In the lyric video for Taylor Swift’s new track 'So High School' off The Tortured Poets Department, she sent a secret message to her boyfriend Travis Kelce. Swift’s secrets are designed to be revealed, and her fans quickly noted the subtle reference to her NFL star sweetheart.
The video highlights both Swift and Kelce’s initials in the verses, 'Cheeks pink in the twinkling lights/ tell me ‘bout the first time you saw me.'
The letters T and K and the T and S are cast in a pale pink at the 0:43 mark, spelling their initials, and there appear to be football stadium lights in one corner throughout the video.
The lyrics themselves contain plenty of references to football and to Kelce. At one point, she references an old interview Kelce did with AfterBuzz TV in which he was asked to play 'marry kiss kill' between Swift and pop stars Ariana Grande and Katy Perry.
Kelce responded, 'Damn, that’s messed up. I don’t want to kill any of them. Ariana, sorry, love you, but you’re gone. And then Taylor Swift would be the kiss. And what’s the last one? Katy Perry? Yeah, Katy Perry would be the marry.'
Things haven’t quite worked out that way. In the song, Swift asks, 'Are you gonna Marry, Kiss or Kill Me.'
She goes on to sing, 'It’s just a game, but really I’m betting on all three for us two/ You know how to ball / I know Aristotle/ Brand new, full throttle / Teach me while your bros play ‘Grand Theft Auto’ / It’s true, swear, scouts honour. You knew what you wanted and, boy, you got her.'
In the last line, Swift seems to be talking about how Kelce very openly pursued her and sent her a message as she passed through Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium on her Eras Tour. On another track, 'The Alchemy,' Swift talks about Kelce’s Super Bowl win.
'Cheers chanting ‘cause they said / There was no chance / Trying to be the greatest in the league / Where's the trophy?/ He just comes running over to me,' she sings. 'Touch down / Call the amateurs and cut them from the team / Ditch the clowns, get the crown, baby I'm the one to beat / ‘Cause the sign on your heart said it's still reserved for me / Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?'
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Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.
