Is Taylor Swift moving to India with Joe Alwyn? Fans wonder if the singer hints at shifting base in 'Folklore'
Not all of us can be productive during an ongoing pandemic. Not all of us can be Taylor Swift either. Doing the unthinkable, the pop icon most definitely pulled a Beyonce and announced on July 23 that she will be dropping a full 16-track eighth studio album at midnight. And considering the title is 'Folklore', it's no wonder that Taylor decided to sprinkle Easter eggs all over the lyrics of her songs, out of which the words "We'll move to India" on the song 'Seven' has managed to turn more than just a few heads. Is it true? Are Taylor and hunky beau Joe Alwyn moving to India? We aim to decode!
Right after 'Folklore' dropped on the midnight of July 23, Swifties sent social media into a crashed frenzy, reacting to the unexpected. Vulnerable, poignant and poetic — 'Folklore' sounds like the evolution of an overly criticized country star into a ballsy butterfly who isn't afraid to speak her mind anymore. Probably why Taylor is dropping these hints in her songs, as in the end chorus of 'Seven' she croons "Pack your dolls and a sweater/We'll move to India forever/Passed down like folk songs/Our love lasts so long."
Fans, eagle eyes and armed with their best Sherlock Holmes impersonation, were too quick to spot this little announcement. "Tell me more about seven. Tell me what do you mean when you said, "We'll move to India forever"," wrote a fan on Twitter. Another enthused: "OMG @taylorswift13 I thought you didn’t know that There is a country called INDIA!!" For others, they had some demands to be met first. "Hah on track 'seven' @taylorswift13 says lets move to India forever. Yes do that! but do a concert here before you settle down here lol". Another was more than willing to meet all of Taylor's demands for the move, sharing: "I would literally build a house from scratch if you actually act on that.."
Racking their brains, some fans got really busy trying to decode what this India reference means, while fans from other countries just got jealous that Indian fans won this opportunity. "With references to mad women and India, 'folklore' is inspired by the life of Jane Eyre. In this essay, I will..." quipped a fan. Another pointed out: "You guys, I'm dead again, Taylor Said she'll move to India forever in Seven. Although she said songs aren't about her, she and Joe wrote it together so they might come to India!! I'm crying," shared the fan who thought they had definitely cracked it.
However, there might be a little twist in the story. Despite Taylor's very Lana Del Rey-esque 'Hope Is A Dangerous Thing' essence in this new album, she has claimed the songs aren't about her. Also the lyrics of 'Seven' speak of a friend she had at that age, who most likely came from a troubled family. Without presuming too much, lyrics like "Your braids like a pattern/Love you to the moon and to Saturn" suggest it was a female friend.
Taylor follows it up with "And I've been meaning to tell you/I think your house is haunted/Your dad is always mad and that must be why/And I think you should come live with me." This suggests the friend's family issues growing up, which is what could have have prompted the friend's move to India, explains the lyric-decoder website Genius.
"The friend may have moved to India," they note, adding: "This may be due her parents fighting and eventual divorce. In this lyric Taylor suggests them moving to or more so running away together to India- a very childlike suggestion, that a grownup would not conceive as possible." However, Taylor has never conformed to norms, has she? With all evidences pointing towards a move to India, it looks plausible at the moment, although we're not too sure it's about her and Joe moving to India together.