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Taylor Swift Calls Fan ‘Detective Work’ on Her Songs ‘Weird’ and ‘Like a Paternity Test’

The comments came in a New York Times Magazine video that named her among the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters.

Overview

  • Swift, in a New York Times Magazine video published Tuesday, said parts of her fandom take lyric sleuthing to an “extreme place” and compared it to a “paternity test.”
  • She said it feels off when people insist a track targets a specific person, arguing the focus should stay on her writing because “that dude didn’t write the song.”
  • She recalled writing Love Story at 17 after her parents barred her from dating an older boy, describing the song as a moment when her own taste came first.
  • She said the hook for Elizabeth Taylor surfaced during a car ride with fiancé Travis Kelce, which led her to grab her phone and capture the idea immediately.
  • She noted that criticism has fueled songs like Blank Space and Anti-Hero and advised new artists to avoid the comments and turn sharp feedback into art rather than replies.