When Taylor Swift released Midnights<\/em> in October 2022, she prefaced the record by posting on Instagram. \u201cMidnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights <\/a>scattered throughout my life, will be out October 21,\u201d she wrote in August of that year.<\/p>\n With Swift\u2019s words in mind, when the album came out, fans didn\u2019t necessarily see her heartbreaking lyrics as a reference to her relationship with Joe Alwyn <\/a>\u2014 especially considering his pen name William Bowery is listed as a co-writer for one of the album\u2019s most romantic songs: \u201cSweet Nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n But one year later, Swifties have a new perspective of Midnights \u2014<\/em> one that recategorizes the record as a breakup album. Some fans \u2014 nicknamed \u201cMidnights<\/em> breakup album truthers<\/a>\u201d \u2014 have always felt that way. Others Swifties came to the realization when Jack Antonoff, Swift\u2019s producer, posted a telling IG Story<\/a> on Nov. 29. He confirmed that Swift wrote \u201cYou\u2019re Losing Me,\u201d a not-subtle-at-all heartbreak anthem, back in December 2021.<\/p>\n After Antonoff\u2019s big reveal, Swifties jumped to take a closer at Midnights<\/em>. \u201cMIDNIGHTS IS A BREAKUP ALBUM<\/a> CONFIRMED,\u201d one fan wrote. Another wrote, \u201cI AM A MIDNIGHTS BREAKUP ALBUM TRUTHER!!<\/a>! yes the concept is sleepless nights \u2018over the years\u2019 but bejeweled, lavender haze, YLM, the great war, maroon BREAKUP SONGS.\u201d (The \u201cLavender Haze\u201d point seems a little murkier than the rest, but to each their own.)<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a full breakdown of this theory, and how it changes the meaning of some of Midnights\u2019 <\/em>most beloved bops.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I wouldn’t marry me either \/ A pathological people pleaser \/ Who only wanted you to see her.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Swift first dropped \u201cYou\u2019re Losing Me\u201d in May, seven months after Midnights <\/em>was released in October 2022. The song describes a painful breakup, and Swifties assumed it was written after the initial Midnights <\/em>release, around the time outlets first started reporting her split from Alwyn<\/a> in April 2023.<\/p>\n But Swift didn\u2019t put the track on a streaming platform until Nov. 29, releasing it as a celebration of being Spotify\u2019s Top Global Artist of 2023<\/a>. The song\u2019s release prompted Antonoff to share a BTS photo, taken right before writing \u201cYou\u2019re Losing Me\u201d \u2014 something that he said happened way back on Dec. 5, 2021.<\/p>\n At that point, Swift and Alwyn were still publicly in a relationship, though the famously private couple never gave much insight into their romance. Around the same time Swift wrote this song, she was posting a video of her on the floor in a wedding gown singing \u201cChampagne Problems\u201d<\/a> and performing an angry rendition of \u201cAll Too Well (10 Minute Version)\u201d<\/a> on Saturday Night Live<\/em>, supporting the theory that things weren\u2019t going well for her and Alwyn, even if they were technically still together.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes, I feel like everybody is an art bro lately \/ And I just judge them on the hill \/ Too hurt to hang out, talking sh*t about your famous baby \/ Pierced through the heart of ’90s guilt \/ Maybe I’m the problem, it’s me\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n In November 2022, Swift released a remix of her Midnights <\/em>song \u201cAnti-Hero,\u201d<\/a> featuring Antonoff\u2019s band, Bleachers. Though Antonoff\u2019s lyrics on the track didn\u2019t seem too shady when it first came out, hindsight gives these lines (specifically \u201cart bro\u201d and \u201ctalking sh*t about your famous baby\u201d) new meaning.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we\u2019re on the topic of jack being messy<\/a>, let\u2019s circle back to the bleachers anti-hero remix lyrics,\u201d one fan wrote on Twitter. Another guessed the lyrics were a dig at Alwyn, \u201cjack verse on anti hero bleachers remix<\/a> is deffo @ him ijbol.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s another crucial piece of breakup-album-truther evidence in this song: Antonoff singing to Swift, \u201cTaylor, you\u2019ll be fine.\u201d (A line that became an Eras Tour chant<\/a>, BTW.) If this really was a breakup song, Antonoff\u2019s words take on a more serious meaning. <\/p>\n \u201cAll that bloodshed, crimson clover \/ Uh-huh, sweet dream was over \/ My hand was the one you reached for \/ All throughout the Great War …. It turned into something bigger \/ Somewhere in the haze, got a sense I’d been betrayed …. That was the night I nearly lost you \/ I really thought I lost you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Comparing a relationship to a literal war is probably a sign things aren\u2019t going well. In \u201cThe Great War,\u201d Swift sings about a relationship just barely skating by. But in the song, the couple ultimately survives. The last line goes: \u201cI vowed I would always be yours.\u201d<\/p>\n Months after Swift and Alwyn\u2019s breakup, Swifties are noticing a lot of parallels between this track and \u201cYou\u2019re Losing Me.\u201d Both songs reference soldiers and the death of something special \u2014 whether she\u2019s \u201cscreaming from the crypt\u201d or wondering if the romance can be brought \u201cback to life.\u201d<\/p>\n Now that both songs are out, fans think Swift might have chosen \u201cThe Great War\u201d for Midnights<\/em>\u2019 release, believing her relationship had survived the challenging time. But, when it was done for good, she decided to put out \u201cYou\u2019re Losing Me,\u201d flipping the narrative.<\/p>\n One fan theorized on Twitter, \u201ci don\u2019t know when the great war was written<\/a> but the connection between the great war and you\u2019re losing me is crazy. kinda makes me think you\u2019re losing me was written first, they had a break from each other and then she wrote the great war after getting back together.\u201d Another Swiftie responded, \u201cNo that\u2019s legit was my theory too and she put the great war in there instead cuz she thought they were ok and you\u2019re losing me was gonna be locked<\/a> forever.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh oh, I’m falling in love \/ Oh no, I’m falling in love again \/ Oh, I’m falling in love \/ I thought the plane was going down \/ How’d you turn it right around.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n If you buy into the theory that \u201cYou\u2019re Losing Me\u201d was written before \u201cThe Great War,\u201d Swift\u2019s song \u201cLabyrinth\u201d seems to be a description of an on-again, off-again relationship reigniting. \u201clabyrinth<\/a> in the context of you\u2019re losing me makes infinitely more sense now,\u201d one fan wrote. <\/p>\n \u201cOh my, love is a lie \/ Sh*t my friends say to get me by \/ It hits different \/ It hits different this time \/ Catastrophic blues \/ Movin’ on was always easy for me to do \/ It hits different \/ It hits different ’cause it’s you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n This \u201cYou\u2019re Losing Me\u201d timeline sheds new light on \u201cHits Different,\u201d too. The boppy tune has always been paired with some heartbreaking lyrics, describing a breakup ~hitting different~ when you thought the person was the one.<\/p>\n \u201cThis theory that Labyrinth is actually about after You\u2019re Losing Me<\/a> when they got back together is making me realize that \u2018Break up, break free, break through, break down\u2019 is just the entire concept of Hits Different????\u201d one Swiftie theorized on Twitter.<\/p>\n \u201c’Cause he was sunshine \/ I was midnight rain \/ He wanted it comfortable \/ I wanted that pain \/ He wanted a bride \/ I was making my own name.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Swift\u2019s \u201cMidnight Rain\u201d has a lot of similarities with \u201cChampagne Problems,\u201d particularly when it comes to the imagery of a woman saying \u201cno\u201d to marriage or a proposal. Paired with the \u201cYou\u2019re Losing Me\u201d lyrics of \u201cI wouldn\u2019t marry me either,\u201d \u201cMidnight Rain\u201d seems to be a breakup song about a couple that is intrinsically incompatible.<\/p>\n \u201cI waited ages to see you there \/ I search the party of better bodies \/ Just to learn that you never cared \/ You’re on your own, kid \/ You always have been.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re On Your Own Kid\u201d is potentially another breakup song. Feeling alone in the world isn\u2019t exclusive to people going through a difficult split, but some of the lyrics seem to reference relationship disappointments \u2014 like a certain someone special missing a big moment. (Swift has returned to this metaphor more than once, singing about it in \u201cAll Too Well (10 Minute Version)\u201d and \u201cThe Moment I Knew.\u201d)<\/p>\n This song adds another layer to the breakup timeline since it was referenced back when she gave the commencement address<\/a> at New York University\u2019s graduation in May 2022. \u201cScary news is: You\u2019re on your own now. Cool news is: You\u2019re on your own now,\u201d she said during the speech.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I lost you \/ The one I was dancin’ with \/ In New York, no shoes \/ Looked up at the sky and it was maroon.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cMaroon\u201d was always categorized as a breakup song, with fans often placing it with Swift\u2019s Red<\/em> era. \u201cI think it means this relationship was so bright and vivid and beautiful when she was in the thick of it, but in retrospect it\u2019s a lot darker than that,<\/a>\u201d one fan wrote on Reddit, comparing the song to the titular track off of Red<\/em>.<\/p>\n But with \u201cYou\u2019re Losing Me\u201d in mind, there\u2019s another lyric that sticks out: \u201c\u2018How’d we end up on the floor anyway?\u2019 You say \/ \u2018Your roommate’s cheap-ass screw-top ros\u00e9, that’s how.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n The lyrics about drinking cheap alcohol are similar to what she wrote in Reputation<\/em>: In \u201cDress,\u201d she sang, \u201cI’m spilling wine in the bathtub \/ You kiss my face and we’re both drunk;\u201d then, in \u201cKing Of My Heart,\u201d she sang, \u201cDrinking beer out of plastic cups \/ Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff.\u201d This ties the song back to Alwyn, whom she seemingly wrote the majority of Reputation<\/em> about.<\/p>\n \u201cDear reader \/ Burn all the files, desert all your past lives … If you knew where I was walking \/ To a house, not a home, all alone ’cause nobody’s there … You should find another guiding light \/ Guiding light \/ But I shine so bright.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDear Reader\u201d is all about leaving the past behind \u2014 no matter how painful it might be. On first listen, the song could be about any painful transition.<\/p>\n But with the added context of \u201cYou\u2019re Losing Me,\u201d there are signs this could be another breakup song. Coming back to an empty home, leaving behind who you once were, and ending with a plea to \u201cfind another\u201d all fit into the heartbreak genre.<\/p>\n \u201cBaby love, I think I’ve been a little too kind \/ Didn’t notice you walking all over my peace of mind … Puttin’ someone first only works when you’re in their top five … And I miss you (I miss you) \/ But I miss sparkling (ah, hey) … And when I meet the band \/ They ask, \u2018Do you have a man?\u2019 \/ I can still say, \u2018I don’t remember.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBejeweled\u201d is a verifiable single girl anthem, all about leaving someone who dulls your sparkle. The song has come up a lot with Swift\u2019s recent relationship with Travis Kelce<\/a>. On Twitter, fans have been gushing about the pair, constantly referencing the Midnights <\/em>track: \u201cTRAVIS LETS TAYLOR [BE] BEJEWELED.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n Kelce admittedly studied Swift\u2019s breakup ballads<\/a>. He told the Wall Street Journal <\/em>in November, \u201cI\u2019ve never been a man of words. Being around her, seeing how smart Taylor is, has been f*cking mind-blowing. I\u2019m learning every day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn the way home \/ I wrote a poem \/ You say, \u2018What a mind\u2019 \/ This happens all the time \/ ‘Cause they said the end is coming \/ Everyone’s up to something \/ I find myself running home to your sweet nothings.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The most difficult song to reconcile with Midnights <\/em>being a breakup album is \u201cSweet Nothing.\u201d The lyrics sound like peak romance, as Swift\u2019s words describe a partnership grounded in the little sweet nothings (as opposed to \u201cindustry disruptors, \u201csoul deconstructors,\u201d and \u201csmooth-talking hucksters\u201d).<\/p>\n But Swifties think she dropped a hint about the true meaning behind this song on Nov. 29, right after Antonoff posted the \u201cYou\u2019re Losing Me\u201d receipts. On Twitter, the singer liked a year-old tweet about Paul and Linda McCartney<\/a>.<\/p>\n The tweet read:<\/p>\n “i would come back from a run with a poem to share and having listened linda would say ‘what a mind.’ though the lines may not have been supreme, she wasn’t merely being kind. she meant what she said. it’s going to make a man feel good, that kind of a thing.” – paul mccartney.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n With this tweet in mind, the lyrics in \u201cSweet Nothing\u201d don\u2019t seem to be a reference to Alwyn at all, but a tribute to Paul and Linda McCartney\u2019s romance \u2014 which, if true, would fundamentally change the song\u2019s inspiration. <\/p>\n![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2023\/11\/30\/a1644b0f-d70e-4090-9583-9e94c3ed2eed-screen-shot-2023-11-30-at-110525-am.png?w=760&h=153&fit=crop&crop=faces&auto=format%2Ccompress)
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/div>\u201cYou\u2019re Losing Me\u201d<\/h2>\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2023\/11\/30\/d883095c-111a-478b-9667-02b47b83a678-screen-shot-2023-11-30-at-110940-am.png?w=760&h=1222&fit=crop&crop=faces&auto=format%2Ccompress)
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/div>\u201cAnti-Hero (Remix) (Ft. Bleachers)\u201d<\/h2>\n
![\"Tweet](\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2023\/11\/30\/5bbde845-d6ec-4084-8c11-3e68dbc2dd81-screen-shot-2023-11-30-at-41053-pm.png?w=760&h=230&fit=crop&crop=faces&auto=format%2Ccompress)
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/div>\u201cThe Great War\u201d<\/h2>\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2023\/11\/30\/12468c4f-00e6-4665-b9fb-1964f512ece6-screen-shot-2023-11-30-at-33116-pm.png?w=760&h=277&fit=crop&crop=faces&auto=format%2Ccompress)
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/div>\u201cLabyrinth\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cHits Different\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cMidnight Rain\u201d<\/h2>\n
![\"Tweet](\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2023\/11\/30\/d704a183-fcfe-4aad-b51d-69fa8f6ff230-screen-shot-2023-11-30-at-41208-pm.png?w=760&h=260&fit=crop&crop=faces&auto=format%2Ccompress)
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/div>\u201cYou\u2019re On Your Own Kid\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cMaroon\u201d<\/h2>\n
![\"Tweet](\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2023\/11\/30\/22a8851d-fba5-4ba4-bab4-9c45d2853894-screen-shot-2023-11-30-at-41323-pm.png?w=760&h=212&fit=crop&crop=faces&auto=format%2Ccompress)
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/div>\u201cDear Reader\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cBejeweled\u201d<\/h2>\n
![\"Tweet](\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2023\/11\/30\/a215f5c1-105a-4d2a-97e3-380088786a30-screen-shot-2023-11-30-at-41721-pm.png?w=760&h=182&fit=crop&crop=faces&auto=format%2Ccompress)
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/div>\u201cSweet Nothing\u201d<\/h2>\n