In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past 12 hours or so, pop superstar Taylor Swift unleashed a double album on the world, and as a Swiftie, it is my moral obligation to be deeply annoying about it. I’m not here to review the album though, but instead highlight a line from it that is already making the rounds on social media. A line that is, weirdly enough, about sex and the hit open-world game series Grand Theft Auto.
After releasing the first half of The Tortured Poets Department at midnight last night, Ms. Swift chose to drop another set of songs two hours later, revealing it to be a double album that spans two hours and a lot of feelings. Among the new tracks was one called “So High School,” which seems to run down the emotional highs of Swift’s latest romantic relationship with the Kansas City Chiefs tight-end Travis Kelce. The world has no doubt heard enough of these two, as their relationship dominated entire news cycles and even the goddamn Super Bowl, but Swift hasn’t really had a chance to say her piece outside of a lyric change during her still ongoing Eras Tour.
Well, she’s finally opening up about it, and true to the confessional nature of her lyrics, has maybe even said a little too much. The song, which likens their relationship to that of a high school odd couple, brings attention to their dynamic in a bridge that reads as follows:
“Truth, dare, spin bottles/ You know how to ball, I know Aristotle
Brand new, full throttle/ Touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto
It’s true, swear, scouts honor/ You knew what you wanted, and, boy, you got her
Brand new, full throttle/You already know, babe”
The internet has some thoughts about these lines, and the range is outstanding. Some love the throwaway reference to Kelce playing GTA, which checks out considering he’s made no secret of being a real guys’ guy who plays hit games like it and Call of Duty. Hell, Kelce and his teammates on the Chiefs have credited Warzone for their success on his podcast with his brother Jason. Some have expressed their disdain for it, calling the delivery of the line tactless and crass. Others are reeling from the revelation that Taylor Swift gets down with an adult man who plays GTA, to which I say grow up. The realest of the bunch are (rightfully) mind blown by the fact that she rhymed Aristotle with Grand Theft Auto.
I think there’s something sweet and simple, and yeah maybe a little unabashedly cringe about the line. The song’s called “So High School,” after all. Swift is telling her audience about how young and immature her new relationship makes her feel at times. I think she’s aware of how silly it sounds, but it’s a liberating feeling to be able to be silly and puerile with someone you love and that’s just where she’s at now. Who knows, maybe this is how we get a Grand Theft Auto VI collab, or at the very least, a line in her next album about playing Rockstar Games’ upcoming sequel with Kelce.
