Taylor Swift served up a shock deal with for her followers, releasing the music video for her Midnights tune “Lavender Haze” at, properly, midnight. The visuals arrived lower than 24 hours after she introduced the drop on Thursday morning. And given it is a Swift music video, there are ample easter eggs in it referencing her previous, lyrics, and doable future music releases.
Swift defined on Twitter shortly after the video’s launch that it served as a temper board for the album. “This was the primary video I wrote out of the three which were launched, and this one actually helped me conceptualize the world and temper of Midnights, like a sultry sleepless 70’s fever dream. Hope you prefer it,” she wrote.
Swift herself gave away the that means of “Lavender Haze” whereas discussing the observe earlier than its launch. “Lavender Haze is observe 1 on Midnights,” she stated in an Instagram video in October. “I occurred upon the phrase ‘lavender haze’ after I was watching Mad Males. I seemed it up as a result of I assumed it sounded cool. And it seems that it’s a typical phrase used within the ’50s the place they might describe being in love. If you happen to’re within the ‘lavender haze,’ then that meant you have been in that all-encompassing love glow. And I assumed that was actually lovely.”
She added, “I assume, theoretically, whenever you’re within the ‘lavender haze,’ you’ll do something to remain there. And never let folks deliver you down off of that cloud. I believe that lots of people need to take care of this now, not similar to ‘public figures,’ as a result of we stay within the period of social media, and if the world finds out for those who’re in love with someone they’re going to weigh in on it. Like my relationship for six years we’ve needed to dodge bizarre rumors, tabloid stuff, and we simply ignore it. So this tune is concerning the act of ignoring that stuff to guard the true stuff.”
She additionally defined her love of hiding easter eggs for followers in her work in an announcement she gave to the Washington Post this October. “After I was 15 and placing collectively my first album, […] I made a decision to encode the lyrics with hidden messages utilizing capital letters,” she stated. “That’s the way it began, and my followers and I’ve since descended into colour coding, numerology, phrase searches, elaborate hints, and Easter eggs. It’s actually about turning new music into an occasion for my followers and attempting to entertain them in playful, mischievous, intelligent methods. So long as they nonetheless discover it enjoyable and thrilling, I’ll preserve doing it.”
Right here, all one of the best easter eggs from “Lavender Haze” which were recognized and decoded by followers to this point. You possibly can watch the music video beneath.
The clock placing midnight: An apparent one, referencing her Midnights album and lyric, “meet me at midnight.”
Swift’s “Mastermind” file: A possible trace of what Midnights‘ subsequent single (and music video) could possibly be and one other observe seemingly about her partner Joe Alwyn, who additionally impressed “Lavender Haze.” A fan additionally famous that the album artwork appears to make the constellations for her star signal Sagittarius align with Alwyn’s star signal of Pisces.
The clock puff of smoke: A reference to Alice in Wonderland‘s caterpillar and the clock imagery she has used to advertise Midnights. The again of her completely different album variations type a clock.
The koi fish referencing her Speak Now guitar: Swift hinted in her “Bejeweled” music video too that Converse Now (Taylor’s Model) was her subsequent upcoming re-recording.
The 13 over Nashville, Swift’s house, within the climate report: Eagle-eyed Swifties shortly caught the refined name out to Swift’s favourite quantity.
The purple imagery all through “Lavender Haze” additionally serves as a nod to Converse Now coming subsequent. Swift, in her “Bejeweled” music video, used purple on the elevator buttons to represent that re-release.
The midnight climate report, as one Swiftie identified, is a reference to album observe “Midnight Rain.”
The climate man can be Swift’s love curiosity within the music video, Laith Ashley. Followers identified it illustrates her lyric from “Karma,” “Karma is the man on the display, coming straight house to me.”
Swift’s purple flower subject appears to allude to her “Our Music” music video, one other fan identified. “Our Music” is from her debut album.
Swift referenced “Bejeweled” along with her bejeweled desk prime, one Swiftie observed. Swift seems to be alluding to a number of Midnights tracks and their lyrics within the video.
This publish can be up to date with extra Easter eggs as they’re recognized.
Senior Information and Technique Editor
Alyssa Bailey is the senior information and technique editor at ELLE.com, the place she oversees protection of celebrities and royals (significantly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She beforehand held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves operating round Central Park, making folks take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York Metropolis.