Today, after work, I was jamming to a playlist that includes some of Ms. Swift’s work, and I realized the song –– ‘Come Back…Be Here’ –– perfectly captured the feeling of missing someone we know we might be better off letting go.
Then I thought, ‘Hey. I wonder if Taylor has written and performed a song for every step of a breakup?’ (The answer, I’m sure you can guess, is yes.)
And then, like the Swiftie I am and aspire to be, I found eight tracks to share with all of you. Without further ado, here’s a Taylor Swift track for every step of your breakup:
1. Out of the Woods (live)
For when it’s all so fresh, and their side of the bed still seems warm,
and you just need to ache through it.
2. Come Back…Be Here
For the days when, goddammit, you just want them to show up
and stay, whether it’s good for you or not.
3. Look What You Made Me Do
When you’re feeling petty, feeling yourself, and
feeling pretty vocal about it, tbh.
4. Blank Space
When you’re feeling good enough to dress up, go out,
and see what’s out there, but you probably shouldn’t get too deep.
5. We Are Never Getting / Bad Blood (mash-up)
For when your ex tries to stay relevant in your life but, tbh,
you’ve kind of closed that door.
6. Clean
When you’re standing again, breathing again,
and not all of you feels stained with sadness anymore.
7. Holy Ground
When enough time has passed that you can look back,
with a smile, and remember all the good again.
8. Begin Again
When somebody comes around and helps you stop looking back
and start looking ahead again.
And remember, my friends, that you are not alone in your heartbreak. There is, in fact, nothing more human than working to love and be loved.
michael king 