LONDON – Taylor Swift fans are doing their best to decipher their favorite poet.
As the “Tortured Poet” pop star heads into the fourth night of a five-date series of her famous Eras Tour at London’s Wembley Stadium, one question is on the minds of all Swifties: When is “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” coming out?
The album will be Swift’s fifth project to be released as “Taylor’s Version,” an exercise Swift began to reclaim her artistic ownership after her original master recordings were sold in 2020. The sale, Swift said at the time, “robbed me of my life’s work.” Her latest “Taylor’s Version” release, “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” is set to be released in October 2023.
While fans were treated to a new double album in April, they’re now clamoring for “more” in anticipation of a re-recording of “Reputation,” which first came out in November 2017. The album features hi-fi dance beats and a hint of anger with songs like “Delicate” and “Ready For It” that resonate with fans today (think of the soundtrack to Simone Biles’ gold-medal-winning floor routine at the Paris Olympics).
Easter eggs are practically Swift’s birthright. But speculation has reached fever pitch (seriously, pack your earplugs) as 92,000 fans (including the author) pack the London shows, which run through Tuesday and conclude the European leg of the Eras Tour.
So what is Swift trying to tell us?
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Is the fifth night in London the big night?
Fans know to pay attention to Swift’s hand signals. They learned that lesson in February when she accepted the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and made a special announcement of her upcoming album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” She showed two fingers when she announced the news.
“Two”? What did “two” mean? The peace sign sent the internet into a frenzy. And finally, the research paid off when Swift unexpectedly released a double album at 2 a.m. in April. The lesson: She wasn’t just a star on stage accepting an award. She wanted to tell her fans something.
Now, Eras attendees are looking for more clues, with some posting on social media that Swift flashed a “2-0” instead of the classic “2-2” choreography while performing the hip-hop hit “22” during the “Red” portion of Saturday night’s show.
Fans believe the 2-0 score could be a reference to August 20, the final night of Eras’ performance at Wembley, when the pop star will perform “Reputation (Taylor’s Version).”
This hand was quite snake-like…
The song “Karma,” from the album “Midnights,” marks the conclusion of the three-hour-plus song fest that is the Eras Tour. As Swift flexed her hips as usual in a glittery body suit and feather jacket, fans noticed something crazy about her bejeweled goodbye wave at the end of the night.
The star appeared to make a snake-like hand gesture as she waved goodbye at the end of the show on August 17. Was it a wry wave from a tired woman after singing 44 songs? Or a sign that she is the snake queen that fans want her to be?
Further information: Taylor Swift finally sings the long-awaited song “Reputation”
Another fan posted a photo of Wembley Stadium, with red and green lights shining into the London sky, reminiscent of the scales of a snake.
The snake is a metaphor Swift uses frequently when she wears a black body suit with red snakes on it during the “Reputation” portion of the Eras setlist. The reptile alludes to dishonesty and distrust that damaged Swift’s reputation and was revived through her music as a symbol of her counterattack.
Whether she made the snake-like gesture or the calendar overlays intentionally is probably less important than what fans saw: Her fangs are sunk deep and she’s not going anywhere, even as her billion-dollar tour nears its end. While “Tortured Poets” remains at the top of the charts, the release of “Reputation” will secure her a place at the top of the music industry for months to come.
Fans are still trying to make sense of it all, vying for insights into the inner world of their favorite mastermind. In a way, attending the tour at this late stage is as much about finding out what’s next as it is about celebrating Swift’s 18th anniversary in music.
In her title song “The Tortured Poets Department,” Swift asks, “Who can decode you?”
As the tour enters its penultimate night in London on Monday, fans respond: “We can.”
