Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve been bombarded with everything Taylor Swift for the last few days. Her new album The Tortured Poets Department was released on Friday, and fans have been meticulously combing through the songs to get clues about the superstar’s life.
There’s one detail in her song “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” that piqued my interest, even as a non-Swiftie.
Back in February, a TikTok about Taylor’s in-ear monitor during her Eras Tour performance went viral, with a voice counting the pop star in for four beats before a steady metronome beat played.
In Taylor’s new song there’s a clear voice counting her in, sounding just like what she hears while performing on stage.
The lyrics allude to Taylor pasting on a smile while performing at the Eras Tour while being devastated in her personal life, likely due to her breakups with Joe Alwyn and Matty Healy.
“Lights, camera, bitch, smile / Even when you wanna die / He said he’d love me all his life / But that life was too short / Breaking down, I hit the floor / All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting, ‘More’,” she croons.
TikToker Kali Gillespie shared her take on the song, saying: “The way the 1234 is not backup vocals it’s what she hears in her in-ears while performing, and this song is what’s playing in her head while performing including the count-off, and telling herself ‘bitch smile’, even though she just wants to sob.”
See for yourself:
Swifties react to ‘I Can Do It With A Broken Heart’ revelation
Once this discovery started making its way around TikTok, Swifties shared their take on the emotional song.
“We are walking down that stage with her hearing and feeling everything she does. It’s an incredible song. Total masterpiece. So raw,” one person wrote.
“This song is set up to help you keep moving through the pain. The words relate while the beat moves you forward,” another added.
“This is the song that had me sobbing. Because she was so sad but also because it was so relatable to masking in public,” a third remarked.
“The in-ear monitor! Yes! Like the show literally must go on, the metronome beat really pushes that. No time to be sad, chorus is coming, 1, 2, 3, 4, go,” another wrote.
Swifties on their dimmed Eras Tour experience
Another TikToker, Caroline, shared a video that has racked up 2.3 million views.
She made an awkward face with “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” playing in the background, asking her followers if anyone else “feels kinda bad for going to the Eras Tour” since Taylor was obviously going through some shit.
“Like are we feeling like we need to apologise, what’s the vibe? I feel so bad,” she wrote in the caption.
“No cause after my show (MetLife night 2) my mum kept saying, ‘She wasn’t herself tonight, maybe she fought with that guy’,” one fan admitted.
“Tampa N1 here, the best day of my life. While it was possibly her worst day,” another said.
“It was still amazing, but it makes me a little sad it wasn’t amazing for her. I’m sure it was still a cool experience, but this changes it a little,” a third remarked.
Considering how much the Eras Tour tickets cost and helped push the singer into billionaire status, I’m sure Tay could’ve used that money for therapy and treats. Plus, she’s made a shitload of music about her last couple of years, so Swifties, I think you’re in the clear.
Feature image: Getty & TikTok @carolines.version
