Taylor Swift bears many titles. She’s a singer, songwriter, actress, director, producer, and businesswoman.
Some of these are more associated with her than others. Although she’s had minor parts in several major movies, she is not known as an actress. And although she recently reached billionaire status—which is certainly a controversial topic, but an achievement nonetheless—she is not acknowledged enough as a businesswoman. From countless limited-time offers to multiple variants of the same album, Swift and her team are always implementing strategic marketing tactics.
In May, this was exemplified when she began selling CDs of Midnights (Late Night Edition) at some of her Eras Tour concerts which included the bonus track “You’re Losing Me (From The Vault).” The track was also available to buy as a digital download on her website for 24 hours.
Swifties ran to listen to pirated versions of the song, and it quickly became a fan favorite. Ever since Swift’s fanbase has begged her to put the song out on streaming; however, hope was being lost as more and more months passed by.
On Nov. 29, Swift released “You’re Losing Me (From The Vault)” across streaming platforms as a thank-you to her fans after she was named Spotify’s Global Top Artist this year. Although many fans, including myself, have already heard this song, listening to the actual released version was a completely new experience.
The song opens with a sample of Swift’s own heartbeat, which remains in the background throughout the whole song; this is an example of the excellent production behind her songs, and it’s something that she’s done before in her song “Wildest Dreams.”
The first verse’s lyrics allude to a relationship that is seemingly coming to an end, describing a disconnect between the two people and using the juxtaposition of light and dark to emphasize that point. Meanwhile, the heartbeat remains prominent throughout the verse which gives it a somewhat apprehensive feel.
The chorus seems to serve as a climax of all the emotion Swift has been building up throughout the song. Yet, instead of an explosion of emotion, her voice contains despair. She says the line, “Stop, you’re losin’ me” three times, using repetition as a means of accentuating the message to the other person. The simplicity of the repetition and the distinct pulse combine to miraculously put the feeling of heartbreak into a song.
She goes on to sing, “I can’t find a pulse / My heart won’t start anymore / For you.” Her metaphoric writing beautifully encapsulates the description of falling out of love being alike to death.
The second verse goes on to describe more dissension between the two, further using the motif of death and sickness. Similarly, the second pre-chorus mentions loss, and Swift sings, “And you know what they all say / You don’t know what you got until it’s gone.”
Another one of Swift’s titles that I forgot to mention is architect. She is famous among many for constructing elaborate, eloquent bridges in her songs that make the best of tracks even better; this bridge is no exception.
The desolate tone that the song has carried thus far is exchanged for desperate exasperation as Swift describes all she has done to keep this relationship alive while she is ignored. She begs her partner to do something and to choose her.
The song ends with, “I can’t find a pulse / My heart won’t start anymore,” which Swift sang earlier in the track; however, this time, there’s no “For you” at the end. Swift’s heart which has remained in the background the entire time stops beating when she sings “My heart won’t start anymore.” The music has ended and with it the relationship.
Although the wait for this song was far longer than I anticipated, each and every moment was worth it, as I can now listen to Swift shatter my heart into a million pieces whenever I want.
