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Update: Now that “Florida!!!” has finally been released, it turns out everyone’s theories (mine included) were off-base. Taylor Swift wasn’t rehashing the public news of her breakup with Joe Alwyn, nor was she getting political about the Sunshine State. However, there’s still so much to unpack from this track on The Tortured Poets Department, so let’s get right into it.
What’s “Florida!!!” Really About? It’s an Ode to the State’s History as an Escape (and Getaway).
During the Z100 album premiere listening party, Swift explained that she wrote “Florida!!!” to explore “what happens when your life doesn’t fit…and you’re surrounded by harsh consequences and judgment …and you just want to escape from everything you’ve ever known.” (Yes, I furiously transcribed her interview in real time. My day job is a journalist, after all, and I will devote unnecessary time to obsess over this song, dang it!)
It’s as if Swift read Craig Pittman’s Oh, Florida! before picking up her quill pen to craft the lyrics to this song. Beyond both titles turning the state into a sort of exclamation (part exasperation, part rallying cry), she weaves a tale that highlights Florida’s historic appeal: It’s long been a place where people run away from their lives and start fresh—including mobster Al Capone—a “carefree paradise…also known for its perils,” as Pittman puts it, noting its sinkholes, alligators, python problems and hurricanes.
“You can beat the heat if you beat the charges too / They said I was a cheat, I guess it must be true,” Swift starts the song, with Florence Welch—Florence & the Machine is featured on this song—later crooning, “no one asks any questions here.” The sense of mystery and intrigue in the humid South continues, with a reference to letting go of the pain of her past romances, imagining them sinking “into the swamp,” and adding she’ll “bury” her regrets in Florida.
“Where would you go to reinvent yourself and blend in? Florida.”
Taylor Swift
So why did she choose Florida specifically? Dateline. No, seriously. During the radio show, she mentions she’s “always watching Dateline” and noted that often, criminals “always go to Florida.” Taking a step back, she compared it to going through heartbreak, explaining that as you grieve the loss of a relationship, there are times when you decide, “I want a new name, I want a new life, I don’t want anyone to know me.”
She continues: “Where would you go to reinvent yourself and blend in? Florida.”
Most intriguing, though, is Welch’s introduction: “The hurricane, with my name, when it came / I got drunk and I dared it to wash me away / Barricaded in the bathroom with a bottle of wine, well, me and my ghosts, we had a hell of a time / yes, I’m haunted but I’m feeling just fine.”
There hasn’t been a Hurricane Taylor, but two ‘canes have been named Florence—one in 1953, and one in 2018. It threatened the East Coast of Florida and caused such devastation in the Carolinas that the name has since been retired. It turns out Swift had been on her Reputation tour in Miami on August 18, though that was likely well before that particular storm was a threat.
Still, it heightens the drama of the story, which makes this more of a “quill” song, in Swift parlance, than her two other primary writing forms, fountain and glitter pen. I’ll explain, lest I sound totally insane: Swift shared she thinks of the songs she writes in those three categories, with glitter being the songs that “make you want to dance” and “not take yourself too seriously,” fountain being “modern, personal stories written like poetry,” and quill is “old fashioned, like you’re a 19th century poet crafting your next sonnet by candlelight.”
Most of The Tortured Poets Department seems carved by fountain pen, but given how the specificity of the lyrics to “Florida!!!” seems rooted more in the vibe of the Sunshine State than personal experience—particularly FL’s historic reputation—I’m calling it a quill. (And, to be fair, the LA Pop-Up for the album featured quills on display.) It’s transporting, a siren song underscoring the beauty and murkiness of a place known just as much for its weird news and it is for its beaches.
Original Post: The Top 2 Theories About Taylor Swift’s Song “Florida!!!”
Want to know more about my original theories? You can read all about them here:
With hours until Taylor Swift releases her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, I am most excited about one song—a collaboration with Florence & the Machine (!) called “Florida!!!” Since many speculate the album will cover Swift’s six-year relationship with actor Joe Alwyn, the internet’s been abuzz as people wonder, what’s the song “Florida!!!” about? Here are my top theories, along with evidence to back it up.
Theory #1: ‘Florida!!!’ Is About Her Breakup with Alwyn Going Public
From the album title (which several theorize is a reference to Alwyn’s group text, The Tortured Man Club) to several song names suggesting heartbreak, many feel this is Swift’s breakup album. As a result, “Florida!!!” must have to do with her first concert after the news became public knowledge, which took place in Tampa Bay. Dealing with the aftermath of a relationship—and sudden media attention surrounding the news—while on tour could definitely inspire a song about those moments.
And who better to help her sift through those complicated swells of emotions than Florence & the Machine? After all, Swift has said its frontwoman, Florence Welch, is the person she finds herself on the dance floor with, then five minutes later, in a stairwell having an “in-depth conversation about love and heartbreak.”
Add to that the Easter egg-laden Tortured Poets Department pop-up in LA, which prominently features the globe shown above, with what appears to be a nail in Florida. It could be a simple reference to the song, as there are books with other song titles lining its shelves, but take a closer look at that nail: Is that the final nail in the coffin? Did something happen in Florida that made her realize they were never, ever getting back together? (Sorry, had to go there.)
BUT! And this is a big one, I also wonder if the song isn’t about the end of a relationship at all. Maybe it’s about something else entirely.
Theory #2: “Florida!!!” Is About Her Complicated Feelings Toward the State
Out of the 17 track titles revealed, this one features three exclamation points—punctuation you don’t normally see in a Swift track title (aside from the single one in “Me!” and “Slut!”)—that suggests a certain playfulness…and, perhaps, frustration. (Picture someone shaking their fist while shouting, “Florida!”) In recent years, Swift hasn’t shied away from her political stances or beliefs in equality, and under the governance of Ron DeSantis, the latter has come under attack in Florida. And while the governor’s office has taken steps to minimize the spate of book banning—and general confusion surrounding what books are appropriate for students—it feels like too little, too late, as schools struggle to determine what’s “safe” to put on shelves. As a pop star known for her storytelling—and for supporting LGBTQ rights—these actions may not sit right with her. But Florida is also the place where her parents own a condo, and where
Maybe “Florida!!!” is an ode to loving the people, but not necessarily the politics, and voicing her wishes for a sunnier future? It’s a stretch, admittedly, but not totally out of the realm of possibility.
I guess we’ll see when the album drops at midnight.
Lead photo: Candace Davison/Big Machine Records/Amazon