As Taylor Swift’s album was released on October 3rd, controversy followed it. Now, Taylor’s title as a “lyrical genius” has been challenged, as many critics and the general public criticize Taylor’s songwriting and diss towards fellow singer and songwriter Charli XCX.
Swift’s song “Actually Romantic” has been taken as a reply to Charli XCX’s song “Sympathy is a Knife.” In Charli’s song, she reflects on different times and ways she has felt insecure as a female singer. She talks about feeling small in comparison to Taylor despite not explicitly stating her name: “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show, Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick”(Charli XCX, Sympathy is Knife). The reason she was rumored to be at her show was that Taylor had dated Matt Healey, the main singer of the band The 1975; however, they are now broken up. Now, Charli is married to the drummer of The 1975, George.
While Charli’s response was personal and candid, Taylor’s seemed catty and over-the-top, singing:
“I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave
High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me
Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face
Some people might be offended.”
Some listeners compared Swift’s lyricism in this song to the infamous Regina George line, “It’s not my fault you’re obsessed with me or something” (Mean Girls). Swift goes on to sing:
“But it’s actually sweet
All the time you’ve spent on me
It’s honestly wild
All the effort you’ve put in.”
This response to Charli’s song has made people question Taylor’s authenticity as a friend to fellow singers, taking her friend’s confession to an insecurity as an insult to her infamy.
