These Theories About Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' Will Seriously Blow Your Mind

After months of wondering what the "new" Taylor would sound like (since the "old" Taylor is dead), you can finally hear it for yourself on the Reputation album. Of course, with every Taylor Swift album release, there are usually just as many theories about the album surrounding its inspirations and meanings as there are songs on it. This time around was no different. Get ready to dive in, because these theories about Reputation by Taylor Swift might just blow your mind.

Since Swift is famous for writing about her personal life (her personal life generally includes really famous people that everyone is interested in, too) there is no shortage of fans taking each song and trying to figure out which of her famous friends or past boyfriends might be the subject. Swift is also well-known for being very deliberate with every choice she makes artistically. So, when fans notice a possible reason behind, say, the order of the tracks on the album (or even the specific placement of one track), there's a good chance Taylor did that on purpose.

Reputation has been out for more than a day now, and that means that the theories are in full force, so let's get started.

The Ellipses in "...Ready For It" Signify Her Time Away

"...Ready For It" is the first song on the album, and fans are reading into its placement at the top of the track list and the ellipses in the front of the title. According to Clevver, many fans believe that the ellipses are there to represent the fact that Swift took a longer break than normal to release the album. Fans also point to Taylor clearing her throat before she begins to sing as a nod to her time away as well.

This theory doesn't sound too far out. Swift's last album 1989 was released three years ago on Oct. 27, 2014. Previous to that, she hadn't gone longer than two years between releasing studio albums. I think Swift knew exactly what she was doing with those ellipses. As for the throat clearing, it's possible that's intentional as well (I mean, she knows it's in there, and could have re-cut it). It's like when you wake up and have to clear your throat before you have a real voice; Swift is "waking up" from a three-year-long nap. Luckily for her fans, she's back now.

The "Look What You Made Me Do" Taylors Represent Each Track On Reputation

As soon as the video for "LWYMMD" dropped, fans began speculating as to what each scene meant, especially the end of the video where there are 15 "different" versions of Swift. According to Billboard, now that Reputation is out, fans are attributing each track to a different Taylor.

Fans are feeling right on track with this one since the Taylors in front of the airplane represent the first 14 songs on the album, and then the Taylor by the airplane represents the final song (and only ballad) on the track, "New Year's Day." The distinction between the sound of the first 14 songs and New Year's Day is probably a deliberate move by Swift, and it's likely that the placement of the Taylors is no coincidence either. As for attributing the songs, the "LWYMMD" Taylor is definitely dressed like a bad-ass, and when she dropped the song as the first single from the album, fans definitely saw a different side of the sweet singer-songwriter.

"New Year's Day" Is The New Taylor

You'll recall that in "LWYMMD" the old Taylor couldn't come to the phone. Why? Um, because she was dead. That piece of information was quite the bombshell, and it had her fans wondering where or who the new Taylor is. According to Glamour, the new Taylor comes in at the very end of Reputation. As was discussed in the previous fan theory, "New Year's Day" is the final track on Reputation, and it is the only ballad. So, the theory is that the first 14 jammers are the old Taylor, the Taylor of 2016 who broke up with Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston, who was feuding with Kimye and (sometimes) Katy Perry, and who had an all-around pretty crazy year.

Then, at the very end of the album, the calendar turns to 2017, it's "New Year's Day," and the new Taylor is finally here. She's calm, singing about "cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day," and she's ready for a clean start. It makes sense. There is a great feeling of starting over and starting fresh whenever a new year rolls around.

Of course, these are only a few of the theories swirling around, and no one can know for sure — except Swift — if they're accurate or not. That's not going to stop anyone from continuing to dissect and theorize about every single meaning in every little detail of the album. As much as the new Taylor might be here, the old Taylor still definitely has it on lock when it comes to keeping everyone on the edge of their seats to see what will happen next.

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