Welcome to Adrie’s beats of the week, a weekly column dedicated to remarking upon the intricacies of modern music. To submit any songs for entry, please contact [email protected], with the subject line, ‘beats of the week.’ This weeks song was suggested by one of our incredible journalists, Laney, who you should only challenge the #1 Taylor fan spot for, at your own risk.
To get this right, I first have to start from deep within the niche Taylor Swift pop culture rabbit hole. I say niche, but being a Taylor Swift fan is not niche; the non Swifties are far and few between. The story really starts, June 5th of 2013, the day that Ed Sheeran and Swift’s first collaboration, “Everything Has Changed” was released.
Now I wasn’t yet a swiftie back in 2013, so I’m not sure of any easter eggs that were dropped leading up to the songs release, but fast forward eight years, and a dramatic equals sign is being slashed upon a wedding cake in the newly re-released “I Bet You Think About Me” music video. The equals sign being the symbol on the cover of Sheeran’s upcoming album, the wild Tik Tokers assumed there was going to be some sort of upcoming surprise. There was also some talk about a jacket that Sheeran wore with “The Joker and The Queen” written on the back of it, Taylor’s name possibly included somewhere.
February 10, 2022, Sheeran premiered the “The Joker and the Queen” music video, which happened to be a new version of the song that included Swift (the original, Sheeran only version having been released months before).
I really like the song itself, it’s very slow, and sweet, and very, very Taylor and Ed. What brought the Swiftie tears to my eyes though, was the music video.
The same actors from the “Everything Has Changed” video, were brought back to do this one, this time as older, college bound versions of themselves. The video walks us through their lives apart from one another, and eventually brings them back together once again.
The songs aren’t really related by anything other than that, but they certainly knew how to give the people what they (didn’t even know) they wanted, and it works.
Sheeran and Swift are in the original, “Everything Has Changed” video, cameoing as a parent of each of the children, and I must admit that I was sad not to see them return as made-up old people. That might have pushed a more comedic angle though, which was definitely not present in the song itself.
Like previously mentioned, the song is slow, but not sad. The lyrics seems to be reflective of not only a romantic relationship, but from some angles could be reflective of Sheeran and Swift relationship itself (the actual version is apparently about his wife). The new verses integrate themselves perfectly, and overall, I think it’s beautiful.
When this song was first released, I confess, I was much more smitten with the nostalgia of the music video, but then proceeded to listen to the song on repeat for weeks. I think it’s a lovely song, with a lovely history, and with an even more lovely friendship behind it.
I am going to enjoy the next long, long while of Swiftie weddings, where fifty two (exaggeration?) songs get played, because there just isn’t The one to choose.
