The Coolest & Most Chaotic Taylor Swift Fan Theories About 'Midnights'
By Rebekah Gonzalez
October 20, 2022
Super fans, or 'stans' as they've been called for the past 10 years, make up a huge section of the internet. In fact, the way we communicate on the internet today is in large part thanks to these passionate fanatics. In her book Everything I Need I Get From You: How Fangirls Created the Internet As We Know It, Kaitlyn Tiffany details how basic internet functions like posting on forums and listservs were pioneered thanks to the thousands of Grateful Dead fans, known as Deadheads, who flocked to the internet to share their art, literature, and theories about their favorite band in the 1970s.
Over four decades later, Taylor Swift fans, Swifties as they're called, are some of the most dedicated and inventive fanatics on the internet right now. They're sleuthing, connecting dots, and studying Swift's every move to create some truly elaborate theories about her work. As they prepare for Swift to drop her tenth studio album, Midnights, on Friday, October 21st, they're busy hypothesizing and looking for easter eggs that may hint at what this new era will bring for Swift.
Some of their theories have already been proven correct, like a Lana Del Rey collaboration, which she confirmed on an episode of her TikTok series "Midnights Mayhem With Me." The series even prompted a whole other set of theories.
Get ready to have some fun checking out the coolest and most chaotic fan theories about Midnights:
Swift Hinted At Midnights At The End Of 2019's Lover
Twitter user @taylorstoebeans went viral after they pointed out that the last song on her most recent album Lover, "Daylight" ends with a lyric that's literally the theme of her new album. "I wanna be defined by the things that I love/ Not the things I hate/ Not the things I'm afraid of, I'm afraid of/ Or the things that haunt me in the middle of the night."
Swift also famously told Jimmy Fallon that her fans' theories have inspired her to leave easter eggs for them to find. "Can I hint at something three years in advance? Can I even plan things out that far? I think Iโm gonna try to do it.โ
Lover came three years prior to Midnights. Coincidence? The Swifties think not!
the way that Taylor ended lover talking about the things that haunt her in the middle of the nightโฆ and then followed lover with an album of things that keep her up at night @taylorswift13 #TSmidnighTS pic.twitter.com/YxmFlAEM4A
— em ๐ london release week โจ (@taylorstoebeans) August 29, 2022
"Karma" Is About Kanye West After He Derailed The Release Of Her 2016 Album Of The Same Name
Swift's chaotic giggle while announcing this song launched some even more chaotic theories about this highly-anticipated track. One Swiftie, @LoveCanBurnOut on Twitter, postulates that "Karma is definitely about Kanye because itโs definitely not a coincidence that itโs Track 11 when Innocent (her song forgiving Kanye for the 2009 incident originally), is Track 11 too."
Then @Up_In_Lights13 chimed in with an interesting point. "October 6 2016 the original demo of Kanyeโs song Famous leaked with the full lyrics about Taylor. October 6 2022 Taylor announces Karma," they wrote. Fans then pointed out that she announced the album on the same stage where West infamously interrupted her acceptance speech in 2009.
Fans are also convinced "Karma" was the name of her never-released 2016 rock album. Based on easter eggs in the "Look What You Made Me Do" music video, fans believe she decided to shelve the album after the drama West prompted with his "Famous" lyric and pivoted to her 2017 album Reputation. One fan on Reddit breaks down the theory here.
THE MOST OBVIOUS EASTER EGG EVER pic.twitter.com/Qp2uFfmWug
— Taylor Throwbacks๐ (@ThrowbackTaylor) August 28, 2022
Karma is definitely about Kanye because itโs definitely not a coincidence that itโs Track 11 when Innocent (her song forgiving Kanye for the 2009 incident originally), is Track 11 too.
— ThatHaylorStan (@LoveCanBurnOut) October 6, 2022
October 6 2016 the original demo of Kanyeโs song Famous leaked with the full lyrics about Taylor
— ๐๐ Lyndsay ๐๐ (@Up_In_Lights13) October 6, 2022
October 6 2022 Taylor announces Karma
Coincidence? I think not
The Upside Down Phone Means A Song Will Get A Music Video (& Countless Other Theories)
Fans were quick to notice that when Swift announced certain songs during her "Midnights Mayhem With Me" TikTok series, she held that red phone upside down. Many fans have shared their theories about what this could mean. The most popular (which @dillovesred on Twitter shared with a nifty photo that compiles screenshots of every time Swift picked up the phone) is that every track in which Swift held the phone upside down will get a music video.
So far, that theory holds up. Swift shared the release week schedule and "Anti-Hero," which she announced with an upside-down phone, is officially getting a music video! Swift has yet to confirm what song the second music video will be for. Fans will find out on October 24th.
I have this theory that Taylor might be holding the phone the other way to the tracks which are going to have music videos
— Dilhara (Taylorโs Version) ๐ (@dillovesred) October 7, 2022
#TSmidnighTS #MidnightsMayhemWithMe @taylorswift13 @taylornation13 pic.twitter.com/XuiPxDEc2b
Okay hear me out but what if the phone upside down means that she wrote these two songs about what other people were saying about her behind closed doors. The phone upside down next to her ear could be symbolic for listening to someone elseโs voice talking about herโฆ
— Alexander Caldera (@Alexandercaldxx) October 3, 2022
Swift Will Surprise Drop Another Album When Midnights Is Released
Upon the release of the full tracklist, Swift's official fan account tweeted, "For the very first time, you can pre-order and know exactly what you're gettingโฆ we think." That "we think," obviously meant something else is coming.
One fan, Jade, on TikTok has a theory that Midnights is actually a double album and another 13 songs will be released in tandem with the previously announced 13 songs. Their theory is based on the fact that the wedding cake in the "I Bet You Think About Me" music video has the number 26 written on it. Check out the theory below.
@boobiewoob13 This is whole new level of clownery ๐คก @Taylor Swift @Taylor Nation @Shania Twain #swifttok #tsmidnights #midnightsmayhemwithme #theory #taylorswifttheory #easteregg #clown #clowning #fyp #foryoupage #foryou
โฌ original sound - Jade