Taylor Swift fans eagerly awaited the singer's "From the Vault" bonus tracks prior to the re-release of “1989” on Oct. 27.
"Slut!" become the most anticipated of the five "1989" vault tracks for its provocative title. With its romantic acoustics sound, the song may not be what fans expected.
"Slut!" appears to be a response to the scrutiny she's faced in the public eye for her dating history, especially preceding 2014, when "1989" first came out.
Swift wrote about that time in her life in the lengthy prologue accompanying the "1989" re-release. While this isn’t the first time the singer has clapped back at the media for coverage of her love life, like in her 2019 track “If I Were A Man,” she's especially candid here, saying she was "shamed" for "dating like a normal young woman.”
"In the years preceding ('1989'), I had become the target of slut shaming — the intensity and relentlessness of which would be criticized and called out if it happened today. The jokes about my amount of boyfriends. The trivialization of my songwriting as if it were a predatory act of a boy crazy psychopath. The media co-signing of this narrative. I had to make it stop because it was starting to really hurt," she writes.
That sentiment is reflected in the song, where she sings about getting dressed up to go out with someone: "But if I’m all dressed up / They might as well be lookin’ at us / And if they call me a slut / You know it might be worth it for once."
Here's what to know about the song and how it's in conversation with her "1989" era, and beyond.
Swift said she had to choose between ‘Slut!' and 'Blank Space' for '1989'
The pop sensation gives some background on the vault song in a 48-second audio snippet posted to Tumblr.
"In it, I kind of, sort of, cheekily play on the discussions at that time in my life around my dating life," she said. "That’s not the only time on ‘1989’ that I’ve done that. I did that on ‘Black Space.'"
Given the thematic parallels between "Slut!" and "Black Space," Swift said she had to choose between the two.
"When I came down to having to pick songs for the album, I think I thought, ‘OK, well, I’m gonna choose ‘Blank Space,” and unfortunately had to make some tough decisions in terms of what to put on the track list,” she said.
Fans pointed out another similarity between the songs. In "Blank Space," Swift calls herself a "rose garden filled with thorns." In "Slut!", Swift sings there are "love thorns all over this rose."
The lyrics describe falling in love and paying the price
Swift recounts the excitement that comes with falling in love, singing, "Got love-struck, went straight to my head / Got lovesick all over my bed."
Falling in love has its risks. She sings, "Love thorns all over this rose / I’ll pay the price, you won’t," noting double standards between what she'll face and what the other person won't.
She decides to move forward anyway, singing, "You know it might be worth it for once / And if I’m gonna be drunk / I might as well be drunk in love."
The lyric could also tie into Beyoncé's hit track, "Drunk in Love" released in 2013.
Read the lyrics to 'Slut!'
Flamingo pink, Sunrise Boulevard
Clink, clink, being this young is art
Aquamarine, moonlit swimmin’ pool
What if all I need is you?
Got love-struck, went straight to my head
Got lovesick all over my bed
Love to think you’ll never forget
Handprints in wet cement
Adorned with smoke on my clothes
Lovelorn and nobody knows
Love thorns all over this rose
I’ll pay the price, you won’t
But if I’m all dressed up
They might as well be lookin’ at us
And if they call me a slut
You know it might be worth it for once
And if I’m gonna be drunk
I might as well be drunk in love
Send the code, he’s waitin’ there
The sticks and stones they throw froze mid-air
Everyone wants him, that was my crime
The wrong place at the right time
And I break down, then he’s pullin’ me in
In a world of boys, he’s a gentleman
Got love-struck, went straight to my head (Straight to my head)
Got lovesick all over my bed (Over my bed)
Love to think you’ll never forget
We’ll pay the price, I guess
But if I’m all dressed up (If I’m all dressed up)
They might as well be lookin’ at us (Lookin’ at us)
And if they call me a slut (If they call me a slut)
You know it might be worth it for once (Worth it for once)
And if I’m gonna be drunk
I might as well be drunk in love
Half asleep, takin’ your time
In the tangerine, neon light, this is luxury
You’re not sayin’ you’re in love with me
But you’re going to
Half awake, takin’ your chances
It’s a big mistake, I said, “It might blow up in your pretty face”
I’m not saying, “Do it anyway” (Do it anyway)
But you’re going to
And if they call me a (Slut)
You know it might be worth it for once
And if I’m gonna be (Drunk)
