Taylor Swift released “Blank Space” as the second single from her 2014 album ‘1989.’ The song became huge for Taylor Swift as she portrayed (or rather accepted) herself as the girl who goes crazy for love, quite literally. At least this is how the media and the public perceived her to be. At this point in her life, Taylor was tired of being given identities by everyone. So, the albums ‘1989’ and ‘Reputation’ saw Taylor accepting what everyone had to say and wearing it like armor.
“Blank Space” was a major commercial success for Taylor Swift. The single has sold over 10 million copies around the world, with 8 million sales coming from the US. The song also peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and stayed at #1 for 7 weeks. This #1 supremacy came at the cost of dethroning the first single from the same album “Shake It Off.”
“Blank Space” was nominated for three awards at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards in 2016 but failed to win any. However, in 2021, Rolling Stone magazine inducted “Blank Space” to their list of ‘500 Greatest Songs of All Time‘ at #357.
In an interview with the GQ Magazine, Taylor Swift talked about the idea behind “Blank Space” lyrics;
You take your creative license and create things that are larger than life. You can write things like I get drunk on jealousy but you’ll come back each time you leave, ’cause darling I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream. That is not my approach to relationships. But is it cool to write the narrative of a girl who’s crazy but seductive but glamorous but nuts but manipulative? That was the character I felt the media had written for me, and for a long time I felt hurt by it. I took it personally. But as time went by, I realized it was kind of hilarious.
Miss Swift also spoke about how “Blank Space” would still be interpreted in different ways despite the obvious satire embedded in it;
People with different senses of humor perceive it differently. You’ll have people who completely get the joke and they’re saying, ‘Oh, look, she’s completely taken back the narrative, and she’s singing from the perspective of the person the media paints her to be.“ And then other people will be listening to it on the radio and thinking, “I knew it! I knew she was crazy!’
The Joseph Khan-directed music video was a major hit as well. Taylor Swift plays the psychotic lover she sings about in the song. The castle in the video is Oheka Castle, in West Hills, New York. In the video, Taylor Swift slowly descends into insanity as she sees her boyfriend texting some other girl. She then goes on a rampage to destroy household items, burn his clothes, and then smash his car with a golf club.
Watch “Blank Space” Music Video by Taylor Swift
Buy “Blank Space” on iTunes / Amazon
Taylor Swift “Blank Space” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
Verse 1
Taylor Swift starts the song with everything she wants us to know wrapped in a few lines. She goes from meeting a random guy for the first time ever, to falling in love, playing the game of love, and being beaten in love.
From the first ‘nice to meet you,’ Taylor skips to ‘I could show you incredible things’ which usually comes way down the road in a relationship. However, this Taylor has no chill when it comes to falling in love.
‘Magic, madness, heaven, and sin’ are all polar opposites of each other and are what Taylor promises in her relationship. Love is often compared to magic when it’s good and to madness when it’s going downhill. Being in love does feel heavenly at times and like hell when you are in the wrong relationship.
“Oh my God, look at that face
You look like my next mistake
Taylor Swift falls hopelessly in love with this boy who looks like an Abrocrombie model. Taylor already knows that this is not going to work but who has time for ‘what if’s. She will give love another try. Like a game of dice, she keeps rolling until her luck or charm strikes out.
Verse 2
Moving right on to the second verse, Taylor Swift piles up on her short-sighted decision making when it comes to love. She sees a guy with new money, new suit and a tie and her heart races. This is what others see, at least. Taylor Swift has had a list of celebrities as ex-boyfriends from Taylor Lautner, John Mayer, Joe Jonas, Tom Hiddleston, Conor Kennedy, Harry Styles, Jake Gyllenhaal, and her current boyfriend Joe Alwyn. The truth of the matter is Taylor is probably richer than all of them and she does need money out of a guy she dates.
So hey, let’s be friends
I’m dyin’ to see how this one ends
From ‘hey, how are you’ to the end of the relationship, Taylor foresees it all. And she sees no happy endings in any of it. Although the lyrics hint that she is eager for the ending of the relationship, the true meaning behind these line is that she knows her relationships are bound to fail at some point for some reason. She does not know what it would be now, but she is almost certain that she will not have a happily-ever-after with a guy who fits the profile in this song.
Watch Taylor Swift Perform “Blank Space” Live at Victorias Secret Fashion Show 2014
Chorus
So Taylor Swift questions herself is this one going to be forever? or going to burn down in flames as did all before this.
Every relationship that ends goes through the phases of magic, wonder, high, sadness, agony, and anger. Taylor knows this, having gone through so many. At this point, she does not expect her relationships to last forever. At this point, her only victory is if the highs of the relationship are strong enough to offset the pain of the imminent breakup.
‘Cause we’re young and we’re reckless
Taylor Swift has been a superstar ever since her first song “Tim McGraw.” That was decades ago. So, naturally, she is the highlight wherever she is. Maintaining a private life was an impossible life for Taylor at some point in her life and was most likely the reason why some of her relationships failed. And she is young and looking for love. What else are you supposed to do than give love a chance everytime it fails?!
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They’ll tell you I’m insane
Taylor Swift was once called a serial-dater; one who jumps from relationship to relationship. For some reason the blame for these failed relationships always seem to fall on Taylor too. So, she wears this claim like armor so no one can use it against her anymore. She admits that she has a long list of ex lovers. So what?
These lyircs also sparked some confusion among the fans as some heard it as “all the lonely Starbucks lovers.” Taylor later clarified the lyrics.
But I’ve got a blank space, baby
And I’ll write your name
Taylor does not give up. She sees the next boy she likes and she wants to find out how it would go. She has not one, but many blank spaces her in her long list of ex lovers. So why not keep filling it until she finds that one person?!
Verse 3
In the third verse of the song, more playful acts by Taylor follows. She promises ‘stolen kisses’ and ‘pretty lies,’ both of which are not necessarily trademarks of a longterm relationship.
Find out what you want
Be that girl for a month
Taylor was once said to be so manipulative that she changes who she actually is just to bag the men she wants to date. Eventually when the actual person is revealed, it becomes a deal breaker for them. The truth is that we cannot agree nor disagree with these claims. But one thing we can tell is that Taylor Swift has built her image in a certain way and the media and the public has perceived it in a certain way. A celebrity you see on TV must be very different when you spent days and night with the same person in a house. The celebrity lifestyle is the highlight reel. Dating is normal life. There definitely will be a massive gap between the two.
Verse 4
When these gaps start to reveal themself, they get to know that a celebrity on TV is just another normal human being with needs and wants and emotions. For someone superficial, this might come as a shock or a deal breaker. And the storms begin.
Screaming, crying, perfect storms
I can make all the tables turn
Rose garden filled with thorns
The cherry-lipped, beautiful girl with pretty lies is no more. The monster inside awakens and it is not pretty. Taylor Swift is flawed with the same human emotions that all of us have. She gets jealous, she gets angry, feels sad, and the whole works, just like us.
But you’ll come back each time you leave
‘Cause, darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream
Eventhough her long list of ex-lovers keep publicizing that Taylor Swift is crazy, they keep coming back to her. Taylor Swift is absolutely gorgeous-looking, especially with her signature red lips. She looks like a daydream — the innocent Tennessee girl you can take home to your parents. But she is also the Texan devil when poked in the wrong places. She can very easily be a nightmare to the boys as well.
Everything said in the song is what the public wants Taylor Swift to be or be perceived as. Taylor Swift wears all of these accusations like armor. Now no one can shame her for having a long list of ex lovers because she already admitted to it (and made millions of dollars while doing so. Remember the song sales stats?).
What do you think about this song? Was Taylor Swift at wrong for trying out her luck with love? Let us know in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics on Genius.