You Belong With Me: A CB Swiftie’s Manifesto

I love Taylor Swift. If I’m in the car, doing homework, roaming the hallowed halls of CB, or really doing anything at all, I’m most likely listening to Taylor Swift. Not to say I don’t listen to other artists — I do. But it’s more often than not Taylor that I jam to. I just really like her, and the most common question I get is “Why?” 

My Swiftie origins began about a year and a half ago, and I remember it all too well. Through her persistence, my friend Ashley Rodriguez (‘23) converted me into a huge fan. Compared to longtime fans, I’m a baby Swiftie. But what I lack in time, I make up for in dedication. 

This year alone, I have racked up 447 hours listening to her. That’s roughly 18 days straight. And it doesn’t even include the hours I’ve spent watching TikToks about her, talking about her, theorizing about her next big surprise, or fighting others for tour tickets.

After reading about my slight obsession, I’m sure you either think I’m crazy and unhinged, or as a Swiftie yourself you can relate. Call it what you want, but I promise you I’m not crazy, just passionate. Her talent is something I admire and her music is something I love. 

Emerson Reel (‘24) finds my actions totally sane because he too is a Swiftie. “I started liking Taylor Swift in 2012. In December of 2012 specifically because my mom put a Taylor Swift song [“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”] on my iPod and I listened to it forever” he reminisces.

I’m pretty sure that a six year old Emerson wasn’t running around crying to this song because of a devastating breakup or harbored bad blood for an ex, but I know he loved the song anyway and could still scream every word. Taylor creates not only great pop songs anyone can dance to, but also songs that many relate to. 

A preconceived notion most people have about her songs is that they’re all about relationships and breakups and that all she can write about are her relationships to men. To be honest, that take is boring, over used, and just plain wrong. So many of her songs tap into universal experiences. People can listen to and interpret her lyrics in a way that fits their own life.

Junior year I personally listened to her song “mirrorball” a LOT due to the sheer workload I had. All I’ll say is that year was stressful and having music that captures my emotions was extremely comforting. Cassie Dugan (‘25) finds comfort in this song as well. She says “my favorite song right now is ‘mirrorball’ because all I do is try, try, try”.

Annie Rodriguez (‘23) also loves to match her vibe to her music. “I’ve been listening to ‘State of Grace’ a lot because I’m very content with my life and I’m feeling like things are falling into place.” 

Annie has been a fan of Taylor since her third album Speak Now and has loved to see her evolve throughout the years. “Her versatility [sets Taylor apart from other artists], like how she has been able to master so many genres,” Annie says. “Her collaborators bring out the best of her and her work alone is amazing.”

That is just so true Annie. Taylor has been able to dominate the music industry in country and pop music. She has remained a relevant female artist for over 15 years and has broken so many records. Her most recent accolade is from this October when she became the first person ever to occupy the entire top ten on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Aside from the great chart topping music, there are other perks to being a Swiftie. Since the release of her first album, Taylor has been dropping “Easter eggs” that have hidden messages or hints for future projects. These Easter eggs lead to constant theorizing alongside other fans about her next song or album drop. Trying to spot and decipher the meaning of these Easter eggs sometimes gets out of hand. 

Some fans count how many TikToks Taylor has liked in a day and notice the price of merch on her website and spot the color of her nails in a video from years ago and count the characters in her latest Tweet and find an Instagram post from her friend’s sister’s husband and somehow conclude that an album will drop on the 13th of the next month. That situation I just listed is made up but honestly not far fetched from many theories that have circulated in the last year. Taylor’s Easter eggs are often clear cut, like her outfits or things she posts online.

Despite the rabbit holes we Swifties mistakenly go down every few weeks, Annie still loves interpreting Taylor’s clues. “I definitely love her Easter Eggs and trying to figure things out before they happen,” the senior raves.

“I love that everyone just gets so excited,” Cassie adds. Taylor sure knows how to make being a fan of hers enjoyable. Like a mastermind, Taylor meticulously plans everything out with the best interest of her fans in mind.

Long story short, the leading cause for why my friends find me annoying is definitely because I talk about Taylor Swift too much, so I’m glad I could use this amazing article as a healthy outlet to spread my Swift propaganda. Taylor has such a wide range of music encompassing different genres, emotions, and experiences. So I’m sure if everyone put aside their biases and gave her music a try they would find at least one song to love. By listening to her music, I hope at least one person can have an epiphany and realize how great Taylor truly is.

And if they don’t (highly unlikely), Annie summed it up best when she says “whether or not her music is something you’re into, you have to admit it takes a lot of talent to create what she creates.”