Taylor Swift wants you to feel good about yourself with her new song, “ME!”
USA TODAY
It turns out Taylor Swift is a huge “Game of Thrones” fan just like the rest of us – so much so, that it heavily inspired her sixth studio album, “Reputation.”
Swift told Entertainment Weekly that she started binge-watching the HBO juggernaut in 2016 after avoiding years of major spoilers, which is nearly unheard of these days.
The dark and grim world of Westeros and the complex characters trying to ascend to the throne instantly hooked the 29-year-old pop star, influencing a sweetly sinister approach to her 2017 album.
“These songs were half based on what I was going through, but seeing them through a ‘Game of Thrones’ filter,” Swift revealed to the outlet.
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For example, Swift said, “‘Look What You Made Me Do’ is literally Arya Stark’s kill list.”
“Look What You Made Me Do” was her lead single from “Reputation,” and Swift came out of the gate swinging with lyrics that seemed directed at Kanye West. The revenge song eerily channels Arya’s list with “Cersei vibes, too. Daenerys as well,” Swift added.
But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time
Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time
I’ve got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined
I check it once, then I check it twice, oh!
The inspiration did not stop there. “‘King of My Heart’ was influenced by Khal Drogo and Daenerys. It’s even got this post-hook of drums — I wanted them to sound like Dothraki drums,” Swift said. “‘I Did Something Bad’ I wrote after Arya and Sansa conspire to kill Littlefinger.”
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Swift, who is notorious for leaving Easter Eggs for her fans, also credited her clue dropping ways to “GoT,” like her cryptic countdown last month to April 26.
“My entire outlook on storytelling has been shaped by (Thrones) — the ability to foreshadow stories, to meticulously craft cryptic story lines,” she told ET. “So, I found ways to get more cryptic with information and still be able to share messages with the fans. I aspire to be one one-millionth of the kind of hint dropper the makers of ‘Game of Thrones’ have been.”
As for who she thinks will end up on the Iron Throne? “Daenerys, Arya or Sansa,” Swift guessed.
Contributing: Maeve McDermott
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