This theory says Taylor Swift wrote ‘Shake It Off’ about your least favorite ‘Harry Potter’ character
It’s no secret that Taylor Swift writes songs about former flames and those who have wronged her (sleep with one eye open, Harry). It’s something many artists do—turning life experiences into smash hits. Only Taylor’s definition of “experiences” are dating celebrities like John Mayer and Jake Gyllenhaal.
The internet had pretty much accepted the fact that “Shake It Off” wasn’t about one man in particular, but rather an ode to all of her haters combined. But then, we discovered this new theory: What if “Shake It Off” was written about Uncle Vernon? Yes, that Uncle Vernon from Harry Potter. Hear us out.
In the beginning of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Uncle Vernon rounds up the family to get away from Harry’s Hogwarts letter that keep showing up at 4 Privet Drive. It never struck anyone as too terribly significant—until now. Check out Uncle Vernon’s word choice.
The exact passage reads: “They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn’t dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. ‘Shake ‘em off… shake ‘em off,’ he would mutter whenever he did this.”
Okay, so the likelihood that Tay penned a song about Uncle Dursley is pretty close to zero. But still, we can dream. Oh, and this meme is absolutely fantastic. My favorite part is how the backup Vernons all have hair, but the one front and center had his Photoshopped out.
Uncle V has some pretty sweet dance moves! Until Taylor tells us otherwise, we’re choosing to believe that “Shake It Off” is definitely about him.
(Featured image via Warner Bros.)