Taylor Swift Says Her Boyfriend Inspired New ‘Lavender Haze’ Song About Being in Love
Songs are inspired by dreams, nightmares, and boyfriends — and feature some star power collaborations.
Taylor Swift is really staying on theme for the release of her newest album, “Midnights,” which is set to drop on the night of Oct. 21. A series of new after-hours Instagram posts revealed the official track listing, which fans have eagerly been awaiting.
“Midnights” is Swift’s 10th studio album, with songs she describes as “a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams.”
She teased out this news at the MTV Video Music Awards this past August, where she won Video of the Year for “All Too Well,” a song originally released on her 2012 “Red” album that she revived recently as the longer, original 10-minute version.
RELATED: 10 Reasons Why You’re Dreaming About Your Ex
In the early hours of Oct. 7, Swift began her “Midnights Mayhem with Me” TikTok series, where she posted special details about each track, what inspired the lyrics and how it all fits together for this milestone album.
She revealed that “Lavender Haze,” the first song in the lineup, is a song about love, inspired by a retro phrase she heard while watching TV.
“I happened upon the phrase ‘Lavender Haze’ when I was watching ‘Mad Men,’” Swift says in her Instagram post. “I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool, and it turns out that it was a common phrase that was used in the ’50s where they would just describe being in love.”
“Like, if you were in the ‘Lavender Haze,’ that meant you were in that all-encompassing love glow, and I thought that was really beautiful,” she continues.
Boyfriend Joe Alwyn gets a nod during the video as well: “This song is sort of about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff,” Swift explains, referencing things like rumors, tabloid drama and other struggles she and Alwyn have faced during their six-year relationship.
Other tracks include “Anti-Hero,” a super personal look into Swift’s psyche through stardom.
“‘Anti-Hero’ is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written,” Swift elaborates. “I really don’t think I’ve dealt this far into my insecurities in this detail before. I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized.”
“This song really is a real guided tour throughout all the things I tend to hate about myself,” she adds. “We all hate things about ourselves…. it’s all of those aspects of the things we dislike and like about ourselves that we have to come to terms with if we’re gonna, like, be this person.”
Another track reveal included a similar superstar collaboration: “Snow on the Beach” will feature the sultry vocals of Lana Del Rey, according to Swift.
You can check out the full track listing and ongoing coverage of the album release at “Entertainment Tonight.”
