Have I cracked the code to “Slut!” opening lyrics? Does it reference the hotel where Taylor and Dianna donned flower crowns?
Just a theory, but I HAD to share when I realized this connection!
I was doing a close reading of the Slut! lyrics today, and came across this article trying to prove the song is about Haylor (yeah right). BUT I was intrigued by this idea that ‘Flamingo pink/sunrise boulevard” was a reference to the Beverly Hills Hotel.
The Beverly Hills Hotel is indeed known for its pink exterior and decor (it’s known as the “Pink Palace”). It is on Sunset Boulevard, and has an iconic swimming pool which has been the site of famous Hollywood moments. Yes, the street name is different (Sunset vs Sunrise), but in Taylor's voice memo about Slut, she is clear that this song was always "California" in her mind. Sunrise Boulevard is in Florida, so playing with the hotel's street name (maybe referencing a relationship in "sunrise" as opposed to "sunset") feels apt and clever.
The Beverly Hills Hotel is known for its pink exterior and iconic swimming pool.
I did a little googling to find out whether Taylor has been connected to this hotel and LOW AND BEHOLD…. The Beverly Hills Hotel is the site of the iconic Swiftgron flower crown pictures!! That's the night Dianna and Taylor went “full-time fancy” and dressed up with a couple friends to celebrate Shirley MacLaine’s birthday. They went to the Polo Lounge, the restaurant at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Taylor tweeted about it at the time, saying: "We dressed up full-time fancy" *(*ahem... "if we're all dressed up, they might as well be looking at us")
'they don't know about the night at the hotel'
NOW TO TOP IT ALL OFF that night with Taylor at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Dianna tweeted:
“Had a long day & don’t know what to celebrate later…? Because you need a moment to be young? Find your moments…”
I don't know about you, but creating a moment "to be young" sounds a heck of a lot like the sentiment behind **“**Being this young is art”.
More “Slut!” analysis:
Continuing a lyrical analysis, I believe we can read “Slut!” through the lens of taking on a beard in order to love a forbidden Muse. I think this hinges on Taylor's use of pronouns, contrasting "you/we" when speaking about the Muse to "him/his" to reference the Beard.
To begin - the song starts by referencing the Muse directly, using the pronouns you/us/we: “What if all I need is you?". More on this later.
“Lovelorn and nobody knows” - Her Muse is secret, in parallel to The Very First Night ("they don't know about the night at the hotel")
“Love thorns all over this rose” – we can read this explicitly as a reference to Taylor and Dianna's flower crowns, or see it as Taylor seeing herself as a publicly perfect “rose” that’s actually covered in a thorny, painful love people don't see (also interesting parallel to "carnations you had thought were roses, that's us")
"I’ll pay the price, you won’t” - The Muse won’t face the same consequences as Taylor, maybe because they are less concerned about being publicly associated with another woman. Incidentally, we know Dianna was more open about her sexuality, publicly saying in 2012 “I’ve kissed girls before, it’s fun”. Alternatively, Taylor will also pay the price for taking on a beard, through backlash from his jealous fans.
“But if we’re all dressed up/They might as well be looking at us” - In a literal reading, Taylor and Dianna were playing dress-up up for the birthday party, going out in flower crowns and vintage dresses.
“And if they call me a “slut!”, you know it might be worth it for once” – If they’re going to call Taylor a slut for being associated with yet another boy, it might actually be worth it if this time the boy is a beard who can allow her to be with the Muse.
Now in Verse 2, we move to the the pronoun shifts. Up to this point Taylor has talked about her love interest using pronouns “us/we” and “you.” (‘love to think you’ll never forget” / “they might as well be looking at us*”).* But in Verse 2 the pronouns shift, moving to he/him - she is taking a detached look at someone outside their relationship.
“Send the code, he's waiting there/The sticks and stones they throw froze mid-air.”
Taylor knows the “code” to distract from her real Muse is a Beard. And the person who can do that – the “he” – is ready and waiting. When the “he” (the Beard) appears, the accusations and vitriol about the real Muse stop - freezing “mid-air.” The “he” or the beard, is the “code” to allowing their love to exist.
Now the public narrative can shift away from the Muse, and onto the “crime” of being with the Beard. Taylor is the object of fan jealousy/backlash for being with Harry (“everyone wants him, that was my crime”), which is a far preferable “crime” in her eyes than being publicly in love with the real Muse.
This Beard wasn’t real love – he was the “wrong place” for Taylor, but he was with her at the “right time” to protect her and disguise the relationship. (also maybe a callback to Harry and Taylor’s very public New Year’s Eve kiss).
"And I break down, then he's pullin' me in/ In a world of boys, he's a gentleman***.":*** This is an interesting parallel to Come Back, Be Here, a Swiftgon song from Red: *But you're in London, and I break down/'Cause it's not fair that you're not around. (*Also a parallel to - “I break down a little, but when you get me alone it’s so simple”.)
When the Muse is not around, Taylor falters and "breaks down"– maybe she is pulled in by the idea of the Beard, the simplicity of a life with a public love interest who she doesn’t have to hide. After all, “In a world of boys he’s a gentleman”. He’s a public heartthrob who matches her aesthetic and interests at the time; they’re an “it” couple! But this line also sonically sounds like Taylor poking fun at the situation. The Beard is a obviously still a boy … And a few songs later she’ll very blatantly slag the Muse with cheating allegations. She’s clearly not being serious by calling him a gentleman.
Now in the chorus, we switch back to talking about the Muse, and we return to you/us pronouns. (“Love to think you’ll never forget/We’ll pay the price I guess”).
“Got lovestruck went straight to my head”: This line evokes the uncharacteristic loudness of the 1989 album. It’s the first album she explicitly references gay relationships ("boys and boys and girls and girls"), and her allusions are extremely un-subtle in tracks like Wonderland. Taylor’s new discoveries about herself maybe made her sloppy about her public image… she felt invincible, like she could truly say and love who she wanted loudly, without accounting for potential public backlash (whispers turned to screams, etc).
*"*Neon light, this is luxury*"***- this is a particularly loud line, calling back to Dear Reader: “the greatest of luxuries is your secrets.” The relationship with the Muse is a luxury because it is a secret. She's not talking about the public "he."
"Takin' your chance, it's a big mistake/I said, "It might blow up in your pretty face": I mean… pretty face? This Muse is no man.
Essentially, I feel like the pronoun shifts in “Slut!” are the crux of understanding it as a song about being in love, and the necessity of taking on a beard. I also hear a lot of parallels between Slut and the Very First Night... especially if the opening lines are a reference to a specific hotel, the Beverly Hills!!
Anyway, thanks for reading this long post :) Credit to my sister Rachel who helped me brainstorm lyrical parallels and analysis! Would love to hear your thoughts!
Posted Nov 2, 2023, 1:20 AM UTC · edited