Taylor Swift has made a name for creating relatable songs. One reason why her fans are so passionate boils down to their ability to relate to the singer, despite her being a world-famous superstar. One of the more accessible and introspective songs from folklore is “mirrorball.”
Videos by American Songwriter
The down-tempo track has become a standout among fans for its brutally honest lyrics and soothing musicality. Uncover the meaning behind this Swift fan-favorite below.
[RELATED: From Country to Pop: 5 Taylor Swift Songs That Define Her Genre Shift]
Behind the Meaning of “Mirrorball”
I want you to know
I’m a mirrorball
“mirrorball” started its life as a metaphor for fame, but it resonates in a variety of ways. “It was a metaphor for celebrity, but it’s also a metaphor for so many people that have to feel that they have to ‘be on’–everybody has to be duplicitous,” according to Swift in the Disney+ documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions.
The lyrics compare a disco ball and its many shattered edges to celebrities who must weather ridicule on the world’s stage and still be able to shine when the spotlight is on them. The masquerade revelers/
Drunk as they watch my shattered edges glisten, Swift sings.
Though most of folklore sees Swift writing from outside perspectives, the message in “mirrorball” seems to apply to Swift’s journey to fame. Though she is on top of the world now, there was a time when Swift was ridiculed by everyone apart from her inner circle of fans–particularly following the Kanye West/Kim Kardashian feud. Though she is still playing a character in this track, it seems to hold more personal truth than the others.
In the bridge of the song, Swift gets even more candid singing, I’m still a believer but I don’t know why
I’ve never been a natural / All I do is try, try, try.
“I was like, ‘Is that too true?'” Swift added in the Long Pond Sessions.
Swift went on to tell her collaborator Jack Antonoff in the Disney+ documentary that “mirrorball” came to her very quickly.
“Sometimes when I’m writing to an instrumental track, I will immediately see a scene set,” Swift said. “In this case, I immediately saw a lonely disco ball, twinkly lights, neon signs, people drinking beer by the bar, couple of stragglers on the dance floor–just sort of a sad, moonlit experience.
“I was thinking, ‘We have mirrorballs in the middle of a dance floor because they reflect light,'” she continued. “They are broken a million times and that is what makes them so shiny. We have people like that in society too. They hang there and every time they break it entertains us.”
The song has become an assuage for anyone who feels similarly. Her fans can find solace in the fact that even Swift feels a little out of place sometimes.
Because I’m a mirrorball
I’m a mirrorball
I’ll show you every version of yourself
Tonight
Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
