Taylor Swift’s surprise song at Seattle concert hypes next potential ‘Taylor’s Version’ album
Taylor Swift performing in Ireland during a 2018 'Reputation' tour concert.
By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN
(CNN) — The inimitable Taylor Swift has been on her record-breaking “Eras” tour and along the way, she’s played a different “surprise song” to change up the setlist at every concert.
On Saturday during her Seattle concert, Swift’s surprise song was an acoustic version of “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things,” a “Reputation” album track that’s been long-speculated by Swifties to be about Kanye West, who has notoriously clashed in public with the singer through the years.
It all started, as if we could forget, when the “Gold Digger” rapper notoriously interrupted Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards while she was accepting the award for best female video.
The artists clashed again in a 2016 dispute over whether or not the rapper cleared lyrics with Swift for his song “Famous,” wherein he calls Swift a “b—” and takes credit for her fame.
Despite the fact that a handful of songs from the 2017 album are played regularly on the “Eras” tour, “Nice Things” serves as a very specific reminder of what may bubble up when the “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” album eventually comes out.
In videos posted to social media from Saturday’s concert, Swift is seen giving an extra loud cackle during the song’s bridge when she sings the lyrics, “and here’s to you, because forgiveness is a nice thing to do… I can’t even say it with a straight face,” so, at least she appears to be having fun with it. (The laugh is part of the original recording.)
Regardless of the current state of Swift’s beef with West, most Swifties would agree that “Reputation” was used, in part, as a vehicle for her to take back control of her image after various disputes, and “Nice Things” is one of the many songs on the album that represents that.
Just as Swift made it a point during an “Eras” tour concert to urge “kindness” online when releasing “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” – seemingly to avoid reigniting any internet negativity toward John Mayer – it begs the question of how she’ll tackle the storylines that may reignite upon the release of “Reputation (Taylor’s Version).”
Whenever that may be – we’re not ready for it.
The-CNN-Wire
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