i’ve seen a few people make fun of the “and you were tossing me the car keys, ‘fuck the patriarchy’ keychain on the ground” lyric, but i actually think its a really interesting and deep lyric, and it comments a lot on the persona of taylor’s partner in this song. he puts up this pretence as the feminist guy who respects women, but we learn from the rest of all too well, and other songs on the album, that he has manipulative and disrespectful tendencies towards women: he dehumanises taylor into some trophy to reflect better onto him (all too well, ten minute version), ignores her needs and emotions and makes her feel ‘needy’ (all too well, ten minute version), the likelihood is that he also cheated on her (babe), and he lied to her as well (the moment i knew, all too well, ten minute version), not to mention the whole thing with younger women (“i’ll get older but your lovers stay my age”, all too well, ten minute version). the keychain being on the ground is pretty significant too — he dropped his façade and revealed who he truly was to taylor, and it led to the destruction of their relationship. idk i think its a pretty loaded lyric, actually.
The fact that Taylor said — ‘Fuck the Patriarchy’ in All Too Well (10 minute version) which might have been taken from Sally Rooney’s Conversations With Friends, which is apparently one of Taylor’s favourite books and also the soon-to-be-released tv series with Joe Alwyn as the main character — is eating me alive, and I didn’t know where else to go with all this bromelianised knowledge!
It’s been a few days and I’m still not over All Too Well (TV), the 10-minute version, and the short film…so I’m going to word vomit about it, of course.
This isn’t even about All Too Well as a song honestly (even though I personally believe it’s a musical masterpiece, of course). More importantly, though is the catharsis.
It’s nothing new that TS is amazing at putting in her emotions in a song and making them so, so relatable. It’s one of the reasons why she’s loved so much by her fans, but she is also loved and important because she has consistently made the case that young love and heartbreak isn’t frivolous and unimportant the way in which “serious” media and “adults” tend to portray it. This has stayed true from her music in Taylor Swift through the cardigan-betty-august trio in folklore(I can’t remember if evermore has any songs that refer, specifically, to young love). Her music reassures you that your emotions are valid, that it’s okay to feel love and pain with intensity no matter how young you are and how casual the relationship might seem to the people around you. This is probably why I loved the original version of All Too Well so much; the sheer rawness of the song, and the emotion in every live performance that you could see so, so clearly. And that,inmy opinion, is why so many Swifties have such a deep connection to this song in particular. Red may have been a mosaic of emotions, but this made you see her pain when she performed. How could anyone who loved her not feel a connection?
And then you have the new versions in 2021. And they’re even more special, because now they represent the strength of experiencing pain but making your way past it. The SNL live performance of the 10-minute version? Not only was the performance great in itself, but to see her look so strong while singing this raw expression of her heartbreak and–in this version–anger, GOD. I loved it, and I cried.
As fans, we’ve seen TS be happy and at peace and seeing this version of her take up the songs that represent a bruised, broken part of her and making it clear that she has taken the pain and made it into something so amazing is fucking INSPIRING okay. Love you Taylor, I’m so glad you’re happy now.
Fuck you J.G., ugh.
Actually, nah. I refuse to make this about this man now. This should be about Taylor and her skills and growth and emotions.
just here thinking about how in the chorus of ATW taylor shouts “MAYBE WE WERE LOST IN TRANSLATION” and Lost In Translation is a movie about a romance between a young woman and a much much older man
