Fans think Taylor Swift song 'betty' is a queer love story
Taylor Swift's new album folklore dropped last week, and since, the fans have been running riot with their theories. As well as thinking Joe Alwyn co-wrote two songs on the record, they've also been pointing out the similarities between the video for 'cardigan' and the video for her ex Harry Styles' 'Falling'. And, as per, LGBTQ+ fans have been theorising that one of the songs - 'betty' - is actually a queer anthem.
'betty' is an ode to a girl called Betty (well, duh) and in it, Taylor sings about kissing her on the porch. Sounds gay, right? That's what fans think. Here are the lyrics:
Betty, I won't make assumptions
About why you switched your homeroom, but
I think it's 'cause of me
Will you love me?
Will you kiss me on the porch
In front of all your stupid friends?
If you kiss me, will it be just like I dreamed it
Since its release, queer Twitter has been wild with reactions to what is perceived to be a sapphic love story about a relationship gone wrong.
lgbt stands for:
lesbian
gay
betty
transgender— norman fucking rockwell (@scotty_13_) July 24, 2020
folklore is really the cottage core lesbian album, betty said so
— julia cudney (@juliaannecudney) July 24, 2020
betty is a lesbian anthem and the teenage love triangle is a sapphic love story & no, i don't take constructive criticism #Folklore
— BLM ACAB | hannah (@hannahsanghvi_) July 24, 2020
The “B” in LGBTQ stands for Betty. Taylor’s song Betty is a queer anthem. Tay is here and queer. I don’t make the rules. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. pic.twitter.com/2btDpWNI40
— Medge (@LivinOffTheEDGE) July 24, 2020
And songs like #Betty are why the queer community love @taylorswift13. Whether our readings are correct or not is irrelevant. If we can find queer readings of a song, those readings are still valid 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈 #TaylorSwift #Folklore pic.twitter.com/rtAy1sDZUp
— Jade Evans (@enchantedbyfilm) July 24, 2020
Longing, heartache, not wanting to kiss in front of pals, a mention of a skateboard? Do all signs point to queer romance? Fans think so.
While other fans have pointed out 'betty' is actually sung from a dude called James' point of view, the die hard queer fans have retaliated by theorising: Taylor Swift is thought to be named after James Taylor. Ergo, in this song she IS James.
A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 23, 2020 at 9:06pm PDT
This certainly isn't the first time fans have shared theories about Taylor's queerness. There have long been theories that she dated model Karlie Kloss - earning them the nickname Kaylor.
When Taylor released her previous record Lover, queer fans analysed song 'Cornelia Street' and deduced that she was singing about Karlie. (More on that right here).
It's also been pointed out that in both 'betty' and 'Cornelia Street' there are mentions of streetlights... possibly tying the two songs together.
Posting about folklore on Instagram, Taylor wrote, "In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result, a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness. Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory. I’ve told these stories to the best of my ability with all the love, wonder, and whimsy they deserve. Now it’s up to you to pass them down."
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