Taylor Swift is always finding new ways to keep her fans on their toes. In the past, she has dropped albums without any warning at all, and is fond of utilizing cryptic easter eggs that have her most devoted followers constantly seeking out clues about the “August” singer’s musical output. For her new album, Midnights, she found a unique way to release her track list for the upcoming addition to her discography, and one title in particular sent fans into a tailspin, and has led to a new theory regarding the new album.
Each night at midnight, the pop star has been posting videos on TikTok where she's used a bingo cage to determine track numbers, after which she's revealed the corresponding song titles via a vintage phone. Fans are absolutely loving this, and were especially excited when she revealed the name of Midnights' eighth track, as she divulged it's set to be titled "Vigilante S**t." This marks the first time Swift has included a curse word in the title of a song. Check out the video reveal below.
@taylorswift ♬ Midnights Mayhem episode 2 - Taylor Swift
This reveal for the album title is huge, especially given her previous "Reputation" regarding her then-teen-friendly music.
Taylor Swift's (Non)History With Swearing
As any Swiftie knows, that explicit title is a pretty big deal. For years, the pop princess was known for her wholesome, down-to-earth country music. She transitioned to pop with her 2014 album 1989, but still kept her music clean and family friendly. However in 2017, Swift released Reputation, where she changed up her music style, giving her “America’s Sweetheart” image an edge. This was her first album to be marked explicit due to cursing, and contained much more mature lyrics. Ever since, Swift has been cursing in her music and beyond, and even included a curse word in "All Too Well" when she released the 10-minute version of the song off of her re-recorded album Red.
However, while Swift has defied her clean cut image in the past, the singer has never dared to include a curse word in the title of a song. This has led to many fan theories that suggest Midnights will be more explicit than albums past, bringing in a new musical era for Swift.
Cut To The Fan Theories
An article from The Blast seems to support this theory, suggesting more cursing will be present on Midnights. Along with “Vigilante S**t” the other track names Swift has revealed are “Mastermind” and “Question…?” which are all very mysterious and suggest an almost noir feel to Midnights. One fan pointed out that the titles sound like a serial killer movie.
vigilante shit??? question??? mastermind??? the track list for midnights is giving serial killer murder mystery investigationSeptember 26, 2022
If this is the theme Swift is going for, it would make sense. The pop star explored the murder mystery idea in her song, "No Body No Crime," which featured Haim. It wouldn't be uncharacteristic of her do so again. One fan even gathered a Caped Crusader theme from the song list.
“mastermind” “vigilante shit” what the fuck is taylor swift doing on her sleepless nights? fighting crime in gotham city?September 23, 2022
Honestly I wouldn't put it past Taylor Swift to be channelling Batman. The singer is constantly referencing late nights and what may be keeping her awake. She would also definitely look rad in the Bat-suit. Does this make Kanye West the Joker? Or wait, is she The Joker?
Fans will have to wait to know for sure what Taylor Swift is up to, as Midnights won't be released until October 21st. You can pre save the album on Spotify now. Swift will also be appearing alongside Margot Robbie and Christian Bale in David O’Russell’s Amsterdam, which will be released in theaters on October 7th. For other film releases that are potential Oscar contenders, check out our fall 2022 movie release schedule.
