Taylor Swift's "I Did Something Bad" Will Make Kanye West Wish He Never Wrote "Famous"
Nov. 10 will be forever known as Reputation day. If it's not, I need to speak to the person who controls this decision. Taylor Swift has so many bangers on Reputation, but "I Did Something Bad" has definitely gotten tons of attention. The meaning of "I Did Something Bad" is easy to understand. Swift is calling out someone who has wronged her, and she doesn't GAF about it.
The lyrics read:
I never trust a narcissist / But they love me / So I play 'em like a violin / And I make it look oh so easy / 'Cause for every lie I tell them / They tell me three / This is how the world works / Now all he thinks about is me
I can feel the flames on my skin / Crimson red paint on my lips / If a man talks sh*t, then I owe him nothing / I don't regret it one bit, 'cause he had it comin
Already, these lyrics are dicey. I love Swift's new attitude the "man" who "talks sh*t" better watch his back.
They say I did something bad / Then why's it feel so good? / They say I did something bad / But why's it feel so good? / Most fun I ever had / And I'd do it over and over and over again if I could / It just felt so good, good
THAT CHORUS THOUGH. I'm literally blushing over Swift's lyrics. She's so cool and badass.
But they love me / So I fly him all around the world / And I let them think they saved me / They never see it comin' / What I do next / This is how the world works / You gotta leave before you get left
I can feel the flames on my skin / He says, "Don't throw away a good thing" / But if he drops my name, then I owe him nothin' / And if he spends my change, then he had it comin'
They say I did something bad / Then why's it feel so good? / They say I did something bad / But why's it feel so good? / Most fun I ever had / And I'd do it over and over and over again if I could / It just felt so good, good
They're burning all the witches, even if you aren't one / They got their pitchforks and proof / Their receipts and reasons / They're burning all the witches, even if you aren't one / So light me up (light me up), light me up (light me up) / Light me up, go ahead and light me up (light me up) / Light me up (light me up), light me up (light me up) / Light me up (light me up), light me up (light me up)
THEY'RE BURNING ALL THE WITCHES. Finally, we get out answer to the graffiti in the "... Ready For It" music video.
CHORUS
Oh, you say I did something bad / Then why's it feel so good, good? / So bad, why's it feel so good? / Why's it feel, why's it feel so good? (Bad) / It just felt so good, good
Perhaps the juiciest track title, "I Did Something Bad," shows a different side of Swift. The song name stood out immediately after the pop queen released the full tracklist for Reputation on Nov. 7.
So, what does the song mean? It seems like Swift is calling an enemy out (it could be Kanye West, it could be Calvin Harris) for lying to her, and for him not to be mad when she throws it right back in his face. It seems like she knows she should be above the lies and deceit, but getting back at this person feels so good.
Kanye West isn't a bad target for Swift's fury. Before depicting Swift naked in his "Famous" music video, the lyrics were under fire. They read,
I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex Why? I made that bitch famous.
Both gestures were not well received by Swift. Considering Kim Kardashian leaked videos of an alleged phone call between West and Swift that seemingly exonerated the rapper from any wrongdoing, Swift is salty. National Snake Day was born, so there's your silver lining.
I've honestly learned so much about Swift in these past few months, we're basically best friends. That's why I found it so shocking I didn't know the bad thing she did. Prior to the release of Reputation, there was a few theories floating around about the meaning of "I Did Something Bad."
Since many, many, MANY of Swift's songs are about former flings, thoughts immediately went to Swift's ex-boyfriend rolodex. Complain about it all you want, but this is why we love her.
Fans assumed "I Did Something Bad" was about wronging a lover or playing with the hearts and emotions of someone else.
People were pointing to all of her ex-boyfriends, with most people thinking it must be referring to her past relationship with Calvin Harris.
Why would Swift want to have a little closure with Harris? Oh, maybe because he went on a giant Twitter rant condemning Swift for all the pain she and her team caused him. A particularly juicy tweet was when Harris told Swift “I know you're off tour and you need someone new to try and bury like Katy… but I'm not that guy.” Ouch. The DJ/producer's fans bombarded Swift's social media with endless snake emojis. So, yeah, I'd be a little a little uncomfortable about the relationship, too.
Swift already put a blatant Harris reference in Reputation. Remember Swift's pen name, Nils Sjöberg? She used it when she collaborated with Harris. In July 2016, reps confirmed she penned the lyrics to Calvin and Rihanna's hit “This Is What You Came For” and used Nils Sjöberg as a cover.
Swift's pen name actually made an appearance in the "Look What You Made Me Do" music video. At the beginning of the video, Swift is a disturbingly scary zombie digging around the graveyard. One gravestone behind her reads "Nils Sjöberg." LOOKS LIKE NILS ROSE UP FROM THE DEAD, SHE DOES IT ALL THE TIME.
Nils made another appearance in Swift's exclusive magazines for Target. The singer teased the release with a short video on social media. During the video, the lyric page to "... Ready For It" appeared on the screen. Some clever genius zoomed way into the page from the magazine and found something surprising.
A handwritten note actually says, "Written by: Taylor Swift aka Nils Sjöberg." Hmmm... suspect AF.
We will never truly know who Swift writes her songs about. However, there are some major clues to work with — this is why I love her. Keep doing you, Swifty.
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