Taylor Swift created a masterpiece with “Wildest Dreams” whether she knew it or not at the time. The lyrics, the composition, the music, and the music video are all the work of the true creative spirit. In this article, we revisit the classic “Wildest Dreams” song to dissect the sexual innuendo behind the meaning as Taylor released her re-recorded version “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version).”
Originally, “Wildest Dreams” was released on Taylor Swift’s fifth studio album ‘1989’ on October 27, 2014. Subsequently, the song was released as the fifth single from the album on August 31, 2015. After the legal battle with Taylor’s former record label, Big Machine Records, Taylor rerecorded all first five albums and released the rerecorded Taylor’s Version on September 17, 2021. This release is ahead of her scheduled re-release of ‘Red (Taylor’s Version),’ which is not even the album containing “Wildest Dreams.” Taylor released it seeing that “Wildest Dreams” was trending on TikTok and as a ‘thank you’ to her fans.
Commercial success
“Wildest Dreams” reached #5 on US Billboard Hot 100 Chart and #40 on the UK Singles Chart. The song did reach the #1 spot in Canada and the #3 spot in Australia. The rereleased Taylor’s Version had already broken the single-day streaming record for its original version on Spotify. By 2020, the original version had sold over 4 million copies in the US, and over 6 million worldwide.
Theme of “Wildest Dreams”
Taylor Swift and the producers, Max Martin Shellback wrote the lyrics to “Wildest Dreams.” The lyrics talk about Taylor Swift being distraught about the future of her relationship with a guy, that is burning off its flair as she speaks. She can see the end as clear as day. Her only hope is that he remembers her for the good days they had and not the bad.
In an interview, Taylor Swift spoke about the meaning behind the song; “When I meet someone, and we have a connection, the first thought I have is, ‘I hope you think well of me when this is over’.”
Taylor’s heartbeat on the instrumentals
Another iconic piece of information surrounding “Wildest Dreams” is the heartbeat sound in the song’s background. This is apparently Taylor Swift’s real heartbeat recorded. The song actually contains a piece of Taylor Swift.
Listen to “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift
Buy “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version)” on Apple Music / Amazon
Taylor Swift “Wildest Dreams” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
Verse 1
Taylor Swift starts off the verse by singing how she wants to escape from the bright lights of the city. Taylor Swift’s stardom is as big as it gets. The paparazzi have been feeding on her from day one. This has proven to be destructive to her relationships in the past. So, she wants to get away from everybody.
She uses the clever word ‘crowd’ to label all these people who intrude on her personal life. A crowd is a mass of faceless people. Nobody really knows a crowd of people. A crowd is not someone’s friend.
This is the same reason why Taylor Swift has kept a very low profile on her relationship with her current boyfriend Joe Alwyn and possibly a big factor towards how long they have been going strong together.
I thought, “Heaven can’t help me now”
Nothing lasts forever
Back in the song, Taylor Swift knows that she is holding on to burning wires. She could pray for it to work, but she knows even the Heavens above cannot help this relationship now.
‘Nothing lasts forever’ is the very nature of everything around us. We are formed by stardust and we return to become stardust, one day. With relationships, the goal is to last as long as we breathe. But for Taylor, she can see the end of this relationship right around the block.
Pre-chorus
In these lyrics, Taylor paints a picture of this guy she is entangled with. He is a tall guy, handsome, with a touch of the classic ‘bad boy’ attitude. The too-good-to-be-true kind of guy. The every-girls-dream kind of guy. This guy is not a complete a-hole. He only has the flair of a bad boy which confuses Taylor because “he does it so well.”
Taylor says that she has a habit of falling for these bad boys and she has a track record of getting heartbroken in each of them. Why is this one going to be any different! On her hit single “Blank Space,” she sings “Oh my God, look at that face / You look like my mistake.”
She can already see the end and she met him just today!
Chorus
In the hook of the song, Taylor Swift shares her only wish for this relationship–to be remembered fondly eventually when they part their ways. She paints a picture of she wants to be remembered;
Standin’ in a nice dress
Starin’ at the sunset, babe
Red lips and rosy cheeks
‘Red lips’ have become almost synonymous with Taylor Swift’s look now.
Taylor Swift knows asking for even this might be too much in this relationship. A ‘wild dream’ is a dream beyond comprehension. It breaks normal convention. This is the only situation where she is even going to be remembered in this guy’s memory after they break up.
Verse 2
In the second verse of “Wildest Dreams,” for the first time in Taylor’s career, she sings about getting sexual with a partner. Taylor Swift maintained her country-girl Tennessee innocence for four studio albums. But she was 25-years-old when this song came out and it was about time she wrote about what she really felt. Compared to “WAP,” these lyrics are the equivalent of scripture;
I said, “No one has to know what we do”
His hands are in my hair, his clothes are in my room
Taylor Swift says that this guy’s voice has become a familiar sound in her bedroom which means that they have been getting pretty sexual pretty often. Their chemistry was just reaching the fusion point and they have to say goodbye! What a disaster!
Bridge
The queen of bridges delivers again!
In these lyrics, Taylor talks about her vision for the aftermath of this relationship. As far fetches as it is, she hopes that this guy will remember the times when they were entangled under the bedsheets. Taylor is ready to bet that these explicit memories will rebound in his head in hindsight. We would not bet on it. But then again, we are talking about being in bed with Taylor Swift!
Throughout the song, Taylor Swift is only focused on one thing–the aftermath of this relationship. She realizes that this relationship is beyond saving, which is a pretty sad situation to be in. But all her career, Taylor has been turning her bitter life experiences into a million-dollar empire.
Let us hear what you think about this song in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics on Genius.