Taylor Swift’s lyric on her new album, expressing a desire to live in the 1830s, has stirred controversy, particularly among African Americans.
In her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD),” released last Friday, Swift, 34, includes the track “I Hate It Here.” In the song’s second verse, she reminisces about a game she and her friends used to play, where they imagined living in different decades. Swift mentions the 1830s, albeit without the racism and forced marriages, highlighting her preference.
Swift sings in the opening lines of the second verse about how she and her friends “used to play a game where/We would pick a decade/We wished we could live in instead of this.”
“I’d say the 1830s but without all the racists/And getting married off for the highest bid,” the song continues before conceding: “Seems like it was never even fun back then/Nostalgia is a mind’s trick/If I’d been there, I’d hate it/It was freezing in the palace.”
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However, this reference has drawn criticism, especially from the Black community, highlighting the prevalence of slavery and lack of rights for both women and African Americans during that era. Kiki Rae Real, an educator on anti-racism, pointed out that even abolitionists of the time held anti-Black sentiments, emphasizing the pervasive racism of the period.
“These people who opposed the institution of slavery also did not believe that African Americans were equal to white Americans. Black people were still believed to be the inferior,” Real said in a clip posted to TikTok. “Much like the views held by Abraham Lincoln, ‘Mr. Free the slaves himself’, do you think Lincoln thought that he was racist? Probably not.”
The TikToker also cited the overturning of Roe vs. Wade by the Supreme Court, which granted federal access to abortion. This decision has resulted in the reinforcement of outdated abortion laws, exemplified by those in Arizona, adding weight to her argument.
“The fact that you’re trying to romanticize and create a fantasy around a time period in the 1830s while ignoring what was simultaneously occurring in the United States at the exact same time is the problem,” she said.
“White women want to separate these things out. You want to remove or separate being white from being a woman and we don’t get to do that to try to defend this by saying, ‘well, she recognised that there was racism’.”
The TikToker added: “In fact, it highlights how little white women have unpacked their internalized misogyny and they’re still playing in the systems of patriarchy,” and pleaded with her followers: “Understand why the shit she said in that song is so f***** problematic.
Another commentator, TikTok user @andwelcometo, criticized Swift’s lyrics for overlooking the intersectionality of issues faced by women and Black people in the 1830s. She argued that romanticizing the era disregards the struggles endured by marginalized groups, then and now.
“It’s a very white lens to filter it through… it is not broadening it to understand everything that was happening and the context of the time,” she said. “It also shows how you don’t understand how this s*** continues to [these] days, how these systems have manifested in different ways over time.”
In contrast, some, like Swift fan Tina_365, defended the singer, urging critics to consider the song’s broader message about nostalgia and the illusion of a better past. She emphasized that portraying people of color and Swift fans as victims oversimplifies the discussion.
“We’re not victims, because if you read the rest of the lyrics, instead of just picking out the parts that you want to fit your narrative, [you will] understand the song is about nostalgia,” Tina began, adding the song is realizing just because you believe “the grass is greener” by hoping to live in a different decade is not true because “it would not solve any of the issues that we currently have.”
“Stop making POC, Swifties, and people that like her music, victims because we are not,” she concluded.
Despite differing opinions, music researcher Lydia Bangura noted the significance of Swift openly addressing race in her music, suggesting that the context and delivery of the lyric should be considered.
“I’m the last person to defend Taylor Swift & her racist fans but this lyric piqued my interest because it’s the first time to my knowledge that she’s ever openly discussed race?” Bangura posted on X, formerly Twitter. “I think folks are decontextualizing this for a gimmicky joke and you should hear HOW she sings it.”
