A truly fascinating group of muses inspired Taylor Swift to write her polarizing eleventh album, The Tortured Poets Department. Swifties obviously anticipated Joe Alwyn songs given the breakup, but there is also Matty Healy, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kim Kardashian, and I think Olivia Rodrigo content on this 31-song project. If there’s one thing Taylor doesn’t do, it’s let feuds go. Unless we’re talking about Katy Perry. (Their hamburger and French fries costumes in the “You Need To Calm Down” video confuse me to this day.)
You may recall that Olivia was Swiftie No. 1 until Taylor went after songwriting credits on her hit, “deja vu.” Apparently, Olivia’s chanting in the “deja vu” bridge is too similar to the “Cruel Summer” bridge, so Taylor got 50 percent of the “deja vu” credits. Not warranted at all, if you ask me — if you can copyright chanting, we’re really in trouble. The stars haven’t been photographed together or spoken about each other much at all since that incident. So, did Taylor write “Clara Bow” about Olivia? I happen to be obsessed with both pop girlies, so here are my key insights on the subject.
Is “Clara Bow” About Olivia Rodrigo?
Probably. Taylor has previously written about her youth slipping away and her fear of being replaced by a younger version of herself. In “Nothing New,” she sings: I know someday I’m gonna meet her, it’s a fever dream / The kind of radiance you only have at 17 / She’ll know the way, and then she’ll say she got the map from me / I’ll say I’m happy for her, then I’ll cry myself to sleep. That Red (Taylor’s Version) track came out in 2021, shortly after Olivia released “driver’s license” and became an A-list pop star… at 17 years old.
“Clara Bow” seems to be a continuation of this idea and insecurity. Taylor sings about female artists sitting in record label meetings and being compared to iconic women musicians. She recalls being compared to Stevie Nicks when she was younger and resents that a new, younger artist is being compared to her now. The last verse of “Clara Bow” goes: You look like Taylor Swift / In this light / We’re loving it / You’ve got edge she never did / The future’s bright / Dazzling. “Edge” is a word that fits Miss Olivia, who’s gone in the pop-punk direction, wears Docs religiously, and isn’t afraid to get political.
Taylor Also Seems To Reference Olivia In “imgonnagetyouback”
https://www.tiktok.com/@sarahmcgg2/video/7359663943930973483?_t=8lnctR8GP9y&_r=1[/embed]
“imgonnagetyouback” by Taylor: Whether I’m gonna curse you out or / Take you back to my house, I / Haven’t decided yet / But I’m gonna get you back
“Get Him Back” by Olivia: I wanna get him back / I wanna make him really jealous, wanna make him feel bad / Oh, I wanna get him back / ‘Cause then again, I really miss him, and it makes me real sad
Mind you, “imgonnagetyouback” is just two songs after “Clara Bow,” which seems intentional. Even if Taylor and Olivia somehow individually came up with the same exact word play concept, it’s definitely a bold choice for Taylor to release her version seven months after “Get Him Back” and nearly three years after getting credit for “deja vu.”
