Taylor Swift Has Actually Been Putting Easter Eggs in Her Music Videos For Years

Updated on 8/21/2019 at 3:30 PM

Taylor Swift loves including Easter eggs in her music videos, and she's really been upping the ante as of late. While the singer put quite a few clues about her upcoming Lover album in her "ME!" music video, that certainly wasn't first time one of her videos has had layers of meaning. Who can forget her iconic "Look What You Made Me Do" music video, which included jabs at her famous feuds and brought back multiple personas from her past? Seriously, we're still finding more and more almost two years later! As Swift gets ready to release her seventh album this month, let's look back at some of her biggest music video Easter eggs ahead.

Easter Eggs About Taylor Lautner in Taylor Swift's "Back to December" Music Video

0:17: The guy in the music video is seen wearing a gray shirt similar to one Taylor Lautner wore on a date with Taylor Swift.
0:55: As Swift sits on her bed, there is a clock on her bedside table, possibly referencing the lyrics that she goes back to December all the time.
1:40: While Swift sings about heartbreak in her house, the guy sits on the bleachers at a school, which could possibly symbolize their movie Valentine's Day, in which they played high school athletes.
2:40: When Swift heads downstairs, there is a bike shown in the hallway. In the Twilight saga, Taylor Lautner's character is notorious for riding his motorcycle around town.
2:49: For a second, the camera focuses on an elephant statue on her bookshelf. The couple was frequently spotted dining at the Elephant Bar in California when they were dating.
2:49: Also featured on the shelf is a book titled Mastering Spanish. In the movie Valentine's Day, their characters meet in Spanish class.
3:13: There seems to be another Twilight reference when the video focuses on one single apple on the table like the cover of the first book.

Easter Eggs About Jake Gyllenhaal in Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" Music Video

0:02: Let's start off with the obvious here. The music video is set in a bustling city, and the couple were frequently spotting taking strolls around NYC together.
0:14: We can't help but notice that the whole room is covered in yarn. Is Swift taking a jab at Gyllenhaal's undying love for sweaters?
1:20: Swift is seen sporting a bracelet that looks a lot like the $100,000 one Gyllenhaal reportedly gifted her for her birthday.
1:40: This might be a stretch, but as Swift breaks up with the guy over the phone, he is spotted in a bar. In her song "The Moment I Knew," which is reportedly also about Gyllenhaal, Swift sings about crying over a guy when he didn't show up to her 21st birthday party.
1:47: In one scene, Swift is seen having a fight with the guy in a car. In "All Too Well," which is another one rumored to be about Jake, the lyrics talk about taking long drives around town together.
2:13: As the two walk together, the guy gives Swift his scarf, which she makes reference to in her song "All Too Well."
3:01: When Swift opens the door, the guy is wearing a blue vest very similar to the jacket Gyllenhaal wore on one of their dates.

Easter Eggs About Katy Perry in Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" Music Video

0:01: The video is set in London. While it seems harmless, Perry was married to British comedian Russell Brand from 2010 until 2012, so she obviously spent a lot of time in the city.
0:15: Selena Gomez's character sports a wig and makeup which bares a striking resemblance to one of Perry's signature looks.
1:02: The whole video (and the outfits) have a very futuristic feel that is similar to Perry's Prismatic world tour.
2:09: Swift's white hood certainly bears a lot of resemblance to a white sheep, which could be a reference to Perry's September 2014 tweet posted shortly after Swift's Rolling Stone interview came out where she said, "Watch out for the Regina George in sheep's clothing . . ."
2:22: In one of the scenes, Swift boxes against Karlie Kloss. Remember when Perry performed "Roar" in a boxing ring during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards?
2:45: Swift holds a single flared torch, which could possibly symbolize Perry's hit song "Firework."
3:13: As the girls head into battle, a teddy bear catches fire in the distance. While it could be a stretch, Perry is frequently spotted making her way through airports with a brown stuffed bear. Perhaps Swift was trying to send a message?

Easter Eggs About Harry Styles in Taylor Swift's "Out of the Woods" Music Video

0:05: Swift sports a blue dress for the entirety of the video, which could be a reference to when the pair traveled to the British Virgin Islands and she was spotted leaving the island alone after their breakup. We'll give you one guess at what color her dress was.
1:46: In the video, she is seen ripping off her necklace and throwing it into the wind. The pair sported matching airplane necklaces when they were dating.
3:58: The music video for "I Knew You Were Trouble," which is also rumored to be about Styles, opens with a monologue that states, "I think that the worst part of it all wasn't losing him, it was losing me." On the flip side, "Out of the Woods" ends with the words, "She lost him, but she found herself and somehow that was everything."

Easter Eggs in Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" Music Video

0:30: The pseudonym Swift used when she cowrote "This Is What You Came For" with ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris is written on one of the headstones in the graveyard.
0:35: In Swift's bathtub of diamonds, there is a single dollar bill, which possibly symbolizes her recent groping court case, in which she counter-sued DJ David Mueller for $1. Her bathtub of jewelry might also be a reference to a statement she made back in 2016 during her "Blank Space" performance at the Grammy Museum about how the media probably thinks she goes home to her mansion and cries in her marble bathtub, surrounded by pearls.
0:55: The chair Swift is sitting on is engraved with the Latin phrase "Et tu, Brute?" which means "Even you, Brutus?" from the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. Caesar says these words after realizing his friend Brutus played a role in his death, and it is often used when referring to a friend stabbing you in the back. Sounds like Swift is calling out a frenemy (or many, for that matter).
1:19: While Katy Perry often refers to herself as a tiger, we can't help but notice the little "roar" the furry creature makes in the car. It's also worth noting Swift's interesting prop choice of holding a single Grammy award. While Swift has 10 Grammys, Katy (who has been nominated seven times) has zero.
1:35: Swift stages a robbery from a company called Stream Co. This seems to be a jab at her battle with Spotify over streaming her music for free.
1:51: Swift pokes fun at her infamous "squad" and the criticism that all her friends look the same (tall, blond models, etc.) by rounding up an army of robots that she created.
2:17: As Swift takes a power stance, her male backup dancers take off their jackets to reveal cropped tops with the words "I [heart] T.S." on them . . . just like Tom Hiddleston's tank top from their Fourth of July festivities last year. The number of backup dancers also seems to symbolize the number of guys Swift has publicly dated: Tom Hiddleston, Calvin Harris, Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner, Harry Styles, Conor Kennedy, Jake Gyllenhaal, and John Mayer.
2:37: Swift's "You Belong With Me" self sports her Junior Jewels t-shirt, but if you look closer, it actually has some of her famous friends' names — including Selena Gomez, Lena Dunham, Este Haim, Lily Aldridge, Abigail Anderson, Gigi Hadid, Martha Hunt, Blake Lively, and Ryan Reynolds — written all over it.
3:50: The "New Taylor Swift" looks over at Zombie Taylor questioning, "What's with that b*tch?" before she immediately retorts, "Don't call me that." This seems to be a reference to Swift's drawn-out statement about Kim Kardashian's Snapchat videos in which she says she didn't give Kanye West permission to call her "that b*tch" in his song "Famous."
3:58: After Fearless Taylor starts sobbing over a remark made by Red Taylor, Biker Taylor rolls her eyes, looks at her nails, and says, "There she goes playing the victim . . . again," seemingly responding to the criticism that Swift has built her whole career on playing the victim.
4:03: As Fearless Swift cries, a Kardashian-esque Taylor records the whole thing on her phone, claiming she's "collecting receipts" and that she will "edit this later." Not only could this be a reference to that infamous Kanye West phone call that we all heard about, but it could also be calling out Katy Perry's "Swish Swish" lyrics about how "karma keeps receipts."
4:06: Pretty perfect that 2009 VMAs Swift would have the last word, seeing that she didn't get the last word when Kanye West stole her mic on stage. Just like her response to Kim Kardashian's Snapchat videos, she says that she would "very much like to be excluded from this narrative."

Easter Eggs in Taylor Swift's "End Game" Music Video

1:34: A few eagle-eyed fans decoded some of the Japanese characters written on the signs during the Tokyo part of her video. Some phrases like "I wanna be your first string," and "A Team" reference the lyrics in her song, while others give another nod to her cats, Olivia and Meredith.
1:48: As Swift and her friends hang out in a bar, the camera quickly focuses on the music player, which is on track 13, aka Swift's lucky number.
2:15: During the video, Swift casually sips a juice box that has the song's title, "End Game," written in Japanese.
2:16: One of the biggest Easter eggs seems to be that Swift ends her globetrotting video in London, aka the hometown of her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn.
2:26: During one of the scenes in London, Swift and her friends appear to be having a New Year's Eve party as they wear top hats, drink Champagne, and bounce balloons around the room. This could be a reference to Swift's final song on her Reputation album, "New Year's Day," which is a love song about finding someone to spend your midnights with.
3:04: In one of her most casual outfits from the music video, Swift sports a bath robe and her silver necklace with Joe's initial that she wore a lot during her Reputation era.
3:59: After her big party with friends, Swift is shown driving around London in the back of a taxi, which is yet another reference to her song "New Year's Day," in which she sings "squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi."

Easters Eggs in Taylor Swift's ". . . Ready For It?" Music Video

0:15: In the beginning of the video, the number 89 and 91 are spray-painted on the wall. While the 89 probably references the year Swift was born (and her last album 1989), 91 could reference the year Joe Alwyn was born.
0:20: Swift makes sure to include her lucky number 13 in the video.
0:21: As some eagle-eyed fans pointed out, the Chinese characters written in yellow translate to "Year of the Snake," which is Swift's birth year.
0:25: As Swift walks down the hall, there are all kinds of quotes written on the wall, including this one that says "I Love You in Secret," which is a lyric from her song "Dancing with Our Hands Tied."
0:26: In a quick shot of the cyborgs, "Joseph" is written in Chinese characters. While this could reference the music video's director, Joseph Kahn, it's more than likely a reference to Swift's boyfriend, Joe Alwyn.
0:43: The code Swift types in just so happens to be the date her boyfriend Alwyn was born: Feb. 21.
0:44: Just like in the video for "Look What You Made Me Do," Swift has eight members in her posse, which could symbolize her eight famous exes: Tom Hiddleston, Calvin Harris, Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner, Harry Styles, Conor Kennedy, Jake Gyllenhaal, and John Mayer.
2:32: The lightning bolt might be more than just a cool special effect. In fact, it looks a lot like the cover art for "This Is What You Came For," the song she cowrote with her ex, Calvin Harris.
2:46: It is largely speculated that the music video symbolizes Swift's inner battle with her true self and the one the media has created. While the hooded Swift has the same makeup and straightened hair as 1989 Swift, the other showcases Swift's new relaxed and natural look from her Reputation era. In the end of the video, the latter eventually "breaks free" from the box she's been placed in.
3:16: On the ledge where Swift is standing, there is a lyric from Swift's "I Did Something Bad" in which she sings, "They're burning all the witches, even if you aren't one," but it also alludes to the Salem witch trials where people were wrongfully accused and executed for being something that they're not.

Easter Eggs in Taylor Swift's "Delicate" Music Video

2:01: If you look closely at the computer screens at the front desk, you can just make out the hotel's name, Hotel Délicat, which is French for delicate.
2:46: During Swift's dancing scene in the subway, the graffiti behind her reads "track 5," which is the track number for "Delicate" on Reputation and usually the most emotional song on her albums.
3:14: In true Swift fashion, there are a few hidden lyrics from "Delicate" written on the walls. You can just make out "echoes of your footsteps" as she's dancing in the rain.
3:28: In the background of Swift's incredible split, you can just make out the sign for a place called Joe's Deli. While this could be a reference to the music video's director, Joseph Kahn, it's most likely a nod to Swift's boyfriend, Joe Alwyn.
3:38: The dive bar that Swift goes to at the end of the video is called Golden Gopher, which is located in LA. As one fan pointed out, she is wearing a blue dress when she goes inside. This could be a reference to her lyric from "Dancing With Our Hands Tied" in which she sings, "deep blue, but you painted me golden."

Easter Eggs in Taylor Swift's "ME!" Music Video

0:03: In the title card for the music video, a snake can be seen slithering on a sidewalk covered in colorful chalk. This seems to allude to Swift's poem "Why She Disappeared" from her Reputation album, in which she says, "When she fell, she fell apart. Cracked her bones on the pavement she once decorated as a child with sidewalk chalk." Swift is picking up right where she left off during her last era.
0:08: Just like the callback to the sidewalk chalk, we also get a shot of a snake, which Swift used to introduce her Reputation era back in 2017. Only this time, it's a little less intimidating, as it's pink!
0:16: Just as the pink snake goes to strike at the camera, it bursts into beautiful butterflies, which has been an ongoing theme in her Lover era.
0:37: At one point, Brendon Urie says "You need to calm down" in French, which ended up being the title of Swift's second single.
0:56: Remember when Swifties went crazy theorizing about a picture Swift posted of seven palm trees? Well, the singer makes a fun reference to the post in her video. As she walks down the hallway, you can spot palm trees in the distance through the windows.
1:02: Swift makes a nod to her "Look What You Made Me Do" music video as she sings, "I know that I went psycho on the phone," before pointing at a pink rotary phone.
1:05: As Swift is surrounded by dark clouds, one of them actually turns into a snake. But before it is able to strike, Swift manages to get away. Perhaps this is another nod to her leaving the Reputation era behind her?
1:24: Eagle-eyed Swift fans pointed out that the entire music video actually take places inside a chrysalis! Just like the song is the beginning of a new era, Swift is like a butterfly getting ready to hatch.
1:55: As Swift sits on top of a unicorn building, a neon sign in the background reads "Lover," which was later revealed to be the title of her album.
2:19: Swift brings her "Welcome to New York" lyrics to life as Urie opens up his coat to reveal a kaleidoscope of hearts.
2:25: Swift alluded to her song "The Archer" by including several musicians dressed up as cupid in a dancing scene.

Easter Eggs in Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" Music Video

0:08: In Swift's trailer, there is a quote from Cher on the wall that reads, "Mom, I am a rich man." During an interview from 1996, the "Believe" singer said that "a man is not a necessity, a man is a luxury." Cher continued, "My mom said to me, 'You know sweetheart, one day you should settle down and marry a rich man. And I said, 'Mom, I am a rich man.'" This seems to be Swift's way of responding to all those sexist questions about her settling down and having kids as she approaches 30.
0:32: Just like her "Me!" music video, Swift's back tattoo features a snake turning into a million little butterflies.
1:20: Per usual, the video features Swift's lucky number 13. As she skips down the street with Todrick Hall, you can just make out the number on her necklace.
1:24: Swift teased track five on her Lover album, "The Archer," when Hayley Kiyoko was spotted shooting an arrow at a target with the number five on it.
2:20: Swift seemingly tries to put an end to "stan Twitter" and pitting female artists against each other as contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race dress up as pop queens like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Adele for a pageant. However, instead of awarding one as the sole winner, they each share "the crown."
3:08: Swift finally ends her feud with Katy Perry as they dress up like hamburgers and fries and hug it out in her music video.