Taylor's “Lavender Haze” Music Video Reignited This Speak Now Theory

If there’s one thing Swifties constantly debate, it’s which of Taylor Swift’s classic albums she’ll re-release next following Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version). Despite re-releasing 1989 tracks “This Love” and “Wildest Dreams,” many signs have seemed to indicate that Speak Now, the star’s third studio album released in 2010, could be her next album to get re-recorded. The arrival of Swift’s “Lavender Haze” music video has only made fans even more convinced the theory could be true.

Swift’s recent music videos have been filled with Easter eggs. From clever nods toward her most iconic lyrics to subtle references to her past eras, every detail in Swift’s music videos seems to have a symbolic meaning, and her “Lavender Haze” music video is no different. However, before going through the huge Speak Now connection in her latest video, let’s recap other times Swift has hinted her third album could be her next re-release.

First off, the Speak Now theories can be traced as far back as November 2021 when Swift dropped her Red re-recorded album. At the time, the singer celebrated her album’s release with an Instagram post thanking fans for their support over the years. “Just a friendly reminder that I would never have thought it was possible to go back and remake my previous work, uncovering lost art and forgotten gems along the way, if you hadn’t emboldened me,” she wrote. “Red is about to be mine again, but it has always been ours. Tonight we begin again. Red (my version) is out now.”

Since “begin again” was obviously a reference to her Red track of the same name, fans thought the use of the words “mine” and “ours” could have also been Easter eggs to Swift’s Speak Now tracks.

A few days after dropping Red (Taylor’s Version), Swift shared the “I Bet You Think bout Me” music video, which was directed by Blake Lively. The video’s storyline revolved around Swift crashing her ex’s wedding. If the theme sounded familiar, that’s because it’s the whole premise of her 2010 song “Speak Now.”

“I am not the kind of girl / Who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion / But you are not the kind of boy / Who should be marrying the wrong girl,” Swift sings on the track.

Was this a simple coincidence or has Swift been teasing the re-release of Speak Now since her Red re-release? During a November 2021 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Swift admitted her Easter eggs can begin years in advance.

In January 2022, the Speak Now theory picked up steam again when TikTok personality Carolina Sofia of Flighthouse pointed out that a TikTok Swift posted in October 2021 appeared to have an Easter egg toward her album. In the video, Swift can be seen drinking out of a Starbucks coffee cup. “If you look at the bottom of the cup, which Taylor obviously wanted us to see, you’ll see […] three Gs,” Sofia said in her video. “Want to know what song starts with three G chords? It’s ‘Speak Now.’ And want to know what her third album was? It was Speak Now.”

A few weeks later, the Taylor Nation IG Page shared that Swift was named the first-ever global Record Store Day Ambassador. The photo accompanying the announcement featured Swift with purple lipstick on a vinyl with purple lettering. Purple, of course, was a large part of Speak Now’s color palette. The photo also featured 13 purple stars and three purple lines next to “(Taylor’s Version).” Remember, Speak Now was Swift’s third album.

The Speak Now theory resurfaced in October 2022 when Swift dropped her “Bejeweled” music video, which opened with an orchestral arrangement of “Enchanted” from Speak Now. The short film then ended with a similar orchestra version of the Speak Now track “Long Live.” If that wasn’t all, Laura Dern, who played Swift’s stepmother in the video, made an appearance and at one point urged Swift to stop lollygagging and clean their house with an interesting choice of words: "Speak not, tired tacky wench! Clean!"

“Speak not,” you say?

By the end of the video, Taylor-ella won the heart of Prince Antonoff, and while looking into the camera, she winked and showed off some eye-catching accessories in her hair: two heart-shaped barrettes containing the letters “S” and “N.”

In another part of the “Bejeweled” video, Swift got into an elevator with multicolored buttons and pushed the purple button for the third floor. Here’s another reminder that Speak Now was Swift’s third album (and would be her third re-release if the theories prove true.) Plus, she wore a purple dress on the Speak Now album cover. The button for the 13th floor, coincidentally enough, was also purple; this could be linked to the idea that Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) would be her 13th album if it’s the next record to come out.

It’s worth noting the Speak Now bonus track “Ours” even opened with a line about elevator buttons: “Elevator buttons and morning air / Strangers' silence makes me want to take the stairs.”

Parts of the “Bejeweled” video also bore a striking resemblance to the stage setup from Swift’s Speak Now world tour. Could Swift have held on to those castle balcony pieces all these years?

On top of all the potential Easter eggs in the “Bejeweled” video, the video’s actual release date may have been another clue that Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is coming soon. The video was released at midnight on Oct. 25, 2022. This is 12 years to the day since the release of the original Speak Now.

Flash forward to Jan. 27 when Swift dropped her “Lavender Haze” music video,” which appeared to include a major nod toward her Speak Now era. Besides the fact that the video was dripping in purple (aka the color of Speak Now), the singer seemingly referenced her album by including images of koi fish. You may or may not remember during Swift’s Speak Now era, she would often be seen performing with a guitar with a koi fish design.

So, will Speak Now be the next album to get the re-release treatment? Only time will tell.