Taylor Swift is known for her overly emotional, soul-baring lyrics. When someone of her influence in the music industry puts out an album titled, “The Tortured Poets Department,” we expect a certain amount of dramatic feelings. However, what we were not expecting from the Queen of the Swifties was to drop controversial lyrics that seemingly longed for an extremely problematic period in American history.
When the “All Too Well” artist’s new album made its debut on Friday, it became an instant streaming hit. As opinions on the various tracks began to make their way around the internet, the song “I Hate It Here” took center stage, with listeners pointing out a particularly curious line.
“My friends used to play a game where we would pick a decade we wished we could live in instead of this / I’d say the 1830s but without all the racists and getting married off for the highest bid,” Swift sings. “Everyone would look down ‘cause it wasn’t fun now seems like it was never even fun back then / Nostalgia is a mind’s trick if I’d been there, I’d hate it / It was freezing in the palace.”
The song is about the horrible state of the world and how Taylor has secret places she goes in her mind to get away from all the craziness she lives with. Seems innocent enough. But the real question is how does she get from that to living in the 1830s without racism and misogyny? Frankly, only Taylor really knows the answer to that one.
Obviously, social media had something to say about Swift’s controversial lyrics, with diehard Swifties offering their unwavering support for her, while others had thoughts about the Grammy-winner invoking the 1830s, even in a passing line.
“When you’re not NEARLY as “self aware” as you think you are because your focus is on how “fun” it may or may not have been and if you were living in the 1830s you would be LIVING IN A PALACE. Taylor Swift is fucking stupid ya’ll please listen to good music,” wrote one social media on X.
Some listeners questioned what was so interesting about the 1830s in the first place, with one user writing on X, “Aside from the problematic social issues of the time, what exactly was so enthralling about the 1830s. I can understand if Taylor Swift said the roaring 20s even the 1950s or even post Civil War reconstruction but the 1830s, huh?”
The Swifties had Taylor’s back, explaining that the lyrics were actually about “Bridgerton,” one of her favorite shows, or that she specifically said “without all the racists” so there’s no problem with the line, or that everyone should just calm down and enjoy the music.
Of course Taylor is allowed to put out whatever message she wants in her art. However, considering how huge her global platform is, we sincerely hope she listens to this criticism and takes a more thoughtful approach in the future. Some things just aren’t meant to be romanticized in song.
