A Film for Every Taylor Swift Era
Apologies to the anti-Taylor subscribers of this blog, but I went to the Eras Tour a few weeks ago and I have to find an excuse to talk about her. I won't be offended if you skip this one!
A few weeks ago I attended the Eras Tour, which as a lifelong Swiftie was nothing short of an absolute dream. I hadn’t seen Taylor since the Reputation Tour and was very worried I wouldn’t be able to get tickets for eras. Luckily, I had a little thing called Midnight’s Presale, and I had the tickets within 15 minutes of waiting. After just short of a year of waiting for my show, I finally saw her in Edinburgh. On top of this, I got my dream surprise songs (Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve x I Know Places and Tis the Damn Season x Daylight).
Credit: Disney+ (2024)
I was thinking about what to talk about for my overdue blog post (apologies). I was going to talk about The Bikeriders, but it was so forgettable I’m having trouble recalling the film despite watching it less than 48 hours ago. I’m also very aware that a lot of you who follow me are big Taylor Swift fans (glad to know I’ve hit my target audience) and what better time to talk about her than now! I’ve done a similar list to this on my TikTok, but I wanted to go into more detail and maybe even gush about the Eras Tour!
Debut (2006) - Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)
Credit: A24 (2021)
Whenever I think of Marcel, I think about Taylor Swift’s debut album, specifically when I listen to The Outside (the best song on the album). Debut may be my least favourite Taylor album, but Marcel certainly isn’t my least favourite a24 film! He’s just a shell trying to find his place in this world.
To me, debut reminds me of spring. It’s fresh, it’s fun and signifies the start of the best season of the year (summer), similar to how debut was the start of the career for the greatest working artist. Debut and Marcel are just babies in my eyes and I feel like Marcel would love Picture to Burn, not because he relates, he just needs some angst in his life.
Unfortunately, I did not see any debut songs on the Eras tour (I had no debut surprise songs), but did see Should’ve Said No x Bad Blood on the Rep tour so I can say I’ve heard at least one song from every Taylor album live!
Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021) - Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
Credit: Studio Ghibli (2004)
Fearless feels like such a step up from debut for most Swifties. It still retains the innocence of debut but is written in a much more mature way. Whilst Marcel the Shell has some excellent writing, the world still feels very fresh and simple to me (not a bad thing) similar to debut.
When I watched Howl’s Moving Castle the world felt mature and lived in, whilst retaining fantasy elements, which is why I’ve chosen this film for Fearless TV. Everything feels like a rich fairytale in Howl’s, similar to Taylor’s album. Fearless also has The Other Side of the Door, which I’m admittingly struggling to link to a joke about the portal Howl makes for Sophie.
Admittedly, I am slightly upset that Taylor doesn’t play the song Fearless (my favourite on the album) in full, but I’m very happy that it made the setlist.
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (2023) - 500 Days of Summer (2009)
Credit: Searchlight Pictures (2009)
Both Speak Now and (500) Days of Summer balance and reflect on the fantasies vs the realities of love.
Speak Now’s most popular track, Enchanted, reads like a fantasy love story. Taylor reflects on meeting a guy and being so infatuated by him, that she became ‘Enchanted to meet him’. The song is gorgeous, every time I listen to it I feel like I’ve been transported into a fairytale. On the same album, just 4 tracks above, we have Dear John, which is one of Taylor’s most devastating songs. It details the tumultuous relationship Taylor had with (allegedly) John Mayer. She was 19 at the time and he was 32.
Dear John feels like Taylor’s first time facing the reality of how awful some relationships can be. Whilst the relationship in (500) Days of Summer is nothing like the one Taylor describes, the film does an excellent job of drawing the line between love feeling like a fantasy and the harsh realities of rejection.
Taylor Swift, I will never forgive you for cutting Long Live from the set.
Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021) - La La Land (2016)
Credit: Lionsgate (2016)
Controversial pick but please hear me out!
If La La Land were any song in Taylor’s discography it would undoubtedly be The 1 from Folklore. However, I’m here to make the La La Land x Red case.
Firstly, I don’t think La La Land is as sad as people make it out to be, similar to All Too Well. Taylor had said in an interview that All Too Well is about reflecting on a relationship, maybe things went a little wrong, but it’s not intended to be a devastating song. She also said in another interview, that after the release of Red Jake Gyllenhaal (allegedly) had expressed commemorations towards the album to Taylor, saying that it was bittersweet to look back on their time together. I think this is very similar to La La Land.
I think it’s very clear that Mia and Sebastian were not meant to end up together. I think they were two very different people, but that doesn’t mean I think their relationship was horrible. They needed each other to motivate the other to follow their dreams. I think the ending of the film is bittersweet, not sad, and reflects the reality that not many of us want to face.
I think a lot of other songs on Red sum up themes in La La Land too. Nothing New (featuring Phoebe Bridgers) perfectly sums up Mia’s “what if I’m not good enough” freakout and The Very First Night is a fun way to look at the ending of the film.
Side note; The Red set on Eras is one of her most fun! I think she could’ve included a few other songs other than the radio hits, but the crowd was at its best when she played the radio songs because everybody knew them! Also, the 22 hat is the cutest idea in the world!
1989 (Taylor’s Version) (2023) - Mistress America (2015)
Credit: Searchlight Pictures (2015)
One thing about me is that I’m always looking for an excuse to gush over Noah Baumbach’s Mistress America and Greta Gerwig in general.
1989 is an album that encapsulates figuring life out in your 20s, moving to a new city, spending time with friends, and having a few missteps in relationships. These are all topics that I think Mistress America covers in one way or another (without spoiling). Similar to 1989, the film places its importance on female friendship without losing sight of itself.
Taylor, please bring back the original 1989 outfits, they were so cute. Unexpectedly hearing I Know Places live changed my life though.
reputation (2017) - Easy A (2010)
Credit: Sony Pictures
Nobody owns this album like Olive Penderghast from Easy A. The film pretty much plays out beat-for-beat like Taylor’s album, with a few situational changes. A rumour is started about the subject, and she doesn’t know what to do, she decides to reclaim the rumour and those who love her don’t lose sight of who she truly is.
There is no other film that I could think of that would fit the bill for this album any better. Bonus points because the star of the film, Emily Stone, and Taylor are close friends in real life!
Lover (2019) - The Notebook (2004)
Credit: New Line Cinema
In this essay, I will…
In all seriousness, both the themes of Lover and The Notebook seem like the perfect love story on the outside, but when you look a little closer, there are more than a few cracks.
A few years ago, I saw a theory about the Lover album that suggested that halfway through the album, we experience the ‘loss’ of the ‘lover’ in question, around where we get Death by a Thousand Cuts, and I’ve never been able to look at Lover the same. Since seeing that theory, Joe and Taylor broke up and people are starting to see the cracks in Lover.
On the album, we feel the anxiety of The Archer and Afterglow and the complications of False God, yet for years (and still now) this is seen as Taylor’s big love album, an ode to Joe Alwyn.
I think this is similar to how we look at The Notebook as the staple example of a love story when it has some pretty questionable morals. The most famous example is on the Ferris wheel when Noah threatens to let go if Allie won’t go out with him.
To go back to The Archer, you couldn’t have kept it instead of YNTCD? I’m heartbroken.
Folklore (2020) - Past Lives (2023)
Credit: a24 (2023)
I might as well just write out the lyrics to The 1.
Just like how Folklore is Taylor Swift’s best album, this was a24’s best 2023 release. Both Past Lives and Folklore are as emotive as each other, they’re always questioning the “what ifs?” of the world, something so many of us find ourselves doing and both show us that it’s completely fine to be asking these questions, becoming a source of comfort.
Celine Song you were robbed of Best Director and, The Last Great American Dynasty you were robbed of your place on the Eras setlist.
Evermore (2020) - Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Credit: Focus Features (2005)
Sad, gay and a Cowboy Like Me, it’s Evermore.
Just like how Evermore was robbed for AOTY at the Grammy’s, Brokeback Mountain was robbed for Best Picture and just like how Evermore is Taylor’s second-best album, this is Jake Gyllenhaal’s second-best movie.
Midnights (2022) - Notting Hill (1999)
Credit: Universal Pictures (1999)
I’m fully convinced that Taylor wrote Sweet Nothing about this film and not about Paul and Linda McCartney.
Both Midnights and Notting Hill deal with the relationship between wanting to have a mundane life and fame and also the complexities of a relationship between an American superstar and a London boy.
I’m so glad that Hugh Grant’s character lets Julia Robert’s character bejewelled.
The Tortured Poets Department (2024) - Priscilla (2023)
Credit: a24 (2023)
Before I talk about this, just to clarify, I’m going to be talking about Priscilla as a work of art, not the real-life event just the film it’s based on if that makes sense!
Both Taylor’s album and Priscilla deal with the issues of having a relationship in the limelight and having some of those relationships not being with the best of people, yet still hoping things work themselves out. I also think both have an element of angst to them, which is something I think Sofia Coppola portrays extremely well in her films.
But Daddy I Love Him talks about the sometimes invasive relationship fans have with their favourite star’s personal life and how it feels to have people weigh in on something so personal to you, whilst not wanting to hide that love from the world. I think this is a theme that can be seen in Priscilla as she waits for Elvis from the sidelines at the start of the film, reassuring her mother that he will call her back when he returns to Graceland after filming for his movie. loml also reminds me a lot of the ending of the film, when Priscilla decides to leave the relationship.
If I’m being honest, most of the tracks on this album reminded me of this film in one way or another. The ones that didn't were The Alchemy and Fresh Out the Slammer.
TTPD: The Anthology (2024) - Little Women (2019)
Credit: a24
The Anthology tracks mostly remind me of the parts of Little Women where the sisters are older. These scenes, similar to The Anthology are about reminiscing on the good, the bad and the ugly parts of their childhood. The Bolter was absolutely written about Amy March - “By all accounts, she almost drowned when she was six in frigid waters”. How Did It End captures the same feeling every time Laurie’s rejected proposal is brought up by the other characters and imgonnagetyouback reminds me of Jo’s impulsive plan to try and get Laurie to propose again, only to find out he is married to her sister, Amy.