Actually Fairly Recent: “Look What You Made Me Do” by Taylor Swift

Ana Holleman
Aug 26, 2017 · 4 min read

(Crossposted from Aural Archives, written by me.)

After a days-long campaign of snakes and an album cover, America’s darling Taylor Swift released her first single since 2016, “Look What You Made Me Do,” on Aug. 25, 2017.

What, exactly, did Swift do?

The lyrics never elaborate on that front. She suggests she’s going to haunt the subject(s) of the song forever, but that’s it. Even direct revenge against Swift’s wrongdoers is a role given to “karma.”

Instead, Swift demonstrates that even when she’s playing the aggressor, she can only ever play the victim.

Opening the song is a verse aimed at Kanye West and Katy Perry. In this verse, Swift concludes, “No, I don’t like you.” I’m sure Swift and her fanbase find this insult quite caustic. It’s right up there with, “I’ll tell [my friends] that you’re gay,” from the chanteuse’s “Picture To Burn.”

This verse is quite catchy. It’s almost fun to listen to. The cadence is quite boppy. One can really… bop one’s head to it.

Likewise, the pre-chorus is surprisingly engaging. Lines like, “… I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time,” and “Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time,” are vaguely empowering if you’re into that sort of thing.

Of course, if one has been following the careers of all of the parties potentially implicated in this drama, it’s hard not to see that first line as a take against Nicki Minaj. She delivered “in the nick of time” on “Give Me All Your Luvin’” with Madonna and M.I.A. from 2012. Connect the dots. It’s there.

Maybe that connection seems spurious. Maybe it seems trivial. Maybe I’m looking too deep into things.

Consider, though, that this song is the extension of a beef that should have ended ages ago.

All Swift had to do to end the drama was not release this song. She could have written it as a sad and angry entry in her diary and moved on. But no. She had to keep it going.

Does she think Kanye West cares at this point? Does she think Katy Perry doesn’t feel some sort of irrevocable vindication? Does she think Nicki Minaj has anything to do with this feud beyond appearing on Perry’s “Swish Swish”? Of course they don’t. They’ve moved on with their lives.

“The world moves on, another day, another drama, drama”? Yes, Taylor. “The world moves on.” Right here, you’re outta this world.

“But not for me, not for me, all I think about is karma”? Obviously. Maybe that’s not something to brag about. To the people who already think you’re at fault, this whole career move is just further proof that you’re a petty, vindictive snake. That’s not something to be proud of. It’s a sign that you’re stuck in a bad place and have let everyone who allegedly wronged you win.

Is that what you want, Taylor? Do you want your “haters” to win in this fight? Because let me tell you: they’re winning hard.

Also, maybe if you believe in the warped, secularized Western version of “karma” you seem to espouse, you would do well to keep quiet and let that force work its magic on its own. You’re turning your weapon on yourself, Taylor. It would be sad if it weren’t so frankly cathartic.

All of that isn’t even getting into the chorus. Whose brilliant idea was it for Swift to sample “I’m Too Sexy”? Whose even more brilliant idea was it to just let the chorus drone on meanderingly until some other part of the song picked up? It doesn’t serve any purpose other than to drill in the song’s title — and again, Swift hasn’t done anything that isn’t creating more emotional labour for herself.

While we’re talking about the song sounding like another song, let’s talk about how “Look What You Made Me Do” sounds like Lorde’s “The Louvre.” The structure of some of the verses and the chorus in the latter sound like elements of the former. The latter came out first, though, so if anyone wants to play the “who-ripped-off-whom” game, they’re going to be playing on Lorde’s team.

Then, there’s the bridge. “I don’t trust nobody and nobody trusts me,” Swift says. “Oh, give it a rest,” I say. “That you’ve put out this song at all shows that you trust at least someone to listen to it and give you those precious royalties.”

Oh, and about “the old Taylor” being “dead”? She’s not. Old Taylor was petty and dramatic. Current Taylor is petty and dramatic. Taylor-from-the-year-2050 is going to be petty and dramatic if this trend continues — and based on how much attention you get from this stuff, it probably will.

Basically, if you’re a Swiftie, you’ll probably like this song. If you’re decidedly anti-Swiftie, you might like this song, too: it’s oddly satisfying to hear Swift declare herself the guilty party without much introspection attached to that declaration.

“Look What You Made Me Do” is available on all major streaming outlets.

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Ana Holleman

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