Not the Theme from Love Story
This is probably an easy target - low degree of difficulty, but I went ahead with it for two reasons: 1) it was a request and 2) I recently stumbled on an article that was gushing about the quality of Swiftâs lyrics, especially early on. Iâm not even sure if this is an early work or not; if you gave me a list of her top 10 or 15 hits I might be able to hum two of them. Sheâs really not on my radar. But whoever is responsible for this travesty of arranged word things, he or she is an idiot, because this is terrible.
One non-lyrical note, the video for this song appears to be attempting to reference Shakespeare in the same way the song does: Inaccurately. The costumes are closer to Victorian than Elizabethan, and it recalls more of an âEyes Wide Shutâ vibe than it does âRomeo and Juliet.â I donât think itâs intentional, but it would be awesome if it were
Taylor Swift, Love Story
We were both young when I first saw you so far so good. this song relies heavily on the Romeo and Juliet narrative, so we can basically assume sheâs around 14. letâs hope itâs a song about holding hands. I close my eyes And the flashback starts Iâm standing there On a balcony in summer air See the lights See the party, the ball gowns I see you make your way through the crowd yeesh. I get that this is exposition, but itâs so monosyllabic and lacking in detail. maybe Iâm expecting too much from a 14 year old, though. You say âhelloâ, little did I know That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles hm. the pebbles metaphor is a bit misplaced - not really how the playâs initial meeting went. starting to wonder if sheâs even read it. And my daddy said stay away from Juliet Iâm not sure what bugs me about this line. itâs source-accurate, so she at least skimmed the Cliffâs Notes, but what irks me is the phrasing. Maybe she does air quotes when she performs it. And I was crying on the staircase Begging you please donât go, and I said âRomeo take me somewhere we can be alone Iâll be waiting all thereâs left to do is run Youâll be the prince and Iâll be the princess Itâs a love story baby just say yesâ thatâs your hook, there. ugh. weâre starting to blur the connection with the Shakespeare reference (all of a sudden weâre royalty!) plus, anyone who has read Romeo and Juliet knows itâs a Tragedy, not a Romance. Itâs not a love story at all, itâs mostly about horny teenagers who misread their hormones. something tells me this song isnât going to end in a double suicide. So I sneak out to the garden to see you We keep quiet âcause weâre dead if they knew well, banishâed, but I guess thatâs worse. So close your eyes Escape this town for a little while âCause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter boom. there it is. this is the lyrical equivalent of mixing you metaphors. whatâs that? you thought mixing metaphors was the lyrical equivalent of mixing your metaphors? shut up, you! anyway, we just blatantly referenced a totally different story, and crossed a bunch of wires in doing so. what does this even mean? did she get knocked up while their eyes were closed? how, exactly, or even figuratively, is she a symbol of adultery? I mean, sheâs still 14, she didnât mention this dude is married, and my brain is going to explode so letâs just leave it at this: stupid line, no make sense. And my daddy said stay away from Juliet But you were everything to me I was begging you please donât go and I said âRomeo take me somewhere we can be alone Iâll be waiting all thereâs left to do is run Youâll be the prince and Iâll be the princess Itâs a love story baby just say yesâ âRomeo save me, theyâre trying to tell me how to feel This love is difficult, but itâs real this time we alter the hook so that we can reinforce gender stereotypes and drop shitty prose. worth it? Donât be afraid, weâll make it out of this mess Itâs a love story baby just say yesâ Oh oh oh oh I got tired of waiting Wondering if you were ever coming around I know what youâre thinking, but Iâm fairly certain thatâs not an intentional double entendre. My faith in you was fading When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said âRomeo save me Iâve been feeling so alone I keep waiting for you but you never come also not an intentional double entendre. itâs just literal. even though heâs right there in front of her. she is literally speaking this line in his presence. Is this in my head? I donât know what to thinkâ He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said âMarry me Juliet, youâll never have to be alone I love you and thatâs all I really know I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress Itâs a love story baby just say⌠yesâ so yeah, obviously didnât make it to the end. not even the Baz Luhrman version. possibly, she saw Gnomeo and Juliet, which would better explain this. also, a white dress? really? after the Scarlett Letter reference, youâre not fooling anyone, honey. Oh, oh, oh, oh âCause we were both young when I first saw you. I assume this is so that you can play the song on loop. like âThe Song that Never Ends. â only somehow, worse.


















