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Dive into this epic feast for your eyes! Taylor Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” Easter eggs are delivering all types of hidden meanings, and clues and the Swifties are ready to gobble them all up. Since the songstress dropped “You Need to Calm Down” on June 14–the internet has literally been in shambles. An anthem for Pride Month that supports the LGBTQ+ community and its allies–the Red songstress is making her opinions known, and she doesn’t care what you have to say about it.
We knew the music video for “You Need to Calm Down” was going to be super special since Swift waited an entire weekend before giving us the visuals for the song. In an Instagram Live video, she explained the delay saying, “I wanted you to hear the song first, then see the video. Because the video is very worth the wait. There’s a lot going on in the video so I wanted that to be a separate discovery.”
Since Swift, is fully in her Lover era, the video is colorful, bright, and full of gems. In fact, a ton of the Fearless singer’s celeb friends make iconic cameos including, Ellen DeGeneres, Adam Rippon, the legendary RuPaul, Ciara, Laverne Cox, Ryan Reynolds, the entire Queer Eye cast (Tan Frances, Karamo Brown, Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk), Dexter Mayfield, Hanna Hart, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband Justin Mikita, Adam Lambert, Todrick Hall, Hayley Kiyoko, Billy Porter (YASSSSS), and Chester Lockhart.
If you noticed, every celeb is either a part of the LGBTQ+ or an ally. But, that’s only the beginning of the delightful nuggets hidden here. Check out the Easter eggs you might’ve missed from the “You Need to Calm Down” music video ahead.
Image: YouTube.
The Lover Phone Case
Though she hinted at it in her “ME!” music video, Taylor Swift confirmed last week that her upcoming album would be named, Lover. The album will drop Aug. 23 (because 8+2+3= 13) and she even shared the stunning cover art which was shot by the mega-talented, Valheria Rocha. Lover also made an appearance in “You Need to Calm Down” in the form of a gorgeous glittery phone case.
Image: YouTube
Paying Homage to Cher
Toward the beginning of the video, there is a quick snap of a painting that reads, “Mom, I am a rich man.” This is an iconic quote from an interview Cher did back in 1996. She said, “I think men are the coolest, but you don’t really need them to live. My mom said to me, ‘You know, sweetheart, one day you should settle down and marry a rich man. I said, ‘Mom, I am a rich man.’” YASSSS.
Could this also be the name of Swift’s next single?
Image: YouTube
Pretty Kitty
If her Instagram account and the “ME!” video is any indication, we know that Swift lives for cats. She just adopted a new kitty and she has a fluffy white cat named, Olivia Benson (OK Law & Order: SVU stan). In the “You Need to Calm Down” video there is a tiny white cat figurine that reminds us how much of a cat lady Swift truly is.
Image: YouTube.
The Snake Turning into Butterflies Tattoo
The 1989 songstress wants you to know that she is putting the Reputation era of her life firmly behind her. After a feud with Kim Kardashian–Swift’s social media was flooded with snake emojis. She went on to incorporate the reptiles in her Reputation tour and imagery. Now, she’s on a new path and she’s done with all that. This is the time to be as free as a butterfly.
Image: YouTube
Giving Us Legally Blonde vibes
Reese Witherspoon recently announced that Legally Blonde 3 would be arriving in 2020 and we suppose Swift is just as excited as we are. Wearing a pink bikini and lounging in a pool is an entire Elle Woods mood.
Image: YouTube.
“Love Letters Only”
In addition to “Mom, I am a rich man,” we spotted another possible single title, “Love Letters Only.” Lover is going to be a massive album with a total of 18 tracks. So far, Swift has only dropped two.
Image: YouTube.
A Possible Collab with Hayley Kiyoko
Hayley Kiyoko popped up in “You Need to Calm Down” in the most iconic way, hitting #5 with an arrow. Since the ladies performed together previously at the Ally Coalition talent show and Swift defended Kiyoko against fans who were trying to pit them against one another, we’re pretty sure track five on Lover might be a possible collab.
Image: YouTube.
Her 13 necklace
We all know that Swift lives for the number 13. Therefore her 13 necklace is pretty obvious as far as Easter Eggs are concerned. The rhinestoned covered sunglasses she wears have exactly 13 stones on them. The Cats actress explained, “I’m obnoxious. So you know, everything—if you just want to remember that, oh, it adds up to 13.”
Image: YouTube.
That “Cruel Summer” tat
Yet another possible track name for Lover is probably going to be “Cruel Summer.” We’re not sure if it’s actually real, but we do know that Ellen DeGeneres already had the tat when Taylor appeared on her show several weeks ago. It was under our noses the entire time.
Image: YouTube.
The 13 Watch
In addition to her sunglasses and her necklace–Swift also sports a watch that has 13 numbers instead of 12.
Image: YouTube.
Drag Queens as Your Favorite Pop Divas
We live for a good pagent and for RuPaul’s Drag Race. Swift decided to combine the two by showcasing some of her favorite pop divas. The drag queens appear as Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Adele, Cardi B, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, and Nicki Minaj. RuPaul was there to crown them of course. In the “You Need to Calm Down” lyrics, the singer/songwriter calls out people for pitting women against each other. She sings:
“We see you over there on the internet / Comparing all the girls who are killing it / But we figured you out / We all know now we all got crowns.”
Image: YouTube.
Ryan Reynolds’ Stonewall Inn Painting
Swift recently made a surprise appearance at the historic Stonewall Inn in NYC in the midst of Pride Month. In her music video, she also pays homage to the legendary establishment by having Ryan Reynolds paint a portrait of the iconic gay establishment.
Image: YouTube.
Katy Perry as the Hamburger to Swift’s Fries
If you’ve been paying attention, Swift and Perry have finally squashed their long-held feud. They’ve been gifting each other things like chocolate chip cookies and olive branches and sharing them on IG. Now, they are appearing publically together in “You Need to Calm Down” dressed as hamburger and French fries and embracing one another. Cute.