Taylor Swift released a surprise album on December 11, 2020, titled "Evermore." One of the standout tracks on the album is "Willow." The song showcases Taylor's signature lyrical storytelling, combined with a dreamy and enchanting production. "Willow" is an introspective and romantic track that follows the theme of love and destiny. Taylor's haunting vocals perfectly capture the emotions of longing and hope. The delicate instrumentals, featuring piano and strings, add to the ethereal atmosphere of the song.
However, interest in witches has increased due to social media. Hubbard credits female empowerment and politics as the sole reasons. He believes that Swift has made that transition with her artwork.
Ever since I was 13, I ve been excited about turning 31 because it s my lucky number backwards, which is why I wanted to surprise you with this now, she wrote on Instagram in revealing the track list. On the Folklore track Invisible String, Swift croons about an invisible string that all along tied her to her lover, which more or less seems to be used as a motif throughout this video, as it goes from the past to the present of a young couple s love with the thread tying all of the moments together.
The delicate instrumentals, featuring piano and strings, add to the ethereal atmosphere of the song. In the lyrics of "Willow," Taylor sings about being deeply connected to someone and willing to navigate any obstacles for their love. She paints a vivid picture of a mystical garden and compares her love to a willow tree, firmly rooted and bending but never breaking.
Breaking down the Easter eggs in Taylor Swift's 'Willow' music video
Lauren Huff is a writer at Entertainment Weekly with over a decade of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry. After graduating with honors from the University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em, Horns!), Lauren wrote about film, television, awards season, music, and more for the likes of The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood, Us Weekly, Awards Circuit, and others before landing at EW in May 2019. She is also the current president of the Hollywood Critics Association.
Published on December 11, 2020 Photo: Taylor Swift/YouTubeIt wouldn't be a Taylor Swift album release without an Easter egg hunt.
Luckily, after taking some time off in that regard with Folklore's lone music video for "Cardigan," which didn't really feature many knots to untangle, Swift is back to form with "Willow." The new music video, which comes by way of her surprise ninth studio album Evermore that released Thursday night, is chock-full of references to Swift's older music, in particular Evermore's sister album, Folklore.
Here, EW breaks down all the little Easter eggs, throwbacks, and familiar faces you might have missed, complete with timestamps for easy reference.
A familiar costar
Swift joined fans on YouTube before the debut of the video to answer some questions. It was there that she revealed that "you've seen my co-star in this video somewhere before." Turns out, Taeok Lee, who plays the singer's love interest in the vid, was a backup dancer for Swift on her Red tour back in 2013. After the video debuted, Lee thanked the pop star on Instagram. "Surprise guys! Thanks Tay for bringing me back again for this project. It means a lot to me & it was great working together again," he wrote.
"Cardigan" and "Exile," :00
The video starts with an easy one: It picks up exactly where the "Cardigan" music vid left off, with Swift soaking wet, sitting at a piano, wearing a — you guessed it! — cardigan. The set appears to be the same in both videos, but this time, Swift is holding a glowing, golden thread. Since the opening shot is basically the exact same between the two videos, one could argue that it's also a reference to Folklore's "Exile," which features the lyrics "I think I've seen this film before, and I didn't like the ending."
"Invisible String," :13
This brings us to the next most obvious reference, which is the gold string that appears throughout "Willow." On the Folklore track "Invisible String," Swift croons about an invisible string that all along tied her to her lover, which more or less seems to be used as a motif throughout this video, as it goes from the past to the present of a young couple's love with the thread tying all of the moments together. In the aforementioned track, the singer even refers to the string as "one single thread of gold tied me to you," which seems like a pretty clear reference here.
"Seven," 1:00
Folklore's "Seven" sees Swift pondering an old friendship from her childhood, and here, a young version of the lovers as children pops up around the one-minute mark.
"Mirrorball" and "Love Story," 1:26
After leaving the childhood segment, Swift walks through the tent only to step into a glass box on a stage, ready to perform for a crowd. The romantic off-white dress and headpiece she's wearing harken back to her "Love Story" music video, which is very fitting considering she just released the first look at the newly recorded version of that Fearless song. Also during the YouTube chat with fans, Swift revealed that one scene in the "Willow" video "represents how I feel about fame." Folklore track "Mirrorball" is pretty much a treatise on that subject, with Swift comparing herself to a disco ball spinning alone for everyone to ogle at, which feels like how she's being presented in this scene.
". Ready For It?," 2:08
After the glass cage incident, Swift and a group of people head out into the woods, donning capes. The look and feel of the cape and the way the camera follows Swift's face is a dead ringer for the ". Ready For It?" music video from the Reputation era. Watch the beginning of that video here for reference.
"Mad Woman" and "I Did Something Bad," 2:19
Turns out there's some witchy stuff going on in those woods, and Swift has made several references to witches in recent years. On Reputation's "I Did Something Bad," the bridge features the lyrics, "They're burning all the witches even if you aren't one." And more recently on Folklore, the pop star sings on "Mad Woman" that "women like hunting witches, too." Here, she lets that witchy flag fly high.
"Daylight," 3:36
Ah, finally a Lover reference! Swift seems to end things here on a Lover-approved high note with a reference to the final track on that album, "Daylight." In "Willow," after the cloaks and witches scene, Swift's character returns to the cabin from the beginning of the video to find her man waiting for her at the end of the golden thread. The two hold hands and walk out into a golden ray of sunlight. In "Daylight," Swift sings about throwing out her cloaks and daggers and — most importantly! — how she has to "step into the daylight and let it go," which is exactly what she does here. Case closed.
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The video starts with an easy one: It picks up exactly where the "Cardigan" music vid left off, with Swift soaking wet, sitting at a piano, wearing a — you guessed it! — cardigan. The set appears to be the same in both videos, but this time, Swift is holding a glowing, golden thread. Since the opening shot is basically the exact same between the two videos, one could argue that it's also a reference to Folklore's "Exile," which features the lyrics "I think I've seen this film before, and I didn't like the ending."
The music video for "Willow" is a continuation of the storyline from Taylor's previous song "Cardigan." It explores a magical world where Taylor follows a golden thread, leading her through different landscapes, eventually reuniting her with her love interest. The visuals are captivating and further enhance the enchanting mood of the song. "Willow" received widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike, praising Taylor's songwriting and vocal performance. It quickly became a fan-favorite and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Overall, "Willow" showcases Taylor Swift's ability to create compelling narratives within her music. It is a beautifully crafted song that resonates with listeners, capturing the essence of love, perseverance, and the magic of destiny..
Reviews for "The Emotional Resonance of Taylor Swift's 'Willow Wutch"
1. Jane - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Taylor swift willow wutch". The song lacked substance and felt repetitive. The lyrics were quite generic and didn't leave a lasting impact on me. Overall, it felt like a rushed production and not one of Taylor Swift's best works. I hope her next release is more thought-provoking and engaging.
2. Mark - 1 star - I just couldn't connect with "Taylor swift willow wutch" at all. The melody was forgettable and didn't do justice to Taylor Swift's vocal abilities. The song lacked depth and was too commercial for my taste. It felt like a generic pop song that could have been sung by anyone. I expected more from Taylor Swift and was disappointed by this release.
3. Emma - 2 stars - "Taylor swift willow wutch" fell flat for me. The production felt overproduced and drowned out Taylor Swift's voice. The lyrics were lackluster and didn't resonate with me. It felt like a generic pop song that didn't showcase Taylor Swift's talent and artistry. I hope she experiments with different genres and delivers something more unique in the future.
4. John - 2 stars - I had high expectations for "Taylor swift willow wutch", but it didn't live up to them. The song felt repetitive and lacked a memorable hook. The production was too formulaic and didn't offer anything refreshing. Overall, it was a forgettable track in Taylor Swift's discography. I hope she takes more risks and explores new sounds in her future releases.