Taylor Swift’s NEW album is here, you folks!

THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL!

I mean, if you haven’t watched the 2-hour podcast episode yet, please find some time and watch it. The world embraced the sparkly orange, and only TS had the guts to do it when people in her country are already suffering under an orange power.

By the way, you probably know that Taylor Swift is often “accused” of writing songs about breakups. Yes, it feels like accusations the way the media portrays her music. The intent is always to demean her work because she mostly writes about love and breakups. Despite love being one of the most talked-about emotions, despite every other musician singing or writing about the same thing, it suddenly becomes unacceptable or too frivolous when it’s Taylor Swift?

Make that make sense, folks!

But hey, did you know TS wrote about other things as well?

If not, keep scrolling. We’re here to talk about thirteen (yes, 13) songs by Taylor Swift that are NOT about falling in love or breakups.

1.     1. Marjorie (Album: evermore)
Marjorie is the name of Taylor’s grandmother. She lost her when she was really young. She lost her when she was not in the same town. In an interview clip, Taylor mentions that she regrets not being around her when it happened. She regrets not knowing her and all of those emotions are poured into this song. It’s a deeply emotional song about her grandmother and how she still feels her and how she would’ve loved to spend more time with her and get to know her. Somehow, she even managed to find her grandmother’s opera vocals and put them in this song and that segment never fails to give me goosebumps.

My favourite lines: “Never be so kind that you forget to be clever, never be so clever that you forget to be kind.”

2.      2. this is me trying (Album: folklore)
In her Long Pond Studio Sessions, Taylor Swift talks to Jack Antonoff (they write songs together) about this song. They talk about how people with addiction and mental health illnesses are always in an active fight in their daily lives. The song depicts how the act of trying is almost a battle. Moreover, the song also talks about how someone who feels like they’ve lost it in life despite having so much potential in school years or earlier years. This song breaks my heart and is one of my most favourite songs of all time by TS.

My favourite lines: “They told me all of my cages were mental
So I got wasted like all my potential
And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad
I have a lot of regrets about that…”

3.      3. I Hate it Here (Album: The Tortured Poets Department)
If you have ever felt that you don’t really belong to this world and that you almost always want to escape into daydreams or in a world of imagination (like binge-reading or watching something), this song is the one for you. TS writes about being trapped in a body or a world where they cannot be what they really are and thus, need to escape to a different world. This is a song that will appeal to the introverts and hypersensitive people who are probably the more adversely affected lot due to the harshness of this world.

My favourite lines: “I'm lonely but I'm good
I'm bitter but I swear I'm fine
I'll save all my romanticism for my inner life
and I'll get lost on purpose
This place made me feel worthless...”

4.      4. Mean (Album: Speak Now)
One thing that Taylor Swift does best is turn her experiences into these superb songs that you can even dance to. In a few interview, she explains that she wrote this song ‘Mean’ about the critics who wrote about her albums by not giving any constructive criticism but just being mean. She was thinking about this powerless feeling of being at the receiving end of such mean comments from people no matter how hard she works. And then the song also gives an upbeat melody and lyrics that can fill you with hope about how all these mean comments will not affect her one day when she’s made it big.

My favourite lines: “Someday... I'll be living in a big old city
and all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
and all you're ever gonna be is mean.”

5.      5. 22 (Album: Red)
This song is so full of young energy. Although the title of the song very specifically is about the age “22”, what I feel from watching the music video is that TS wrote and sang how it feels to be in her early to mid-twenties, having a lot of fun and just enjoying life when you start to enter this new phase of life when you’re free from studies and have started earning. For some of us, this might even be the late twenties. Also, she’s surrounded by her female friends in this music video and even the lyrics is about how they’re taking a break from everything and just feeling young. In an interview, she mentions that she wanted to write how she was feeling while spending her summer with her friends.

My favourite lines: “We're happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time,
It's miserable and magical.”

6.      6. You Need to Calm Down (Album: Lover)
Here’s something for all the haters. Taylor Swift gets a lot of negative attention on the internet despite having a huge following of Swifties who are hardcore protectors of her. Although, TS have stayed away from engaging with politics or mixing it with her music for a long time… this is probably one of the times we see her touching upon issues she feels strongly about. Apart from being a response to internet trolls and haters, this song hints at her support for the queer community and she also talks about how female celebrities keep getting compared to each other despite each of them having a massive superpower themselves.

My favourite lines: “And we see you over there on the internet
Comparing all the girls who are killing it
But we figured you out
We all know now, we all got crowns
You need to calm down…”

7.      7. Only the Young (from the documentary Miss Americana)
This song, played in the credits of the documentary Miss Americana, is like an anthem. In this documentary, and various other interviews succeeding it, TS expressed how young people get affected the most with all the terrible issues in their country like gun violence, stalking, healthcare, climate change, etc. So, this song was pretty much Taylor openly expressing her political beliefs and also revealing her support against the then President of US, Donald Trump.
My favourite lines: “They aren’t gonna help us
Too busy helping themselves
They aren’t gonna change this
We gotta do it ourselves...”

8.      8. The Man (Album: Lover)
It’s not a new thing that Taylor often gets a lot of headlines for reasons her male contemporaries are left out of the discussions. Drawing from her personal experience as a businesswoman and from the collective experience of being a woman, she wrote this song to represent how the society views men and women in a vastly different lens. Another political number, Taylor Swift smashes the patriarchy with her lyrics in this song and hey, don’t miss this music video (and of course, the BTS of making this video) on her YouTube channel.

My favourite lines: “I'm so sick of running as fast as I can
Wondering if I'd get there quicker if I was a man.”

9.      9. mad woman (Album: folklore)
Now that we’ve talked about how women and men are treated differently just because of the gender, let’s talk about this freakishly beautiful song that is all about how women have been labelled as “mad” left, right, and centre for ridiculous reasons. One of my most favourite songs, this carries the rage of all the women who have been called either angry or insane. Just go and tell me, if it doesn’t chill your bones.

My favourite lines: “And there's nothin' like a mad woman
What a shame she went mad
No one likes a mad woman
You made her like that
And you'll poke that bear 'til her claws come out
And you find something to wrap your noose around
And there's nothin' like a mad woman…”

10. Long Live (Album: Speak Now)
This fantastic song is from one of her earlier albums and the whole meaning of it has evolved ever since she first started performing it. As per Taylor, this song is dedicated to her band and the fans who have been there with her for years, standing by her side, as they scaled the wobbly heights of the music industry. Full of gratitude, this song is one of the best live performances that addresses directly to all the struggles of an artist but at the same time, being grateful for everything she has achieved. While she performs this song during the Eras Tour, it sort of also hinted at how she keeps manifesting the stardom she’s so in fond of.

My favourite lines: “Will you take a moment?
Promise me this
That you'll stand by me forever
But if, God forbid, fate should step in
And force us into a goodbye
If you have children someday
When they point to the pictures
Please tell them my name
Tell them how the crowds went wild
Tell them how I hope they shine...”

11. Anti-Hero (Album: Midnights)
Ever had a bout of self-loathing? Well, this song is going to become your shadow then. Taylor explains in an Instagram post how we all have things we hate about ourselves. And this one particularly caters to that extremely unsettling and yet comfortable feeling most of us might have experienced.
My favourite lines: “It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me
At tea time, everybody agrees
I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror
It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero.”

12. I Did Something Bad (Album: reputation)
The entire album of reputation has a huge lore behind it. In short, Taylor Swift received a lot of hate from the media in the years before this album for a lot of reasons. She disappeared from everywhere for a year. Came back with this banger of an album where each and every song is fueled by rage, frustration, and it shows how Taylor embraces whatever is thrown at her and turns it into the best possible songs. I Did Something Bad, if lyrics are decoded, refers to events in her life that aren’t so pleasant and where she’s painted as a villain for standing up for herself. Moreover, it is also speculated that quite a few songs on this album have references to the popular show on HBO, “A Game of Thrones”. This song is apparently about the Stark sisters, Sansa and Arya, plotting the death of Littlefinger. Oops, sorry about the spoiler if you haven’t watched the show yet.

My favourite lines: “This is how the world works
You gotta leave before you get left…”

13. Mastermind (Album: Midnights)
You know what’s the best thing about Taylor Swift? If you listen to a song enough number of times and really listen to the lyrics and know the entire lore, you’ll probably end up finding references to love and breakups in most of her songs. And yet, the song might be about something completely different. Like, this one – Mastermind. It might seem like she’s talking about a guy but this song is more about how she’s demeaned on the internet for being a strategist… a calculative planner who loves doing all of it so much. In an interview, she also ends up saying that she was inspired for this song by a movie she was watching. I don’t remember which movie she was referring to. But even if you look at how she planned her Eras Tour and all of her Easter Eggs for her fans, she lives up to this image of being a Mastermind and how!

My favourite lines: “No one wanted to play with me as a little kid
So I've been scheming like a criminal ever since
To make them love me and make it seem effortless
This is the first time I've felt the need to confess…”

So, there you go! And be assured that there are more songs by Taylor which are not about love or breakups. But hey, this list had to have 13. *wink wink*

Tell me now, which is your favourite Taylor Swift song that has nothing to do with a love story or a break-up?

This post is for the very few people who are sitting on the fence about watching the Pathaan in the theatres.

Fair warning to all: I am an unapologetic Shah Rukh Khan fan and I have been since 1990. So, as a person who has been fangirling through all the phases of his career, I have no qualms about admitting that I am highly biased when it comes to the King Khan.

But, I am also an INFJ who calls a spade a spade. So, trust me when I say that this post will give you the truth. 

• Watch Pathaan in the theatres if you are a Shah Rukh Khan fan.

A No Brainer. If we go by the Box office collection of Pathaan, I should think that all SRK fans have already checked it out at the theatres. At the same time, I also know that some might be a little apprehensive after the ‘Zero’ experience. Fear not, SRK is hotter than ever, just as charismatic, his screen presence is as enigmatic as ever and he is more grounded in this movie than ever.

• Watch Pathaan in the theatres if you are a Deepika Padukone fan.

Oh yes! She is just as amazing. She is looking toned and gorgeous. But more than that, she is not just an eye-candy (as it has been for ages for women in spy action movies). She has quite a bit of action and she rocks it. And I don’t think that I need to talk about her acting skills - it is a given that she is amazing.

• Watch Pathaan in the theatres if you like SRK-Deepika chemistry.

There is no out an out romance between SRK-Deepika in Pathaan. Both are agents, who are working towards their goals. Yet, there is something. Their chemistry is only second to SRK-Kajol, and as such it is unavoidable. You’ll love seeing them on-screen together - again!

• Watch Pathaan in the theatres if you love John Abraham.

I am NOT a John Abraham fan, yet I enjoyed seeing him onscreen. He looks fitter than ever. And he even manages a few expressions to shock the audience like me {Do you know what I mean?} He is nothing like what he is in Satyameva Jayate 2/3. A different avatar that’s more like OG Dhoom badass - cool and glamorous antagonist.

• Watch this movie if you are a Salman Khan fan.

Let’s not even pretend that his cameo is a surprise. It’s been all over the internet for months. And it’s not just a cameo, it is an extended cameo where ‘Karan-Arjun’ do what they do best. Action! Their chemistry together is something to behold, especially now that SRK is stepping up his own action game. Plus the camaraderie and the inside jokes keep you entertained.

For the sake of full disclosure, I have a strong dislike for Salman, and haven’t watched any of his films since ‘Tere Naam’ yet his cameo in the movie made me wonder whether I should go back and watch the two Tiger movies.

• Watch Pathaan in the theatres because it is a total fan service movie.

If you haven’t caught up onto it yet, the movie is a vehicle for SRK’s return to big screen. Everything in the movie revolves around how to give more of him to the fans. But also it serves other fans as well - whether John or Deepika or Salman or the mass entertainment lovers. There are multiple ‘Hero-shots’ with 5 seconds of almost nothing going on to give time to the audience to hoot & cheer for their favourite stars (and sometimes a salute to the past). It just will not be the same experience if you have decided to watch it when it comes to OTT in April. 

• Watch Pathaan in the theatres if you love over the top action.

Did you love the action in MI series, the Fast & Furious movies? Well, Pathaan offers you all the logic defying action scenes - in the air, on the ice, on top of a train - you name it and the movie has it. Indian industry is finally catching up on serious VFX, but it has a way to go still with the budget that Indian movies work with. Also, once again the action scenes are such that it is best when watched on a large screen. It will NOT be the same on tv & tabs.

• Watch this movie if you have always wanted a macho spy, but with a vulnerable side.

'Wanted to make SRK the symbol of alpha and machismo!’ Siddharth Anand

When I read this article, I was really shaking my head at Siddharth Anand. Really? Do we really need another spy/action star who just fights, shoots, looks cool doing it and be that ‘mard ko dard nahi hota’ type of hero? Let’s not forget what made SRK the icon of love and romance; in a time when heroes were doing the traditional ’macho’ roles, SRK was showing emotions, crying on screen & helping his ladies in the kitchen.

But Siddharth Anand knew his task well and I say that because he made Pathaan more real than any other spies we have ever known. Pathaan isn’t scared of showing signs of fatigue during fight scenes or asking for time-out in the middle of a fight or shedding a tear. SRK as Pathaan is a new kind of alpha male. He is someone who is willing to stand back and let the girl fight for once or take orders from a woman - and it doesn’t hurt his ego to do so.

• This movie is for all those who enjoy spotting easter eggs.

From reference to War, Darr, Karan Arjun… etc, the side effect of the fan service that this movie delivers is that it is littered with references of other films and characters. It was complete fun spotting those through the movie. My personal favourite is of course the Darr reference - it was silly but hilarious.

• Pathaan is a mass entertainer that doesn’t pretend to be anything else.

In recent times I have watched so many movies that are so pretentious trying to be serious cinema while giving into Bollywood clichés to ensure that it still appeals to the masses for the sake of box-office collections. Then there have been mass movies that took themselves too seriously and I do not even want to get into all the remakes! Pathaan is none of that. It is a mass entertainer that has been made to service the fans and it doesn’t pretend to be anything else.

• Make a statement.

Last, but certainly not the least; it’s probably the most important point on this list. While I was all for the call for ‘Justice for SSR’ at the beginning, we all know that the actual incident is no longer relevant to what certain sections of the society are using the slogans for. I am not even going to use the ‘B’ word because I am tired of being told what to eat, what to wear, where I can or cannot go, what I can and cannot do. Now people are trying to dictate what we watch too. What’s next? Should I be also be told how much oxygen I can breathe in a minute?

Being an SRK fan, I was going to go for first day first show anyway. But this gang made sure that I went with a fan club so that I could just scream, dance & laugh when SRK came on screen and flip off the gangs in my own way.

This negativity has been spreading for a while and I know that I felt like a non-entity and wondered how could someone as small & insignificant as me can make a difference. But now SRK is making a statement (without speaking a word) with this movie that has made the way for a lot of other influential people (who probably feared a backlash) to come out and stand in support of him

Let’s do it - let us go and watch Pathaan and start claiming our basic rights back with this step. It’s no longer just about watching a movie - whether you love or hate the cast & crew or the kind of movie it is - doesn’t matter… It has now become a matter of whether you are going to let people continue to dictate our lives, encourage threats and vandalism in the name of nationalism and whether or not YOU believe that YOU have a right to decide what is right or wrong.

I rest my case. Now it’s your turn to tell me whether you will watch it in the theatres or not. And if you have watched it in the theatres, what was your experience?