In the months immediately following Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris's June 2016 breakup after dating for over a year, Harris released two songs seemingly inspired by her. Swift, in response, wrote one song seemingly about him that she didn't even sing ("Better Man," which just won Little Big Town song of the year at the CMAs Wednesday night). But that changed with the release of Reputation tonight.
Of all the tracks, "I Did Something Bad" appears to have the most insight into their breakup. Here, the lyrics, via Genius, broken down with the possible Harris references.
I never trust a narcissist
But they love me
If you follow Calvin Harris on Instagram or Snapchat, you know the guy loves a good selfie—and often, a shirtless selfie. Self-confident? Yes! Narcissistic? Maybe...
So I play 'em like a violin
And I make it look oh so easy
'Cause for every lie I tell them
They tell me three
This is how the world works
She suggests here that while she lied, Harris did more, and she didn't trust him. The two spent the first year of their relationship apart on and off, as Swift was on her 1989 World Tour and Harris was playing DJ gigs all over the world.
Now all he thinks about is me
Swift could be referring to all the shade Harris threw at her after their breakup and how it led him to release two songs and a music video chock full of Swift references.
Pre-Chorus:
I can feel the flames on my skin
Crimson red paint on my lips
If a man talks shit, then I owe him nothing
I don't regret it one bit, 'cause he had it coming
When Swift and Harris initially broke up, the two posted a coordinated statement on Harris's Twitter. Harris posted it first; Swift retweeted.
Then, two weeks later, hours before photos of Swift and Tom Hiddleston making out in Rhode Island would break, Harris tweeted and deleted "Oh boy it's about to go down".
He deleted their breakup tweet and started purging his Instagram of every photo of Swift. Swift later did the same on her own social.
Chorus:
They say I did something bad, ah
Then why's it feel so good?
"I did something bad" could refer to Swift's moving on to Tom Hiddleston immediately after her breakup with Harris (the two apparently met in May and hit it off at the Met Gala that Harris didn't attend).
Harris suggested in the lyrics to his song "Ole" that Swift may have been talking to Hiddleston while she was still with him. (Select lyrics include: "I see online that you begun to be a good girl and take trips with your boyfriend. Being attentive, continue to pretend..." (A shout-out presumably to Harris and Swift's Coachella trip); "You've hidden my name in your phone so you can call me to tell me you've been going through hell. Left him alone and you booked in a hotel"; and a punny, reference to Hiddleston's Loki Thor character "Low key you won't tell none of your friends about me.")
They say I did something bad, ah
But why's it feel so good?
Most fun I ever had, ah
And I'd do it over and over and over again if I could
It just felt so good, good
Hiddleswift had a super public, whirlwind romance. They made out in Rhode Island and Rome! Met each other's parents! Hiddleston wore a "I Heart TS" tank. Swift went to Australia. It was the peak summer fling.
Post-Chorus:
Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap
Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap
Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap
Death trap, trap, trap
Verse 2:
I never trust a playboy
But they love me
Before dating Swift, Harris—one of the world's highest paid DJs—had something of a playboy reputation.
So I fly 'em all around the world
Swift's private jet has famously been photographed transporting her and her famous boyfriends. (She and Harris made it clear they were together on it when they were flying with Gigi Hadid to Coachella for Hadid's 22nd birthday and posted about it on their social media.)
And I let them think they saved me
They never see it comin'
What I do next
This is how the world works
You gotta leave before you get left
Swift suggests here that she ended things with Harris.
Pre-Chorus:
I can feel the flames on my skin
He says, "Don't throw away a good thing"
Swift and Harris were music's highest paid couple when they were together. They had just celebrated their first year anniversary three months before they split (and Harris, at the time of their breakup, was reportedly ring-shopping). It was one of Swift's longest-running relationships.
But if he drops my name, then I owe him nothin'
Harris went on an Instagram comment spree post-breakup about Swift and how she allegedly manipulated the narrative."She controlled the media and this situation. I had no idea what was going on," was among what he wrote. He called himself "not jealous [of Tom Hiddleston being with Swift], sir, FREE."
And if he spends my change, then he had it comin'
Swift could be referencing here the song royalties they both shared on their track "This Is What You Came For." When it initially came out, Swift used a pseudonym (Nils Sjöberg) for her song writer credit. Notably, after the song came out, Harris would say on the radio that he and Swift had no plans to work together. "You know, we haven't even spoken about it [collaborating]," he told Ryan Seacrest on Seacrest's radio show in April. "I can't see it happening, though. No. She's about to take a long break, you know?"
People would report later that Swift actually did write the song. Harris would confirm it on Twitter, and then go on a rant telling Swift to not bury him like "Katy etc"
Chorus:
They say I did something bad, ah
Then why's it feel so good?
They say I did something bad, ah
But why's it feel so good?
Most fun I ever had, ah
And I'd do it over and over and over again if I could
It just felt so good, good
Post-Chorus:
Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap
Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap
(It just felt so good)
Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap
Death trap, trap, trap
Bridge:
They're burning all the witches, even if you aren't one
Swift had a "They're burning all the witches" pillar in her "...Ready For It?" music video. "They're" is her critics.
They got their pitchforks and proof
Their receipts and reasons
Receipts could be a literal reference to the Kim Kardashian Snapchat receipts.
They're burning all the witches, even if you aren't one
So light me up (light me up), light me up (light me up)
Light me up, go ahead and light me up (light me up)
Light me up (light me up), light me up (light me up)
Light me up (light me up), light me up
The repetition of "light" here could be a callback to "This Is What You Came For." The song goes, "Lightning strikes every time she moves."
Chorus:
They say I did something bad, ah (Oh)
Then why's it feel so good? (So good)
They say I did something bad, ah
But why's it feel so good? (Good)
Most fun I ever had (Most fun I ever had)
And I'd do it over and over and over again if I could
It just felt so good (good), good
Post-Chorus:
Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap
Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap
Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap
Death trap, trap, trap
Outro:
Oh, you say I did something bad
(You say I did something bad)
Then why's it feel so good, good?
So bad, why's it feel so good?
Why's it feel, why's it feel so good? (Bad)
It just felt so good, good
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
