Taylor Swift learned to write songs from the movies. “I’d never been in a relationship when I wrote my first couple of albums, so these were all projections,” she explained in a 2015 interview with Elle magazine. “They were based on movies and books and songs and literature that tell us that a relationship is the most magical thing that can ever happen to you.”
A classic Taylor Swift song is like a romcom in miniature: a taut, three-minute country-inflected pop song following a traditional template, with a focus on cinematic details. The melody is irresistibly catchy; the stakes are high; the emotions are big, dramatic and earnest. The characters are heartbroken victims and callous villains. There’s a third-act twist, usually introduced in the bridge, as the drums and bass drop out before building back for a final stirring chorus that shifts slightly in perspective.
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