with the tour visual tho. It was planned months prior, unless Taylor has been feeling her relationship went stale around midnights era then it makes sense. I do agree with the 1 tho.
Or she just self sabotage herself
OR they weren't as much "for Joe" as everyone assumed & her songs have orig muses but, they evolve just as her thoughts, feelings & love does. Same way they do for us.
My mom told me this was coming back when she heard Snow on the Beach, she was like “as ephemeral and impermanent as snow on the beach?” And I was like MOM NO, but she was right 😅
Staahhhp omg 😭
Damn
I think she knows
Her mind
she is a genius
After hearing the news, all I could think of is how much hits different could be about this... Just the line "it hits different cause it's you" seems, to me, so close to what she would feel with Joe. This is the longest relationship she's ever had and she has been in love with him in a way that she, seemingly, hasn't been before.
When you said that "question" isn't a song that someone in a happy relationship writes, I FELT SO VALIDATED! I've been saying that for months now!!! Her relationship with Harry was so long ago, she was wondering how it would be inside, with someone else, C'MON PEOPLE!!
@accessiblealchemy23she did say she wrote these songs over the course of her life, so it’s definitely possible that it could be recent or from years ago (such as with harry). i assumed it was written years ago but this is an interesting perspective to view it from!
Why do people think ? is about HS?
@@katythomason213 she didn’t say that. She said it was about different moments in her life, but the songs themselves are definitely new
@@EmmaDaisy the "I remember" in the beginning is from out of the woods which is about harry
As a person with no swiftie friends, I'm really glad I found your channel :)
Me too ❤
I'm rewatching this on the day of Tortured Poets release and I can't help notice how wrong we were thinking Joe wanted to get married. It sounds like it was the other way around.
Wow, Zac is so good at stringing together narratives about the texts that Taylor has provided and giving them to us. That section about how ‘peace’ might have been a portent for a rocky relationship was so insightful.
Honestly I think the next few years are gonna be a rough time to be a Swiftie, with Joe gone I think the “serial dater” label is probably gonna make a comeback and with her kind of in her second world domination era in a time where whatever is popular becomes hated and considered cringe pretty quickly, I think people are gonna get burnt out on her being inescapable and people are gonna get sick of her being everywhere. I also think if she becomes a billionaire (which let’s face it, she likely will) that will probably also cause some tension and will probably get her an increase in haters.
So true I think Taylor Swift reached a level in her life where she isn't classic swift anymore that we used and grow up entertaining with her and the proof are her rerecording Albums I mean they are great production and extra loved from her but I don't know how to describe it I really love her relationship with joe I was counting years for her weeding I'm sad her songs and uplifting songs helped me a lot in my life and I just wanna thank both of them for that
We’ll power through this guys. There’s more of us and I truly think the swifties hold all the power this time around.
You were right!
This comment aged very well, right on the nose
@@lexi7749 I forgot I left this comment bye 😭😭😭
knowing that you and your partner are at two different places in a relationship and are no longer compatible because of that is incredibly healthy. This is Taylor's longest and probably healthiest relationship she's been in and I'm having a hard time imagining that they split anything but amicably tbh. i'm definitely excited to see what comes next even if it isn't Speak Now TV
I also think that it’s really evident in more obvious ways on Midnights too. Going along with realizing she doesn’t have to end her career after 30, which was the main message of the song, she sprinkles in stuff like “And when I meet the band
They ask, "Do you have a man?"
I can still say, "I don't remember"
Familiarity breeds contempt
Don't put me in the basement
When I want the penthouse of your heart”. When I heard that the first time, I started speculating.
Same
But I chose to avoid it
Because she said it's about various times in her life.
You're on your own kid also makes sense now.
I never understood why she would write that song when she's in a happy relationship.
Midnights sounded too sad and complex for a woman in a healthy relationship.
I was getting a weird vibe guess my hunch was right.
Same also "Baby Boy I think I have been a little to kind". I felt she was singing this to Joe
I think she said at one point that Bejeweled was her telling herself she could still do pop, meaning it would be from 2022 Taylor’s pov. Also, this reminds me of the original gorgeous lyrics - “I’ve got a boyfriend/… I haven’t seen him in a couple of months.” And this was right before she got into her relationship with Joe. I really hope she lets herself be single for a while after this, I think she’ll become even more of a powerhouse honestly.
@Jessie it's been 2190 days of our love black out, the system's breaking down.
(2190 days equals 6 years)
I'm sure they broke up before but the news is coming out now.
@Jessie I don't understand what you're trying to say?
For some of us, this video is a 40 minute therapy session on how to deal with this breakup. Super well done video, Swiftologist! Didn’t know I needed this video ❤️
I heard from Bejewelled in Midnights,
"I made you my world, have you heard, I can reclaim the land"
"And I miss you, but I miss sparkling"
""When I meet the band, they ask 'do you have a man?' I can still say I dont remember"
All these really confirm it together lol. I'm so sad 😭😭😭
Reading Bejewlled lyrics with Joe in mind is something else. Mind-blowing really.
@@thekidnextdoor1099 ikr exactly really😭 its so sad really..
And what band could she be referring to
..The 1975, perhaps? 😉
@@MoneyBagsDaGoat919omg the foreshadowing
Omg I'm in shock@@MoneyBagsDaGoat919
Let’s not forget The Way I Loved You. She’s always romanticized the turmoil of relationships over comfort and familiarity.
My daughter is 25 and last June she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went through chemo, a double mastectomy, and is going in tomorrow for a hysterectomy. We too did a GoFundMe and it was incredibly helpful. I wasn't able to send much because we are still going through treatments ourselves but I wanted to help. ❤❤❤
Thank you so much Leah ♥️ sending much love and positivity your way x
I’m confused, but in the end it’s really none of my business as Taylor and Joe have been private about their personal lives for so long and I just want to respect that. In the end, as long as the Queen is happy, then I’m happy for her 🫶
It's okay for people to add commentary on it though as Taylor has chosen to make it public knowledge for us through her music! It's kind of hard to ignore the situation when she made a whole album about him
@@jonathanmichael99 technically she’s made two albums about him now
She did have her publicist release it so she has had time to process this she let her publicist do this so her fans can process it so Taylor is private but her fans go through stuff with her and that is why she gave it
Her songwriting abt him and their love life is so exaggerated. Not surprised they broke up.
@@hank5142bitter comment
I have to say, as someone who's also broken up with a long-term boyfriend (8 years) where it was rocky for a long time, it's not easy at all. It wrecked me with guilt and sadness for everything that could have been. It's still tough 10 years later. I don't think she's just fine just because she ended it. I even feel as though it can be harder for the one ending it because you have no-one to blame for it but yourself and you carry that guilt with you for a long time.
Now that we know her and joe had problems in their relationship, I’m wondering if some of the folklore and evermore stuff as well was about them. Maybe their relationship has been rocky for a while.
I also just considered how when she met joe she was cancelled, possibly considering not coming back to music, and yes she went on tour early on in the relationship, but then came back, and they’ve been in hiding and covid isolation for years, and now she is back on tour and back on top. Her situation has changed so much throughout the relationship
Im thinking of hoax now 😢
@@vvieites001 I literally always thought hoax was about them, I feared they had really called it quits when I first heard it (it’s so sad!) 😢 now we know she was kind of role playing the breakup, trying to brace herself for the real one.💔
I know "my tears ricochet" ist supposed to be about the music she lost due to scooter and scott, but honestly I have always thought, it had two different meanings. One, about her music, second about Joe.
we also have no idea when/if they were having problems in the relationship tho since nothing has been addressed by any official sources. ofc there are a ton of articles on it but i find it kind of weird that the information came from an “anonymous source” and all the tabloids are going with it i guess. i would be shocked if she did write and release songs about their relationship problems while they were still together tho, so i kinda don’t think anything on evermore or folklore would be abt him
Invisible string she sings about something that wrapped all of her mistakes in barbed wire (and we all know invisible string is for Joe) and in tolerate it she sings about "where is the man who'd throw blankets over my barbed wire?" I always thought the song was about Joe because of that but the "you are older and wiser" always maked me think twice... Now I'm pretty sure
You're such a breath of fresh air Zach. As an older fan, it's refreshing to see someone analizing the situation from a mature point of view, rather than just projecting or staying in denial. It's been almost 24hs and Taylor's team has not shut down the story. CNN just run it a few minutes ago. It's very much real.
I agree with you. Joe probably gave Taylor the respite and intimacy that she probably needed after a very tumultous time in her life, but they never striked me as the perfect couple some younger fans made them out to be. Anyway, I hope they're both fine, and as you, I'm willing to see where this takes Taylor creatively. Thank you for your work.
💚 My heart goes out Sarah. A friend of mine had leukemia as a teenager and in their efforts to quickly treat her with radiation and chemo, it didn’t occur to anyone to freeze any of her eggs first. Her cancer returned in college and she beat it again. She got married and discovered she wouldn’t be able to have kids. They started looking at alternative options and had finally moved on to looking at adoption… and then discovered she had breast cancer. She underwent a double mastectomy and put their adoption plans on hold until she was in a remission window. But even the adoption road hasn’t been easy. My best wishes and hope for your friend that she is able to beat this and have a family of her own one day. -Erin
My gosh, my heart goes out to your friend. I’m 18 and am battling lymphoma currently. It really does turn your world upside down :( I wish her well ❤
I really hope this is a rumor. I can't imagine Taylor looking all happy and cheerful on the eras tour and it's just her putting on a brave face.
you dont have to be completely heartbroken after a break up shes focused on her career and thriving
it’s official
@@urlocalfolklorian where did you find the official information ?
@@laraallison1392 welllll it’s pretty obvious bc of how the celebrity pr stuff is handling it..zach said it in the video. it’s like basically confirmed by people mag
@@urlocalfolklorian oh man😕
I cannot explain how much this affected me… I just hope she’s ok, really. She deserves all the happiness in the world and I just feel so sick with the things people are saying online, the internet is so so cruel.
It made me mental ill
Girl mind yo bussines.
What are people saying?
CNN reported "A source close to Taylor confirmed the news to CNN saying “Taylor and Joe broke up a few weeks ago. They simply grew apart and plan to remain friends.” which pretty much confirms that they ended their relationship on good terms. It just makes me happy to hear that everything seems to be fine.
It’s just so hard to imagine Taylor being the one to call it quits, with so many lyrics of her saying to him “I hope I never lose you”, “I really thought I lost you”, “I wake up screaming from dreaming one day I’ll watch as you’re leaving”, “I wanna brainwash you into loving me forever”, etc. but I can’t see him leaving - who could ever leave her darling?
Exactly!! The love she feels for him has been so thoroughly laced in Reputation- Midnights.
I feel in hindsight that the anti hero lyric could be in reference to the fans/her career? Idk
Listen to the song happiness from Evermore. It explains perfectly why she would call it quits.
you know, people change, feelings change, so I perfectly believe that she would call it quits, sometimes love is not enough and that's part of life
@@DoNotTestMe waitttttttttttt this makes sense
Thank you so much for this, it has really put my heart and mind at ease. Honestly, when I saw the reports last night, I felt physically ill. I know they're celebrities and their relationship is none of our business, but the joy and pain she so expertly transmits through her music are felt so deeply by her fans, that we easily create our own emotions around those relationships. We love Taylor and want her to be happy, and thinking she had finally found her fairytale love story after so many years of pain brought us joy. Your video has brought me back to reality, you made many points about PR moves and strategy that my logical brain was thinking as well, but you brought up possible relationship issues that I had never considered, I just assumed they were still in their Lavender Haze, with babies to come post-tour. I had honestly thought that she had, with Joe's help, matured out of her need for drama and constant passion (golden love as opposed to red), but maybe craving a bit of chaos is just innately tied to her creativity. I'm thrilled that she is getting a "second chance" at meteoric success; I just hope she doesn't wake up in a decade or two and regret not making more space for a personal life while she was chasing her fame. I feel like Joe may have filled a similar role to TL, and I don't want them to be another Back to December situation. But, it is what it is, and your clear-headed analysis has put me in a more accepting place with this whole scenario, so thank you.
Same I felt physical pain & depression like someone died and ended omg
He was sunshine, she was midnight rain!!! In regards to your point about drama and passion, my idea is that wanting that is kind of just part of the popstar/rockstar psyche, and that to be fit to be a popstar and to want that, you also inherently need that drama (she knows she could never give him peace - it’s not what she was meant to do). And I think this is very similar to the Taylor Lautner thing, but there’s no way they would’ve lasted anyway.
Wow you captured this so well. Thanks for your comment!
I cannot get too into this. It feels like I’m going through a breakup. I’m confused, sad and shocked. They’ve been together for a long time and yeah I know they’ve had their issues but they seemed to happy together. I was elated for her. Taylor is such a romantic and I really thought Joe was end game for her. The Great War is one of my favorites off midnights and it really made me feel like they were solid.
Girl u need some therapy for personal dissording, and im not being rude.
I'm not sure what to believe,all these love songs about and with Joe,it doesn't sound like a relationship that's easy to walk away from,and she doesn't seem upset on tour when singing about him,and he posted like a month ago at Taylor's party and a photo of Meredith. But all these tabloids saying they're broken up and idk😭if it is true I feel so sad for Taylor because it really seemed like she saw a future with Joe,like marriage and kids and everything,it's sad
Well but... live performances are part of her job at the end of the day. Especially when you sing the same song over and over again on tour, I don't expect her to think about the people she wrote the songs about everytime she sings them. The songs are written in order to be relatable for other people as well, and it would be unprofessional of her to bawl her eyes out singing Lover for example
Sometimes you may love someone, but it’s not enough. Especially with the level of fame and career Taylor is at, it’s difficult for anyone. Love isn’t enough to make a relationship survive sometimes.
Because she already mourned the relationship a long time ago. The breakup was probably brewing since last year if you take Midnights as their breakup album.
I'm from the future after TTPD... the fact you literally said "relationship autopsy" send chills down my spine.. damn you were spot on!
Oh honey! I'm sorry you were treated so awful just for your opinion! Also so heartbreaking about Sarah & going to her gofundme now! Thanks for the video!
Agree with you that Maroon is possibly about Joe Alwyn - the big thing for me was always that she samples King of My Heart at the beginning of Maroon. I never understood why she’d do that if the song was supposedly about Jake, as King of My Heart is so clearly about Joe. Also, let’s be honest, Jake never had any roommates.
Loved this whole video!
You are so good at what you do- to have a video up within 24 hours of the chaos and for it to be this thorough and thought through us incredible. I have sent this to my parents who are now curious about everything.
Your comments about her mentioning Joe being morally superior to her in a lot of her songs kind of made it click for me. I think she chose this FOR that reason. I think she knows that she isn’t really wanting that fairy tale life anymore, she seems to have gotten to a point where she wants a giant career and that’s it. Maybe have some fun with casual relationships and that’s it.
I think Joe probably wanted more. We see that her perspective on this has changed even since Lover where she wrote “he’d better lock it down or I won’t stick around”, wedding vow type lyrics in Lover the song, and “I’d marry you with paper rings.” Then on midnights it’s more “I don’t want to be a wife, I don’t want to be a traditional family person, I just wanna shine and sparkle.” I think her priorities changed. I kind of feel like Joe is probably more hurt than she is.
She has become a business machine and that’s what she’s focused on now. Maybe she knows she isn’t as morally superior as him and she finally accepted that about herself. She’s the anti-hero. She doesn’t get attached anymore. It just goes to show we don’t really know our idols because this is a major flip from what she used to sing about. With all due respect to her because I love her, she seems to maybe have become more cold/detached/laser focused on one thing only: herself and her career.
But ALL of that is okay as long as she’s happy with it. Long term committed love isn’t not for everyone and I guess she came to realize over time that it wasn’t for her. She thought she wanted a quiet life and a long-term relationship and she probably recently realized that she doesn’t anymore. I just hope that she remains happy and doesn’t one day look back when she is older and retired and feel that she has all this success but now she is alone. My husband and I have a beautiful relationship and her love songs about Joe really hit because of that and knowing how love like this feels… I couldn’t put a career over that. PERSONALLY. But like I said, it’s okay for her to make that choice for herself as it seems like that is what makes her happy and fulfilled. Only she knows the best choice for her. Then again, regular people like me and my husband don’t usually have to choose between our relationship and our career. I have no idea what it’s like to have a career as big as she does, I’m sure doing both is hard. She chose what she chose and that’s ultimately up to her.
As for my reaction… as a hopeless romantic who is so moved by beautiful words, I am very sad. It hurts to know something she has made such art from and written so beautifully about can just fizzle out. I hope they are both doing okay. Joe seems like a wonderful and kind person. He taught Taylor that love is golden and taught her so much about herself. I hope no one is awful towards him. Swifties can be crazy lol
Sorry for this long ass comment! Had a lot to say. 😅
I agree with you
I agree with you. As a casual fan of hers, I find it sad. It seems like being a celebrity constantly chasing fame is really lonely and you will never be satisfied. But her choice in the end.
As a married woman who met her husband around the time she met Joe, I’ve always related! What happened from “the Great War” to this?? I’m not sure how. There must’ve been some kind of big thing on one or both ends. I guess they thought it was the Great War, but it was really just a small battle and they lost the war :(
Taylor is headed for world domination. A private life was good when she wasn't too popular during 2016 but now that she's at the top of her game, she wants to embrace it fully like the 1989 era.
you shouldn't have compared their hurt
Great point about Midnight Rain. It's also #6, 6 years. And in the Eras tour, she starts that song in particular with a very somber look on her face
Part of me is still in denial and doesn't want this to be true. Another part of me is wondering what the heck happened. Then, of course, I'm wondering what the heck is gonna happen going forward. Mostly, I hope that Taylor is okay.
The relationship wasn't serving her no more. Simple as that.
@@hank5142 or him…
@@vvieites001 it seems to me, joe wanted more commitment from her but she clearly doesn't want to settle down. She chose her career over their relationship. Which is good. She's thinking abt what she wants and focusing more on herself.
@@hank5142duh, they're both having their OWN ways of being busy as a normal person, it only depends on persons, don't make that kind of conclusion like you're an expert of a love story, of a both famous human beings
@@ark2550 my conclusions? Those conclusions you're referring to are facts. And why are you so challenged on this? Am i attacking you? You need to calm down.
I really feel Bejeweled describes the relationship breakdown with “familiarity breeds contempt so put me in the basement when I want the penthouse of your heart.” And needing to be a diamond that’s going to shine “I can reclaim the land” and “I miss you, but I miss sparkling”
If she dates Pete Davidson I swear to god
🤣
😂😂
Lol😭😂
Yuck!
It's so interesting to me how her breaking up with Joe actually makes a lot of the songs and lyrics on Midnights make way more sense now.
I personally believe they've been on the rocks for a long time, or at least Taylor has been over it for a long time. I don't think Taylor one day switched on a dime and thought "okay we're finished" after a 6 year relationship. These things usually happen after a lengthy period of deliberation. Taylor is seemingly in quite a different headspace than she was 6 years ago when she needed that comfort and support from Joe to hold onto.
"Is there the possibility for a late hot girl summer or early hot girl autumn? Very possibly" - well that has turned into a resounding yes with all her recent NFL fun and girl nights supporting Sophie Turner.
I think being an actor in Britain is much more respected and artistry-based than U.S. Hollywood's desire to be 'famous', so perhaps Joe isn't interested in the extroversion elements of the business.
you genuinely saved my life (in jest)
i do wonder about the "love is dead" sentiment at large - i don't think it's an overstatement to claim that taylor is the most prolific and successful chronicler of the stages of romantic love, i don't think anyone has done it as exhaustively as her, and the general sum of her observations and lessons about romance is tantamount to philosophical text.
when someone like that (bread and butter made from break up songs) has their most significant break up yet, i think it invites a cultural re-examining of romantic monogamous love at large quite naturally, more than in a typical parasocial attachment to a celeb. here im about to go a bit kooky but i think someone like her, who loves with so much potency and approaches people with such intrigue, i don't think there's ever going to be a single person to love forever, she just has too much of it to offer.
i really earnestly hope she writes her memoirs in plain prose one day because a break up without villains is more interesting than having an asshole break your heart through lies and manipulation.
i think what lies ahead is her fortune and artistic legacy increasing manifold, but i do hope it doesn't come at the cost of her feeling like a real human. truly wouldn't be surprised if she opts out à la the lakes at some point.
Exactly that’s what’s the most shocking
I feel so terrible for her and what this must feel like : a breakup is hard , being in the middle of a HUGE tour and going through this heartbreak: I do think she will write some amazing things this tour but I hope she’s ok 😢
@Getting Fairest when people tell you how to feel though 😆 I just don’t follow him or know anything about him I’ve been a swiftie for almost 20 years
@gettingfairest5622 I wish him the best, but Taylor is the one whose music I've been listening too for years, so obviously I'm focusing on her. It's not cause I'm unsympathetic to Joe it's just how emotions work. Get over it.
listening to midnights through this lens is so different. i agree that maroon definitely reminds me of joe. i’ve thought since day one that “the one i was dancing with in new york, no shoes” reminded me of cornelia street. it actually makes a lot of sense. also, another lyric that sticks out is “i want to brainwash you into loving me forever.” maybe she saw the breakup coming.
I always thought midnights didn’t completely make sense and that’s why it didn’t click with me😭 but the pieces are starting to come together
Exactly
Honestly hearing you talking about Sarah and your voice trembling made me tear up a little. Wish the best for her 💚
And yet she smiles and plays lover , delicate, invisible string on tour like it'd all fine ???? I hope it's fake . I WILL NEVER BE READY FOR IT
Ikr😭😭😭😭😭😭
i hope sarah gets better, truly thinking of her. great video, great closing remark, completely agree.
“She’s not interested in mess anymore”
Ratty Healy enters the chat
All I can say (with all due respect to the pain that I'm sure they felt ending such a longterm relationship) is that Red is her best breakup album currently, and I am VERY curious to see what music/album comes out of this very-different breakup of a very-different relationship. Through this six years, she definitely proved that she can write some of her best work while she's happy -- but "All Too Well" still reigns supreme after more than a decade in most people's ranking for a reason, and sometimes that kind of genius can only be brought forward through real heartbreak. Whatever she comes up with out of this experience, I will certainly be ready to listen!
The parasocial thing is so true. You can be “upset” about this situation but there are limits. People think that they are friends with Taylor and literally crying about this isn’t weird or shameful. I like Joe Alwyn as an actor (although the irish accent in Conversation with Friends sucks) and I think he is a nice person, but we are here for Taylor, so in the end of the day none of this matter and I am very excited for how the new record will sound like. She will not stop performing the songs (and they will not lose the effect on us), so swifities have to stop being weird.
It's funny you mention Sweet Nothing because I remember on my first listen of Midnights I felt like it sounded very sad, the second verse in particular. I also think the line "Does it ever miss Wicklow sometimes?" seems to be a nostalgic longing for their time spent together out of the public eye. I also think it's interesting, looking back, how she uses "wanted" in past tense. However this also seems like a song they could have written years ago based on the first line "a pebble we picked up last July" so who knows! Definitely looking at Midnights differently now though!
I love how this is THE channel where no bias and bullshit opinions are tolerated, I cannot express my love for this and I’m so thankful for you making this video without being a bit rude :)
Guys, realising midnight rain could be about Joe is making me tear up right now. What’s wrong with me. ;-;
I felt so relieved for TS when I heard the news. Mostly bc Joe reminded me of the emotional black-hole man I was with for 7 years. Her TTPD songs alluding to their relationship paint a terribly familiar picture. Just started watching this channel; thank you from the bottom of my pitted black 🖤 for 'heirloom turkey'.
Iv never heard someone in a good and healthy relationship who is constantly revisiting past ones. Also Taylor (No offense) has been describing her relationship with Joe in the same exact way for the past 6 years, I’m not saying that relationship with no noticeable shift or change are doomed to end but I am saying that to some ppl that could get boring. The most excitement in her and joes relationship just based off what she’s written is weirdly tied to how she chooses to present it to the media and how their image looks.
Exactly yes same..
I get the impression they've split a few times prior. And we never knew. I really wish the best for both of them!
In light of this, I feel like “Dear Reader” makes so much more sense, especially since it’s sort of the true final song of Midnights and not “Mastermind.” I don’t know if the timeline matches up, but it makes me wonder if she wrote it when the end of the relationship was in sight.
Can I just say. Ever since I heard Midnights, I thought Dear Reader was a weirdly miserable song for someone who was supposedly in a very happy place (not just in her relationship, in life in general). Like?? Just look at these lyrics:
"If you knew where I was walking
To a house, not a home, all alone 'cause nobody's there
Where I pace in my pen and
My friends found friends who care
No one sees when you lose
When you're playing solitaire".
Come on. In my opinion it's the most personal song on this album and it's INSANE how basically no one is talking about it. So yea. 🫥
Honestly some SWIFTIES are just to sensitive and just arn’t ready for the tea your ready to spill, I was there in the Twitter space honestly it’s just crazy and uncalled for the way people were reacting and what they were saying was absolutely appalling, but you’re unique to other swifties your ready to say what no one else is and that’s what I respect about you and your channel.
PLEASE DO A MIDNIGHTS REVISITED!! I’m insanely stupid when it comes to Taylor theories so I need it 😭😭
Who is here 10 months later ready for the torture poets department
Me-he-he!
“EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW” maybe there’s nothing we need to know. Maybe we need to know only what she’s told us. These are real people not characters
gonna watch this live when its over. praying its all a very big rumor that everyones getting caught up in, like usual. but now that you’re talking about it, i’m getting even more scared.
She told us in midnights what happened. They were so private that we never saw any issues, doesnt mean there weren't discussions and fights between them. They are going different ways in life and they deserve to be happy. The fans and media need to remember this is still someone's life and they must be hurting to some degree. I just hope that fans will respect their decision and not pick at the situation.
This is the commentary we all needed- Tysm for putting this together so fast. Your ability to see through the emotion and drama, and come up with very sharp, coherent takes is one of the things that sets you apart from other Swiftie creators. I’m still gagged at 1300 people on the premiere, I couldn’t keep up with reading comments 🤩
I like the point you raised about how Taylor has often written about Joe portraying him as morally superior- I’d never really put that together before. The through line I’ve always noticed in her love songs for Joe is that they’ve always been tinged with more platonic forms of love, like brotherly love or best friend love.. the portrayal of lust hasn’t felt 100% authentic since Rep tbh. I’d always looked the other way on this and given Toe the benefit of the doubt because I’ve been so happy to see Taylor in a solid, long term relationship with someone who has appeared to appreciate Taylor for who she is (‘you say “what a mind”’). I honestly thought Toe might have been Taylor’s endgame, given how difficult and rare it must be for Taylor to find someone who can genuinely handle being in a relationship with her for any substantial length of time. But the signs have been right there in the songs all along in hindsight.
Wait How does taylor preceding joe being morally superior to her relate to feeling like the lust aspect of that relationships seeming inauthentic?
@@AB-ku8du it doesn’t relate at all. I’ve just grouped a number of ways that Joe has been described in Taylor’s songs to add to Zack’s original point.
Zach, love your analysis and thoughts on Joever. I am confused though on your remark about Taylor not being ready to commit. I think very clearly even before "You're Losing Me" she wrote so prolifically about thinking that Joe was the one. I mean "New Year's Day" with "I stay, when you're lost and I'm scared and you're turning away" "I want your midnights" "please don't ever become a stranger" then the entirety of "Lover" I like shiny things but I'd marry you with paper rings", "Cornelia Street" I hope I never lose you, hope this never ends, I'd never walk cornelia street again. Ladies and Gentlemen will you please stand, with every guitar string star on my hand, I take this magnetic firce of a man to be my Lover" Then in Folklore "All along there was some invisible string tying you to me" and "Peace" Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other; give you my wild, give a child" It feels blatantly obvious to me that Taylor was ready to commit wholeheartedly to Joe and for whatever reason, he wouldn't and she got tired of waiting and started to realize that he wasn't perfect and wouldn't give her what she wanted and also held her back creatively, so she left. I don't think that she was necessarily wanting to be single or go back into dating, but it was something that was a byproduct of the situation and after being heartbroken she adapted to the situation and decided to embrace single girl Tay again, but no I think she wanted to marry him, and he didn't want her lifestyle and refused to commit. Which I think was finally supported by "You're Losing Me" and the whole "I wouldn't marry me either" I think Taylor lived in denial and told herself she didn't actually care about marriage (Lavendar Haze) when she very much did and it was her way of coping
For a minute, I thought I had written this! It feels like it came out of my own brain lol. I feel the exact same way. The problem is, I never liked Joe and caught the vibe that it was actually a very up and down relationship during Evermore and Folklore.
I remember having similar thoughts of Taylor super wanting to commit in earlier days (paper rings has zero subtlety about it - as does the rest of Lover). But I ended up thinking that she was the one who left, therefore she must’ve not wanted to commit.
I think a lot of us fell into the revisionist trap Midnights gave us with tracks detailing how she was leaving because she couldn’t be tied down (Bejeweled) and not wanting any of that 1950s shit (Lavender Haze). Those pieces of the narrative were misleading without the fuller understanding of what she was really feeling from You’re Losing Me hit where we got some more present candid thoughts from her.
Your analysis was spot on though. Way to pick up all those nuances that are easy to miss
Oh my god relistening to midnights after knowing this is crazy!!!! So many songs sound so different (lavender haze, YOYOK, midnight rain, bejeweled, labyrinth, bigger than the whole sky, hits different)
28:17 peace was a song where this stuck out the most to me. Even the way she songs "give you my wild, give you a child....is it be enough?" as if she's willing to give him anything just to get him to stay, or "your integrity makes me feel small"
i think there's so much potential for a breakup album where things just slowly fell apart rather than a big fight or dramatic moment. if they really are amicable, which i can believe, it will be really interesting to see her thoughts from that perspective, sifting through the memories of such a long and varied relationship which got her through some of the worst parts of her life and seeing her reflect on what went wrong? i definitely think it'll be in the vein of a "midnight rain" sort of feeling. there's definitely a tendency in taylor's music to shift the blame on one person, whether that be herself or her partner, so it'll be interesting to see how does one write a breakup album for someone who, past music suggests, she might have thought was the one? just some ramblings, great analysis zach! all my love to sarah
insane that you said "rising from the ashes like a Phoenix" before You're Losing Me came out. Psychic.
I am revisiting all your Joever content in preparation for tomorrow. I also really hope that your friend Sarah is doing well. 💚
When I saw her standing alone clapping for Harry at the Grammy Awards I remember thinking that something is still there. 🤔They are so different- could it work? Great video, thanks!
All the prayers, love, hope, & hugs to Sarah in the world! 🙏❤️
💚💚💚💚💚💚🙏
The way I literally did not believe a single word of it until I saw you had posted this
Now I'm wondering if Bejeweled is about Joe. She has been very private since meeting him. And she probably did miss the attention or shine. Definitely you need to revisit midnights for us. I just think Joe was the best match for her based on how she has been happy these past couple of years. Boredom isn't a good reason to break up with someone
Re a
I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts. I’m so so devastated!
everytime her career was at its peak her love life was crushing and everytime her love life was at its peak her career was crushing or wasn’t going the way she wanted it to
💚 sending my wishes to Sarah. My dad had a 10% chance of surviving when he was diagnosed 20 years ago but he beat it because good people helped in so many ways so I hope my small donation can help Sarah, sending love and prayers.
I had a feeling that their relationship was dying when midnight was released. I mean knowing Taylor she loves expressing how in love she is, think call it what you want & lover, but midnight didn’t have any stand out romantic songs, we only got lavender haze & sweet nothing & both speak of a dead end relationship. Instead we got bejewelled that’s all about promoting self-love. It’s probably them realising that they couldn’t take it any further since both of them are busy with their careers but didn’t want to do it half way so decided to call it quits. I think Taylor on some level projected so many of her desires onto him when he wasn’t ready and that create a bit of friction so they parted because it ended when it needed.
Just helped out Sarah. Thanks for alerting us to someone in need. 💚
So interesting that he mentions that he thinks Taylor was the one who's been hesitant to commit. I've always been under the impression that Joe might be the one holding back. Lover is full of songs like Paper Rings, Lover, I think he knows, Afterglow, its nice to have a friend, and Daylight she touches on the subject of getting married and how she's found her true love. She mentions it again in Invisible String and Peace in folklore. She even mentions giving him a child...so I was just always thinking that maybe it was Joe who wasn't there yet. Maybe since he was the one who's career was starting to take off, he was more focused on that? I don't know what to think about these breakup rumors but this video really helped me think about this situation from a different perspective. Let me know if anyone else had similar thoughts!!
Question was a big big clue for me. Like you said, you just don't write a song like that while you're in a happy relationship with someone else. She was basically saying Harry was her meteor strike and she's never gonna find something like that again.
I hope they find each other again 😢
I am very excited to see what her projects and life are gonna look like now!!! I've also noticed she's been lowkey re-dedicating songs on tour to fans. Like mastermind she points at the audience constantly, I think she's just recognized her career is fulfilling on it's own, her fans ARE her longest relationship.
Mmm ONE thing I don’t agree with is Joe wanting to lock it down. I think he didn’t, he was never sure, and just seemed to dull her light. And lavender haze is almost like her convincing herself she doesn’t need ‘more’. She seems like a hopeless romantic, who would love nothing more than more !
20:10 do you not think, if the breakup really happened “a few weeks ago” aka before the tour began, that she wouldn’t have put Invisible String in the setlist in the first place? I dunno, I’m trying to sit back, avoid jumping to conclusions and just examine my own complex feelings and parasocial ties to the situation but it alljust feels so off to me…
She just wants to perform the song with the thought of them still being in love right now
I saw her in Atlanta night one, and during the lover era she gave a lil speech about how she wants all of the songs she is going to sing tonight to be about us, our experiences, and the memories we are making together on the tour!!! 💗🥺 (((instead of the man/relationship that songs was inspired by))) i loved that she said that
Can't believe we won't get any more "Can Joe Alwyn fight?" comments from swifties every time Taylor appears.
When you mentioned Afterglow, it reminded me of why I don’t enjoy listening to that song anymore. It’s a beautiful song, but it had me sobbing like a toddler in my room bc of my (now ex) boyfriend who basically gaslit me into thinking I was too needy for wanting more than one text a day while he lived across the country. I wonder if Taylor feels like she gaslit herself (I don’t want to assume he gaslit her, but that’s not a possibility we can rule out yet).
Also this news definitely makes me see Midnight Rain as possibly being about him. I really thought it was Back to December pt 2 😭🤡
There is definitely a tone to Midnights that reflects her relationship with Joe was in crisis as those old ghosts of all the relationships gone wrong come back to haunt her.
No more of she "forgets their names now" she's "so very tame now"..."keep him forever like a vendetta" ...she's thinking of all her exes on this latest album. No more of the sentiment that she'd marry Joe with paper rings, but we rather get Lavender Haze which almost frowns on marriage as an archaic tradition that destroys the serenity of relationships.
I even thought something was off with the big movie-style production of "All Too Well" and wondered how Joe felt about her still revealing such heartache at the loss of Jake via such a dramatic display of the passion she'd had with Jake. That had to OUCH. Just imagine one's own current relationship creating such a portrait of an ex.
Re-recording her albums has had to strike some comparisons of then and now feelings... then and now passions while realizing her "now" had grown a little too comfortable.
This is what makes Karma such an odd addition to this album. Midnights reveals a frenzy of haunting ghosts, torturous self-reflection that includes pain and regret, and a very unapologetic high infidelity.. but then we get the whimsical bubbles of Karma that's argues her side of the street is clean. Very contradictive song for such a haunted album.