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Taylor Swift's 'I Can See You' Hidden Messages

A Robbery, a Getaway Car & the Arrival of ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’: All the Hidden Messages

Taylor Swift repeated the strategy from 'Karma ft. Ice Spice' and premiered her latest music video during one of her concerts

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Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) garnered 126 million streams (on Spotify alone) in its first 24 hours on the market. These record-breaking figures made it Taylor Swift’s second-best release on streaming platforms (second only to Midnights) and the best for a country album worldwide, surpassing the numbers achieved by Taylor Swift herself almost two years ago with the release of Red (Taylor’s Version).

It seems that the only person capable of surpassing Taylor Swift in the music industry is herself. She strives every day to reclaim the rights to her own music while offering her fans an unprecedented spectacle. With over 3 hours in duration, 44 songs and a dozen costume changes, her concert has been an ongoing event every weekend since mid-March. The show has been filled with numerous surprises and releases.

This past weekend, after the album release, Taylor Swift surprised her audience in Kansas by including «Long Live» in the setlist for Speak Now (it remains to be confirmed if it will be performed in other cities as well). She also brought Joey King, Taylor Lautner and Presley Cash on stage before the acoustic set, following a strategy we previously witnessed with the release of «Karma ft. Ice Spice«: the live premiere of the music video for «I Can See You,» which would be released on YouTube later that same night.

The Hidden Messages

But what references and hidden messages can we see in the video? Many fan accounts have collected some of the nods that Taylor Swift has made to her own career and discography:

Before the rescue and robbery of «Speak Now (TV)» takes place, the screen displays a time: 1:58 a.m. A direct reference to one of the opening lines of «Last Kiss» (a song from the album). Similarly, when Joey King tries to enter the museum, she gets an electric shock from the keyboard she’s using to unlock the door, clearly referencing the song «Electric Touch.»

The close-ups of Taylor Swift’s red lips filling the security screens immediately bring to mind the «Blank Space» music video. Meanwhile, Taylor herself, locked in a safe with one of the dresses from the 2011 Speak Now World Tour, counts the days of confinement with the number 13 on the back of her hand (which adorned her body throughout her tours until the arrival of «1989») and a phrase written on her arm that is part of the lyrics of «Long Live» (also a song from the album): «I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you.»

Taylor Lautner’s presence in the video is already a reference. The two had a relationship for a few months between 2009 and 2010, but the martial arts moves he performs are a clear reference to a Saturday Night Live sketch following Taylor Swift’s incident with Kanye West at the 2009 VMAs. The dresses displayed in the showcases are part of the entire original era of Speak Now. An era that she must let go of (the museum ends up exploding) in order to own her music.

Moreover, many have noticed that at the end of the music video, when the van flees, there is a traffic sign that reads 1989. That’s where we’re heading. However, the getaway car itself could indicate the arrival of Reputation as an intermediate step. After all, Getaway Car is part of the album’s repertoire.

And you, have you found any other reference? 

 

Article originally published by Mario Caridad on LOS40.com.