Taylor Swift is in the news, so let's celebrate "Trouble" from the album "Red." This song is so ubiquitous, it's easy to imagine that it just grew up out of the soil like a blade of grass. But in fact it's the end result of some smart calculations.
Once upon a time--
A few mistakes ago--
I was in your sights--
You got me alone.
Like a memoir writer, Taylor immediately establishes that this story involves twins: "Taylor Then" and "Taylor Now." Taylor Now will empathize with but also lightly mock Taylor Then: The sense of ambivalence creates tension, and it also creates humor. By opening with fairy-tale lingo, Taylor Now is making fun of her own wide-eyed reputation. And it's a nice touch to measure time in "mistakes."
I guess you didn't care--
And I guess I liked that.
And when I fell hard--
You took a step back--
Without me.
And he's long gone
When he's next to me.
And I realize
The blame is on me.
Taylor isn't working too hard for a metaphor; it just pops up. Harry Styles's lothario behavior evokes thoughts of a "trust fall": Styles walks away at the moment he is asked to reach out his arms. The verse ends with a triumphant insight: Swift blames herself. So many people cannot cast themselves as anything other than a victim in their own anecdotes: Here they are, bursting with good intentions, and the confounding world just unleashes a beating. But Swift acknowledges that she herself is complicit in her humiliation. It's a charming twist.
I will always defend this song--not that it needs my defense. "Red" (or at least its first half) is sort of dazzling.
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