4 Fan Theories About Taylor's Song "Betty" That'll Blow Your Mind
With every Taylor Swift album release, there seems to be one song that captures fans' attention a little more than the rest. Following the July 24 arrival of Folklore, it became immediately clear "Betty" was that song this time around. Track 14 on the album was special to fans, seeing as it was reminiscent of Swift's early music, and it also stirred up a lot of theories about its backstory. Of course, Tay is keeping that a mystery, but these five fan theories about Taylor Swift's "Betty" are mind-blowing.
1. "Betty" is about Karlie Kloss.
Fans are pretty convinced the standout track was inspired by Karlie Kloss. While Kloss and Swift haven't been seen hanging out in recent years, they once shared an attached-at-the-hip friendship (that same fans speculate was once romantic). Fans seem to think "Betty" is an ode to those days.
You see, Kloss' middle name is "Elizabeth" which is often abbreviated as "Betty." The song also mentions someone named James, and Swift has spoken out in the past about being named after James Taylor.
"Taylor's named after JAMES taylor and karlie kloss's middle name is ELIZABETH aka BETTY.......," one fan tweeted.
2. "Betty" is the third and final chapter in a musical story of a love triangle.
There's also the theory Swift wrote "Betty" in connection with two other songs on Folklore — "Cardigan" and "August." Fans couldn't help but notice these three songs paint the perfect picture.
"Cardigan," tells the story of a girl who gets cheated on, seemingly relaying the story from the girl's perspective. "August," appears to be penned about a girl who has a summer affair with a boy she knows loves someone else. "You were never mine to lose," Swift sings in one part of the song, rounding out the love triangle. Then, on "Betty," it appears the same story from the other two songs is told from the guy's perspective, as he apologizes for cheating. Key parts of each story also appear in each of the song's lyrics (like a girl driving up to a boy in a car and asking to go for a ride, and the boy showing up on his lost love's doorstep to try and win her back).
Swift all but confirmed this theory with a comment on YouTube, writing, "There’s a collection of 3 songs I refer to as The Teenage Love Triangle," Swift said. "These 3 songs explore a love triangle from all 3 people’s perspectives at different times in their lives."
3. "Betty" tells the story of the old owner of Swift's Rhode Island mansion.
Twitter also theorized Swift's song had a connection to the previous owner of her Watch Hill, Rhode Island mansion. Before Swift moved in, the home belonged to a socialite named Rebekah West Harkness (known as "Betty") who worked as a composer and philanthropist.
Swift's song "The Last Great American Dynasty" is almost surely about Betty Harkness. "Holiday House sat quietly on that beach / Free of women with madness, their men and bad habits / And then it was bought by me," Swift sings in one verse.
Between that verse, and the official "Betty" song title, fans believe Swift took inspiration from the late socialite on multiple tracks on her album.
4. "Betty" is Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds' third child's name.
The internet went wild after realizing Swift named-dropped Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' two children, James and Inez, in the lyrics for "Betty." The couple also have a third child, a daughter, but have yet to share her name with the world just yet. Now, fans are theorizing her name is actually Betty and Swift was the one to spill the beans.
"Did Taylor just confirm @blakelively & @RyanReynolds third child's name?? She used, Inez, James, and BETTY??" one fan questioned." @taylorswift13@taylornation13#Folklore Someone confirm pleaseeeee,"
With so many fan theories flying, your best bet is to take a listen to "Betty" and draw your own conclusions. You can hear the full song below.
