Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department was released last night. It was a “surprise double album,” full of songs about Joe Alwyn and Matt Healy and… at least one song about Kim Kardashian. That’s right. Kim hasn’t mentioned Taylor’s name in years and years. Kim divorced Kanye West and she’s raising her kids and existing as the billionaire co-founder of Skims. Meanwhile, Taylor is writing and singing overwrought songs about how… Kim tortured her for years (Kim did not) and Kim bullied her at school (??) and how Kim’s kids sing Taylor’s songs (they do, and I bet Kim laughs). Behold, Taylor’s “thanK you aIMee.” Yes, that’s the way she capitalized “KIM” in the song title. The queen of obvious-but-pretend-it’s-subtext.
I figured all of this was not over when Taylor once again tried to rewrite “the canceling of 2016” in her Time Magazine Person of the Year profile. As I said in my coverage at the time, I don’t want Tree Paine on my ass, but if Taylor is going to keep doing this, so can I. Taylor said, in that Time interview, that she holds Kim responsible for her “career death” with a “fully manufactured frame job.” All because Kim exposed Taylor for misrepresenting one specific thing. That’s it. A fact which I wouldn’t have to keep bringing up except Taylor has spent the past eight years trying to rewrite, reengineer and reimagine it, shifting the goalposts and expecting her fans to do the heavy lifting.
As for the song itself… I find it overwrought, and knowing the actual history, it’s actually really funny that Taylor is still torn up about it. I hope Kim takes it as a compliment, that she’s still on Taylor’s mind all these years later. “I changed your name and any real defining clues. And one day, your kid comes home singin’ a song that only us two is gonna know is about you.” Okay but also… maybe leave Kim’s children out of it?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid. Cover courtesy of Taylor Swift.