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- All the details you might have missed in Taylor Swift's 'I Bet You Think About Me' music video
All the details you might have missed in Taylor Swift's 'I Bet You Think About Me' music video
Claudia Willen
- Taylor Swift released the music video for "I Bet You Think About Me" on Monday.
- The track is one of the bonus songs on her rerecorded album, "Red (Taylor's Version)."
The stained-glass window framing Miles Teller's head may serve as a nod to Swift's song "State of Grace."
In the opening moments of the "I Bet You Think About Me" music video, the groom (Teller) rehearses his wedding speech in the men's bathroom, standing in front of a round stained-glass window.
The orange and red pattern, which features 13 birds, creates a halo behind his head, similar to the golden nimbuses found on saints and other holy figures in religious artwork.
The parallel could be a callback to another song on "Red," titled "State of Grace."
The album's opening track, which was released as a promotional single on the original 2012 album, features the lyrics: "So you were never a saint, and I've loved in shades of wrong."
Swift's reflection also appears in the music video for her "1989" track "Style."
Now that Swift has two rerecorded albums out — "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" and "Red (Taylor's Version)" — fans have begun trying to decipher which era she'll tackle next in her plan to claim ownership of her old music.
Many have already noted that Swift, who famously sprinkles covert messages throughout her work, has included nods to "1989" throughout the music video for "I Bet You Think About Me."
Right off the bat, there's a similarity to the 2015 music video for "Style," a track from Swift's fifth studio album. In the new video, the singer, an unwelcomed ex, appears in the bathroom mirror and stares right back at the groom.
Her reflection also follows the male lead in the "Style" music video. Red-lipped, her face pops up in broken pieces of glass and in his car's rearview mirror.
The flowers seem to be one of several references to Disney's "Alice in Wonderland."
As soon as Swift shows up to her ex's wedding in the "I Bet You Think About Me" music video, everything, from the desserts to the gowns, transforms from pure white to fiery red.
Early in the video, a hand plucks white flowers from a bouquet and replaces them with bright red roses. The moment seems like a clear reference to "Painting the Roses Red," a song in the 1951 Disney animated film "Alice in Wonderland."
Swift also alludes to the classic cartoon on her track "Wonderland," which is included on the deluxe edition of "1989." She sings in the opening verse: "Flashing lights and we / Took a wrong turn and we / Fell down a rabbit hole."
Later verses contain lines like "We found Wonderland / You and I got lost in it" and "Didn't you calm my fears with a Cheshire cat smile?"
Ahead of the release of "Red (Taylor's Version)," Swift made another "Alice in Wonderland" reference during a discussion about her intentionally cryptic hints on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."
"If you want to go down a rabbit hole with us, come along," she told the host. "The water is great. Jump in. We're all mad here."
Swift previously destroyed a cake in her "Blank Space" music video.
The singer demolishes the red-velvet cake at her ex's wedding in the "I Bet You Think About Me" music video. She skips the cutlery and grabs a chunk from the middle, shoving a handful directly into her mouth.
In the 2014 music video for the "1989" track "Blank Space," Swift stabs a heart-shaped white cake. Like the pastry in "I Bet You Think About Me," the inside is red.
The wedding cake features her lucky number 13 (and the multiple 26).
Swift's favorite number is 13.
For years, she wrote it on her hand ahead of performances. Though she put an end to that ritual, she still finds room to throw her lucky number, along with multiples of it, in her work.
"13 is my lucky number; for a lot of reasons," Swift said in 2009, according to MTV.
"I was born on the 13th. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th. My first album went gold in 13 weeks. My first #1 song had a 13-second intro," she said, continuing, "Every time I've won an award I've been seated in either the 13th seat, the 13th row, the 13th section or row M, which is the 13th letter."
She added: "Basically whenever a 13 comes up in my life, it's a good thing."
In the "I Bet You Think About Me" video, the top tier of the wedding cake has the numbers 13 and 26 written into the frosting.
"I Bet You Think About Me" is also the 26th track on "Red (Taylor's Version)."
The design on Swift's ring is also on the cake.
While seated at the kids' table, the singer wears a ring with the word "Red" on her middle finger. She also wore it in a video she shared on Instagram ahead of the album's release.
The same design appears in the frosting of the all-white cake she destroys.
In 2011, jeweler Cathy Waterman and her daughter Claire Winter Kislinger (who Swift is close friends with) gifted the singer Waterman's signature LOVE Ring, according to People. Swift wore the piece of jewelry throughout the writing process of "Red."
In honor of the album's rerelease, Swift teamed back up with Waterman and Kislinger to create the "Red" ring, inspired by the design of the LOVE Ring. Swift wore it for the "Red (Taylor's Version)" cover art, and is currently selling a replica of it on her website.
The cake also features the design of Waterman's LOVE ring, which Swift sent to Olivia Rodrigo earlier this year.
In March, Rodrigo said she received a package from Swift with a handwritten note and a ring.
"She said she wore one just like it when she wrote 'Red' and she wanted me to have one like it," the "Sour" singer said during an interview with SiriusXM.
The birds on the cake could be a nod to "1989," but the entire dessert could also be one big Easter egg for various albums.
Swift wore a t-shirt featuring seagulls for the "1989" cover.
However, Swift may have sneakily added another red item into the image: a red herring. It's entirely possible she knew fans would think the birds were seagulls and jump to the conclusion that they reference "1989" — when they could actually be a completely different type of bird known as Swifts.
Each layer of the cake could represent each of her first five albums. If the birds are Swifts, the bottom tier could symbolize her debut album "Taylor Swift," since it's a foundational layer with her own name on it.
In turn, the tier above it would symbolize "Red," the tier with the chunk taken out of it could be "Fearless" since it's already been rerecorded, and the top tier with the numbers could be "1989."
This leaves the third tier in the middle for her third album "Speak Now." It's the tiniest layer on the cake, which could be a reference to the small number of writers who worked on the album: one. Swift famously wrote the entirety of "Speak Now" alone.
Keleigh Sperry Teller, Miles Teller's real wife, plays the bride.
The couple — who tied the knot in Maui, Hawaii, in 2019 — got to have a second (pretend) wedding while filming the "I Bet You Think About Me" music video two years later.
The model and actress posted a photo with Swift from the set, referencing the singer's album "Evermore" and her "All Too Well" lyrics in the caption.
"Forevermore a crumpled up piece of paper lyin' here," she wrote, adding, "in @taylorswift we STAN."
The red gift is also in the "All Too Well" short film.
After delivering a toast at her ex's wedding in the "I Bet You Think About Me" music video, Swift hands over a red-wrapped gift to the bride.
All signs point to the gesture as a through-thread to another "Red (Taylor's Version)" video. In the short film for the 10-minute version of "All Too Well," released on Friday, an identical present sits behind Sadie Sink's character as she blows out the candles on her 21st birthday.
The red scarf around the bride's neck ties back to the "All Too Well" short film, too.
In "All Too Well," a song suspected to be about Swift's 2010 relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal, Swift sings in the first verse: "And I left my scarf there at your sister's house / And you've still got it in your drawer, even now." She later reveals on the track that her ex held onto the scarf even after their romance fell apart.
In the short film, Sink and Jake Lyon, the actor that plays an older version of the ex-boyfriend, both wear red scarves, just like the bride in the "I Bet You Think About Me" music video.
More bird imagery appears on the tables.
The small detail is reminiscent of Swift's "1989" era.
The wedding guests sit at table 13, Swift's favorite number.
The kids' table also features a card that reads "13."
Blake Lively has worn the red ring around Swift's middle finger in the music video.
The actress, who directed the "I Bet You Think About Me" music video, sported the piece to a November event at the Empire State Building and again to Swift's recent performance as the musical guest on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."
The apple juice at the kids' table could be a reference to the "Blank Space" video.
Swift sips apple juice at the kids' table in the "I Bet You Think About Me" music video.
The beverage may have been thrown in as a fitting, age-appropriate option for the young wedding guests, but it could also be Swift's intentional nod to her "Blank Space" music video.
In the 2014 production, Swift cradles, squeezes, and bites into a red apple, which, in many biblical interpretations, symbolizes the forbidden fruit.
Swift drops Teller's hand while they're dancing at the wedding, which could be a nod to "Champagne Problems."
On the "Evermore" song, Swift sings, "Because I dropped your hand while dancing / Left you out there standing / Crestfallen on the landing."
"Champagne Problems" tells the story of a woman turning down a marriage proposal, with the final verses detailing how she believes her ex will go on to marry someone else with the same engagement ring: "Your mom's ring in your pocket / Her picture in your wallet / You won't remember all my / Champagne problems."
In the "All Too Well" short film, Sink's character also argues with Dylan O'Brien's character over how he dropped her hand at dinner with his friends.
Swift wears red Converse sneakers under her wedding dress.
As she walks away from the groom, the Grammy winner lifts up her gown to reveal the high tops.
In 2012, Swift explained her rationale for naming the breakup album "Red."
"It kind of signifies the intense, really bold emotions you feel when you're in kind of mad love," she told MTV News. "And I think that all of the songs on the album are written about those kinds of experiences that I've had."
"In general red is just a bold, brave color," she continued, adding, "I love red lipstick. I love red dresses. I love red shoes. Red is the theme of the moment."
The soles of Teller's dress shoes are also red.
When Teller sits on the floor with Swift, he flashes the bottom of his shoes. And in accordance with the album's theme, they're a loud shade of red.
Aaron Dessner, one of Swift's musical collaborators, has a cameo.
Dessner teamed up with Swift on her critically acclaimed albums "Folklore" and "Evermore," so it makes sense that The National musician got involved with "Red (Taylor's Version)" as well.
He's credited as a producer on the vault tracks "Better Man," "Nothing New (featuring Phoebe Bridgers)," "I Bet You Think About Me (featuring Chris Stapleton)," and "Run (featuring Ed Sheeran)."
Dessner also has a cameo in the "I Bet You Think About Me" music video as a member of Swift's band.
On the day of the video's release, he shared a photo from set and wrote, "I had an incredible time re-making songs for #RedTaylorsVersion with @taylorswift -- and it was sooooo much fun watching the super talented @blakelively direct us all in the video for 'I Bet You Think About Me.'"
Swift resurfaces a hat she wore on her "Red" tour.
The singer hides behind a black top hat in the "I Bet You Think About Me" music video.
If the accessory looks familiar, it's because she wore it throughout her original "Red" era. Swift had the same hat on during her carnival-themed performance of the song "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" at the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards in Frankfurt, Germany.
The singer pulls a rabbit out of the hat, which could be another "Alice in Wonderland" reference.
In the cartoon, Alice follows a white rabbit down a hole and into Wonderland.
The same animal, albeit stuffed and red, shows up in Swift's "I Bet You Think About Me" music video when she pulls it out of her top hat to entertain a table of young guests.
While the moment could be a meaningless party trick, it could also be another nod to the "1989," track "Wonderland."
Her hair is pulled back into the same bun as the "Style" music video.
Swift's hair is in a bun, with bangs and wisps framing her face, in both the "I Bet You Think About Me" and "Style" music videos.
The wedding photographer interrupts the groom, which ties back to her song "Last Kiss."
The groom can't seem to escape visions of his ex, even as he celebrates his own wedding.
As he chases down the intruder, clad in red, a professional photographer steps in front of him and throws him off-kilter with the camera's flash.
The moment draws back to one of the most memorable lines from "Last Kiss," a wistful breakup song on Swift's third studio album "Speak Now" (2010).
She sings: "I'll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep, and I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe."
The singer's younger brother Austin is credited as a producer.
The 29-year-old appears in his sister's videos for "The Best Day," "Christmas Tree Farm," and "The Best Day (Taylor's Version),"
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