Taylor Swift is featured on The National‘s new song “The Alcott” off their album First Two Pages of Frankenstein, which was released on April 28, 2023. In the track, Taylor and The National singer, Matt Berninger, sing of rekindling a relationship.
Keep reading for our lyric breakdown, meaning, more.
What Is Taylor Swift’s ‘The Alcott’ About?
In an interview on The Zane Lowe Show, Matt shares that he wrote “The Alcott” about his wife and frequent musical collaborator, Carin Besser.
“It very much is a perspective of one person sort of coming to try to reconnect with the other person in a hotel bar,” he explained. “I’d written all that side of it and Aaron sent it to Taylor [Swift] right away and I think she jumped right into the role of the other voice, the other perspective … It sets a scene of a person with a notebook writing in a bar … and she fit right into that spot.”
The National guitarist Aaron Dessner revealed that “The Alcott” was nearly complete before he decided to send it to the Grammy-winning songwriter.
“Matt wrote the main part of the song to some music I had written, which Taylor had heard and I knew liked, so I thought it might be something she would really click with,” he said in a press release. “I sent it to her and was a little nervous as I didn’t hear back for 20 minutes or so. By the time she responded, Taylor had written all her parts and recorded a voice memo with the lyrics she’d added in a dialogue with Matt, and everyone fell immediately in love with it. It felt meant to be.”
Taylor Swift ‘The Alcott’ Song Lyric Breakdown
“I get myself twisted in threads, to meet you at The Alcott,” Matt sings in the first verse, referencing meeting a past lover at a hotel bar. “And there you are, sittin’ as usual with your golden notebook, writing something about someone who used to be me.”
Both Taylor and Matt sing together in the chorus, “It’s the last thing you wanted, it’s the first thing I do. I tell you that I think I’m fallin’ back in love with you.”
Love J-14? Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for fun, exclusive videos with your favorite stars.
