Speculation has begun! Taylor Swift has dropped her highly anticipated album(s) The Tortured Poet’s Department, as well as The Tortured Poet’s Department: The Anthology. The last song of the first album, “Clara Bow” has specifically come under scrutiny even prior to its release — as it’s named after the original “It girl” from the 1930s.
The last lyric, however, specifically has fans wondering if the Eras Tour performer is referring to Olivia Rodrigo amid their highly speculated drama surrounding songwriting credits. Keep reading for everything we know.
Why Fans Think ‘Clara Bow’ Is About Olivia Rodrigo
Throughout the song, Taylor compares a newly popular woman to a former It girl, including the original It girl of the 1930s, Clara Bow.
“You look like Clara Bow in this light, remarkable, all your life, did you know, you’d be picked like a rose?” she sings within the first few lines, later comparing another to ’70s rock n’ roll It girl, Stevie Nicks. “You look like Stevie Nicks in ’75, the hair and lips. The crowd goes wild at her fingertips, half moonshinе, a full eclipse.”
Then, at the end, Taylor compares this new woman to herself.
“You look like Taylor Swift. In this light, we’re loving it. You’ve got edge, she never did. The future’s bright, dazzling.”
Immediately, the internet believed the last verse to be a reference to Olivia — as the SOUR singer is often compared to Taylor.
One fan wrote on X, “i’m sorry clara bow is so obviously about olivia. i’m pretty there are articles that specifically said olivia is 19 year old taylor with more edge,” while another posted: “clara bow has a line abt olivia but u didn’t hear that from me.”
don’t think it’s exactly strange that olivia rodrigo and clara bow’s names rhyme. coincidence i think not. #TSTTPD
— alfie (@barcharbrina) April 19, 2024
ICYMI, at the start of her career, Olivia spoke openly about how much she loved and was inspired by Taylor and her music. However, in recent years, fans have noticed the GUTS singer has stopped mentioning the Midnights songwriter, altogether. Then, the feud allegations began after Olivia retroactively credited Taylor on her single “Deja Vu,” which led people to think that something happened between the two behind-the-scenes.
Olivia addressed the credits controversy during an interview with Rolling Stone in September 2023, admitting that she was “a little caught off guard.”
“At the time it was very confusing, and I was green and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. It’s not something that I was super involved in. It was more team-on-team. So, I wouldn’t be the best person to ask.”
When asked if she would ever demand to be credited on another artist’s song if fans noticed similarities between their song and one of hers, Olivia said: “I don’t think I would ever personally do that. But who’s to say where I’ll be in 20, 30 years.”
On top of that, the message of “Clara Bow” is reminiscent to another of track of Taylor’s — “Nothing New” featuring Phoebe Bridgers, which was released from the vault from the Red (Taylor’s Version) album.
The “Bad Blood” singer wrote about what the song was about in one of the journals released alongside her 2019 album, Lover.
“It’s about being scared of aging and things changing and losing what you have,” she revealed. “It’s a really vulnerable song, but I think it’s important to say.”
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