Taylor Swift has released her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. The album is full of loaded songs that seem to reference a bunch of people but there is one that’s got special attention: Actually Romantic.
Is it about a lover or a friend? The diss track has got many talking. Let’s know dissect it.
Actually Romantic lyrics:
[Verse 1]
I heard you call me “Boring Barbie” when the coke’s got you brave
High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me
Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face
Some people might be offended
[Chorus]
But it’s actually sweet
All the time you’ve spent on me
It’s honestly wild
All the effort you’ve put in
It’s actually romantic
I really gotta hand it to you, ooh
No man has ever loved me like you do
[Verse 2]
Hadn’t thought of you in a long time
But you keep sending me funny valentines
And I know you think it comes off vicious
But it’s precious, adorable
Like a toy chihuahua barking at me from a tiny purse
That’s how much it hurts
How many times has your boyfriend said
“Why are we always talking ’bout her?”
[Chorus]
It’s actually sweet
All the time you’ve spent on me
It’s honestly wild
All the effort you’ve put in
It’s actually romantic
I really gotta hand it to you, ooh
No man has ever loved me like you do
[Bridge]
You think I’m tacky, baby
Stop talking dirty to me
It sounded nasty, but it
Feels like you’re flirting with me
I mind my business, God’s my witness that I don’t provoke it
It’s kind of making me wet (Oh)
[Chorus]
‘Cause it’s actually sweet
All the time you’ve spent on me
It’s honestly lovely
All the effort you’ve put in
It’s actually romantic
Really got to hand it to you, to you
No man has ever loved me like you do
[Outro]
It’s actually romantic (You’ve just given me so much attention; la-la-la-la)
It’s actually romantic
(It’s so) Romantic
Transcription courtesy: Genius.com
What does it mean?
On the offset, in the first verse, it feels like Taylor is singing about a hater who might actually be in love with her. She calls her a ‘boring Barbie’ and ‘tacky’, jokes about her to others and mocks her. But to Taylor, the effort that goes into hating her screams of obsession.
Taylor sings that the way she keeps thinking and scheming about her, is more effort than even a man has ever put in her.
Rather than getting upset about all her negative words, Taylor poses as if it all stems from deep, passionate obsession.
Who is it about?
The clues are aplenty on the internet that the song might be about Charli XCX or Nicky Minaj. Taylor and Nicki had mini feud in 2015 after the VMAs but that was sorted all too quickly. She has also been hyping up Taylor’s TLOAS release on social media.
As for CharliXCX, the context is that she is married to George Daniel now, who is bandmates with Taylor’s ex, Matty Healy. Actually Romantic title can also be referencing Charli’s song Everything is Romantic.
The bit about high-fiving her ex and praising his song about her also seem to fit this situation. In her song Sympathy is a Knife, Charli did write, “I don’t wanna share the space / I don’t wanna force a smile / This one girl taps my insecurities / Don’t know if it’s real or if I’m spiraling.” Later in the track, she adds, “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show / Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick.”
Do you think the song is about Charli XCX?
